Event Seven Little Weighton Circuit - 50 Km -

club BC (City RC really)

See Result of 6th Event

See Points to Date

I love to see a good finish of a road race and tonight was one of the best. All three protagonists in the overall points competition together for a final showdown. You could feel it in the air, all groups were champing at the bit to get it over with. A race between Marcus Smith, here to recoup his points losses overall, against the might of Cottingham Coureurs. But there was only one point between Jon Dibble and Richard Moore - so who would show allegiance to Richard the old campaigner (nearly said the lionheart) and who to the talented newcomer on the scene, Jon Dibble?. And were there others involved, for instance did Chris Daddy come back from Spain to help his old buddies or did he have his own aims for the pot of gold?

Seriously though, it was a good race on a good evening, four laps of the Little Weighton circuit with its strength sapping drag up to the finish flag.

Seven riders set off in the first group at 7 o'clock which consisted of Tony Weston and Dan Ashman (City RC), Andy Blanchard (Hudersfield Star Wheelers), and a quartet from Hull Thursday - John Anson, Carl Looker, Andrew Penny and Gary Sheriff. This group worked fine for the first lap, only Gary Sheriff losing out - he tells me he's going to give up smoking after this month (There, I've told everybody now Gary).

There were sixteen altogether in the second group setting off after 4 minutes. Zak Thackray (Whitby Wheelers) was back after Sunday's fall complete with half a dozen stitches above his eye. Also Tristan Batch (T Rex), Simon Nicholls (Knaresborough RT), Terry Parker (the inveterate vet from Hull & East Riding), John Hopper (Barton Wheelers), and Tony Washbrook (City RC). A trio from Bridlington - David Compston, Andy Abbott and Stewart Pickard, and seven more from Hull Thursday - Mark Best, Nathan Chester, Chris Burton, Andy Peers, Andy Barnes, Nathan Wilson and the leader Rob Stones. Fairly well disciplined to work together - maybe not fast enough to lose anybody - their only loss was Tony Washbrook who punctured. He often does.

Just four more riders once again in the third group, who set off 2½ minutes behind group 2. Too much really - and my fault. I can't get any recruits from group 2 to join them even though there are two extra points for the first to finish from each group. Even worse for them was the combined abilities of the group behind. Nevertheless the four of them - Tony Boynton (T Rex), Steve Macklin (Hull Thursday), Ryan MacLachlan (Cottingham Coureurs) and John Galway (Keswick MTB) all worked closely together and didn't complain (well, not much).

Group four consisting of points leaders Jon Dibble and Richard Moore (both Cottingham Coureurs), with Dave Shackleton (Hull Thursday), Andy Hayton (Wil-lec Panoramic) and Marcus Smith (JF Wilson). Group five consisting of Mike Moss and Dan Keena (Cottingham Coureurs), Chris Daddy just making it in time from the airport (Hieros Aguera SM), Chris Clark (VC York) and Alastair Kaye (York Cycleworks). The two groups opted to collaborate and set off a further 2½ minutes behind group 3, nine minutes behind group one.

It was soon clear that everyone would be together before the finish. Group 2 pulled back 2 ½ minutes on the first lap and the scratch group - the power group - were within half a minute of group 3. To me the dynamic workhorse in the back group was Alastair Kaye; each time they cross the finish line after the mile long drag up from Little Weighton he was powering away at the front and many seemed to be just hanging on.

After two laps groups 1 and two were together, and also groups 3, 4 and 5, but there was still more than two minutes to be made up. David Compston took the prime sprints on laps two and three, I forgot to get these sprints but no doubts by anyone and I apologise to David.

As they cross the line on group three, almost joined to the front group, Ali Kaye, Chris Daddy and Jon Dibble got a gap and this looked very promising for them. Paul Purdy put in a big effort to get up to them but failed; as it turned out this was a wasted effort. Around the back roads Ali Kaye had a problem with his handlebars, they broke and he had to dismount. Fortunately he'd managed to stay in control, I hate to think what could have happened had they broken suddenly. So, most of the survivors were together at the bottom of the Litlle Weighton climb to the finish.

I don't know who were the lead-out men. Mike Moss and Dan Keena were a bit down the road so I suspect they put in some of the work. Dan doesn't seem to have reached the form he used to have. So it was three riders who emerged - the three that mattered most. It was Jon Dibble who raised his arm in victory. Marcus Smith had put up a good fight, beating Richard Moore in a sprint is something to put on his palmares. Mike Moss came in a good fourth and the rest followed behind.

Dibble managed to increase his lead in the points race, and Smith didn't get enough to displace Moore. The prizewinning ceremony down at the Black Horse in Little Weighton was a formality with Jon Dibble taking first and the winners trophy. Richard Moore and Marcus Smith were second and third respectively. By default (an aarrangement with Jon for one trophy per competitor) saw Dave Shackleton who had been consistent throughout take fourth place had the Under 23 trophy (Jon is also not surpassed these years) and in fifth was John Galway who successfully took the veteran's trophy for the second year running. Mr and Mrs Baskerville presented the the trophies they had given, and Betty Philipson the Paul Baskerville trophy which had been bought by the City RC in memory of Paul's tragic accident in one of their open events. The Baskervilles have been generous to the road race league, not only for the overall prizes and the primes which they've given each week, but also their generous support which we've enjoyed for quite a few years now.

Lap Times

And the result:

East Yorkshire Road Race League   Event 7(final)  24^th July 2003