on 22nd May 2024
Multiple success for Team Enable-MI Racing-Townsend Vehicle Hire
It’s been a very busy and very successful couple of weeks for the Midlands based cycling team- Team Enable-MI Racing-Townsend Vehicle Hire.
Few other teams can match the multi-disciplinary success of the team that cycling legend Mick Ives formed back in 1997.
The cream of the latest results came last weekend in Dumfries and Galloway. Riding the Gralloch, one of the UCI gravel world championship qualifying events, northern based team member Roy Hunt took the gold medal in the 70-75 age category. The multiple British champion and former European champion, completed the tough 111k route round the gravel tracks of the beautiful Galloway Forest in 4 hours and 33 minutes, finishing some 21 minutes ahead of the second placed rider. Hunt has now qualified for the world championships that will be held in Belgium later this year.
Roy Hunt on the podium at the Gralloch, Scotland.
Also riding and qualifying for the world championship final were Carl Sturgeon and Nick Whitley. Both riding in the 50-54 age category they completed the course in 3:45 and 3:58 respectively. In the 60-64 age category, Coventry based Pete Busby finished in a time of 4:48 but missed out on a place in the Belgium finals. Riding in their first ever gravel event were team members Andy Jackson, Greg Ashley, Andy Oliver and Zoe Shepherd. In the 55-59 age group Andy Jackson clocked 5:10, Greg Ashley 5:22, Andy Oliver 5:27 and despite a crash in the later stages of the race, Zoe, riding in the female 40-44 age category still clocked an excellent time of 6:08.
Competing in round 2 of the British Cycling Mountain Bike Cross Country Series held at Margam Park in South Wales, sisters Layla and Holly Bradbrook had mixed fortunes. In the junior race, Layla finished in a brilliant third place. In very hot conditions and on a challenging hilly course, Layla battled hard for second place during the race but had to settle for third. Layla is the current Junior Welsh Mountain Bike champion.
Layla celebrates her third place.
Older sister Holly, riding her first season in the Elite category crashed on the first lap and then suffered rear brake failure later in the race. Holly finished in 20th place. At the same event Nick Popham finished in 12th place in the 50-59 age category race.
Holly Bradbrook in action at Margam Park, Wales.
In round three of the Friday Night Summer Series mountain bike cross country race held in Daventry, Nick Popham took the win in the Grand veteran category with Darren Atkins, riding his first mountain bike event for several years, in 8th place. In the Ladies race Lindsay Newman finished in 5th place overall. In the under 23 race, Jefferson Tear-Verweij finished in 3rd place.
The team’s time trial riders have also had a busy couple of weeks. Recent signing, David Mead took another win in the Team Milton Keynes open 20 mile race held on the F5V/20 course to the north east of the town. Mead clocked 42:14 to take the win by a full minute over the second placed rider. Teammate Zoe Shepherd, riding a standard road bike won the ladies race in a time of 58:28, over 3 minutes ahead of the second placed lady. Simon Law clocked 45:41 to finish 5th overall and Greg Ashley finished in 26th place overall, clocking 53:51 on his road bike.
Greg Ashley in TT action at Milton Keynes
At the Worcester St. Johns 10 mile event held near Upton upon Severn, Leamington based rider Diana Egerton-Warburton won the ladies race in a time of 23:30. This was her second win in as many weeks after winning the Coventry Cycling Club open event on the 5th May. At the same event teammate Mark Wise was seventh overall in a time of 22:10. Tom Bradley riding a standard road bike finished second in the road bike category in a time of 23:11.
Out on the road, Hinckley based Oliver Searle raced in the Banbury Star road race. Completing multiple ascents of the tough 16% Edge Hill climb, Oliver finished in 17th place overall in the 92km race. Oliver raced in his usual aggressive style but leg cramps on the final climb meant he lost a little ground on the leaders.