MID Devon Cycling Club duo Matt Holmes and Bayley Woodger both participated in the Track Newport Youth Race Night, which consisted of three races: a scratch race, an elimination race, and a points race.
In the scratch race, Matt secured third place while Bayley finished in fourth after a strong start. In the elimination race, Bayley came in third and Matt finished fourth.
Finally, in the points race, Bayley achieved third place once more, while Matt took fourth. Overall, both riders maintained their positions consistently throughout the event.
Elsewhere, six riders from Mid Devon CC braved the storms to participate in the fourth round of the National Trophy Cyclocross 2024 in Clanfield.
This year, the local club put together a challenging course at a venue that has been four years in the making. Riders faced a tough challenge, and those having a bad day would surely be punished by the course's demands.
First up for the club was V50 rider Catherine Kilburn, who finished in 5th place, followed closely by Jackie Shute in 11th, both handling the difficult conditions admirably. V60 rider Robin Delve, racing for the 32nd time this season and feeling some end-of-season fatigue, managed to secure 13th place.
V50 Martin Smith began his racing season only last week and finished in 36th place after starting from the back of the grid among 62 riders.
F14 Lauren Fox had a great race. She struggled in the first half of the first lap but found her grip and rhythm, eventually pulling herself back to 3rd place, nearly catching 2nd. She is currently in 2nd place in the series overall.
It wasn’t Matt Holmes' day in the U16 category, but he demonstrated good character, finishing in 65th place.
Under 14 rider James Alen had another excellent round, showcasing outstanding skill. After starting from 28th place, he worked his way through the field to finish 14th overall. He was held up a bit on the first lap, which hampered his chances for a top 10 finish.
Due to the weather conditions, the Sunday UCI races was unfortunately cancelled.
Meanwhile, the club achieved some great results in the final round of the South West Cyclocross at Newnham Bottom, doing so well that the overall league standings will be impacted, which will be released soon.
Notable performances included James Allen, Meryn Kitching, Nicky Quant, and James Bovey, all of whom made it onto the podium. Despite the course being altered due to the storm over the weekend, it did not dampen the spirits of the Southwest Cyclist League participants. Congratulations to all participants for their excellent performances!
Results:
- Under 10: George Bleloch - 4th
- Under 12: Frederick Simcock - 3rd, Henry Hatton - 10th, William Cook - 11th
- Under 14: James Allen - 1st, Benjamin Simcock - 4th, Oliver Gray - 5th, Thomas Bleloch - 7th
- Under 16 Boys: Meryn Kitching - 3rd, Ben Picton - 4th, Sam Gray - 5th
- V40: Emily Simcock - 7th
- V50: Nicky Quant - 3rd
- MV50: James Bovey - 2nd, Martin Smith - 11th
- MV60: Philip Smith – 11th.