MAYBE it was the rumour that Cyclocross will be part of the 2030 Winter Olympic Games or maybe it was the fine weather that greeted the riders on Sunday, but whatever it was, it was a bumper entry for Round 1 of Jersey Cycling’s Winter Cyclocross series at Les Quennevais.
Under-8s
The dry conditions meant fast, hard racing all day and it was the Junior riders who started the day’s proceedings. The Under-8s kicked off the mornings racing, with Benjamin Dixon quick out of the blocks and leading early, closely followed by Isaac Winstanley.
The final lap brought plenty of drama as Nyah Woodland overtook leader Harley Cracknell to clinch the overall win and finish as first girl. In a sprint finish on the final straight, Benjamin Dixon edged out Alfie Lee to take second place.
Under-10s/12s
The second race featured a combined field of Under-10 and Under-12 riders. Archie Bisson started strongly, but it was his brother Oscar Bisson who pulled ahead in the second half of the race to take a comfortable victory. Solomon Cabot finished third overall and was the first U12 rider across the line.
Senior Men
Moving on to the Senior races, over 40 riders lined up ready to take the starters whistle. It was an electric start with Liam Cadoret first to edge to the front with his customary demon start. Cadoret was soon overhauled by fellow Island Games rider Jay Cracknell who pushed hard on the front to establish a small gap.
Behind Cadoret, Ben Richards was not letting either of the riders ahead of him get too far away and had his eyes locked onto the wheel ahead as he reeled them in. The gaps wouldn’t get any closer though, and the positions stayed the same all the way to the flag with Cracknell taking the first win of the season.
Senior Ladies
In the Ladies Senior race it was another close one with Indi Malzard and Harley Cadoret taking turns on the front. Eventually though, Cadoret drew out a gap that wasn’t going to be relinquished to take the win.
Veterans
In the Open vet40’s race, Adam Wojtkiewicz, fresh from his experience at the World Gravel Championships in Holland, was keen put his mark on the race and duly set about establishing a strong lead in the category. Behind Wojtkiewicz, Tim Norman took second place with Will Edingborough rounding out the podium.
In the Ladies vet40, Katie Tanguy used her experience to lead home Gemma Le Brun riding her first race. Ian Jones led from start to finish in the vet50 Open class, whilst behind Jones, Krzysztof Jeromkin and Mark Ecobichon had a close battle with Jeromkin just edging it on the line.
Mike Osborne had a strong race to take the vet60 Open honours and still managed his fastest lap on the last lap which after an hour’s racing was a fine demonstration of endurance.
In the Ladies vet60 it was great to see Louise Banks back racing after a lengthy injury break from last year. Clearly unfazed, Louise was straight back out there to claim class honours.
Alex Le Sueur had a fine race in the Youth Boy’s category leading home Evan Osmand in second and Rory Docherty in third place. Whilst in the Youth Girl’s category Eleanor Docherty showed true resilience to take the honours.
Round two of the series will take place on Sunday 9 November. Follow @JerseyCX on Instagram for full event details and sign up instructions.
The organisers would like to thank the marshals, officials, and Normandy Rescue for ensuring the day ran smoothly, as well as Jersey Cycling, Group Legendre, and Les Quennevais Sports Centre for making the event possible.
Results
U8 Open – Benjamin Dixon
U8 Girls – Nyah Woodland
U10 Open – Oscar Bisson
U12 Open – Solomon Cabot
Youth Open – Alex Le Sueur
Youth Girls – Eleanor Docherty
Senior Open – Jay Cracknell
Senior Ladies – Harley Cadoret
Vet 40 Open – Adam Wojtkiewicz
Vet 40 Ladies – Katie Tanguy
Vet 50 Open – Ian Jones
Vet 60 Open – Mike Osborne
Vet 60 Ladies – Louise Banks
