By Fergus Muir

Top racing cyclists converged on Ixworth for an afternoon of hotly contested races for all ages and categories promoted by the Wheelers with the help of J W Sturgeon Haulage and many other local sponsors. Weather was a bit mixed - morning rain largely cleared, but there was a sharp shower during the Elite race.

Early excitement came in four Regional Championships for young riders most notably when Esther Colman beat all the boys to win the Youth "C" Championship The race featured a wide range of competitors with good showings by a fast pedalling  BMXer and young West Suffolk members Nick Garrad and Sam Sturman. Eventually the leading group was whittled down to three - Esther, George Wood (Southend Wheelers) and Andrew Crowe (Plomesgate CC). At the line Colman held off Wood who is Eastern Cyclo-Cross League winner in his age category. Esther is a pupil at Bury's St James Middle School and a regular at the Wheeler's Go-Ride training and racing sessions
at the Priory school on Wednesday evenings.

In Youth "D" - Under 10 - Lorna Robinson from Ashfield-cum-Thorpe took third pot behind winner William Street of Welwyn Wheelers. William Adams of Mildenhall CC was the early leader in the Youth "B" race here a dramatic finish saw Ben Bailey of Team Keyne clip the kerb as he led he field into Ixworth High Street for the last time. He kept control, but lost momentum and the win went to Tom Gallacher of Welwyn Wheelers, with Dan now second and Adams third. Dominic Schils started a remarkable series of three races in one afternoon with a win in the Under 16s, where Tom Castle of Ipswich BC was 6th, Luke Newby (Diss & District CC) 8th and Nathan Colman (WSW) 10th.

Geoff Booker (Oxonian CC) dominated the trike race riding a new low, wide machine specially built for the TA Criterium Series. As recently as 2005 the wheelers were promoting the only tricycle criterium in the UK, so they deserve credit for their part in the resurgence of wheel-to-wheel trike racing. Jeff Jones from Leicester was second and Mick Madgett third out of twelve starters - and eleven finishers (moral: do not let your tub cement dry out)

World Track Championship rider Ross Edgar, probably the most famous product of West Suffolk Wheelers youth programme, contested the Senior 3/4  race but made a dramatic exit as the big field funnelled into the narrowest part of Commister Lane on the first lap, colliding with a door. He had to go to hospital but fortunately was out in a couple of hours. Dominic Schils (Interbike) won this race, which featured a splendid solo effort from Ben Nicholson (Interbike) with Robert Hunt from Yaxley in third place.

The racing moved up a gear for the final race which developed into a classic battle between criterium specialist Simon Gaywood and World Team Pursuit rider and time trialist Alex Dowsett. Lapping the 900 metre circuit in just over 60 seconds, nearly 20 seconds faster than the  3/4th category seniors - the pair lapped the entire field. On the fast descent of Commister Lane Dowsett (100%ME)  powered ahead and led through the tight last corner. He held the lead to the line to take the £500 first prize which had drawn the largest number of top-ranked riders to be seen on Suffolk roads since the Bury St Edmunds criteriums in the 90s

---

Photos of the event on the www.mphotography.co.uk website.

< Prev		Next >