CYCLING: Cyclo-cross successes

Mick Ives’ Team Jewson-MI Racing-Polypipe once again had riders to the forefront of British Cycling over the weekend.

On Saturday Coventry’s Peter Busby returned to racing for the first time since Boxing Day when he lost part of his little finger, in an accident during the Classic Boxing Day Cyclo Cross at Kenilworth, resulting in an operation and several weeks off. He missed two National Championships in the process. Pete finished in fifth place in the Notts and Derby event on Saturday. Most of the race he was in third position, but two mechanical problems near the end, meant he dropped back to 5th.

In the ladies’ event, Measham-based team member Lindsey Nell finished 8th overall and 5th best Lady Veteran.

Nuneaton’s John Gabriel won the 60+ Veterans race. Both Peter Busby and John Gabriel have won their age group championships in the Midland Cyclo Cross series for 2015/16.

On Sunday the team was represented in the final round of the National Trophy series for 2015/16, at Milton Keynes.

Overnight snow added to the toughness of the events, plus the course was already very muddy and cut up following a Central League event on the same course the day before.

In the Veterans’ Race for riders 50 and over, World Masters Champion Phil Roach from Rugby was the highest placed rider. Still not fully recovered from the heavy cold that kept him out of the British Championships the week end before, Phil rode a fine race finishing in 5th place and 4th overall in the series.

Geoff Giddings finished in 8th place and Hinckley’s Kirby Bennett finished 14th and 9th overall in the series, his first ever full cyclo cross season. Both Geoff and Kirby were involved in a spectacular crash midway through the race on a very muddy and slippery steep descent,

Wellesbourne’s Tim Stowe completed the team in 15th place.