on 22nd November 2021
Atkins leads from the front – Kenilworth’s Cyclo Cross star, Darren Atkins riding for the “Team Jewson–M.I.Racing–Polypipe–McCann–7 formation” squad led from start to finish at the Leicester Cyclo Cross series event held at Beaumont Leys Leicester on Sunday making it 8 victories already this season. He must now be a firm favourite for retaining his Midland Championship, which will be held at Top Barn near Worcester on a course he won on just a few weeks ago. This will be followed by the U.C.I. World Masters Championships, held for the first time in the U.K.
Darren finished 5th last time he competed in the Championship, which was in Belgium this time it’s at Ipswich and the course will be used for the first time at the East Midlands region Championships next Sunday, where the teams eldest rider, former Champion Jockey, Ray Cochrane will ride.
Ray finished 6th in the 60+ race at the weekend at Redbridge Park as part of the Eastern Region series. Other team members competed at Beaumont Leys, where Kirby Bennett finished 3rd in the 60+ event having punctured on the 1st lap and having to fight his way through the field to get on the podium 59 year old Peter Busby finished in 14th place well below his current form. In the 50+ race 2 members of the team competed in Round 4 of the National Series at Houghton le Spring in the North East, on what was a very cold and windy weekend.
Both former World Masters Champion Phil Roach and Junior Jude Chamberlain were gridded well back at the start never to recover enough to be in contention, Chamberlain eventually finishing in18th place but he will be out to perform well when he rides the Central Region Championships next weekend and Roach is in with a chance of winning the over 55 title at the Midland Championships – he will be able to contest the 60+ next season!