West Midlands Cyclo-Cross League round 9 - Hereford
Hereford’s Halo Leisure Centre played host to an exciting 9th round of the West Midlands Cyclo-cross League on Sunday. Heavy rain on the preceding days might have turned the course into a quagmire, but a period of strong winds dried conditions down and meant the riders faced only sticky conditions.
A tough and twisty course saw the competitors negotiating over 40 corners per lap, a set of double hurdles, and a steep off-camber section. With the strong winds this made for a tough race.
In the Men’s 40 to 49 category, a fast start saw Andy Wearing, representing Mike Vaughan Cycles, move quickly into 3rd place. Through the early bends Wearing improved on this position and shared the lead with Malverns Cycle Sports rider Ed Moseley, and the pair worked together to open up a gap with the rest of the field.
After 10 laps of close racing Wearing attacked with half a lap to go, holding the lead over Moseley to be the first of the pair to take on the final, crucial off-camber section. Holding this position but with Moseley right on his wheel, Wearing led the headwind sprint to the line. Moseley challenged right to the end and Wearing needed to make a final lunge to secure his win, crossing the line half a wheel ahead of his rival.
Cyclo-cross is tough on both bikes and riders, and Wearing gave credit to Mike Vaughan Cycles for getting him and his bikes to the start line in great condition. “This teamwork has made a big difference”, he said. This was Wearing’s third win, and combined with his other podium finishes he is now in a strong position to take the overall title for the series.
Andrew Taylor, representing the Royal Leamington Spa Cycling Club, also raced in this category and finished 14th.
Other results included: 19+ Men - Jeremy Hicks (14th) for Rugby Velo 40-49 Men - Kev Lister (11th) for Kenilworth Wheelers
The Peddlamaniacs Cycling Club were also very well represented with five riders competing:
Laura Castle (6th, 19+ Women) Michelle Paget (2nd, 40-49 Women) Debbie Bradley, Claire Hughes and Jenine Horgan (4th, 5th and 6th respectively - 40-49 Women)
Race pictures: Andy Wearing (top) and Andy Taylor, taken by Paul Lloyd photography.