Mercia CC-Lloyds Cycles Report 14.11.19

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Mercia CC-Lloyds Cycles report 14.11.19.

The Notts Derby Cyclo Cross League held its Round 7 at the Berry Hill Park venue in Mansfield and hosted by Ashfield RC. After prolonged periods of heavy rain the course as expected was very muddy indeed particularly in the low lying wooded section where many riders in all classes were forced to dismount and walk/run.

After a disappointing first race of the season Mercia CC-Lloyds Cycles V50 rider, Julie Tipper has progressively improved with some excellent results but none more so than Saturday’s event where a fine effort in a gruelling race saw her take 1^st place in her V50 class. She also outrode many of the younger riders and finished 12^th overall.

In the Under 12 category Mercia’s Sam Parker had his season’s best race when finishing in 9^th position close behind team mate Daniel Ward who crossed the line in 7^th place. The winner was George Cooper of Sherwood Pines Cycles Forme.

In the mens Veteran classes, Mercia CC-Lloyds Cycles V40 rider Oliver Parker had a race he might wish to forget when he first had problems with a pedal and then lost even more ground when his bike became tangled in a length of plastic marker tape. However, he battled through to the chequered flag to finish in what was, for him, a lowly 43^rd place. In the V50 class, Parkers team mate, Stephen Herriman, returned to racing after a long layoff and rode well finishing in 36th position. In the same event Pascal Arnoux of Zepnat RT-Lazer Helmets was 7^th behind Simon Hale of the Army Cycling Union.

Daniel Ward invariably races well in the West Midlands League following a hard race on the previous day and this weekend was no exception. At Malvern at the Malvern Cycle Sport hosted event the course featured some areas where the riders were forced to dismount and shoulder the bike in true cyclo cross fashion which is unusual in the under 12 category. Ward revelled in the conditions and was only narrowly beaten into second place by George Cooper of Sherwood Pines Cycles – Forme. A result well worth the long journey and much cycle cleaning afterwards.