Cycling - Tankard winner blows in....
10:53am Saturday 3rd May 2008
YORKSHIREMAN Richard Hepworth (Wakefield CC) won Sunday's 77-mile NW League road race, incorporating Kent Valley Road Club's Westmorland Tankard, on the Old Hutton circuit.
Hepworth finished alone in 3hrs 14mins 14secs, a good three and a half minutes ahead of the remnants of a chasing group headed by Maxgear RT's Richard Handley. Chris Burrows (Kuoni Biemme) was third and previous course winner Jimmy Froggatt (Wills Wheels) was fourth, just in front of Lancashire Road Club's Craig Battersby.
With his best ride yet in elite road racing company, Burton youngster Calum Nicholson (ProBikeKit) gave an outstanding performance in sixth place, at 5-13 and over a minute ahead of Lune RCC's Ashley Finn (eighth).
The supporting 3/4/Ws over 57 miles of the same circuit resulted in another lone victory, this time for David Cawley (KeswickBikes.com) in 2hrs 27mins 47secs who finished 1-43 clear of his nearest rival. Ian Palmer (Wheelbase) was 11th at 2-24 and the first woman was Altura's Julie Mann in 18th position.
On the time trialling front, the first championship of the new season was the NLTTA junior and juveniles 10, run as part of the Wigan Wheelers event at Garstang on Saturday. Kent Valley's Jonathon Knox was runner-up overall to 17-year-old Richard Handley (Maxgear RT), who took the junior title with 21-41 to 15-year-old Jonathon's 23-22. But Jonathon won the youth title with his 14-year-old clubmate, Beau Smith, second in 23-57.
In the open 10, John Morgan (Preston Wheelers) was fastest with 20-38 and the quickest local was Kent Valley's John Ingham in 22-21. Other local times were: John Leach (KV-V60) 24-33; Tim Bennett (KV-V40) 24-51; Neil Stirling (KV-V60) 27-09; Ann Nicholson (KV-LV50) 28-21.
Morgan was in a class of his own in the following day's Wigan Wheelers 30, part of the Lakes and Lancs SPOCO series, winning in 1-06-58. Kent Valley's Andrew Barlow (V40) was 12th in 1-13-05 and young Jonathon Knox (KV) showed few signs of tiredness from his championship 10 ride to finish 18th overall in 1-14-39. Other local rides were: Chris Anderson (ProBikeKit V40) 1-16-11; John Leach (KV-V60) 1-16-45; Mike Speight (Barrow Central Wheelers V60) 1-17-03; Barry Fittes (BCW V70) 1-18-24; Tim Bennett (KV-V40) 1-20-16; and Lynsey Anderson (thegreenroomgroup.com) 1-22-19.
John Ingham won Kent Valley's latest midweek club 10, on the speedy Levens course, in 21-44 from Andrew Barlow on 22-07 and David Baxter's 22-17. Young Beau Smith rode 22-54 and other leading KV and local times were: Tony Dixon 23-15; Steve Hodgson 23-33; Graham Harcourt (BCW) 23-37); John Leach 23-40; Ian Harcourt (BCW) 23-45; Lynn Hamel 24-01; Tim Bennett 24-01; Richard Belk 24-39; Sharon Padley 24-49; Ian Lilley 24-58; Henry Adams 25-31; Tim Raine 26-02; Andy Bunn 26-04; and Neil Stirling 26-12.