CYCLING: Another great weekend of racing for Mick Ives' team

Ryan Ballard with his medal at the top of Horse Shoe Pass in North Wales

What a weekend for Mick Ives’ cycle race team, with victories in different parts of the UK.

On Saturday the Team Jewson-MI Racing-Polypipe-McCann squad dominated the Klincult Open 10 mile Time Trial at Princethorpe.

Veteran member,LVRC National Champion and Midland Champion, Dave Kirnan recorded yet another victory with a very fast time of 20 mins 17 secs. In

3rd place was Craig McKee with 20-28 and Jack O’Neill riding only his second event of the season in 4th place with 20-30, and Greg Brookes 7th with 21-19.

Kirnan, McKee and O’Neill won the Team award, and Kirnan also won the fastest Veteran prize.

Saturday also saw MI Youth Academy rider Rory Knowles win the final round of the National Youth series at Brands Hatch, Kent.

In North Wales, Ryan Ballard finished 2nd in the TLI National Time Trial Championships, which included two ascents of the Horse Shoe Pass, held in very windy and wet conditions. A brilliant ride by the Team Jewson rider was made all the more remarkable in that it was his first race of the season.

Ryan is pictured at the top of the Horse Shoe Pass with his championship medal.

Nearer home Steve Knight continued his unbeaten run by winning round 2 of the Midland Cyclo Cross series. The event was held in fast dry conditions near Fillongly in Warwickshire. Team mate Kirby Bennett finished 3rd and 1st Veteran over 60, and Ian Wright was 5th and 3rd over 60 veteran.

The final round in the season-long Percy Stallard National Road Race series took place near Huntingdon, and Warwick’s leading road cyclist, a former winner of the championship, finished 2nd overall. His team mate, and multi national champion Mike Twelves finished 3rd in the race.

Former National Pursuit squad member and International Ian Cooper was a convincing winner of the Kenilworth Wheelers race at Bearley, Warwickshire, outsprinting his three breakaway companions on the uphill sprint to the line.

Cooper will be representing Great Britain in the World Railway Workers Cycling Championships in India along with his MI Racing team mate Greg Ashley in November.

In the supporting race, Dunchurch member Martin van Hackley finished 3rd.

During the week the Team took part in the Derby Track league. Richard Oakes finished 1st and Mike Twelves 2nd in the Scratch race, 50 laps of the

Velodrome at an average of 33 mph. Then Oakes, Twelves and Rob Muzio finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Elimination race, followed by Twelves,

Oakes and Muzio, 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the Points race, a complete domination of the meeting,

Then after all that racing they had a training session with their Team Pursuit squad and recorded a time 5 seconds faster than the winning time at last year’s National Championship.

Next big event on the Track will be the National Madison Championships, for which Team Jewson-MI Racing-Polypipe-McCann are clear favourites.