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Midlands XC Series Round 1
International Flavour On The Best Of British Courses

Words By Luke Webber | Photography By Rob Crayton For Joolze Dymond Photography

Full Result | Regional XC Racing Home | Midlands XC Launch

Australian and Canadian National Team riders provided an International flavour at the opening round of the Midlands XC Series. Hosted at Hanchurch Woods, near Stoke the course was praised throughout the day by riders - including Torq's Andrew Blair who hailed it as "the best track I have raced in the UK."

Deserved praise indeed for race organisers James Hampshire and Nadine Spearing, the pairing responsible for reviving a Midlands Series on the verge of collapse just three years ago, but now selling out on pre-entries alone. This weekend saw a record-breaking field of over 300 riders take to the singletrack masterminded by local rider Martyn Brookes and created by local club Goldtec and the Grimey Lymies. Following the race, Hampshire admitted that the turnout exceeded all expectations:

"We knew with good weather and the reputation of the Hanchurch course we were in for a sellout event but didn't want to turn anyone away. Fortunately we had a long fireroad and resorted to moving the start another 500 metres back, merging the starts of the smaller categories to avoid congestion on the course. So, apologies for the extended ride to the line, but thanks to all the racers who showed up to support the event and ride the trail that was made three years back and is still giving today!"

That trail was a tough one, starting with a five minute climb on lap one (thanks to that extended start) which reduced to three minutes over subsequent rounds. Taking it easy here was paramount to remain composed for the coming technical ridge that followed; a naturally cut hillside trail containing a labyrinth of roots and dips, giving way to the first descent which made up three continuous minutes of singletrack.

Saving energy on the opening climb really paid for the middle sector of the lap, where a shorter ascent took riders to the fenceline, incorporating three fallen trees and three chicken runs, before retuning to the crowd-pleasing big dipper and a sprint to the finish.

THE RACING
Both Elite races were won by riders in the UK preparing for the weekend's World Cup opener at Dalby. Husband and wife combo Matt Hadley and Catherine Vipond were relieved to fly in early from Canada to take the big W - but while Vipond had an easy ride, finishing over ten minutes ahead of Maxine Filby, Hadley worked far harder against Billy Joe Whenman and Andy Blair.

Riding sub-twenty minute laps at the head of the field broke both Whenman and Blair though - Blair having early mechanical issues and Whenman's late finishing charge not enough to reignite chances of a victory. All these riders will resume competition this weekend at the Dalby World Cup, in a race far-removed from the regional scene - the exception being Whenman who is focussing on collecting UCI points for the future, as he explained:

"The next few weeks for me are all about getting the good quality training in, training hard to race as hard as I can. Yesterday I finished second in a road race after being away all day in a break, and came to Hanchurch today with sore legs. So today was all about being consistent to get another second place. I won't be going to Dalby becuase I'm still looking for more UCI points to get a worthy grid position. I will continue to train and race in the UK and on the continent though, to get those points and target the British Championships, which of course has high points and a seperate UCI category."

Standout rides through the categories included Matt Dennis' winning ride in Masters, posting a sub-20 minute second lap, breaking the chasing trio of Phil Morris, Chris Rathbone and Neal Crampton, who in turn left the remainder of the race at a five minute disadvantage. Expert Giles Drake overcame a series of early crashes to repeat his winning performance at the opening round of the British XC Series, once more edging 24-hour specialist Matt Page into second place.

Danielle Rider continued the theme of close, exciting racing, overcoming the challenge of Ruth Owen-Evens on the fourth and final lap to take the Expert women's win, Emma Birtles replicating that performance in Masters.

Junior riders had a shock as Australian Mitchell Codner rode to a classy win, ahead of a strong Ben Roff and Matt Sumption - neither of which could make an impression on the race. At the other end of the spectrum, over-60's Victor Barnett and John Lloyd extended their lead over three laps to 13 minutes; Barnett taking the win by 22 seconds in a masterclass of Hanchurch, with Lewis King taking the Veteran competition, Bruce Rollinson the Grand Vets and Alex Welburn and Bethany Crumpton rounding out the Youth categories.

Finally, Midlands XC would like to thank all riders who stay away from Hanchurch on non-event weekends, keeping the venue alive for racing. Special thanks goes out to Andy, John, Anne, Ant, Lynn, Martyn, Kev (& Goldtec), Sue (& the Grimey Lymies), supporters and all the riders who gave generously to the carpark collection. A total of £250 will go to a local charity.

The Midlands XC Series resumes on May 23 at Mansell Lacey, Hereford, with more racing in Stoke at the British Short Track Championships on June 26.