Mike Cotty (Wheelbase/Cannondale) was in a league of his own as he stormed to victory in the “Crabwood Cross” at Southampton Sports Centre. The Wessex league champion elect oozed class as he rode away from a small but select field in this traditional Boxing Day race.
Stu Bowers (Hargroves Cycles) took second spot after a solid performance that saw him get stronger as the race went on. Bowers is finding form after a late start this year, but the season may end too soon for the Hargroves man. Team mate, Steve James took third the national U23 series leader never looked comfortable, Matt McDonald (Stevens UK) finished fourth.Earlier in the day, Joanne McRae (Look mum no hands) had won the women’s race after leading from the gun. Matt Hargroves (Hargroves Cycles) won the junior race and Sean Williams (Wight Mountain) came out on top in a very competitive vets race.
Mike Simpson (G S Henley), winner of the previous weeks race in Wareham Forest, gives “E D” his race perspective!
After the pre-Christmas glitch that saw Mike Cotty (Wheelbase/Cannondale) pipped to the post at the Wareham event, normal service was resumed at Southampton with an impressive solo display. Mike has dominated the Wessex League this season but failing to win last week would have been eating away at him all week. So what better way to reset the status quo than to obliterate the opposition at your local course? Mike only lives a few miles down the road and has raced here on many occasions. The course was pretty muddy and had some slight modifications to the one used at last month’s National Trophy. Immediately to the fore were Cotty and the recently crowned Southern champion Steven James. Then came Stu Bowers, Matt Macdonald, Jamie Norfolk, Nick Onslow, James Cotty and having his customary appalling start last week’s senior victor Mike Simpson was already playing catch up.
By the end of the first lap Cotty was now clear and James had dropped back to form a trio of riders who would contest second place.
Into the second lap and Simpson briefly joined this group before failing miserably to negotiate
the steep bank and lost touch as this group started working well together in pursuit of Cotty. In 6th place was James Cotty riding one of his best races this season. Up front Mike Cotty could relax and enjoy the praise, his analytical mind perfecting each slippery turn and riding his bike to the limit of adhesion. Onto the last lap and podium positions were all but secured as Bowers had clear daylight on James with Macdonald and Simpson having to concede and settle for 4th and 5th.
But the day belonged to Mike Cotty finishing in resplendent isolation. Many of these top riders will reunite and do battle in the National Championships in two weeks’ time and then finish the season off with the final Wessex league event at Thruxton.
Brief Result (provisional)
SENIORS
1 M COTTY (Wheelbase/Cannondale)
2 S BOWERS (Hargroves Cycles)
3 S JAMES (Hargroves Cycles)
4 M MACDONALD (Stevens UK)
5 M SIMPSON (GS Henley)
LADIES
1 J MACRAE (LOOK MUM NO HANDS)
2 C SMITH (SWINDON RC)
3 S WOODS (WIGHT MOUNTAIN)
JUNIORS
1 M HARGROVES
1 S WILLIAMS (wight mountain)
2 M GROVES (STEVENS UK)
3 D McMULLEN (GWR)
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