‘Undercooked’ Roe still too hot for the rest of the field
A STRONG field took to the startline for the Winter Mountain Biking Series opener but James Roe again proved a class above them all.
The MTB Tour of Guernsey champion beat fellow Commonwealth Games cyclists Michael Serafin and Andy Colver over a technical but relatively welcoming race at the German Underground Hospital, La Vassalerie.
Roe opened a small initial lead with relative ease and then went on to consolidate this over the coming laps, drawing increasingly out of sight of his pursuers to cover 15 laps in 1hr 4min. 45sec.
He even showed there was much left in the tank with a breakthrough sub-4min. finishing lap – the day’s fastest by some margin.
Serafin and Colver stuck tight in a heated first lap but the former held on to become the only rider to avoid being lapped by Roe, as Steve Dawes came through for third.
Both Roe and Serafin are in the same boat ahead of the upcoming Island Games and while the former was pleased with an opening victory, his pre-selection for Gibraltar 2019 leaves him somewhat conflicted.
‘It was a good race – I suppose from my perspective, I started off reasonably steady and just stayed there and did one quick lap at the end to try and test the legs, as it were,’ he said.
‘[However] They’ve not given us the dates for the whole series so come February, I may switch my focus onto the roads.
‘With the Island Games being a core focus, I’ve shifted back a bit on where I should be compared to last year – I’m probably looking to come into the season a little bit undercooked so by the time July comes round, I’ll be in my best form.’
More in Wednesday's Guernsey Press.
