Hog Hill Crits - Vets and 3/4 Cat Thursday 26th June 2014

A good turn out of North Roaders at Hog Hill across the Vets and 3/4 Cat racing.

John McDowall, Del Evans and Steve James rode in the Vets 40-60 race with Andrew Bywater competing in the sixty plus race that runs on the same lower circuit.  A steady start to the racing enabled some early leg stretching before the action kicked off in earnest.  Steve and Del where tailed off as the pace increased but John managed to position himself in the comforting bosom of a dwindling bunch .  The real racing occurred at half way as a group of three broke clear and a prolonged and determined through-and-off chase developed containing six riders including John.  Despite a really spirited chase the bridge was not made and John had to settle for ninth place overall.  

Andrew faced some high quality riding in his race as some very ‘handy’ senior  vets where racing preparing for the Region 9 crit champs the coming weekend.  Andrew held his own in the main bunch before tailing off with a couple of laps to go.

The 3/4 Cat race held on the full course contained three North Roaders.  Promising youngsters Jobe Usher and Pierce McGrenaghan where joined by the (much) more experienced John Rumbold.  All looked comfortable riding in the bunch with John dropping out at half way satisfied with his return to racing efforts.  Jobe stormed up the finishing climb to come home in seventh place with Pierce about a third of the way up the bunch.