CYCLING: Great week of racing for Mick Ives' team

Another great week of race performances by elite cycle race team Team Jewson-MI Racing-Polypipe-McCann.

MI Racing Youth Academy rider 16-year-old Finn Mansfield, was selected to ride as a member of the Great Britain Junior Team in a series of Cyclo Cross races in Belgium.

Greg Ashley from Braunston was runner-up in the Daventry Sportsman of the Year award, at the special presentation evening attended by several of his team members.

Kirby Bennett from Burbage near Hinckley was in terrific form on Sunday when he outclassed the current National Champion to win the 60+ Cyclo Cross event near Loughborough. His teammate Ian Wright finished 3rd with John Gabriel, back racing after two years out of the sport, in 6th place.

At the same meeting Academy rider, Jude Chamberlain rode away from the whole field to win the Youth race. (His father was 3rd in the 50+ race).

Former World Masters Champion and current British 55+ Champion Rugby’s Phil Roach, finished 4th in the 50+ race, and first 55+, won by ex professional and World Cup winner Tim Gould.

In the Lady Veteran race at the same meeting Caroline Mansfield finished 2nd and Lindsey Newman 3rd.

Mark James finished 2nd in the Veteran race at Stroud, Gloucestershire, after a terrible start.

The Ranking Points for the Midland Time Trial riders have now been announced, with Midland 10 mile Champion Dave Kiernan in 2nd place with 994 points, Craig McKee 7th with 963, Gary Brooks 8th on 910pts and Leamington’s Mark Wise 11th on 884pts. Team MIRacing were Team winners.

It was a great evening for members of MI Racing Youth Academy riders on Thursday evening at the Derby Velodrome.

In the under 14 years Callum Twelves, Ed Hopkins and Rory Knowles were 1st, 2nd and 3rd in both the Points race and the Elimination event, and then 1st, 2nd and 5th in the 10 mile Scratch race, that finished off the evening’s racing. Knowles took a lap, by himself, early on, then Twelves took a lap with two others, around ½ distance, and just after that Twelves got clear again with Knowles and Hopkins, the three of them dropped into Team Pursuit formation, and rode clear, almost lapping the main field again. Twelves won from Knowles and Hopkins 5th. This is the first time these young riders have raced for more than 30 laps, so 64 was a huge task. The future looks bright for MIRacing Youth Academy.

Team members Bennett, Roach and Sally Hibberd will be riding in Round 2 of the National Cyclo Cross series in Scotland. Bennett is the current leader of the 60+ series.

This Weekend Coventry member Jack O’Neill will be riding the National Hill Climb Championships near Stockbridge, north of Sheffield.

O’Neill has only ridden two competitive events all year, being in the winning team in both, because of work and domestic duties, but is now back training hard for next season.

The Team also hold their first Club Hill Climb Championship on Saturday, on Edge Hill, near Kineton for the new Mount Etna Trophy, plus a special award if the course record, held by team boss Mick Ives with 2mins 47secs set in 1958, is broken.