Motherly magic

TRACY DOWINTON outshone the Velo Club men when she returned from the South of England road race championships as champion. It is the first time a Guernsey rider has lifted the divisional road race title and it is the perfect fillip for the 37-year-old mother before the NatWest Island Games in Rhodes.

The win took her by surprise as the race represented her first away from the island.

'I'd gone there not knowing what to expect. I've only ever raced over here and it was all new to me.'

It was a superb ride in tough conditions.

With the early pace set by the juniors in the field, riders started to lose touch with the bunch and within the first lap, GVC's Ben Burtenshaw and Josh Owen were part of the leading group ahead of the rest of the field.

Dowinton was riding with Gary Wallbridge for most of the race and had dropped all the other women with the exception of the current regional champion, who was just ahead of her.

The race finally broke apart on the final set of hills with the two leading juniors breaking away to take first and second.

Guernsey's Matt Osborn was third junior just over a minute behind the leaders, with Burten-shaw taking the fourth such spot a further two minutes behind.

Dowinton, meanwhile, rode strongly over the last lap managing to drop a tiring Wallbridge and pass the defending champion.

It's next stop Rhodes for the new divisional champion who will struggle with a second hardship in the Greek island.

Not only is the heat a worry, leaving her four-year-old daughter, Rhiannon, is a big wrench.

'I will miss her. But she wants me to go and win and I will try my best for her.'

As for the men, the full Island Games road race team of Tobyn Horton, Tony Bleas-dale, Paul Brehaut, Aaron Bailey and Stuart Le Tissier were in Hampshire for the races, along with Island Games mountain bike rider Rob Smart.

The senior race was held over a 91-mile hilly course in hot conditions, a good representation of those that can be expected in Rhodes.

The Guernsey riders, under instruction from manager Dave Hobson, were given the task of working for designated team leaders Horton and Brehaut with the intention of getting both riders into an early break with Bleasdale, Smart, Bailey and Le Tissier left to cover any moves that looked like threatening them.

From the start it was clear that the tough nature of the course would wear down the field of around 60 but the Guernsey team stuck to their brief and managed to get Horton and Brehaut into a group of some 12 riders going clear of the field.

As the race progressed the leading group built a lead of two minutes with the remaining Guernsey riders in the bunch policing any moves that looked threatening.

At around half distance Brehaut found the pace in the breakaway a little too hot and rejoined his colleagues in the main field, then almost immediately Bailey found himself in a chase group trying to bridge to the leaders leaving Brehaut, Smart, Le Tissier and Bleasdale to cover the moves.

Horton, who is racing full-time in Belgium in his build-up to Rhodes, was looking strong in the lead group which was becoming more and more fragmented as the heavy course took its toll.

Lee Davis, riding for professional outfit Pinarello RT, proved to be the strongest in the group and broke away with Simon Brooks riding for VC St Raphael.

On the final straight to the finish Davis attacked Brooks to take the victory.

Behind them, the remainder of the breakaway, which still contained Horton, blew to pieces on the last lap. The young Sarnian rode superbly, though, to take fifth place.

Bailey produced a great ride to stay within the chase group to secure a high placing.

Le Tissier was the only member not to complete the race.

But having just recovered from a knee injury that required almost three weeks off the bike, he made a good contribution to the team effort and joins Horton in Belgium for the three weeks leading up to the Games.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the team will undertake acclimatisation training before them.