Osborn takes handicap honours

MATT OSBORN took a well-deserved victory in the Guernsey Velo Club's handicapped road race on Sunday over five laps of the L'Eree circuit. He did enough to take out the significant advantage of six-and-a-half minutes given to the first group on the road by the handicappers while holding off the elite riders who started a further three-and-a-half minutes back.

Held in wet and slippery conditions, the first group of riders to start included Leon Ogier, Josh Owen and newcomer Craig Massey.

Owen proved strongest of his compatriots when he latched onto the chasing group originally containing Osborn, Ann Bowditch, Tim Holmes, Mike Dean and Colin Ozanne.

Behind, elite riders Tony Bleasdale, Danny Guillemette, Stuart Le Tissier, Alan Rowe and Terry Wright were quickly into their stride, picking up the riders who had started before them and all the while eating into the 10-minute deficit handed to them by the handicappers.

However, a touch of wheels on lap three saw Le Tissier hit the deck and Rowe and Wright were distanced as a result. It was left to Bleasdale and Guillemette to share the work.

Up in front, Osborn, Bowditch and Owen were now alone and working well together and it was clear that Bleasdale and Guillemette, now accompanied by Dave Gallienne and Tim Holmes, had it all to do if they were to bring the race together.

However, it wasn't to be: the dogged determination shown by the leading trio paid off, with Osborn taking the win from Bowditch and Owen.

Bleasdale took the bunch sprint for fourth ahead of Guillemette followed by Gallienne and Holmes.

Wright and Rowe finished eighth and ninth respectively, with Ogier completing the top 10.