Smart leaves Jersey's best in his tyre tracks

ROB SMART continued to show fine form ahead of the Commonwealth Games in the fourth round of the Caesarean Cycling Club's mountain bike winter series held at a muddy Sorel Point in Jersey. The course was mostly on farm tracks and fields, with one long climb on each lap sorting out the riders.

Before the mass start, a minute's silence was held in memory of the four Rhyl CC riders who were killed while training in Wales last weekend.

Many competitors chose to wear a black armband as a mark of respect to the riders.

The mass start across a bumpy field saw Kieron Mills, Jersey's leading rider, open up a lead over the chasers including the Sarnian.

Smart, though, hit the front at the end of the first lap after catching and passing the early pace setter.

The Guernseyman opened up a gap and was soon out of sight of the chasers.

An hour and 20 minutes had passed when Smart arrived at the bell, the Sarnians having lapped all but the riders in second and third places.

Still applying the pressure, Smart took the honours by over four minutes at the finish from Mills in second, Sam Firby third and Chris Spence in fourth.

Smart was pleased with his morning's work and the progress he has shown since the previous round before Christmas.

'Training has been getting progressively harder since November and I am now starting to see the benefits,' he said.

With still six weeks to go before the Games, Smart has four more off-island races in which to compete and is targeting the first round of the Gorrick Spring series, held at Yateley Heath Wood, Hampshire on 29 January, as his next race.

'The first Gorrick race will give me the opportunity to race against the best elite riders in the south of England over a longer distance which will really give me a good idea of how my form is shaping up before the Commonwealths,' he said.