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After a couple of weeks off from national-level cyclocross racing our slightly reduced team of five Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli racers made the long trip south to the ‘English Riviera’ to do battle at the Torbay Velopark in Devon. It’s great to see this year’s series spread so evenly across the UK, helping the National Trophy live up to its name and giving more racers the chance to get to a round of the series without having to travel on endless miles of motorway. With rounds having already taken place in Falkirk and South Shields our predominantly northern contingent have had it good so far this season, but with this round being located at the other end of the country some chose to miss this round and consolidate for the packed racing calendar coming up over December and into the New Year where we’ll see the National Cyclocross Championships taking place just a few miles from Wheelbase’s HQ in the Lake District.
Those racers looking for ‘proper cross conditions’ would not be disappointed at Torbay.
The racing at the Torbay Velopark was packed into two busy days with very little time to squeeze in between each race category, a real reflection of the continued popularity of this cycling discipline which often sees whole families of racers each taking their turn to compete in their respective age and gender categories. A great example of this is our very own Father/Daughter duo of Dave and Elsie Haygarth who, despite being based ‘oop north’ committed to a long trip to the south coast; Dave takes up the story…
Torbay didn’t disappoint! It was well worth the ten hour round trip, especially with two stops at the Westmorland services on the M5 at Gloucester, reminding us of the upcoming festivities in January when the popular Westmorland venue will host the prestigious Cyclocross National Championships.
Dave made the long trip down south to race on a muddy course that was much to his liking.
The Torbay course included an excellent combination of all the typical cyclocross features you’d hope to find at a national-level race with the full circuit being put together really well. There weren’t any climbs of note, but there were lots of other elements to test us on each lap. The thing that most competitors would probably take away in their heads was the incredibly waterlogged, deep mud that lay around the pit area. This was the first race of the season that required proper sustained running on the flat, something that I’m happy to say I’ve missed and really enjoyed. It’s not that I’m a good runner it’s just that running with a bike on your shoulder seems to wear me down less than other people, being a big lad.
With plenty of running required on each lap Dave was able to utilise those long legs of his.
The course also featured a man-made sandpit which added a nice point of interest for competitors and racers alike; it turned out to be more challenging than it initially appeared mainly due to the grade of sand that was used, which had the potential to increase the chances of an untimely mechanical. Despite my pre-race concerns it didn’t seem to clog the bikes too much and most racers made it through the race unscathed.
The man-made sandpit was a great additional course feature.
My race was the first of the weekend on Saturday morning, lining up against the very best racers in the Vet 50 category; as usual Nick Craig came to the fore pretty quickly. I’d like to say I was in the race for second place, but in reality everyone from 2nd to 15th was split by a handful of seconds between each rider, so it was just really a slog. Sometimes gaps would open that I felt I wouldn’t be able to close, and sometimes they just magically closed in front of me when I got a good line in the mud.
Dave kept calm and composed throughout the race despite the difficult conditions.
No one was immune from making small mistakes with the nature of the course and the racing conditions impacting everyone’s performance in one way or another. With the odd slip here and there we were all losing or gaining time on each lap; the key was to remain as calm and composed as possible with a laser-focus on line choice while coming into the pits regularly to jump onboard a clean bike in effort to negate any potential for unwanted mechanicals. I eventually finished in eighth position, which is a season’s best for me; I managed to take a few significant scalps along the way and put myself in a stronger position for the overall series.
Dave Haygarth would finish his race in an excellent 8th place.
Elsie’s race was on the Saturday afternoon and by then the course had changed quite a bit. Some of the muddy tracks had developed a dryer line and neat little ruts were appearing on a lot of the corners enabling racers to carry more speed through some of the tighter turns. While some parts of the course had improved waterlogged areas had become much muddier and slick meaning that Elsie and her fellow competitors had to cash-in on all of the riding skills they had at their disposal.
Elsie Haygarth was representing Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli in the competitive U16 Girls category.
Elsie made short work of the barriers.
Elsie’s fast start helped her keep out of trouble on the usual first-lap chaos and she managed to settle into a place in the late teens, riding strongly and changing bikes every half lap of her fast and frenetic 36 minute race, keeping me incredibly busy on the jet wash in the busy pit area. Elsie came away with a solid performance and she was pleased with her 18th spot which was also a season best so far.
Elsie Haygarth enjoyed the technical course which was packed full of features including a fly-over, barriers and steps.
Cornering with confidence Elsie would go on to finish an impressive 18th; her best result so far this season.
Fast-forward to Sunday and it was time for three of the Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli team to line up for the main event of the weekend – the demanding Elite Senior Men’s race. Our young rider Flynn Gregory is having a solid season with consistent results leaving him with a good overall position in the series; he was coming into Round 4 looking to consolidate it. We also saw the welcome return of Adam Bent who was back in the mud after a successful season of road racing which saw him take some great results on the continent. Giles Drake was back in action at Torbay after missing Round 3 in South Shields when he instead raced at the National Hillclimb Championships taking an excellent 10th place; back on his trust Cannondale SuperSix EVO CX bike he was keen to make an impact at this southern venue, here’s what he had to say after his race…
Torbay Velo Park was a new venue for the national Trophy series so I wasn’t sure what to expect but imagined it would be similar to Crawley which has been used a few times over the last couple of years. The course itself was very flat and torrential rain had turned a lot of the ground into ankle-deep clay – every cross racer’s worst nightmare when it comes to keeping the bikes running efficiently while avoiding unwanted mechanicals.
Despite the blue skies plenty of rain before the race made conditions challenging for Giles and his fellow competitors.
With plenty of thick sloppy mud it was quicker for Giles to run the worst sections.
My race started poorly; unfortunately the course went quickly from the start straight into a tight bottle neck, so a good start was vital and missing my pedal off the gun meant I was on the back foot trying to avoid the usual first lap chaos. As the course opened up, I set about moving up through the pack from the late twenties. Lots of heavy running sections would usually suit me but if I’m honest, I found my legs lacking the usual strength. Despite this I managed to stay focused on line choice and riding as smoothly as possible, staying consistent throughout and picking off 2 or 3 riders per lap until I reached 8th place. 7th & 6th we’re only a handful of seconds ahead of me with 2 laps to go but I just didn’t have the legs to finish as strongly as I’d usually expect to. Overall though, it’s great to be back in the UCI points which will help my grid positioning in future rounds where I’m aiming to get some more good results under my belt before the year is out.
Giles steadily worked his way through the pack in a quest to place himself as high up into the top 10 as possible.
Giles would finish in an impressive 8th place, giving him a better gridding position for future rounds.
It’s great to see Giles back in the top ten of a National Trophy Cyclocross race; as racing conditions become even more arduous we’re sure we’ll see even more from him in the coming weeks and months of the season. Elsewhere in the same race Flynn Gregory continued his consistent streak with another top 20 placing, this time finishing in 19th place in the senior category and taking 10th place in the under-23 sub-category; he now sits in 15th place overall in the National Trophy series. Adam Bent made his return to national-level cross racing with a strong performance that left him in 28th position at the end of this grueling race. Coming back from racing on the road it usually takes a while to adapt to the unpredictable nature of cyclocross racing, however there didn’t seem to be any such problems for Adam who was one of the few riders able to hop the barriers in such difficult racing conditions.
Flynn Gregory continues to deliver solid results at National level.
Flynn would finish in 19th place and now holds 15th place overall in the National Trophy Cyclocross series.
Adam Bent returned to the National Trophy series in style, being one of the few riders able to hop the barriers.
The penultimate round of the National Trophy Cyclocross season takes place on the 18th of December just over the border from Wheelbase Lake District at the popular Broughton Hall venue in Yorkshire. With another round on our doorstep in the North of England you can be sure Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli will have a full squad ready to perform well on one our favourite race courses of the season.
Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli Results:
Day 1 Saturday
YOUTH Girls (U16)
18th Elsie Haygarth
VET 50 Men
8th Dave Haygarth
Day 2 Sunday
Elite Men
8th Giles Drake
19th Flynn Gregory
28th Adam Bent
Written by Johnny Dodgin
Photos by Man Down Media
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