travelled to the final round of the Omega Thruxton Circuit series in search of the points she needed to gain her 2nd cat licence, an amazing feat in itself, considering this is Emma’s first full year of competitive road racing.
On a sunny but still windy day, the women’s race set of unexpectedly with the men. After the initial shock of the impromptu start she settled into her racing and came over the line in 5th place giving her 6 ranking points and taking over the forty points needed to move into cat 2.
With Marc achieving the same feat earlier in September and Steve Calland becoming a cat 1 in June, all that’s now required is for Steve Atkinson to get the 2 points he needs to get his cat 2 licence also.
A big well done to all the team riders for what has been an exceptional year and, with the way things are progressing with new riders soon to be announced, what looks on paper an even better year in 2010.
Finally we the team, would like to extend our thanks to our loyal sponsors, without whose support none of this would have been possible.
Martin at Southdowns Bikes, Nick Allen and all the team at Specialized, David Smith at Clif Bar, Ruth Casson at AMBA and Paddy and all the team at Upgrade.
We look forward to a continued successful partnership in 2010.
Tim Bishop – Team Manager.
July & August ’09 Race Team Blog.
Well here we are in September 2009, nearly at the end of the summer racing season, both on the road and off.
After the undoubted high, of the success for both teams at Mountain Mayhem, it took several weeks for everyone to get back into competitive action.
Worthing Excelsior Time Trial.
July saw the conclusion to the Thursday night Worthing Excelsior Time Trial held on the A24 between Ashington and Findon. The highlights being, Steve Calland clocking an unbeatable time around the 10 miles course of 20.36 and, on the16th a still evening saw Marc clock 21.16 and Emma achieve the goal, set for her by Steve at the start of the season to break the 25 minute barrier with a stunning ride of 24.56. Marc was also the fastest rider on the course for the last three weeks consecutively, which was very satisfying for him in the face of some stiff competition.
The evening of the 23rd saw five Southdowns riders come across the line one after another, starting with Marc, followed by Matt, first time on a borrowed TT bike, then Emma, Alex and Karen.
It has been a hugely successful series for the riders, with everyone reaching the goals they set themselves at the start of the season.
Surrey League – Dunsfold Series.
August also brought about the conclusion of the 18 race, Surrey League Dunsfold series. Despite not riding in the series on a regular basis, Steve still managed to finish just outside the top ten in 14th place with Marc finishing just 1 place further back in 15th.
In a series in which there is no Women’s only category, Emma finished a creditable 55th out of 200+ riders.
With some good finishes in the series, both Marc and Emma moved toward the points total required to achieve Cat 2 status and, with Steve gaining his Cat 1 grading earlier in the season, again the team have had a very encouraging year.
Southern XC – MTB Series.
After a disappointing start to the year, Max Filleul continued to gain good points in the Southern XC Series, finishing 2nd behind B. Roff at the 5th round in Alton in August and 3rd at the last round at Pippingford in East Sussex to clinch 2nd overall in the Junior category, this despite dislocating his shoulder in a fall in a race in early July which put him out of action for several weeks.
A superb effort by Max and a rider to watch next season, when it is hoped that he won’t be plagued by mechanical problems that blighted his early season this year.
Brighton Big Dog 15th August 2009
August was the month when Matt and Andy both took part in the Brighton “Big Dog” MTB endurance event held on the popular course in Stanmer Park.
Below is Matt’s report on the event, complete with insect invasion!!
New Name, Same Great Course.
Stanmer Park, Brighton, hosted another excellent bike race, continuing to build on the foundations laid in 2008 by the G2 Revolver after a long absence of racing at the venue.
The Big Dog team resisted the temptation to fiddle with last years amazing course. A new loop extended the course at its northern end, elongating the main fire road climb and adding an extra rooty singletrack section. I don’t think it can be overstated how good the course is! It’s as close to a perfect mix of climbing, descending, open and technical riding you could ask for in a bike race. It’s a hard course to ride but leaves you with a big smile on your face.
This summers’ weather left its mark on the course making some of the technical rooty sections sketchy to begin with. However, a stiff breeze and a load of riders helped the course dry out.
The race kicked off at 12:30 with a surge of riders heading for the first section of singletrack trying to beat the inevitable bottleneck. Andy and I had both decided to take the first lap at a steady pace and to a degree were forced into this due the traffic through the first half lap.
The course was altered during the second lap as the course passed close to a wasps’ nest. The residents weren’t very happy having a bike race running past their front door and made there feelings known, stinging several riders including Andy. The result of the course redirection turned what was a tough technical climb into an absolute brute.
After the first lap I settled into a good rhythm and started to pass those who had bolted off the line. I stopped every second lap to change bottle and after four laps to re-stock my supply of bars and gels. I was enjoying blasting through the singletrack and grinding the hills on what was so far an incident free race, until lap five. About half way through the lap heading through a section of single track I took a line to the right of a puddle on a shallow right hand bend a got a bit to far right caught my bars in the brush and ended up hitting a tree on the left. Fortunately, no lasting damage, my brake lever had twisted around the bars and I have a sore shoulder!
By the end of the Seventh lap I had 50 minutes of race time left (laps completed after six hours don’t count) and so pushed on to complete the eight laps I had set myself as a goal.
Eight laps in 5:57 was good for 7th place in a strong Solo Male category including Ant White (24hr Solo Champion at the recent Bontrager Twentyfour 12). Andy also had a strong result completing seven laps in 5:53 and finishing 5th behind former MTB pro Paul Hudson.
The Brighton Big Dog was a great success and I hope Brighton and Hove Council sanction the use of Stanmer Park as a race venue again next year. If they do you had better get your entry in fast to avoid disappointment!
Keep coming back to this page to see if both Marc and Emma reached their goal of achieving Cat 2 status.
Saturday 20th – Sunday 21st June 2009.
OS Mountain Mayhem – Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, Herefordshire.
And so to Mayhem 2009.
After six months preparation the weekend of Mayhem finally dawned.
Most of the team drove down to Ledbury on Friday 19th to set up camp. With a Marquee loaned to the team by the Storrington Round Table and numerous tents, the team felt as well prepared as they could possibly be.
Mountain Mayhem a 24 hour mountain bike race, is now in its twelfth year and this years event was as big as ever with over 2,500 riders taking part, in numerous categories spanning all ages and abilities.
Southdownsbikes.com entered two teams in this year’s race in the largest of the categories, the Mixed Open race. This class is made up of just over 120 teams of five riders, with 4 men and a woman making up each team.
Marc Clothier captained the Green team with Karen Dixon captaining the Black team.
Running within the main race this year, GT Cycles were offering a unique GOLD Zaskar bike to any non professional rider who entered their competition, those who entered needed to complete the fastest lap of the course between the start at 14:00 and 23:00 on Saturday night.
Southdownsbikes entered 3 riders in this challenge, Steve Calland Marc Clothier and Matt Knight. On his first lap Steve set a time of 41:33 and followed this with a stunning lap of 40:43, his time was never bettered and at Midnight we were notified that Steve had won the bike.
With the announcement that the bike had been won the mood in the camp strengthened and both teams were running strongly, with the Green team in the top ten and the Black team in the top fifty in their class.
By day break on Sunday the Green team were lying in second place in class, just outside the top ten overall, this despite Andy Goodyer falling on a tricky wooded section and injuring his hand. That meant they had to ride the final 8 hours with only 4 riders, a considerable handicap with the other teams around them all at full strength.
At midday, with only two hours remaining, it became a straight race for second between the Southdownsbikes Green Team and Cambridge CC. Cambridge emerging from the dog fight in second with Southdownsbikes Green on the podium in third. The winners of the mixed category were a team from the RAF who finished a lap ahead of second and third.
The Black team meanwhile rode strongly to the finish and ended the race in 25th place, a tremendous effort from a team that had never ridden together in an endurance race before and with one member who had never ridden off road in the dark before the event.
With the race over, Steve was presented with his new Gold GT bike and the team stood proudly on the podium to accept their prize and the deserved applause from the huge crowd who had stayed behind to watch the prize giving.
The bike can be seen on display for the next month, in the Southdowns Bike shop on the High Street in Storrington.
Green Team Riders:
Marc Clothier – Captain
Steve Calland
Matt Knight
Andy Goodyer
Emma Craddock.
Black Team Riders:
Karen Dixon – Captain
Richard Dixon
John Davies
Alex Taylor
Richard Brown.
A big well done to all concerned as the success of both teams had much to do with team spirit and togetherness through out the weekend, especially when Andy injured himself and was unable to ride, he became chief mechanic and repaired Steve’s broken bike.
A big thank you also goes to Jayne, who fed and watered the whole team right across the weekend.
Finally a big thank you to all the team sponsors’ you had a part in the result.
Specialised UK – Helmets, Shoes, and Gloves ETC.
AMBA Marketing – USE Exposure Lights.
Upgrade – GEAX Tyres.
Clif Bars – Fuel Supplies.
Thursday 18th June 2009.
Lewes Wanderers Criterium #3.
After much cajoling of the organiser Rick managed to get a ride in the final round of the Lewes Crits on Thursday.
It was important to have riders in the race as Marc was defending 3rd place in the points standing, with only 6 points separating the top 5 riders.
With a plan in place the race started and Marc won the first two sprints and finished second in the last which put him at the top of the point’s leaderboard. It all came down to the finish and Will Kemp from the In-Gear development squad won the race with Marc finishing seventh behind team mate Steve Atkinson. A nervous 15 minutes passed as the finishing points were allocated and the final result was announced, Marc had missed out on becoming the overall winner by three points. After his initial disappointment Marc was pleased with the three weeks racing and vowed to come back next year and take the win.
Tuesday 16th June 2009.
Dunsfold Points Series. Dunsfold Park.
Tuesday was the start of a very hectic, but ultimately successful week for the Southdownsbikes.com race team.
Due to work and other commitments only three riders from Southdownsbikes.com took to the Dunsfold track, in a 12 lap scratch race.
After what turned into a tactical race, Rick, Emma and Max all finished in the bunch.
Thursday 11th June 2009.
Worthing Excelsior 10mile TT.
On a sunny evening, Emma and Steve Calland rode in round 8 of the time trial at Washington.
Steve carried on where he left of on Tuesday winning the event in a time of 21:31 but Emma punctured and was unable to finish.
Thursday 11th June 2009.
Lewes Wanderers Criterium #2.
Steve Atkinson and Marc rode in round 2 of the Lewes Criterium based at Laughton.
Marc got into an early break with a couple of the In-Gear development riders which was eventually brought back, only for another break of 5 riders to get away and stay away until the finish.
Marc and Steve were both involved in the bunch sprint with Steve finishing 7th and Marc 9th.
With no racing at the weekend all eyes are now on Mountain Mayhem on 20-21st June 2009. Good luck to both teams.
Tuesday 9th June 2009.
Dunsfold Points Series. Dunsfold Park.
Tuesday was an eventful evening, with 5 Southdowns riders competing in a handicap race over 11 laps of the Dunsfold circuit.
It was great to see Steve back racing at Dunsfold after 4 weeks away, ably supported by Marc, Emma, Matt and Steve Atkinson.
Halfway through the race, an accident on the finishing straight brought down 2 riders and the medical crew were called into action to tend to the 2 injured men.
The final 2 laps saw the field come together and a great finish ensued with Steve Calland finishing 2nd.
Unfortunately the last lap saw 2 more crashes, with our own Matt Knight involved in a horror fall in which cartwheels were performed. Thankfully none of the fallen riders needed hospital treatment and they all left the circuit in their own vehicles.
Steve Atkinson leading out the bunch sprint in Portland.
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Race Report: Sunday 7th June 2009.
Southern XC Series. Round 3. Pippingford Estate, Ashdown Forest.
Despite the weather men forecasting heavy rain, Sunday dawned bright and sunny for the 3rd round of the Southern XC MTB series held at a new venue, the Pippingford Estate on Ashdown Forest.
Max started the day with a fine 3rd place in the junior race, finishing behind old adversaries Steve James and Nat Jarvis.
Andy and Rich Dixon were next out on the track in the Men’s Veterans race, both finishing in the middle of the field.
That left Karen and Emma to ride in the afternoon, Karen in the Women’s Veterans and Emma in the Master Women’s races, Karen finishing on the podium in 3rd and Emma just missing out in 4th.
All round a good weekend for the team especially for the girls.
Race Report: Saturday 6th June 2009.
South East Divisional Women’s Road Race.
Lining up in their first ever road race were Emma and Karen along with a strong field of riders from several other much larger teams.
In a tight race, around the roads to the north of Rudgwick, it all came down to a bunch sprint at the finish. Both Emma and Karen held their nerve and were rewarded with top ten finishes, Karen in 8th and Emma just on her wheel in 9th, both girls were delighted with their finishing positions when it was noted that there were some very experienced riders in the field. Well done to both girls and, we look forward to many more road races with them competing.
Race Report: Thursday 4th June 2009.
Lewes Wanderers Criterium #1.
A good night for the Southdowns riders as Marc, Rick and Steve Atkinson all rode in the first round of this years Lewes Evening Criterium Series.
Marc did his chances of becoming a Cat 2 rider no harm at all, when finishing 3rd and earning himself 10 ranking points in the process, Steve finished 6th with Rick also finishing in the top ten.
Race Report: Tuesday 2nd June 2009.
Dunsfold Points Series. Dunsfold Park.
Tuesday saw the first ride in the Dunsfold Series for Max Filleul. He was joined on the start line by other team regulars Marc, Rick and Emma. They all came home safely in the bunch, with Emma recording her best finish of the season so far in this series with a 33rd place finish in a field of 65, E/1/2/3 & 4 riders.
Race Report: Sunday 31st May 2009.
South East Divisional Championships.
Steve, riding in his first claim Paragon colours, won this event in a very strong field and in doing so regained his Cat 1 status. The race was tough from the start with Steve missing a break of 10 who got away from the main bunch. Feeling strong Steve managed to get over to the break with a couple of other riders and then they worked hard together. As the race continued there were constant attacks but with three miles to go Steve went off the front and managed to get away. He held on to this lead to win the race which was an absolutely fantastic result.
SERRL Summer Series #12. Kenardington.
Rick and new squad member Steve Atkinson both rode in round 12 of the summer series event, held on Sunday Morning, finishing 9th and 23rd respectively.
Race Report: Saturday 30th May 2009.
Mountain Bike NPS Round 3. Margam Park, South Wales.
After the long drive down to Wales, Saturday turned into a disappointing day for Max in the third round of the NPS, when a crank failure denied him of a finish in the junior race.
It has been a baptism of fire for him in the series so far, with a puncture in the last round and bike failure on Saturday robbing him twice of a finish.
I’m sure this will only serve to inspire Max for the later rounds and, with a little luck on his side a good finish to the campaign will surely come.
Race Report: Thursday 28th May 2009.
Worthing Excelsior 10mile TT.
With Marc riding in the Handicap series, it was left to Emma to fly the Southdowns flag in the TT, which she did admirably when equalling her PB coming home in a time of 25:21.
Surrey League Handicap Series #5. Wivelsfield Green. 32 Miles.
Rick and Marc rode in round 5 of the handicap series on the 32 mile Wivelsfield circuit on Thursday evening with Marc coming in 6th and Rick in 11th place respectively. The race was on a tight circuit with a fast and twisty approach to the finish line. Both Marc and Rick were in a good position coming into the final 500m but a crash in the middle of the front group resulted in Rick and several others being held up and taking them out of contention for the top spots
Race Report: Tuesday 26th May 2009.
Dunsfold Points Series. Dunsfold Park.
A disappointing evening, with only Rick finishing in the peleton, as Marc endured two punctures and Emma got dropped from the main field. At the time of going to press the official results still haven’t been published on the league website.
Race Report: Saturday 23rd – Sunday 24th May 2009.
SET2RISE. MTB ENDURANCE RACE. Erlestoke Reading.
This weekend it was Andy Goodyer’s turn in the spot light, as he rode in the SPAM Racing SET2RISE 12 hour MTB endurance event, held on the Erlestoke track outside Reading on Saturday night.
On what was a lovely evening, Andy rode a total of 13 laps covering 110 miles, in a time of 12:20:16 and finished a fine 8th of the 32 starters in the strong, men’s no age limit, solo race.
A great result for Andy and a good warm up for Mountain Mayhem which will soon be upon us, coming as it does on the weekend of 20/21 June 2009.
Race Report: Thursday 21st May 2009.
Worthing Excelsior 10mile TT.
With Steve still away racing in Ireland, Marc and Emma rode in the Thursday 10 miler.
Marc just failed to match his PB of last week, but Emma was delighted with her form as she managed a new PB.
Surrey League Handicap Series # 4. Newchapel.
Rick took to the roads around Newchapel in the 4th round of the Handicap series. In an eventful race and in site of the finish, a motorcycle outrider burst through the pack sounding his horn which disrupted the sprint and Rick was left with a 10th place finish.
Race Report: Tuesday 19th May 2009.
Dunsfold Points Series. Dunsfold Park.
Tuesday evenings at Dunsfold seem to mean one thing, a westerly wind blowing across the circuit.
Last Tuesday was no different as the field set of together in a scratch race. After finishing in a point scoring position on the first 3 laps, Marc pulled out on lap 4, still feeling the affects of a hard weekends’ racing in Wales in his legs.
That left Emma, Rick and Karen to finish the race and all came home safely in the bunch.
Race Report: Saturday 16th – Sunday 17th May 2009.
Marc and Steve have both been invited to race for the Surrey League in events in Wales and Ireland respectively, Marc in the L’etape de la Defonce based in Cardiff and Steve in the RAS 8 day Tour of Ireland. Max was competing in the second round of the Southern XC series at the Crowhill Course in Ringwood.
L’etape de la Defonce.
At the end of a hectic week that saw Marc and Emma move house, Marc arrived in Cardiff for the start of the L’etape de la Defonce, a 2 day, 3 stage road race, based in Cowbridge.
Saturday morning saw the start of the 53 mile road race around a circuit by the sea. Marc finished the stage 25th but with time bonuses deducted he was 5th on GC.
After 2 hours break the team lined up for the 10 mile time trial, held on a loop of the busy A48. In some of the worst weather any of them had ever ridden in and riding their normal road bikes the team finished in a time of 24:09.
At the end of day one, after 2 stages the team were lying 6th of the 20 teams entered.
Sunday dawned overcast and angry. The team arrived at the leisure centre for the rider briefing at 09:00. After some confusion in getting into the centre, the race eventually started 15 minutes late at 09:45.
The late start meant that the rain had had chance to move away and the race started in bright sunshine. The second day’s course covered some 45 miles and took in some nasty climbs on the roads up toward the Rhonda Valley. After a very hard 2 hours Marc eventually finished in a bunch sprint with team mate Luke Wallis in 14th place. That result left Marc in 19th place in the GC and the team in 6th place.
A great result given that the team was only pulled together during the previous week due the other riders being unavailable.
Max meanwhile was completing in the junior race in the second round of the Southern XC in Ringwood. Having had his race cut short by a puncture the week before in Yorkshire, Max was eager to make amends this week.
On the normally dry Crow Hill circuit which had been made wet and slippery by overnight rain, Max got of to a good start tracking old adversary Steve James around the first lap. Steve then pulled clear and <>Max was joined by Ben Roff for the remaining 3 laps, eventually ending the race in 4th place, pleased with his performance and his form.
The coming bank holiday weekend is looking quiet for racing but the team will be back in action in June with the build up to Mountain Mayhem held over the weekend of 20th – 21st June 2009.
Race Report: Thursday 14th May 2009.
Worthing Excelsior 10mile TT.
With Steve preparing for Ireland, Marc, Emma and Matt all rode.
Marc burst out of the blocks first and finished in a time of, 21:27 which is a new personal best. Emma rode second and finished in 25:48 and Matt, riding third finished in 23:56.
A great effort considering the work that had been put in at Goodwood the previous weekend.
Race Report: Tuesday 12th May 2009.
Dunsfold Points Series. Dunsfold Park.
With Marc and Emma moving house and Steve away working, it was left to birthday boy Rick Sale to uphold the honour for Southdownsbikes.com race team at Dunsfold on Tuesday. On a cold, windy evening Rick finished midfield in the bunch.
Race Report: Sunday 10th May 2009.
Goodwood Challenge MTB Event. Goodwood Estate.
With only Max unable to attend, due to his participation in the NPS series in Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire, it was a full turnout for the Southdowns Bike team.
After pre-riding this interesting 6 mile course, hopes were high for some good finishes in the various categories being ridden today.
Steve, Marc and Matt all rode in the Master Men’s race, Emma and Karen in the Master Women’s race Andy in the Veterans race and Rick and Alex in the open race.
The first race to finish was the 24 mile 4 lap Master Men’s race, with the Southdowns men occupying the top three places on the podium much to the delight of Martin Richardson the team sponsor.
The finishing order being;
1st Steve Calland
2nd Marc Clothier
3rd Matt Knight.
Next over the line was the 3 lap Master Women’s race in which Emma finished 2nd and Karen finished 3rd.
Two races down two to go.
Next to the finish line was Andy riding his shinny new Giant Anthem, which was only finished on Saturday afternoon, in 5th place in the 4 lap Veterans race.
In the last event of an enjoyable day’s racing the men’s 3 lap Open, new team member Rick Sale finished 5th after crashing on the last lap when lying in 3rd and Alex finished in 10th place.
So at the end of a busy day all 8 riders finished their races in the top ten which, for a new squad was a remarkable achievement and well done to all.
Whilst all the action was unfolding at Goodwood, Max was racing in the second round of the MTB National Points series 250 miles away in Yorkshire.
Unfortunately things didn’t go quite to plan for Max as he punctured on the second lap whilst lying 7th and was forced to retire.
This coming weekend sees Southdowns riders competing in Surrey League colours, with Steve riding in the RAS 7 day Tour of Ireland and Marc competing in a 2 day stage race in Cardiff.
On Sunday the second round of the Southern XC is being held at Crow Hill in Ringwood and there is also a Surrey League race at the Goodwood Motor racing circuit.
Good luck to all and look out for their results in next weeks review.
Race Report: Thursday 7th May 2009.
Worthing Excelsior 10mile TT.
On a very windy A24 circuit Marc, Emma and Alex all took to the road.
With Marc out first he finished in a time of; 22.11 with Emma coming in at 26.36 and Alex at 27.45
All very respectable times given the windy conditions on this exposed dual carriageway course.
Race Report: Tuesday 5th May 2009.
Dunsfold Points Series. Dunsfold Park.
With Steve, Marc, Emma and new recruit’s Rick Sale and Karen Dixon all riding, it was a busy evening just trying to keep up with who finished where!
Emma was the first casualty when she pulled out on lap 4 with “nothing left in her legs,” that left Karen to uphold the Southdowns women’s honour which she did admirably.
In the men’s race it came down to a bunch sprint, Steve gave Marc the perfect lead out but he was beaten into 3rd on the line, his best finish in this series to date.
Steve finished with Rick in the bunch behind.
At the time of going to print the official results have still not been published.
Race Report: Sunday 26th April 2009.
Southern XC. Bordon, Hants.
Matt in determined mood on Sunday.
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And so to Sunday and the start of the Southern XC MTB Series.
On arriving at the track it was noted that there appeared to be a large turnout and this was confirmed, when the announcement came over the tannoy system that there was a record attendance of approx 500 competitors for the day.
Southdowns Bikes were well represented across the different race categories with Max in the Junior Male, Emma in the Master Women’s, Matt in the Master Men’s and Alex Taylor in the Sport Male races, with Marc again resting his troublesome Achilles.
Max racing to 4th on Sunday.
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Max started the day with a 4th place finish in the junior race, with Emma finishing 7th in her race which, considering how hard she had ridden on Saturday was a fine effort in the sunny conditions on a fast dry track.
Emma in the sun on Sunday.
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Matt raced hard to finish 35th in the 4 lap Masters and Alex 36th in the sport race.
The coming week sees the team racing at Dunsfold, Worthing Excelsior TT and the Gorrick Enduro on Sunday.
Race Report: Saturday 25th April 2009.
Imperial RT. Dunsfold Park.
After missing out on Tuesday Marc was eager to get back to racing. When arriving at the track the team were greeted by bright sunny weather with a strong south westerly wind blowing along the back straight.
Emma in action on Saturday.
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Marc at Dunsfold on Saturday.
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Emma raced in the 3 & 4th Cat Women’s race and, after avoiding a crash in the early stages, she ended up a creditable 3rd in a hard race against not only the other riders but the strong wind as well.
Marc lined up in the 71 strong 3 Cat race, knowing the task ahead having watched the earlier racers struggle against the strong wind.
With a larger field than in the women’s race the men were able to share the work on the front and having spent much of the race around the front of the peleton, Marc finished 11th in the bunch sprint at the end.
Marc at Dunsfold on Saturday.
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Race report: Tuesday 21st April 2009.
Dunsfold Points Series. Dunsfold Park.
The start of the Dunsfold, Tuesday night point’s series heralds the start of the busy summer road race schedule.
With Marc nursing an Achilles injury it was left to Steve, Matt and Emma to carry the Southdowns banner into battle in a huge field of some 110 riders.
On a chilly evening with the sun setting rapidly, the ten lap race came down to a sprint between Steve and Justin Hoy riding for Felt Racing, with Justin the eventual winner on the line, with Matt finishing in 68th place and Emma in 83rd.
Race Report: Saturday, Sunday & Monday 11-13th April 2009. Sigma 3 Day Stage Race.
Saturday 11th April 2009.
Marc in the pack on Day 1.
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DAY 1. Sigma 3 Day Stage Race. Milland Valley Course.
Marc was first out of the starting blocks with his first ever ride in a multi day stage race in the 3rds race.
The first stage of this popular event was held over 60 miles of the challenging Milland Valley course in Surrey, in some miserable conditions considering the warm sunny weather in the lead up to Easter.
In a fully subscribed field of some 59 riders, Marc more than held his own and finished in a creditable 20th position.
Steve, riding in his Norwood Paragon colours, started his campaign in the 68 mile, 1/2/3’s race in the afternoon over the same course, with an 11th place finish.
Sunday 12th April 2009.
Marc in determined mood on Day 2.
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DAY 2. Cutmill Course nr Elstead in Surrey.
The day started grey and damp with a slippery surface to the road and some nervous looking riders.
The course today is renowned as a tough course with the long climb up Littleworth Road to the finish.
After keeping a steady pace over the first few laps, 4 riders then made a break from the front and pulled out a lead of 2 minutes at one stage and eventually the two leaders finished 1:28 seconds ahead of the chasing pack.
Marc was handily placed in the bunch coming up the final climb and finished strongly in 12th position.
In the afternoon, after riding a tactical race Steve was the eventual winner by the merest of margins winning by just 2 seconds from a bunch of some 10 riders.
Monday 13th April 2009.
An elated Marc after finishing 6th on Day 3.
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DAY 3. Alfold Course. Surrey.
On the way to the race Marc wasn’t sure whether he was nervous or excited about the challenge that lay ahead.
Having spoken to Steve the night before about how the race might unfold, Marc was determined to be there or thereabouts at the finish as it was generally thought that it would come down to a bunch sprint.
Half way around the first lap Marc had his first puncture of the weekend and had to sprint just to get back onto the back of the peleton. At the same time several riders broke away off the front, just trying to gauge the mood of the riders in the pack. This breakaway was chased down and after a last lap crash, it came down to the expected bunch sprint.
Feeling he still had something in his legs Marc made one final effort and was rewarded with a marvellous 6th place finish.
With this final effort and after approx 180 miles of hard racing over 3 days, Marc finished the race in 14th place in the general classification, 3:01:00 down on the winner, a fantastic result for a man in his first multi day stage race.
Steve also finished the day on a high after another clever race saw him finish 2nd and take 1st place overall in the general classification, this together with a 4th place finish in the points category brought the weekend to a very sunny and satisfactory conclusion.
Emma in action at Kirdford on Saturday.
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Whilst the boys were testing themselves in the Sigma, Emma was racing against the clock in 2 Brighton Mitre time trial events.
On Saturday 11th on a 10 mile course outside Horsham, Emma finished top lady in a time of 29 minutes 31seconds and on Monday on a tortuous 25 mile course with its finish on top of Devils Dyke, she again topped the ladies leader board with a time of 1 hour 17 minutes 41 seconds.
A tremendous effort by all three riders.
The next event on the calendar is the start of the Southern XC MTB series on 25th April 2009 at Bordon in Hants.
Most of the team will be riding in various classes, so if anybody is in the area, please come along and support the team.
Race Report: Saturday 4th April 2009. Addiscombe CC. Cat 2/3. Bletchingley. 65 Mile Road Race.
A mixed day for the Southdowns riders on the challenging Bletchingley course.
Steve Calland riding for his first claim Norwood Paragon club continued his fine early season form with a win over Richard Prebble on the hilly Bletchingley course.
Having broken away from the field it was left to Steve and Richard to battle it out for the win, with Steve the eventual winner by the narrow margin of 5 seconds.
In the same race Marc suffered on this tough course and after having to chase an early breakaway and was forced to retire on the fourth lap with “nothing left in the legs”
Race Report: Sunday 5th April 2009.
4 Riders competing in 3 different counties.
Max Filleul started his campaign in the MTB National Points series with a ride in the junior race at the Sherwood Pines course in Nottingham.
Having travelled to the course the day before and done all his practice laps, Sunday morning broke bright and sunny.
After the obligatory warm up and the junior race being set out in grid order Max was placed on the front row along side riders he knew from the Southern XC series.
The course was mainly tight twisty singletrack so a good start was imperative if you wanted to maintain a good position, he didn’t get away as well as he would have liked and was soon left chasing the main pack through the singletrack.
The rest of the race was a battle to maintain position and eventually Max finished in 11th place and, somewhat disappointed.
The next race in this series is on May 10th at the Dalby Forest course in Yorkshire.
Emma Craddock rode in the Redmon CC. 25 mile TT at Broadbridge Heath West Sussex, finishing 4th in the women’s category in a time of 1:10:47.
Marc and Steve rode in the East Sussex CA. 2up TT on the 25 mile Ringmer course.
There were a number of firsts in this race, as it was the first outing for Marc’s new Specialized Transition and the first time the boys had ridden together in a 2up TT.
On a very cold morning with temperatures at the start struggling to rise above 2°c and with a lengthy warm up under their belts the boys set off.
The first half of the race they kept the gap to the eventual winners at under a minute, but in the second half with the course getting more hilly they lost a little more time and came across the line 1 minute 50 seconds down and into second place overall.
All things considered a good weekend for the team with some encouraging early season results.
Easter weekend is busy so keep an eye on the race calendar to see who’s racing where.
Race Report: 29th March 2009. Surrey League. London Fire Brigade. 2 & 3's.
60 Mile Road Race. Crowhurst, Surrey.
Marc riding 4th wheeel in the chasing pack at Tandridge.
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Marc starting his last lap at Tandridge.
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Saturday lunch time saw Marc line up for his first ever road race in a large field of both Cat 2 & 3 riders held over 9 laps of this undulating circuit.
After 4 laps a small breakaway of 5 riders opened up a useful gap on the peleton of some 40 seconds, on lap 7, 2 riders jumped off the front of the breakaway but were soon reeled in by a rider from the Norwood Paragon squad who looked in determined mood. These three stayed away from the peleton until the finish and filled the podium places.
Marc in the meantime rode at or near the front of the chasing pack and was in contention for a top 15 finish until the final sprint.
With approx 150m to the finish there was some bunching in the chasing pack and Marc ended up riding in the gutter, he recovered to finish a creditable 22nd of the 59 finishers and 4th Cat 3 rider.
This coming weekend the 4th & 5th April, Marc and Steve compete on both Saturday in a road race and Sunday together in a two up time trial with Emma riding in a time trial on Sunday also.
Race Report: Sunday 29th March 2009. Gorrick Spring Series. Round 4. Porridgepot Hill. Mens Open Race.
Max Filleul's build-up to the first round of the MTB national points series in Sherwod Pines this coming weekend, continued on Sunday with his first win of the season.
In a large field in the mens open race, Max started cautiously not wanting to get involved in the first corner melee which invaribly happens when you get big fields and a tight first turn.
After the first two climbs he was siiting in 10th, but then made a decisive move toward the front coming up to the leaders' shoulder. At the bottom of the next climb and feeling good, he made his move to the front and was never again headed. All that was needed was to concentrate on his form through the tricky singletrack to the end.
This was a perfect way to prepare for his first ride in a national series and the rest of the team wish him well for Sunday in Nottingham. A report will be posted next week on his progress.
At last the new team kit has arrived and is available to buy in the shop or will be added to the website in due course.
West Drayton MBC. Black Park, Iver, Bucks. Sunday 15th March 2009
The 4 musketeers off on the familiarization lap of the track.
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Emma looking focused going into the pines.
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Marc in determined mood thru the pines.
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Andy enjoying himself far to much.
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Alex lining up the next his next pass.
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It was a bruising start to the mountain bike racing arena for both Marc and Emma, as they ventured onto the trails for the first time this season in the open races at Black Park in Bucks.
Both had early spills as they came to grips with the tight twisty track that had been prepared by the members of the West Drayton MBC. Both remounted to finish the race with Marc in 16th place in a field of 59 which included some Elite and Expert riders and Emma in 5th in the womens race.
Also competing were Andy Goodyer who finished 10th in the veterans' race and Alex Taylor having his first ride in Southdowns Bikes team colours finishing 34th also in the mens open race.
Up coming events that members of the team are riding in are as follows; Max Filleul starts his season long campaign on Sunday 5th April, in the Mountain Bike National Points Series, with a ride at Sherwood Pines, Nottingham, and Marc and Steve are both entered in the "Sigma" 3 day stage race held on the roads around Surrey over the Saturday, Sunday and Monday of the Easter Weekend.
Keep checking the website for further details and results.
Race Report: March 1st 2009. London Dynamo Event. MOD Chertsey. E1/2/3 & 3W/4W
This weekend saw Steve Calland riding in his Norwood Paragon strip;
continue his early season form with a fine victory in the 48 mile race.
In the same race Marc continued his impressive start to the road racing
season with an 11th place finish in strong field of 69 riders.
Sunday also saw Emma continue her improvement on the road, coming 8th of 24
in the 18 mile women's race.
This last weekend saw the first competitive outing for the MTB boys with
Matt Knight, Andy Goodyer and Max Filleul, all competing in the 3rd
round of the Gorrick Saddle-skedaddle MTB event, held in Crowthorne
Berkshire.
Matt and Andy both rode in the men's open race, with Matt finishing 15th
and Andy 46th in a large field of 101 riders.
Max competed in the expert male race for the first time since leaving
the junior ranks and finished 17th.
All in all a good weekend for the team now that the MTB season is
finally underway and it's not just the roadies hogging the limelight.
This weekend also saw entries open for the 2009 running of Mountain
Mayhem. This event is a 24 hour MTB race being staged at Eastnor Castle
in Ledbury Herefordshire on the weekend of the 20/21st June 2009.
Southdowns Bikes have two teams entered in the mixed category and,
anyone wishing to come and support the teams would be most welcome.
There is a large free campsite at the event with some 10 - 15,000 people
attending this very popular event. If anyone wants further details of
this event please contact the shop.
Race Report: February 22nd 2009. London Dynamo Event. MOD Chertsey. E/1/2/3 & 3W/4W
Marc Clothier got his road racing season of to an encouraging start,
with a 30th place finish in the 48 mile race on the closed circuit at
MOD Chertsey.
The same event saw Emma Craddock finish a creditable 15th in her first
race, the 30 mile women's race.
Race Report: 31st Jan - 1st Feb '09.
GS Stella Time Trial.
On a bitterly cold weekend at the end of January, the first competative outing of the year for the cycling team was at the GS Stella Time Trial. This event is staged on the outskirts of Storrington on a course which takes in the climb up Houghton Hill to Whiteways Roundabout (approx 18km) on the Saturday and extends in a loop around Fontwell and Arundel (approx 42km) on the Sunday.
Despite the sub zero temperatures there was a good turnout on both days to ride in this very popular event.
It turned into a good weekend for the team Marc Clothier, Emma Craddock and Matt Knight as they came away with 3rd place in the team catagory and Emma was 2nd placed lady on both days and overall.
Another team member who has been performing exeptionally well over the winter is Max Filleul, who has just won his catagory in the Sussex and London Cyclo-cross series.
Coming soon on this page will be a calendar of events that various members of the team, either individually or as a team will be competing in. Your support is always very welcome and we look forward to seeing you in the forthcoming season.
Look out for the NEW Southdowns Bikes Team kit, which will be available in the shop very soon.
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Race Report: 9th of January.
Steve Calland got his race season off to a flying start last weekend with a second place in the Perfs Pedal Road Race at Rowlands Castle.
Riding in his Norwood Paragon colours Steve rode a tactical race which put him in a good position entering the last 5k.
The eventual winner broke away from the field with about 4k to go taking the lead and staying away to claim the win. Steve however sat in the bunch choosing his moment to perfection and sprinting off the front to take second place.
This was particularly impressive as Steve had only returned from a weeks skiing the day before.
Here are some dates to add to your diary:
| Event
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Date
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Location
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| NPS
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5th April
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Sherwood Pines
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| SIGMA 3 Day Road race
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11-13th April
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Surrey
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| Dunsfold Road Race (Start of Summer Series)
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21st April
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| Washington Time Trial (Start of Summer Series)
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23rd April
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| Southern XC
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26th April
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Bordon
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| Gorrick 100k Enduro
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3rd May
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Swinley Forest
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| Goodwood Challenge. NPS
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10th May
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Dalby Forest
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| FBD Ras 7 Day Road Stage Race
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16th-22nd May
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Ireland
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| Southern XC
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17th May
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Crowhill
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| Wessex 3 Day Sportive Road Race
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23rd-25th May
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| NPS
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30th May
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Margam Park
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| Southern XC
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7th June
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Pippingford Estate
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| Mountain Mayhem MTB
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20th-21st June
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Ledbury Castle, Hereford
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| NPS
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27th June
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Crowhill
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| Marmotte Road Race
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2nd-4th July
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| Army 6hr Enduro
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5th July
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Deepcut
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| Southern XC
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12th July
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Erlestoke
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| National Championships
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18th-19th July
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Innerleithen, Scotland
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| Chichester Challenge
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19th July
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Oaklands Park, Chichester
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| Bounty 24/12 MTB
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25th July
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Newnham Park, Plymouth
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Southern XC
(Inc Southern Championships)
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2nd August
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Old Park Farm, Chawton Woods, Alton
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| Torq 12/12 Enduro
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30th August
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Yateley
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| Southern XC
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6th September
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Pippingford Estate
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| NPS
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26th September
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Newham Park, Plymouth
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We will keep updating this page as soon as we have more info, so please keep coming back and if you are in the area, please go support the team!
