Eastern League R3 – Box Valley Cross, Suffolk
Sun 20 Sep 2026
A new course to discover this week, with the Eastern League heading to Box Valley Cross at Edwardstone, near Sudbury in Suffolk.
The course offered plenty of proper cyclocross: bumpy fields, lots of cornering, some tricky technical features and a drag that became increasingly noticeable as the race went on.
In the Masters 50 race, Bryan Holland lined up on the third row and made a good start, settling into the racing around the top dozen. Things were going nicely until lap three, when an enthusiastic approach to one corner resulted in a brief lie down. The chain also came off for good measure and proved reluctant to go back on thanks to the chain keeper.
Once reunited with the bike and chain, Bryan set about recovering the lost places and worked his way back through the field. A strong final lap brought him home 13th, completing seven laps in 47:32, 5:21 behind winner Mark Powell of Stowmarket & District CC, who covered the seven laps in 42:11.
In the Masters 60+ race, North Road’s Dave Kiely was also in action, finishing 25th. Dave found the bumps and steep corners particularly tough and tricky, although his main tumble came in the warm-up with what he described as a “comedy slow-motion crash”. Once racing, he gurned his way around largely without incident, despite one lapping rider managing to crash into his back wheel.
The Masters 60+ race was won by Paul Caton of Verulam Megan’s RT, who completed seven laps in 44:46.
Two North Road riders, a challenging new course and a couple of tales to bring home from Suffolk — hopefully one we’ll get the chance to race again.
Bryan Holland