Wightlink Cycle Racing Team member James Veal took to the start line for Round 2 of the Pronto Bikes Series at Thruxton last Tuesday (15th April).
A cold crosswind on the rise to the finish made the racing very explosive with multiple attacks every lap. Eventually, a small group broke clear and with only a handful of riders willing to chase meant the break stayed away.
James managed a top 10 in the prime sprint and 11th overall position. This will elevate him to just outside the top 10 after 2 rounds.
James said:
‘The wind made the racing much harder with everyone trying their best to shelter. With 0.02sec separating 9th, 10th and 11th, I was unlucky not to get inside the top 10, but that’s racing.’
The Wightlink Cycle Racing Team mountain bike squad travelled to Basingstoke to compete in round 2 of the Southern XC MTB Series on Sunday (20th April).
The event also incorporated the Southern Regional Championships, where valuable points would be up for grabs.
Finley Manser-Grundy – who at 6 years old – was one of the youngest riders racing in the U-10 category.
Finley started 9th on the grid, but he navigated a challenging course with a steady climb and uneven ground to work his way through the field of 19 riders.
The fearless youngster had some intense battles with 2 other riders and managed to out-sprint one of them to secure an impressive 4th place.
Nicholas Earley, competing in the senior Open Expert category, was next up in the afternoon, racing 7 laps of a dry and dusty course, which was mainly single track with a few sharp climbs.
The race started hard and fast with Nick managing to stay near the front and – as the race went on – he was in a strong position to take 2nd place in the Regional Championships standings, but a puncture at the start of the last lap meant he had to ride the whole lap on a flat and unfortunately got caught just before the line, finishing 7th overall and had to settle for 3rd in the Championships.
Ewan Cook and Alfie Haydon – racing in the Junior category over 5 laps of the course – both had great starts and settled in with the front group. As the pace heightened, Ewan managed to stay with 4 of the other riders at the front whilst Alfie was left battling his own race.
Ewan was looking strong, but an unfortunate crash with a lap to go put paid to his chances of taking the win, but he dug in and battled back to the leading group to finish 3rd overall and took 2nd place in the Championships.
Alfie continued to push on through the bunch, picking off riders to take a well-earned 8th place.
Simon Ernest – competing in the tough Masters Vet 40+ category – rode a fantastic race, battling it out with the top 10 riders throughout the fast paced 6 laps.
Simon crossed the line 6th overall and just missed out on a championship podium place but took a creditable 4th place in the championships.
Wightlink Cycle Racing Team mountain bike captain Nick said:
“What a great day of racing, and the team all picked up some valuable points.
We had some bad luck with the puncture and a crash but to bounce back and carry on to the finish and still be able to come home with a couple of medals is brilliant.“
