Thomas Mein took a stunning third straight victory while Anna Flynn won her first-ever National Trophy round in Paignton, Torbay.
Elite female
Anna Flynn (Spectra Racing p/b DAS) capped off a brilliant team performance in Paignton, winning ahead of Alderney Baker (Team Empella), while her teammates swept five of the top 10 positions.
Baker came into the race as the series leader, riding high on her victory at the previous round in South Shields. It seemed like the biggest threat to a repeat victory would come from Spectra Racing’s Xan Crees, who was second at South Shields and had a strong showing at Koppenbergcross two weeks prior.
Crees was fastest off the start line, eager to put Baker under pressure but also with an eye on using her team to her advantage. Baker was immediately on the back foot, fighting for the front after a slow start. However, it would be no easy task as the first lap was run off at a blistering pace thanks to the dry course and flowing corners - a stark contrast to last year’s mudfest.
Behind Crees, a small front group started to form, with Alice Colling (Shibden CC) towing the Spectra Racing duo of Flynn and Hope Inglis back up to the leader. Meanwhile, Baker was making her way back up to the leaders with one of her fastest laps of the race.
By the time Baker was back at the front of the race, Colling was dropped and Baker found herself in a group with Crees, Flynn, and Inglis.
Flynn then powered away during a lull, using Spectra Racing’s numerical superiority to her advantage. She quickly gained a gap on the faster section where Baker was forced to chase hard. By the time they reached the hurdles and the start of the technical half of the course, Flynn had gained 10 seconds on the chase.
Flynn kept the power down, while Crees and Inglis shadowed the series leader. However, the two were evenly matched and, after the initial acceleration, Baker maintained the 10 second gap on Flynn.
On lap five of seven, Baker put in a huge effort, trimming Flynn’s lead down further through the technical sections, clearly putting pressure on Crees and Inglis. Inglis slipped back first, then Crees, and suddenly, Baker was free. The Team Empella rider powered away from the Spectra Racing duo and set off in pursuit of Flynn.
The gap between Baker and Flynn was only 12 seconds with two laps remaining, but the chase had taken its toll, and Flynn managed to gain a handful of seconds as they approached the final lap. Flynn had enough time in hand to relax a little, taking fewer risks and ensure a safe ride to the finish.
By the time Flynn crossed the finish line, she had a 17-second lead over Baker, who had a further 13 seconds over Crees. Baker will be relieved to take a few more points over Crees in the Lloyds National Trophy Series and to extend her lead on a day where she came up against a full strength Spectra Racing p/b DAS team.
Elite open
Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing) faced his toughest competition yet on the way to winning his third Lloyds National Trophy Series round in a row.
Three Spectra Racing riders were fastest off the line - Toby Barnes, Jenson Young, and Simon Wyllie. Young powered away in the first few turns, aided by his teammates behind who forced others to come around them and chase. Mein had a slower start than planned and pulled away in sixth place but, as always, his technical ability and power gave him the edge when moving back up the field.
By the time the lead riders had finished the first lap, Young had a six second gap on Daniel and Toby Barnes, Wyllie, Mein and Lewis Martin (Studio Velo). For a moment, it looked as though Mein had met his match, but he waited for a straighter section and powered around his breakaway companions, pulling away with just Toby Barnes for company in pursuit of Young.
Mein’s chase was a masterclass in pacing as Young started to falter. Just before the halfway point, Young made an error through the switchbacks and Mein closed the gap, making contact on the rolling section just after the hurdles.
Mein was clearly enjoying the course, trading turns with Barnes and Young until halfway through the race and carving his way through the tight turns on the back section of the course.
However, the truce was short-lived. Mein accelerated hard through the rolling section and Young struggled to hold the pace. Noticing the weakness in the Spectra Racing rider, Mein continued his effort, pulling away with Barnes tucked on his wheel. The next few laps saw Mein riding hard in an attempt to dislodge Barnes, but nothing could separate the two riders.
In the penultimate lap, Barnes slipped, and paused just long enough for Mein to pull away, creating a 10-second gap between them as they entered the final lap.
The gap was just insurmountable for Barnes, who lapped in exactly the same time as Mein. The Hope Factory Racing rider crossed the line visibly relieved after the closest battle of the series so far.
Mein extended his lead even further in the Lloyds National Trophy Series overall standings, scoring a perfect three from three ahead of Toby Barnes.
Junior female
Zoe Roche (Ribble-Verge Sport) took another impressive victory in the Lloyds National Trophy Series, scoring her third straight win ahead of the Montezuma's Eventrex RT duo of Ellie Mitchinson and Tulsi Bakrania.
Roche led the race after one lap in Paignton, with Mitchinson locked on her wheel and Bakrania just a few seconds back in third. The Ribble-Verge Sport rider was unfazed, and was happy to lead the way, knowing that she would get no help from Mitchinson in her efforts against a Montezuma’s Eventrex RT teammate.
The two leaders were inseparable for much of the first half of the race, calmly navigating the hurdles and taking the sand pit in their stride. However, Roche was unhappy with the status quo, and she put in a devastating turn of speed on the fourth lap. Coming through the finish with just two laps to go, she had opened up a 10-second lead on Mitchinson.
Mitchinson was unable to get back on terms with the series leader and the gap slowly opened up. By the time Roche crossed the line, she had almost 20 seconds on Mitchinson in second place. Meanwhile, Bakrania was a further minute in arrears, having spent much of the race chasing alone.
Junior open
Oscar Amey (TRINITY Racing) took another victory ahead of his series rival Milo Wills (GKR Racing) after a display of strength that underlines his dominance in the Lloyds National Trophy Series.
Amey was the fastest rider off the line on a course that suited him, flying through the first chicane. The TRINITY Racing rider quickly had a gap on Wills in second place and it seemed that he was in no mood to have another rider at the front of the race.
By the time the riders hit the sand pit for the first time, Amey had a five-second lead on Wills and Jacob Steed (Sherwood Pines Cycles Forme). He made light work of the obstacle, powering through the deep sand and barely skipping a beat as he maintained his speed through to the other side.
Despite the fast start, Amey struggled to extend his lead for the first half of the race. Meanwhile, Wills had pulled away from Steed and the three riders were locked in their own private battles.
By the time the riders reached the rolling section with three laps to go, it was clear that Amey had more left in the tank than the two chasers. He carried his speed through the twists and turns and extended his lead to 30 seconds in the space of just two laps, entering the final lap with a healthy lead.
In what has become a tradition for Amey, he wheelied into the final straight, celebrating another flawless victory in the Lloyds National Trophy Series.
