Eastern Divisional CX Championships - Ipswich Sun 8th Dec 2013

Ipswich CC had taken on the responsibility of organising the Eastern League Divisional's for this year.  A length drive for your yearly reminder of just where you stand in the cycling pecking order seemed worth it with several weeks preparation being put into the venue.  The result was as close to a non-muddy Euro-style CX course any of us mere mortals will race on.  A road straight that turned onto a curvaceous 4X4 test circuit complete with heavily rutted sand pit that led to some single track action through two lots of woods.    It was a course on initial inspection that held few terrors but that actually was much more of a hand-full during the race.

The day started well as Joe Kiely, racing in the Under 12 boys race, took advantage of a mass early race crash to storm away and hold off his rivals to complete an impressive win.

Hannah Ormesher was next off in the Women’s event ran with the Juniors and Male Vets+50.  She continued her impressive form of late to come home in 43rd (out of 70) overall and was sixth women home.  Hannah was a lap and 4.03 down on the winner, and junior rising star,  Sean Dunlea of Ciclos Uno (6 laps in 39.17)

John McDowall, Dave Kiely and Bryan Holland raced in the Vets +40 category.   All got good starts with starting positions well down the grid  From then on the tubulars literally fell off the North Road wagon.    First Bryan, who had surged ahead, suffered a pinch puncture on one of the depressions and had to run the best part of half a lap to the pits leaving him dead last and with some hard riding just to claw himself back into the main field.  John was having a slightly incompetent day on the bike as a series of minor offs, chain drops, and tape busting cornering left him blundering round the course like a myxomatosied rabbit.   Dave, almost as inevitably as what bears do in woods, suffered a mechanical (a mech-KIELLY-cal perhaps?)  requiring an on-field refitting of a rolled tub that did at least enable him to get going again so that all three North Roaders finished and remained the right side of being lapped by the leaders for what was a disappointing day at the CX office.

The winner was Kevin Knox of Vicious Velo who completed 6 laps in 40:23.  John was 45th (+6.26),  Bryan 50th (+7.24) and Dave 53rd (+8.09) with 71 starters.