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Giles Drake ran out winner at the North of England cyclocross championships
Our Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli rider held off a strong field to take victory on the mud-ravaged course at Towneley Park, Burnley.
Giles gave us his analysis of the race, which involved significantly more shouldering of the bike and running than time spent in the saddle:
‘The North of England Championships is always a big deal to me and I’d never managed to come out on top. With a month until the National Championships and such a strong group of riders representing the North, it gives you an important gauge.
Having raced at Towneley Park last year, I knew it was going to be heavy going and running would play a part, but I never imagined just how big a part. Early races indicated huge parts of the course were going to be unrideable, even the start straight.
Lining up on the start line with every rider shouldering their bikes was bizarre and set the precedent for what was to come. By the first time I hopped on my bike, some half lap later, I was leading with just Leon Mazzone for company. The race played out as a tactical ride vs run, every time I though I’d shaken Leon, he came back to me with the gap never going out beyond 15 seconds. A strong finish saw Leon closing the gap on the finish straight, both of us emptying the tank and ultimately me holding on by just 4 seconds!
I’m over the moon to win, even if it is in a some what unconventional manner. Now onto the final National Trophy round at York this Sunday.’
