St Ives Cycling Club hosted the ninth round of the Elmy Cycles Eastern Cyclo-Cross League at Grafham Water on Saturday with 298 competitors taking part across all categories.
Though 14th for Sean Sumner in the Veterans’ race – and Mike Cowland’s 17th in the Senior men’s race – were the highlights for the club, the whole event was a resounding success.
Cyclo-Cross racing is conducted on adapted road race bikes on off-road courses, often with obstacles where competitors are expected to dismount before going on their way.
The challenging Grafham course made its way around the grassed area and woods around the Marlow car park, and even those riding the first race were caked in mud after heavy overnight rain had softened the ground.
Winners on the day were: Under-12s – Jake Norton (Spalding); Youth – Jake Poole; Veteran – Philip Roach (Jewson MI Racing); Women – Anna Buick (Moda Bike Magic); Senior/Junior/Elite Veteran – Greg Simcock (Team Scott UK).
