Location: Olveston, Gloucestershire
Event: 4 March 2012
Report: Snowdon Sports/Ed Rollason
REPEATING his 2009 win, Marcin Bialoblocki (NODE4 Giordano Racing) soloed to a superb victory in the 40th edition of the Severn Bridge Road Race at Olveston, north of Bristol.
Attacking from a ten-man break, Bialoblocki went away with three of the ten laps to go and had built up a lead of over a minute as he took the flag ahead of Matt Jones (Team Corley Cycles) and Jamie Sparling (Team Raleigh).
Despite heavy rain, 74 riders took the line with the wet conditions making for a steady start before the break went away on lap two and quickly gained 30 seconds over the rest.
Irish under-23 Philip Lavery (NODE4 Giordano Racing) consistently took maximum points for the King of the Mountains competition on Old Down Hill, and with most of the top teams represented in the break, there was no concerted chase as the gap continued to stretch.
With the sun trying to show its face and the roads drying out, Bialoblocki made his move on the eighth lap and was never seen again as the group splintered behind him under a number of futile attempts to get across.
“I feel good,” said the 28-year-old winner, based in Bridgwater, Somerset. “I’ve done a lot of training over the winter and been to two training camps, but it was a bit hard today – I got back from Singapore last night after a 24-hour journey and only managed a quick night’s sleep before the race.”
The race marked the return of Oli Beckingsale (Endura Racing) after a lengthy injury break. “I’m a month behind in my training and have only done endurance work,” he said. “On a day like today you want to get in the mix, but the break went so early I missed it and with a lot of strong teams with guys in there, it was job done.”
Results:
1 Marcin Bialoblocki (NODE4 Giordano Racing) 2:34:00
2 Matt Jones (Team Corley Cycles) at 1-05
3 Jamie Sparling (Team Raleigh)
4 Colin Parry (Wilier/Live to Ride)
5 Dale Appleby (Metaltek-Scott)
6 Robert Smail (Team Wallis CHH)
7 Tom Stockdale (Primal Europe-RUtrainingtoday.co.uk)
8 Tobyn Horton (Team Raleigh)
9 Toby Eichler (Wilier-Live to Ride)
10 David Clarke (NODE4 Girodano Racing)
British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.
