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45th Lewes Wanderers CC Evening Criterium Series

Story posted June 14; thanks to Mark Winton

Race 2 in the 45th Lewes Wanderers CC Evening Criterium Series was held in cooler and windier conditions compared to the previous week, though this didn’t deter 45 riders from taking the start of the 50 km race. Like the previous week, the break of the race went early when a group of 6 riders got away from the front of the peloton close to the end of the first lap.

The six included Henry Bird (Lewes Wanderers) who amassed the most points the previous week, Andy Comben (Met Police) Stuart Fahey and Nick Sky (Brighton Mitre) all of whom had been in the race winning break the previous week.  Shaun Reed (Bayeux Landscapes) and Craig Pitt (Brighton Mitre) completed the break. All 6 riders rode well together at the front and with all major teams in the race represented, the main peloton seemed content to see them ride away to the finish, allowing them to establish a lead of over 2 minutes by the finish.

Whilst the six riders were prepared to co-operate to build the gap, there was still the matter of the race within the race for prime points towards the general classification (sponsored by http://www.thetristore.com of Eastbourne). Ferocious sprinting saw Reed take the points on offer at the first prime, followed by Comben and Pitt. Bird finished fourth, gaining no points and would have to work hard to maintain his General Classification lead.

The second prime saw Pitt cross the line first, with Bird getting the better of Comben. The result of Prime 3 was to be a repeat of the first. With a tough headwind finale, the riders stayed together until the race finish where Pitt proved to be the strongest in the sprint for the line for the final time. Bird beat Comben to maintain his lead at the top of the general classification, albeit by a reduced margin with Reed, Fahey and Sky making up the top six places on the night.

With the peloton sensing the end of the race, the fight for the minor placings began with a lap to go. Riders from Brighton Mitre, Lewes Wanderers and Team Terminator tried to escape without success, until, with 2 miles to go Lewes Wanderers’ Rob Pelham escaped the clutches of the peloton.

He soon had a reasonable lead, but the headwind finale would bring an end to his escape mission and as he was caught by the fast finishing bunch preparing for the sprint where a touch of handlebars saw three riders on the floor (including Pelham) and various other riders swerving to avoid the carnage. The riders were quickly attended to by the race ambulance provided by Wealden Medical Services with Pelham unable to finish the race due to injuries sustained to himself and his bike.

Next week sees the final race in the series where the overall winner will be crowned, a prize presentation will be held outside the Roebuck Inn at Laughton where The Tri Store proprietor will present the winners with their prizes.

RESULTS

Prime 1
1st Shaun Reed - Bayeux landscapes
2nd Andy Comben - Met Police
3rd Craig Pitt - Brighton Mitre

Prime 2
1st Craig Pitt - Brighton Mitre
2nd Henry Bird - Lewes Wanderers
3rd Andrew Comben - Met Police

Prime 3
1st Shaun Reed - Bayeux landscapes
2nd Andy Comben - Met Police
3rd Craig Pitt - Brighton Mitre

Finish
1. Craig Pitt - Brighton Mitre
2. Henry Bird - Lewes Wanderers
3. Andy Comben - Met Police
4. Shaun Reed - Bayeux landscapes
5. Stuart Fahey - Brighton Mitre
6. Nick Sky- Brighton Mitre
7. TBC
8. Paul Thatcher - Brighton Mitre
9. John Phillips - Brighton Mitre
10. Morgan Lewis - Brighton Mitre
11. Mark Paton - Sussex Nomads
12. Tom Glandfield - Lewes Wanderers
13. Paul Hudson - Sprockets UK

General Classification after round 2
 Henry Bird - Lewes Wanderers 27
 Andrew Comben - Met Police 25
 Craig Pitt - Brighton Mitre 19
 Shaun Reed - Bayeux landscapes 16
 Stuart Fahey - Brighton Mitre 14
 Mark Markowski - Bayeux landscapes 12
 Jamie Lowden - Lewes Wanderers 8
 Nick Sky - Brighton Mitre 7
 Duncan Morgan - Brighton Mitre 6