PTW

Steve Thomas reports on the Abergavenny RC’s Auchterlonie Memorial Handicap No 3 on 8th May 2011.

A fine effort from Scratch group riders James (Tank) Lewis and Anthony O’Boyle ultimately came up 20 seconds short as they failed to catch the longmarkers group of 4th cats in Sunday’s final round of the Auchterlonie Memorial Handicap series, promoted by Abergavenny RC. The event was emphatically won by Luke Williams of the Gannet CC – an ‘old’ Hereford club which has recently been revived and is seeing some early success.

With a series to be contested, and a dozen riders in with a shout, today’s race was always likely to be a cagey affair. The (relatively) weaker scratch group – Lincoln GP accounting for the Elites – were given two minutes to catch the 3rds and a further seven minutes to catch the longmarker 4ths.

A crash in the middle group after just two miles saw the impetus go out of their chase for a while and it was only a lap and a half of the 10 mile circuit before the scratch group had them in their sights but still seven minutes behind the 4ths and ‘staying away’ was now eminently do-able!

At half distance, and with the gap still at six minutes, a strong group of 10 riders clipped off from the bunch in pursuit of the 4ths quickly bringing the gap down to 5 minutes and making excellent progress into the headwind on the dual carriageway sections. Another lap and two riders – O’Boyle and Lewis - decided the chase still wasn’t quick enough and themselves chipped off the chasing ten in search of the 4ths.

At the bell, O’Boyle and Lewis had reduced the gap to two and a half minutes and it looked like they may well have timed it just right and with the remnants of the chase a further minute back and the bunch another minute back it became essentially an eighteen v two man pursuit. Lewis, though, cracked on the headwind section with three miles to go and despite a valiant effort, and sniffing at the tale of the leading 4ths all the way up the finishing drag O’Boyle just couldn’t make it on, finishing 17th just 20 seconds behind the winner Williams. Dan Taylor (Acme Wheelers) was 2nd with Ben Allister (Cardiff JIF) 3rd.

Hannah Manley (For.to VioRed) hung on valiantly to the longmarkers to win 1st woman on the day with (world pursuit champion) Dani King leading the bunch home to place 2nd and Lowri Bunn just behind her placing 3rd woman. Barrie McGregor won the day’s Vets prize finishing 4th overall.

The Auchterlonie Memorial Series

The series overall was won by Peter Georgi of Giant CC/Halo Films with 4th cat Ben Allister (Cardiff JIF) profiting from today’s race result and securing 2nd whilst Matt Rowe (Wilier GoSelf Drive) was 3rd. Georgi also won the Vets series with David Finn (Cwmcarn) 2nd and Guy Steven (Abergavenny RC) 3rd.

The Women’s series, in memory of the late Kate Auchterlonie, was won by Angharad Mason (Cardiff JIF) with Marianne Britten (VC St Raphael) 2nd and Lowri Bunn (Abergavenny RC) 3rd.

Series organisers, Steve and Mari Thomas, wish to extend a huge thanks to everyone that’s helped out over the course of the series – the Auchterlonie family and Del Delaronde for adding to the prize pot, the WNEG and CSAS marshals for another excellent job in keeping the race safe, the Aber RC members and families that helped marshal and drive, the Commissaires and not least the riders for making some great racing.

Result - 8th May

1 Luke Williams Gannet CC 4
2 Daniel Taylor Acme Wheelers 4
3 Ben Allister Cardiff JIF 4
4 Barrie McGregor Cwmcarn Paragon 4V
5 Tim Wintour Climb on Bikes 4
6 Gareth Giles Pontypool RCC 4
7 Huw Austin Cwmcarn Paragon 4V
8 Allan Wardhaugh Ogmore Valley Whlrs 4V
9 Andrew Stokoe Cwmcarn Paragon 4
10 Ian Rees Pontypool RCC 4V
11 Jeff Thomas Abergavenny RC 4V
12 Mark Williams Cardiff JIF 4V
13 Adrian Peall Forza Cycles RT 4
14 Jonathan Webb Gannet CC 4V
15 Hannah Manley For VioRed WJ
16 Clive Beacon Climb on Bikes CC 3V
17 Anthony O’Boyle Torq Racing 1
18 Dean Cummings Acme Wheelers 4V
19 Stuart Morgan Cardiff JIF 4
20 James Lewis Port Talbot Wheelers 2
21 Pete Georgi Giant CC Halo Films 2V
22 Liam Payne Newport Olympic CC 4
23 Sion O’Boyle Torq Racing 3
24 Matt Rowe Cycle Premier Metaltek 1
24 James Woodier Leicestershire RC 3
25 James Hansell Cardiff JIF 3
26 David Bees Forza Cycles 2
27 Richard Bowen Abergavenny RC 3
28 Guy Stevens Abergavenny RC 3V
29 Rob Turner Climb on Bikes 3
30 Dani King Horizon Fitness RT EW
31 Lowri Bunn Abergavenny RC W2
32 Ben Dale Climb on Bikes CC 3
33 Justin Harcourt Team Cyclemart 3
35 David Finn Cwmcarn Paragon 2V
36 Angharad Mason Cardiff JIF W2
37 Liam Sullivan Forza Cycles RT 3V
38 Gareth Rees Cwmcarn Paragon 3
39 Marianne Britten VC ST Raphael EW
40 Tony Trigg Cardiff JIF 3V
41 John Gibson Cardiff Ajax 3
42 Ross Porter Team AC/DC 3V
43 Chris Matthews Ogmore Valley Whlrs 3V
45 Del Delaronde Cardiff JIF 3V
46 Roger Dunbar Cardiff JIF 3V
47 Sean O’Sullivan Cardiff JIF 4V
48 Hefin Price Port Talbot Wheelers 2
49 Neal Craig Forza Cycles 3V
50 Mark Matthews Forza Cycles 3
51 Mark Davies Cardiff JIF 3
52 Robert Bignell Abergavenny RC 3
53 Jason Perry Cardiff JIF 3V
54 John Fitzpatrick Abergavenny RC 2
55 Ian Jeremiah Cardiff JIF 3V
56 Paul Bennett Cardiff JIF 3V
57 Duncan Macleod Cardiff JIF 3V
58 Stu Meek Cardiff JIF 3
59 Jodie Lloyd Cwmcarn Paragon W3

Nice one Steve.

Awesome write up Steve, Looks like Mr Crowley's mantle is under attack..........

What do you look like in white............

just to get the record staright i didn crack. i never crack on a nice flat dual carriageway. if we wer gunna catch them we had to commit 150% so i told boiler to drill it on the climb if i smash it to the bottom. great race tho. shame about so many negative riders. especially the guys in green. cheers steve