Monday 26 Dec 2011
Report: Andy Whitehouse
Dan Booth continued his dominant form taking a fine win in the Annual Boxing day cross at Kenilworth Common. The Cult Cycles' rider came to the race looking to continue his preparation for the upcoming Nationals and showed a clean pit of heels to the chasing Darren Atkins and Matt Barrett.
With all the categories running in the same race it would be the serious racers were looking to keep the legs turning after the previous day's festivities and Kenilworth tests the legs with its climbs and the ever popular 'bomb hole', a popular spot for the crowds. With a warm day on the cards, numbers were well into the hundreds of 'tifosi' cheering the riders who took the mad route over the top. From early in the race it was the trio of Booth, Atkins and Barrett who would dominate the overall positions of the race with Joe Fox, Richard Fairholme, Phil Blacker and Jacob James amongst the chasing group.
By the second time around the race was well and truly strung out and a burst from Booth saw the leader force a small gap over Atkins and Barrett who in turn were leaving a chasing Fox and the rest of the field to fight out their own battles. Booth continued with a relentless pace and was soon well away riding a solo race gradually picking off the field, indeed only eight riders finished on the same lap as the winner.
With the time ticking away the leader would be well over 40 seconds away from Barrett and Atkins who were continually swapping places throughout the race and almost two minutes up on fourth placed Fox and with the bell ringing in Booth's ears the Cult Cycles rider had done enough to ease back a little and take a fine win from the duelling Atkins and Barrett who finished second and third respectively. Joe Fox held onto his fourth spot to take the Junior race and Tamina Oliver was the first lady home.
After the race, Andy Whitehouse spoke to Dan Booth, who has a reputation for peaking for the National Championships, now less than two weeks away:
"It was hard work today, I ride well on Boxing Day but I always find it a struggle. It's a normal Boxing Day 'thing' for me: I tend to relax on the previous day then I have to try and wind myself up ready for the race(today) but it gets the muck out the system.
I've got a couple of training days coming up, giving the Macclesfield cross a miss then I'm riding the Top Barn Farm race on New Years Day. Incidentally I'll be riding for my new team from the 1st of January, Hope Racing, which I'm looking forward to. I've ridden for Cult Cycles during the last three years and I'd like to say a big thank you to Paul Prince at Cult who has looked after me during that time.
Kenilworth is always a nice race to come to,good organisation,big crowds and a great atmosphere, I come to a cross race for a social.The weather was a lot warmer this year, I was ill last year so I couldn't ride it which I was happy about because it was so cold,in fact apart from a light cold just before Bradford I've been cold free so things are going well."
Results
Senior/Junior/Veteran/Women
1 Dan Booth Cult Racing Sen
2 Darren Atkins MI Racing/Jewson Vet
3 Matt Barrett Cycle Shack Forme Coaching Sen
4 Joe Fox Rapha Condor CC Jun
5 Philip Blacker MI Racing/Jewson Vet
6 Mark James MI Racing/Jewson Vet
7 Philip Roach Rugby Velo Vet
8 George Bate MJS Racing Sen
9 Jacob James Halesowen A&CC Jun @ 1Lap
10 Richard Fairholme Kenilworth Wheelers Sen @ 1Lap
11 Matt Smart Coventry RC Sen @ 1Lap
12 Jason Hawkins Coventry RC Vet @ 1Lap
13 Colin Millar Coventry RC Sen @ 1Lap
14 Joe Atkins Coventry RC Jun @ 1Lap
15 Lorenzo Buratti MI Racing/Jewson Vet @ 1Lap
16 Mark Farrah Coventry RC Vet @ 1Lap
17 Tim Stowe MI Racing/Jewson Vet @ 1Lap
18 Andy Roberts GWR Team Vet @ 1Lap
19 Leon Plews Worcester Cycle Centre Sen @ 1Lap
20 Andy Webb Kenilworth Wheelers Vet @ 1Lap
21 Tom Underhill Finsbury Park CC Sen @ 1Lap
22 Victor Barnett Welland Valley CC Vet @ 1Lap
23 Philip Evans Coventry RC Vet @ 1Lap
24 Keith Peters Worcester St Johns Vet @ 1Lap
25 Gary Townsend Rugby Velo Vet @ 1Lap
26 Adrian Ravenscroft Birmingham CC Vet @ 1Lap
27 Peter Bromwich WMCCL Vet @ 1Lap
28 Pete Mooney Rugby Velo Vet @ 1Lap
29 Philip Bromwich Evesham Wheelers Vet @ 1Lap
30 Andrew Shaw Solihull CC Vet @ 1Lap
31 Steve Proud Mike Vaughan Cycles Vet @ 2Lap
32 David Mole Stourbridge Velo Sen @ 2Lap
33 Mark Humphries Rugby Velo Vet @ 2Lap
34 Paul Gibson Unattached Vet @ 2Lap
35 David Watts Here Come the Belgians Vet @ 2Lap
36 David Millar Coventry RC Vet @ 2Lap
37 James Garrett Rugby Velo Jun @ 2Lap
38 Terry Richardson Redditch R+P CC Vet @ 2Lap
39 Jeremy Hicks Rugby Velo Sen @ 2Lap
40 Paul Salkeld Redditch R+P CC Vet @ 2Lap
41 Tamina Oliver Unattached Lady @ 2Lap
42 Mike Woodward VC Nottingham Vet @ 2Lap
43 Bradley Burbridge cyclingbargains.com Sen @ 2Lap
44 Dave Overton Rugby RCC Vet @ 2Lap
45 Peter Varian Red Kites Cycles Vet @ 2Lap
46 Adrian Leach Redditch R+P CC Vet @ 2Lap
47 Gary Mackintosh Beacon RCC Vet @ 2Lap
48 Tim Gordon Solihull CC Vet @ 2Lap
49 Patrick Wareham Unattached Vet @ 2Lap
50 Alan Bontoft Leicester Forest CC Vet @ 2Lap
51 Derek Queenan Tri Lakeland Sen @ 2Lap
52 Adam Jackson Unattached Sen @ 2Lap
53 Gregory Dighton Beacon Jun @ 2Lap
54 Simon Tootell Unattached Sen @ 2Lap
55 Steven Allcott Wolverhampton Wheelers Vet @ 2Lap
56 Kevin Mills Welland Valley CC Vet @ 2Lap
57 Mike Matthews Redditch R+P CC Vet @ 2Lap
58 Matt Walsh Team Zappis Sen @ 3Lap
59 Dave Fenton Unattached Vet @ 3Lap
60 Christopher Allcott Wolverhampton Wheelers Sen @ 3Lap
61 Ian Morris Wolverhampton Wheelers Vet @ 3Lap
62 Micheal Webb Royal Sutton CC Vet @ 3Lap
63 Adrie Breugelmans Leamington C&AC Vet @ 3Lap
64 Tim Ward Schwalbe UK Vet @ 3Lap
65 Rebecca Keogh Solihull CC Lady @ 3Lap
66 Tim Donovan Leamington C&AC Sen @ 4Lap
67 Alex Potts Redditch R+P CC Jun @ 4Lap
68 Richard Lewis Kenilworth Wheelers Vet DNF
