Polly Mason blitzes field with fine solo effort to take victory in Iceni Velo Women’s Road Race
Norwich Under 16 Joseph Smith (Iceni Velo) heads a string of riders. Picture: Fergus Muir - Credit: Archant
Polly Mason won the Iceni Velo Women's Road Race with a massive solo effort that left the rest of the field scattered round a windy and cold Shotesham circuit.
Gemma Melton (Pedal Power, right) outsprints Fran Hall (DAP CC). Picture: Fergus Muir - Credit: Archant
Mason, from Norwich and riding for DAP CC, attacked the fourth time up Skeets Hill and quickly opened a gap which continued to grow to the finish. Yorkshire Junior Sarah Briggs outsprinted Gemma Melton (Pedal Power) for the remaining placings.
In the men's race international triathlete Joe Skipper climbed away from his break companions Darren Rutterford (Iceni Velo) and Stephen Fuller (Cambridge CC) on the same hill. These two took second and third while the bunch sprint for fourth was won by Iceni Velo junior George Farrow-Green in his first road race.
The Ixworth races opened with a surprise win for 48-year-old Phil Marler of the Godric CC in the race for Fourth Cat riders. Marler, from Ellingham near Bungay, made an early solo break on the sharp-cornered village centre circuit and never looked like being caught.
Iceni's Callum Laborde won an astonishingly fast and close race in the Under 16 boys category.
Phil Marler (Godric CC) enters Ixworth High Street on the way to victory. Picture: Fergus Muir - Credit: Archant
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On the last lap, four riders rounded the tightest corner abreast. Laborde got just half a wheel's lead on the narrow entry into Ixworth High Street and the order was settled - Laborde from Noah Hobbs, William Smith and Charlie Johnson. Fran Hall (DAP CC, fourth) was top Norfolk woman.
The final men's event was for second and third cat entrants and ended in a strung-out sprint won by Sean Purser (St Ives CC) from Norfolk riders Dougal Toms and Kieran Jarvis.
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There was a tie for the top women's award in VC Baracchi's 10.
Denise Hurren (VeloVelocity) and visitor Sue Rust both finished in 24:31, while third went to VeloVelocity's Jen Smart (25:04). Men's winner was VeloVelocity's Ben Stancombe (20:20).
The senior men’s podium. From left, Dougal Toms, Sean Purser and Kieran Jarvis. Picture: Fergus Muir - Credit: Archant
The mountain bike racing league took riders to Debden airfield, which fortunately has a big hump hidden in a wooded corner, surrounded by single-track.
Top local results included a Vet 50-plus win for Jimmy Piper, fifth for Seb Herrod in Expert and ninth for Mulbarton rider Will Dorsett in Sport (18-39).
Kieran Jarvis leads Dougal Toms and Lloyd Chapman. Picture: Fergus Muir - Credit: Archant
Under 16 winner Callum Laborde leads round the tightest corner at Ixworth. Picture: Fegus Muir - Credit: Archant
