2009 Eastern Region RR Champs

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2009 Eastern Region Road Race Championships

Sunday, May 31st, 2009
Report & images by Mark Cozens
(www.mphotography.co.uk)

“Well happy” and “chuffed” were the initial reactions from the 2009 Eastern Region Road Race Champion Joe Skipper (BMC UK RT) after today’s marathon 156km jaunt around an undulating 27km course to the east of Saffron Walden, Essex. Adding to the test for the riders were the heat, with several riders wishing they had had the opportunity to take on more fluid over the course of the race, and the wind due to the exposed nature of the course.


Joe Skipper (BMC UK RT)  wins his regions road race championship after nearly 100 miles in the heat

Two riders decided to make a break from the off, Duncan Urquhart (Endura Racing) and Ben Thompson (BMC UK RT). Such an early break had not been planned by Urquhart, but he did not want to see BMC riders disappearing up the road due to their numerical strength. With the bunch seemingly content to let them go and working well together, they had a lead of half a minute halfway around the first lap, eventually reaching 1 minute 40 seconds midway through the race.

This break was to last some 120km before the wind took its toll and a select  group of seven riders, including Skipper and four BMC UK team-mates, along with Dominic Schils (Lotto Olympia Interbike) and Andrew Hastings (Finchley RT),  joined them midway through the penultimate lap.

After taking the bell together, this group then spent the final lap attacking one another in a bid to get away, but to no avail meaning that as the uphill finish came into sight all were set for a sprint. Nervous about leaving it to a sprint as he was not 100% sure of how his legs would react, Skipper had no problem leading from the front, with Schils second and Urquhart pipping Hastings on the line for third. James Whatling soloed in shortly afterwards, having been tailed off the group for 8th, and Staite and Kogen completed the top ten.

Starters: 53


Podium, Schils, Skipper & Urquhart

Eastern Region
1. Joe Skipper  BMC UK RT
2. Dominic Schils  Lotto Olympia Team Interbike
3. Duncan Urquhart  Endura Racing
4. Andrew Hastings  Finchley Racing Team
5. Ben Thompson  BMC UK Racing Team
6. Andy Lyons  BMC UK Racing Team
7. Dean Shannon  BMC UK Racing Team
8. James Whatling  BMC UK Racing Team
9. Dan Staite  Python Racing Team
10. Daniel Kogan  BMC UK Racing Team
11. Benjamin Price  BC Private Member
12. Ian Franklin  BMC UK Racing Team
13. Vince Divine  Finchley Racing Team
14. Digby Symons  Cambridge CC
15. William Hedden  Glade CC
16. Graham Galvin  East London Velo
17. Sean Kilroy  Glade CC
18. Paul Fielding  St Ives CC
19. Nathan Miller Lotto Olympia Team Interbike
20. Mark Porter  Glade CC
21. Basil Moss  Cambridge CC
22. Hugo Hocknell  VC Revolution
23. David Miller  API - Metrow
24. Richard Da Silva  Stevenage CC
25. Tristan Emptage  North Road CC
26. Glen Vinnicome  Cambridge CC
27. Mark Howard  Shaftesbury CC
28. Steven Charles BMC UK Racing Team
29. Philip Lisher  Team Welwyn
30. Tim Williams  Cambridge CC
31. David Brown Essex Roads CC
32. Ian Samuel  Crest CC - Ilford
33. Stephen Saunders  API - Metrow
34. Benjamin Brown  Whitewebbs CC
35. Tony Couchman  Glade CC
36. Daryl Gannon  Finchley Racing Team
37. James Wylie  Lotto Olympia Team Interbike
38. Carmelo Luggeri  CC Ashwell
39. Simon Layfield  Team Welwyn
40. Jeff Robinson  North Road CC

Photos


Field entering the circuit from the neutralised roll out


Halfway around the first lap and the Thompson (front) / Urquhart break had already formed


The bunch follows some half a minute later with Joe Skipper on the front

Leaders in the countryside on lap 2


Urquhart leading Thompson


The shape of the race behind the leaders


Dominic Schils mid race


Chasing bunch


BMC UK RT in chase mode