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Rain, sleet and even snow could have greeted riders to the third round of the Exodus Spring Series. The forecasters were proven wrong on this occasion though, with the only surprises being thrown up on the race track.
The lap may have only been four miles and 16 minutes for the fastest, but that provided more than enough entertainment once the fireroad had given way to singletrack.
As is usual with the venue there was plenty of squeezing between the trees, causing problems for those with wide bars. There were also some great fast open corners, which tested the adhesion of the softest treads, and the nerve of the riders.
Early on the going was soft which seemed to suit Felt Racing riders Will Verney and Ben Roach – they claimed a one-two in the Youth race. Shortly afterward it was a commanding performance by Supermaster Rob Enslin (Agisko-Dart-Cycling.TV) to secure the victory ahead of Paul Hopkins (Mountain Trax).
Will Thomas stormed home in under an hour to claim number one spot in the Masters, followed by Andrew Lewis (Freeborn/Ellsworth) and Jon Pierce (Beyond MTBs). Four riders were in with a chance of winning the Veterans, but only one could and Mark Cracknell (AWCycles) took the initiative and the win. Steve Jones (AWCycles) held off Bren Divall (Brixton Cycles) for second spot.
It was another bumper turnout in the Open race with 100 riders taking to the line. In the end though Exodus rider Andy Ross took the victory. Jake Moxham (Dysons Cycles) was just edged into second, with Chris Lane (Chainlife Cycles) third.
It was another race where youth triumphed over experience in the Sport category, with the top five riders under 20. It was a close race between eventual winner David Sinclair (iTeam) and Billy Joe Whenham (Marin). Whenham had the lead going into the second lap and held it for the next couple, but Sinclair was hot on his back tyre the whole time and proved to be the stronger rider as he worked up a slim lead to take the win. Matthew Hill (Primera Sport) finished third.
There was no such room for youth to take to the front in the Elite race though, as Adrian Lansley took to the line. Doubtless in preparation for another season racing against the best in the UK, there was nobody who could follow the PedalOn rider, who finished 35 seconds ahead of Robin Seymour (Voodoo).
In the women’s races Marcie Reinhart (Oxford Uni) took the Elite race, Louise Mahe (Sutton CC) and Amy Thompson (GB Cycles) stormed the Sport race for first and second respectively, Nicky Hughes (Activ/Trek) won Supermasters and Abi Handley (Bigfoot MBC) was the winner of the Masters.
The Spring Series has now passed the halfway point and round four could be the decider for some of series prizes.
Don’t miss round four, April 2 at Frith Hill for some more fantastic racing and hopefully some sun!
More information on the Gorrick website and also on our sister site, LondonCycleSport.com
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