Larger fields point to a secure future

NEARLY 100 cyclists took to fields in St Andrew's as the winter series made a popular start. The Guernsey Velo Club was pleasantly surprised by the turnout for the Arrowsmith Marlowe/Ian Brown's Cycle Shop event, held on a fast, dry course.

Visiting former elite national mountain bike champion Paul Lasenby - on a Marin bike promotional weekend - was also persuaded to test himself against Guernsey's best.

An encouraging number of new youngsters out of the 25 under-12 riders, 17 of whom were aged under 10, lined up for the first race of the day.

Visiting rider Bryn Dickenson showed the locals a clean pair of wheels with a brilliant ride to win comfortably the under-12 event in 15min. 25sec.

Kieran Duquemin was 45sec. down in second spot, while Robert Paul came home in third.

Stuart Sunderland won the one-lap under-10s' race in 8.30, leaving J. P. Payne to take the runner-up spot 30sec. adrift. The first girl to finish was Juliet Setters.

The under-eights' race was a close affair, with Marco Petralia and Michael Mann battling for the honours. Mann won by just 10sec. and Joshua Pinchemain was third.

Fifty-one riders lined up for the sports, under-16s' and under-14s' race. Andy Colver, on a new machine, took the honours in the sports category in front of road racer Bob Green, who timed his race to perfection to take the runner-up spot, leaving Chris Allen to take third. The first woman home was Lyn Coombs.

Dan Owen convincingly won the under-16s from John Mapley, with Mike Serafin in third.

Ryan Langlois won the under-14s by almost a minute from Garf Brown in second and Gary Robert third.

And so to the big clash in the final race of the day, the elite riders' 10-lap clash.

Current national age-group champion Jimmy Carling was up against former elite national champion Lasenby, Island Games mountain bike medallists Rob Smart and Nick Mann and Games road-racing medallists Paul Brehaut and Terry Wright, who both made a welcome return to mountain biking.

Carling, though, showed he was still in fine end-of-season form as he trounced the opposition, increasing his lead on each lap to win comfortably in 46.17.

Smart claimed second in 49.14, with Lasenby third in 50.36, just pipping Brehaut to the line.

Lars Persson rode well to place a very creditable fifth.

Interestingly, the top four in this category all rode full suspension bikes, clearly showing the progress manufacturers have made in the past five years to develop them specifically for cross country racing.

*The next scheduled event is to be held at Fauxquets Valley campsite on Sunday 26 October.