Roe defies rustiness to win opening stage
JAMES ROE proved himself a class above in yesterday’s opening round of the Mountain Bike Tour of Guernsey at Le Guet.
The expert mountain biker initially held back as cyclocross rider Andy Colver opened an early lead over the twisting cross-country course.
But both Roe and Mike Serafin closed briskly to overthrow a tiring Colver’s gap just a few laps later, making good on the organiser’s promise of a ‘mountain bike versus cyclocross grudge match’.
Roe turned it up yet another notch on lap seven and suddenly made 30 seconds on his rival, eventually going on to lap the whole field with his 1hr 2min. 52.9sec. clocking over 18 circuits.
‘It was fun, I just do these races for training really and, of course, I was happy to win,’ he said.
‘We were riding round together in a bunch and I scraped my knee [on lap two] so I decided to go on and get out there.
‘It was the first mountain bike race I’ve done since the Commonwealth Games, so I guess I was just a bit rusty on the first few laps.’
Roe now holds leader’s jersey rights but admitted that he may miss a few races, putting second-placed Serafin in a favourable position.
Despite relinquishing his lead, third-placed Colver now leads the cyclocross division, just one of the multitude of support classes.
Maddie Wilson took the women’s honours after picking off fast-starting Megan Dowinton and riding on strongly to make nearly a lap on her closest rival.
‘I was pretty pleased with it, though I was getting tired towards the end,’ said Wilson.
‘I have not done one before so it will be interesting,’ she added in anticipation of today’s ‘Duphill’ round at Pleinmont, where racing starts at 6.30pm.
