Six of the best for Team Enable-M.I.Racing-McCann
It was a very busy weekend across the UK and Europe for riders from the Coventry based cycling team, Enable-M.I.Racing-McCann.
Throughout the UK, cold, wet and wintery weather provided difficult racing conditions in a large number of the regional cyclo-cross championships. In the Welsh championships, held at the Royal Welsh Showground, Nick Whitley returned to winning ways to retain his veteran 50+ title. Nicks wife, Lynsey, finished in a very strong 5th place in the woman’s veteran 40+ race.
In the Eastern championships, held at Milton Park in Cambridge, Ray Cochrane finished 6th in the 60+ age category while Richard Pernham finished 22nd in the Veteran 50+ Category.
In the Leicestershire League Championships, Carl Sturgeon took second place on the podium in the veteran 50+ category. In the same race Geoff Giddings finished 14th. In the 60+ category race, Kirby Bennett finished in 2nd place and Alan Parsons in 6th place.
In the West Midlands League championships there were multiple titles for the team’s riders. In the Youth category, Jefferson Tear-Verweij took first place by almost two minutes over the second placed rider. This was the fourth consecutive win for the team’s young star. In the veteran 45-49 category, Colin Miller produced an excellent ride to take top spot. In the veteran 40-45 category, Ryan Henry finished in 5th place despite suffering from a painful back. Ryan was riding the bike that team owner Mick Ives won multiple championships on. In the senior category Thomas Bradley finished in 17th place behind the easy overall winner, Lewis Akey of world tour team, Groupama FDJ. In the women’s veteran 50-54 category, Lindsay Newman took an outstanding win and was the only rider to complete 4 laps of the tough and technical course. In the men’s veteran 50-54 age category, Nick Popham produced a hugely powerful ride to take the championship by over 5 minutes from the second placed rider. Nicks ride was so incredible, he overtook and beat all but two of the much younger junior riders! In the same race, Mark Shepherd finished just off the podium in 4th place. In the men’s 55-59 category, Alan Buxcey finished in 14th place and Andy Jackson finished in 16th place. In the men’s veteran 60-64 category, Pete Busby finished an excellent 2nd place, just over 20 seconds behind the winner. In the men’s veteran 65-69 category, Tim Stowe took first place. A brilliant result considering Tim missed much of the early season with a broken shoulder.
Further afield, competing in the World Masters Cyclo-Cross Championships, held in Hamburg, Germany, Darren Atkins finished in 4th place in the 55-59 age race, just missing out on a podium position. In the men’s 60-64 age category, Philip Roach finished in 30th place.
These six championship titles for team riders, add to what has already been a great year of racing. The team’s successful year was celebrated recently at the annual dinner and awards ceremony held at the Royal Court Hotel in Coventry.