CYCLING: National cyclo-cross title for Rugby's Phil Roach

Excellent performances by Team Jewson-MI Racing-Polypipe-McCann saw them add two British Championships as well as a second and third place to their extensive collection.

Last season the team won 17 British Cycling Championships and with this season just two weeks old they are already chasing that target.

The British Cyclo-Cross National Championships were staged at at Hetton le Hole in County Durham.

Mick Ives’ team, already one of the UK’s most successful cycling teams, got the 2018 season off to a flying start by winning the Team Championships and the Ride Cycles Trophy in the race for riders 50 years and over, a Championship that they missed by the narrowest of margins in past two seasons.

The Team was led by former British Champion both Senior and Veteran Steve Knight in 4th place, closely followed by former UCI World Masters Champion and current Midland Champion, Phil Roach, in 5th place. Not too far behind was Kirby Bennett in 9th position and Mark James in 10th place just few seconds behind.

Team Boss Mick Ives described it as brilliant team riding. “All four riders were in the mix right from the start of the 45-minute race. I am so pleased with their performance,” he said.

Additionally Rugby team member Phil Roach won the 55+ national title, with team mate Kirby Bennett 3rd. Coventry member Pete Busby was 8th in the same event.

In the 60+ race Wellesbourne’s Tim Stowe finished 7th. More success came in the Ladies’ 55+ Championship, where Sally Reid finished in 2nd place, behind the current World Champion.

Members of the MI Racing Youth Academy were also in action. Jade Chamberlain finished 8th in the Under 14 Boys Championships.

Josh Giddings was 11th in the Under 16 Boys’ race, with Ed Woodward 26th and Jack Brough 28th. And Amelia Wayte finished 8th in the Under 16 Girls Championships, with team mate Lotta Mansfield 15th.

Elsewhere Lindsey Newman won the Ladies’ Veteran Mountain Bike race at Sherwood Pines in Nottinghamshire.

At Derby Velodrome during the week the Team were again in winning form. The MI Racing Youth Academy riders entered three different categories and by the end of the evening they had won 11 out of 12 events, and are now leading in all three categories: Josh Giddings (under 16 Boys), Amalie Wayte (under 16 Girls) and Rory Knowles (under 14 Boys).

The under 16 Boys also went top of the Team Pursuit league, averaging 48kph over 2km to record a time of 2 mins 31 secs.

Not to be out done the Veterans squad bossed the Derby Track League with three victories from four events, including a 1—2 in the five-mile Scratch race and a 1—2—3 in the Elimination Race. They are now leading the League and have two more riders in the top five.

No other UK-based Club/Team can boast these sort of performances.