ISLE OF Wight riders of the Wightlink-Wight Mountain Cycle Race Team (WWMCRT) produced some great performances and results — especially for those doing the Island Games in Guernsey next month.
GOODWOOD SUMMER SERIES
JAMES Veal earned an excellent second place on the podium in the fifth round of the Goodwood Summer Series.
Veal was joined by WWMCRT members Elvis Belton and Chris Marsh for the time trial race in Goodwood on Tuesday last week.
After a fast start, Veal attacked early on the second lap, with another rider, leaving Belton and Marsh policing the bunch and covering any attempts to catch the flyers.
Another duo managed to bridge the gap later in the race, and the small group dug in — making the break stick until the finish.
Veal was in a great position exiting the chicane, before he hit the home straight — just missing out on his first win of the season in the sprint, picking up a well-earned runner-up spot on the night.
After riding a tactical race in support of their team mate, Belton powered home to win the bunch sprint to take eighth, with Marsh finishing just outside the top ten.
Afterwards, Veal said: "I wasn’t sure if the break would stick, but the other lads did a great job in support, which allowed me to stay away.
"I was feeling good at the bell for the last lap, but just didn’t time my sprint right — but I’ll settle for second though, in what was a fast-paced race."
PORTSMOUTH NORTH END SUMMER ROAD RACE
THE 60-mile Owslebury circuit, with 1,600m of elevation, was the next challenge for Veal and Charlie Orchard.
The race was always going to be tough, but with it being 30C, it proved to be a very attritional race, with less than half of the starters completing the full distance.
After several early crashes, which both riders were caught up in, Orchard was forced to retire — but was able to help Veal in the feed area, passing him extra water.
A breakaway with two riders managed to hold off the bunch and take the first two positions, with the remainder fighting for the last podium spot.
Veal finished in the main bunch for a creditable 20th.
SOUTHERN XC MTB SERIES
THE fourth and final round of the Southern XC MTB Series in Basingstoke gave WWMCRT's five racers get a worthy test ahead of the Island Games.
Adam Holleyman, Nick Earley, James Rogers, Stu Waite and Nadia Lele all head for the Channel Islands next month.
Holleyman and Earley also had a chance at the overall podium, if things went well.
On the first lap, Holleyman attacked the lead group and maintained a gap through the four-lap race to take the win.
Earley was close behind in second, until a crash with a lapped rider left him chasing, nursing an injury to the finish, holding on for sixth spot.
Rogers kept his run of top ten finishes going with a solid ninth, while Waite had another impressive ride from the third row of starters, to take 15th.
Holleyman's win meant he took second overall in the series, with Earley finishing fifth.
Lele also raced four laps in the women's sport category.
After a few early mistakes, she spent much of the race playing catch up, finishing sixth in 1hr 23mins — coming second in the series.
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