Stockbridge Down RR, Will Fox Leads Pedal Heaven Trio!

Will Fox won the 80 mile Stockbridge Down Road Race, pulling away from Academy rider Will Harper and teammate Max Steadman on the final climb of Winton Hill. In a race full of breaks the elastic finally snapped on the 5th of 6 attrional laps of the tough 13 mile circuit in Hampshire.

Steadman forced the pace pulling away a final group of 9 including Fox, Harper, CC Luton pair, Ashley Cox & Doug Coleman, Lee Frost (Team Tor 2000 Kalas Sportswear),Ben Simmons (AIA©DMTCipolollini uk), Jon Mould (JLT Condor), with Roy Chamberalin (Team Corley Cycles) making contact at the bell. Working smoothly together on the final lap these 9 established a gap that could not be closed. Team or not, the Pedal Heaven trio led hard by Steadman, made the move on the lower slopes of Winton Hill. Harper tried but never had the legs as Fox came round the fading Steadman to add another victory to Pedal Heavens growing 2016 tally.

Henry Latimer (PMR@Toachim House) & Rhys Howells (Richardsons-Trek RT) were the first to go away in an attacking race that, strangely, also lacked excitement. Latimer & House were reeled in after building a lead of 45 seconds before Oscar Hutchings (Primera-Teammjobs), Lee Frost (Team Tor Kalas Sports wear), Michael Smith (Team Corley Cycles), Liam Walsh (VC Equipe-Flix) & Andrew Feather (Saint Piran) quickly pulled out a gap through the feedzone of some 25 secs. Feather was active all day and would pick up the most aggressive rider award.

The move looked promising but the race was altogether at the start of lap 4, the presence of Pedal Heaven, the distance and the parcours all perhaps, contributing to the lack of 100% commitment.

Fox, Feather, Cox and Joshua Jones (BCPM) finally broke away, Will Harper, Matthew Clarke (Pedal Heaven Excel Academy), Grant Martin (Feather Cycles Racing) & James Local (HostA©TAAP Storcx) bridged across but again the ebb and flow saw the make up of the front group change, Paul Double (VC Venta) & Jon Mould had joined the party with Steadman doing the final damage.

Temporary traffic lights left on the course threatened the race with cancellation with just 24 hours to go. A quick call from someone in the know at Andover Wheelers rectified the problem with the council removing the lights on Saturday afternoon, the actual works had been completed on Wednesday.

Rider Reaction
Will Fox

“It was pretty tough, the wind on the climbs made it hard to split, breaks kept going but everything kept coming back, when we got away on the last lap that was it everyone was working pretty well,, the final time up the climb Mouldy (Jon Mould) (JLT Condor) hit it, then Max (Steadman) went full gas, Will (Harper) was in the moves, working all day, he did a good ride, I was worried I could not beat him, Man he has got unbelievable gas at the end. The celebration* was dedicated to the laziest footballer on earth, Emmanuel Adebayor, he is my idol, he is at Crystal Palace now, I am a big Spurs fan. I try to base my life on him, he just wants to go and sleep on the beach and spend his money!.... Obviously there is a big race on today (Rutland-Melton) I am just not there yet, I think I will be racing Wilton, Lincoln and the Tour Series, it’s good to know the legs are going alright but everyone on the team seems to be going so well”

*Adebayor celebrated his goals with a military salute to the fans

Will Harper
“A really hard race, this course is pretty unforgiving, there were so many breaks that went and came back. I was in about four or five moves with strong riders that we thought, this has got to stay away, somehow it came back. A group of us finally got away on the last lap, the two Luton guys were really good, Ashley Cox has been around for a while, he is really strong and a clever rider. Max hit it hard on the final climb, from my perspective I had been probably a bit overactive on the last lap thinking I could get away on my own, I was feeling ok but I knew I did not have much of a kick, Foxey was on my wheel and he has a great finish, I jumped once but I didn’t have it today! I would say it is the hardest National B course, it is constantly rolling and the cross winds made it difficult.”

Max Steadman
“Definitely happy with third I guess, I tried to whittle it down on the hill, utilise my strength, the croos winds on the A30 were hard. I started driving it from the bottom of the hill and when Will Harper came up I thought they would all take me but I looked round and there were only three of us left. I really like the course, hard, hard you sort of race from the back as people tire”

Ashley Cox & Douglas Coleman
“Just trying to stay near the front, I wont do anything until Pedal Heaven go, if there not up the road I wont go. It’s a hard course but I have been getting results most weeks, Rory (Townsend) was stronger last week but I was there. It was a bit negative, it kept coming back together, good groups would get away but would come back together, I attacked on the last lap, Will & Max came with me, I had been up the road most of the day I did not have the legs. People get scared of the distance, a bit negative when it’s a tougher course. I find it strange, people work really hard to get in the break then when they are in it they wont ride?

Doug Coleman” He (Max) is 15kg lighter than me!

Roy Chamberlain
“ I was chasing at the bell, I got across with two others, I was doing a bit just looking after myself really, I like this course but my legs just went”

Oscar Hutchings
“I got away early with Andy Feather and Lee Frost, thought it was decent move but none of the Pedal Heaven guys were there, we were working really well but just got brought back, there were lots of people who wanted to be up the road”


Andrew Feather

“Yeah a pretty tough race, it split two laps from the end, then basically splintered from there, I was away twice but it all came back together, Pedal Heaven, Max Steadman bridged across then made it into the front group, he did well. A hard circuit, it’s just a wearing down race, you have to be up there all the time really, it’s not really a climbers course it’s a hard man’s course, the strongest wins”

Paul Double
“I was away with Jon Mould and three of the Pedal Heaven guys, I got a bit excited!, I just sat on and didn’t really do anything, it was good”

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Full Results
1 WILL FOX (PEDAL HEAVEN RT)
2 WILL HARPER (PEDAL HEAVEN EXCEL ACADEMY)
3 MAX STEADMAN (PEDAL HEAVEN RT)
4 ASHLEY COX (CC LUTON)
5 DOUGLAS COLEMAN (CC LUTON)
6 LEE FROST (TEAM TOR 2000 KALAS SPORTSWEAR)
7 BEN SIMMONS (AIA©DMTCIPOLLINIUK)
8 ROY CHAMBERLAIN (TEAM CORLEY CYCLES)
9 BEN MARKS (CYCLEWORKS.CO.UK)
10 OSCAR HUTCHINGS (PRIMERA-TEAMJOBS)
11 WILL HAYNES (PLANET X NORTHSIDE)
12 MICHAEL SMITH (TEAM CORLEY CYCLES)
13 LLOYD CHAPMAN (PEDAL HEAVEN RT)
14 ANDREW FEATHER (SAINT PIRAN)
15 PAUL DOUBLE (VC VENTA)
16 GEORGE PYM (RALEIGH GAC)
17 PHILLIP PETERS (HOSTA©TAAPS STORCX)
18 JAMES LOCAL (HOSTA©TAAP STORXC)
19 MARK ROBERTSDON (ARMY CYCLINGRT)
20 TOM MORRIS (PORTSMOUTH NE)
21 JON MOULD (JLT CONDOR)
22 JAMIE CALDWELL (RICHARDSONS-TREK RT)
23 JOSHUA JAMES (BC PM)
24 MALCOLM DIXON (DREAM CYCLING RT)
25 JAMES PHILLIPS (DREAM CYCLING RT)
26 JAMES PLUMB (VC VENTA)
27 DAVID BILINGS (CYCOLOGY SUNWISE)
28 ROB McCARTHY (PEDAL HEAVEN EXCEL ACADEMY)
29 MIKE CRIPPS (ARMY CYCLING RT)
30 CALUM CROFT (PRIMER-TEAMJOBS)
31 JED WEBBER (ALPCYCLES)
32 HENRY LATIMER (PMR @TOACHIM HOUSE)
33 WARREN JESSE (PEDAL HEAVEN EXCEL ACADEMY)
34 MATT CLARKE (PEDAL HEAVEN EXCEL ACADEMY)
35 ANDREW CRITCHLOW (WYNDYMILLA)
36 PETER HAWORTH (TEAM TOR 2000 KALAS SPORTSWEAR)
37 ANDREW TURNER (KTM IMSPORT RT)
38 ALEX FANSHAWE (ZAPPIS RT)
39 SCOTT MICHAELS (SOTON UNI RC)
40 BROOK ELGIE (ROCK& ROAD
41 RICHARD ASHLEY JENNINGS (ARMY CYCLING RT)
42 LEWIS MARTIN (EDEN VERANDA RACING)
43 PETER ALLAN (WYNDYMILLA)
44 JAMES MEAKIN (UK BIKING COPYRITE)
45 NICK CORBET (EQUIPE VELO)
Most Aggressive Rider
1 ANDREW FEATHER
2 WILL FOX
3 ASHLEY COX
1ST JUNIOR
LEWIS MARTIN