Bristol RC Odd Down Winter Series Races 20 December 2014  Results
  
   William Harper of Dulwich Paragon CC wins the Malmesbury RR William Harper of Dulwich Paragon CC has won the Malmesbury Road race, breaking clear of the bunch in the final kilometre to win by only 3 seconds.
  Malmesbury Road Race -31 August 2014 The penultimate stage of the Cotswold Cycle League took place on the rolling circuit via Minety-Charlton-Malmesbury-Brinkworth in perfect weather conditions. Within the first lap Tony Kiss (Performance Cycles) and David Billings (VC St Raphael) were able to get away with lead of up 2 minutes by the end of the first lap. After the first lap this lead was slowly brought back over the next lap and a half. With the peloton nearing the finish William Harper (Dulwich Paragon CC) broke away to take the win by a couple of seconds. Joe Barry (Ride 24/7) took the sprint for 2nd with Simon Coles (Norwood Paragon CC) following just behind. Harper said “The race started quite gently, but by half way round lap 2, things started to get quite lively. An impressive 2 man break was finally brought back, and a series of attacks then went off the front. I was involved in a break on the final lap with about 10 strong riders, which I thought would stay away, however we were reeled back in with about half a lap left. I knew that the last section of the course was a gradual climb with some steeper ramps, and that there was no wind, making it easier to stay away alone. I kicked hard off the front with about 2 miles to go, and really tried to power up each ramp as hard as I could. As I looked back after the initial effort, I saw there was a decent gap between myself and the chasers, so I put my head down and drilled it to the finish, managing a short sprint up the final rise. Thankfully I timed the move right, another few hundred meters and I may have been swallowed up by the group”. Provisional Results from the Malmesbury Road Race   Frenchman Blain wins Severn Bridge Photos and editorial courtesy of Eamonn Deane (more photos on his blog)  Team Raleigh’s Alex Blain secured victory in the 42nd Severn Bridge - BW Cycling Road Race in Wiltshire on Sunday, sprinting to victory ahead of his four breakaway rivals. The 32-year-old Frenchman took the win by a couple of bike lengths ahead of Marcin Bialoblocki (Velosure-Giordana), while James Lewis (NFTO Pro Cycling) and Grant Bayton (Ride 24/7) were not far behind in third and fourth, then Richard Hepworth (Velosure-Giordana) in fifth. Blain made it a weekend double for Team Raleigh, 24 hours after team mate Ian Wilkinson had triumphed further north in the Eddie Soens at Aintree Racecourse. He was part of the initial break of four which went clear on the first of three laps of the 20-mile Malmesbury circuit.
Blain had gone clear early on with Marcin Bialoblocki (Velosure Giordana), James Lewis (NFTO) & 19 year old Edward Laverack (Rapha Condor JLT). Hiking in the snow in France had left Blain with a torn quad muscle that kept him off the bike all December, the rest has so obviously done him good as he put on a magnificent performance. The quartet worked well together, building a lead of 35 seconds on the first of three 20 mile rolling loops, based around the village of Charlton near Malmesbury, Wiltshire. James Lewis had made the attack and even at this early stage it looked like a race winning move. The bunch did get organised though and the gap started to come down as the four up the road started to hesitate. The cold and wet is typical of early spring racing in the UK but it was the wind that had the biggest impact on the race, the south westerly stringing the riders out through Brinkworth (the longest village in England,so the sign says) and allowing the four to stay clear. Three riders did make contact, including, Yanto Barker (Team Raleigh), Richard Hepworth (NFTO Pro Cycling) & Grant Bayton (Ride 24/7) as the bunch started to splinter. Through Charlton the second time Barker punctured and with the Neutral car servicing the bunch he was forced to take a wheel from a spectator. Despite the generosity he could not get back to the sharp end. Others too were feeling the pace as Blain, Bialoblocki, Bayton, Lewis & Hepworth forged on. Into the final few miles both Bialoblocki & Lewis attacked and got a gap but neither could make it stick. Hepworth tried towards the end but his legs were gone and all had to settle for the sprint. Blain was “allowed” to sit on the front for the last two miles, the Frenchman had the best sprint and the others knew it! Bialoblocki tried to come on the right but could not quite get there, the effort taking both riders across the road, after the race Commisaires had a word with the pair but with the NEG escort ensuring the finish area was “sterile” it was more of a “hand around the shoulder” than a” wagging finger” conversation.  Rider Reaction The crosswinds made it hard and it split the whole race. Yanto got across to us but he punctured, I was a bit unsure how to manage the race with the two Velosure guys there. Everybody was waiting for my sprint; I had to do a turn for 5km with no one coming through, I knew Marcin would give it a good shot but I was confident” Marcin Bialoblocki: “ I went from the gun, we worked together, I thought we would stay away even at that early stage. When the group came across a few people started to miss turns then we were just five riders, Everyone started to play games, I was thinking I could beat Alex, I can sprint well when I have good form but not yet” James “Tank” Lewis (6’9″ and 97 kilos hence the nickname ‘Tank’: “ I got away on my own, it was a good group we were working well, I went for a flyer with 10km to go, I thought it was 2km I got a gap of about 200 metres but just blew my doors!” Grant Bayton: “I came into the race a bit apprehensive, I have got a little leg injury, If you had said top ten before the race I would have taken it. Yanto Barker did a heck of a turn to get us up to the break. When Tank Lewis attacked I was biting my handlebars to stay with it. Alex did the business he rode well and deserved the win. I am happy with fourth though” Richard Hepworth: “Marcin got in the first move, Metaltek seemed happy to chase they bought it back to about 10 seconds, then I just popped across. I will be honest though them lads can kick out some serious power, really I was a bit underpowered being a bit smaller, we should have won it really but I was blowing, when they are kicking out a hundred watts more than I can you have to duck and dive a bit. I am working with Sean Yates from Trainsharp and we have not done any top end stuff yet”. Race organiser Brian O’Kelly was pleased with how the race went. The tragic events of last year were fresh in the mind. Race number 22 was not allocated in memory of Junior Heffernan, who so tragically lost his life in the race twelve months ago. A minutes silence was observed in the race HQ before the start. “It was a hard decision but the will to continue this year was always there” said O’Kelly Ed Laverack: “With John (Herety) not here we had no real plan, James went straight away, I went all the way around the bunch and got on, Marcin & Alex just came across and we were plugging away really hard, the bunch started to pull us back a bit, we tried again doing shorter turns. A group of six got to us but when Yanto punctured it got harder and started to fracture. I crashed yesterday at the Eddie Soens, my hip was sore and I started to miss my turns on the front but even that did not help. When James attacked with about 20km to go I popped!” Result LifeCare KOM Winner: Alex Blain (Team Raleigh)
Alex Blain receives the Severn Bridge Trophy from Oli Beckingsale of BW Cycling  Early breakaway of Blain, Laverack, Bialoblocki and Lewis  Peloton in full flow  Race starts to splinter  Cross wind and nowhere to hide  Early on the Peloton still in tact 
To see the riders list go to this link: Severn Bridge - BW Cycling RR 2014 Riders Download the race programme at this link: http://www.bristolroadclub.com/home/severn-bridge-rr-program _______________________________________________________________________________ Results & Report for Bristol RC Winter Circuits - Thanks to Geoff Ripley VeloUK Report Go-Race Women Just 8 women took to the start line in strong winds and heavy rain for the first race, to battle not only each other but also the conditions. The race split in half early on but the two groups of four then worked well together doing their best to take turns on the front facing at one point stinging rain and sleet. Both groups contested their own sprints for the line. The race was won by a capable Georgina Snowdon-Brett (Uni of Bristol CC). 1. Georgina Snowdon-Brett – Uni of Bristol CC 4th Cat 1 Jake Hollins 2/3 Cats The chasers regained contact leaving the race all together. With around 4 laps to go, Iain Palmer our earlier escapee once again attacked alone. He pulled out an advantage of around 15 seconds and held it until the finish. Three riders set off in pursuit with Lee Comerford (London Dynamo) taking the sprint for second from Matthew Franklin (Bristol RC) and Duncan Lancashire (Andover Wheelers). 1. Iain Palmer Twickenham CC  The race is now open to enter online on the British Cycling website, just click on the button......
The 42nd Severn Bridge - BW Cycling Road Race organised by Bristol Road Club will take place on Sunday 2 March 2014, however it will be on a new circuit. For 2014 the race will be held on a circuit in Wiltshire near Malmesbury, off J17 on the M4. It will be National B for E/1/2/3 categories, for a maximum 80 riders with a priority for Teams of maximum 4 riders. The HQ will be as follows: Charlton Village Hall In the meantime, if you have any questions please feel free to get in touch. Go to this link to view the new circuit:
Location: http://www.openstreetmap.org/?lat=51.362&lon=-2.3739&zoom=17&layers=M  More details to follow. The Story of My Bike that I Made Myself About a year ago, Owen Byrne of Bristol Road Club decided to make his own bike, from scratch.....YES, including the frame! Click here to read Owen’s story and it will take you on a journey from this......  To this......  41st Severn Bridge Road Race
_______________________________________________________________________________ The 41st Severn Bridge Road Race takes place on Sunday 3 March 2013. This  year there will be a 3rd Cat race as well as the usual E123 event. So to enter go to the British Cycling Events Calendar 41st Severn Bridge RR The 3rd Cat event starts at 10.00 and the E123 at midday from Olveston Sports & Social Club at Old Down, Olveston, riders then taking on 4 and 10 laps respectively of the 6.6 mile circuit which includes the tough Old Down Hill. This Bristol Road Club event is one of the country's top and longest running early season road race events that dates back to the '60s. Check out the hightlights of last years race on YouTube at this link: 2012 Severn Bridge RR on YouTube
  The details of riders will appear on the website at this page link: You can download the programme from this page link: _________________________________________________________________________________________ Report on the 2012 event, the 40th Severn Bridge Road Race  Marcin Bialoblocki of NODE4 Giordano Racing has won the 40th Severn Bridge Road Race in tremendous style with a lone win in wet and windy conditions on the challenging North Bristol circuit. Marcin was over a minute ahead of Matt Jones (Team Corley Cycles) and Jamie Sparling (Team Raleigh).
Despite being wet, windy and cold, 80 riders took to the line with the conditions making for a steady start before the break went away on lap two and quickly gained 30 seconds over the rest. Irish under-23 Philip Lavery (NODE4 GiordanaRacing) consistently took maximum points for the King of the Mountains competition on Old Down Hill, and with most of the top teams represented in the break, there was no concerted chase as the gap continued to stretch. With the sun trying to show its face and the roads drying out, Bialoblocki made his move on the eighth lap and was never seen again as the group splintered behind him under a number of futile attempts to get across. “I feel good,” said the 28-year-old winner, based in Bridgwater, Somerset. “I’ve done a lot of training over the winter and been to two training camps, but it was a bit hard today – I got back from Singapore last night after a 24-hour journey and only managed a quick night’s sleep before the race.” The race marked the return of Oli Beckingsale (Endura Racing) after a lengthy injury break. “I’m a month behind in my training and have only done endurance work,” he said. “On a day like today you want to get in the mix, but the break went so early I missed it and with a lot of strong teams with guys in there, it was job done.” More photographs below but see them all on the Facebook page. Also the complete race has been filmed, here is just a Youtube snippet. More to follow. Results: 1. Marcin Bialoblocki E NODE4 Giordana Racing 2:34:00
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This year's 40th Severn Bridge Road Race takes place on Sunday 4 March, as usual starting at 11.00am from Olveston Sports & Social Club at Old Down, Olveston, riders then taking on 10 laps of the 6.6 mile circuit which includes the tough Old Down Hill. View the riders and download the programme.
This year's race is expected to be one of the best ever, with entries expected from many of the top teams including Wilier/Live2ride, TeamCorley Cycles, Wyndymilla-UK Youth and Sigma Sport Specialized. For the first time in many years, Bristol RC will enter a team to include Steve Thomas who is riding the race for his 25th successive year. Sponsors so far include The Giant Store - Bristol, LifeCare, Mud Dock, Argos Cycles, Blast Bikes, Strada Cycles, Academy Eyewear, Avon Valley Cyclery, Printech, Signboard, Terry's Cycles and more with a prize fund of £1,500 providing a real motivation for the riders to make it a splendid race. There is a special KOM prize from LifeCare which will really make the race up Old Down Hill very fast and furious. As usual the race will be marshalled by the brilliant National Escort Group, and there will be a motorcycle cameraman to catch all the highlights of the race on film. Last year's winner, Zak Dempster, went onto have a phenomenal season culminating in a move to HTC-Highroad and riding for World Road Race Champion, Mark Cavendish, in the Paris-Tours Classic. ____________________________________________________________________________________ 2011 Severn Bridge RR Report Zak Dempster of Rapha Condor Sharp has won the 39th Severn Bridge - Felt Bicycles RR in a tight sprint finish from Marcin Bialoblocki (Motorpoint Pro Cycling), Matt Jones (Team Raleigh) and local rider Simon Richardson (Sigma Sport Specialized). The race was run at a very fast pace with the 65 miles taking only 2 hrs 34 mins and the fastest ever lap time was recorded around the 6.5 mile circuit, with 10 times up the testing Old Down Hill. A break of 8 formed on lap 5, which included Dempster, Bialoblocki, Jones and Richardson, along with Grant Bayton (Wilier), Simon Gaywood (Team Corley), Frederik Johansson (Team UK Youth) and Casey Munro (Rapha). They were being chased down by Magnus Backstedt (Team UK Youth) and William Bjergfelt (Motorpoint), who had escaped from the bunch after some aggressive riding by the 2004 Paris-Roubaix winner, Backstedt. They got close to bridging the gap on lap 5 before the leaders split with Zak Dempster forcing the pace over the finish line on lap 6 and Gaywood, Johansson and Bayton dropping back to be caught by the chasing two. So as they went up the hill on lap 8 it was a leading group of 5 with another 5 chasing then Steve Lampier (Sigma) and Liam Holohan (Raleigh) doing a two up to try and get across. However as they went into the last lap the leading break had split again with Dempster and Richardson having a small lead over Bialoblocki and Jones with Munro on his own and close to getting caught by the chasing 5. Down the fast decent at 50mph and finally round to the last time up Old Down Hill and Bialoblocki and Jones had bridged the gap to make a four up sprint to the finish, with Dempster proving the strongest, taking it by a length from Bialoblocki, with Jones a further length back and Richardson in fourth. A minute later came Will Bjergfelt, staying clear of the chasers who were led home by Backstedt, showing that all that track work was putting speed in his legs. Then eight more riders came in ahead of the bunch which was a further two minutes back. There were 67 finishers from a field of 80 and a lap earlier Stuart Thompson of Banjocycles.com had claimed the Lantern Rouge after spending 6 laps on his own. Marcin Bialoblocki had won the K.O.M title with some very strong riding up Old Down Hill, where there were points every lap. The Team prize was just won by Motorpoint Pro Cycling consisting of Bialoblocki, Bjergfelt and Lee Davis, run very close by Rapha-Condor-Sharp. A great day, great weather, a bit cold, but the sun came out for the afternoon and it almost felt like spring. Can’t wait until next year! Confirmed results;
See complete result for all 67 finishing riders at this link Result of Severn Bridge RR 2011  Magnus on the move  Steve Thomas of Bristol Road Club  Come back here later for many more race photos Go to our facebook page Bristol RC on facebook Also view photos of the race at www.chrisrhymerphotos.com and http://www.grahamrobins.net/.
________________________________________________________________________________________________ Sykes looks to defend Severn Bridge title in 2011 Phill Sykes (Sigma Sport) will look to take back-to-back wins in the Severn Bridge Road Race on Sunday. Sykes sprinted to victory in the 105km circuit race around Avonmouth last year, and will have team-mates Simon Richardson and Steve Lampier for company in the popular Bristol event. Team UK Youth's James Stewart and Grant Bayton (Wilier/LifeCare/GoSelf) took the minor podium positions in 2010, and will look to beat Sykes this time around. Motorpoint's Will Bjergfelt will also be a man to watch, as someone extra motivated to win on a circuit just a few miles from his front door. Also riding is Ben Stockdale of Team Qoroz, recent winner of the Perfs Pedal Race, along with 2004 Paris-Roubaix winner Magnus Backstedt who has made a comeback this year to lead Team UK Youth. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Attacking from a ten-man break which formed on lap 2, Bialoblocki went away with three of the ten laps to go, with the remains of the break fragmenting and then getting back together as a 6 man group in vain pursuit of a flying Marcin.
