Report by Paul Butler, Sydenham Road Race Secretary.
In week 2 of the Sydenham Road Racers’ campaign we had 3 riders this time:
Jack Gregorie rode in the Youth A race (Under 16, 10 miles)and after putting in a good turn on the front was a little unlucky in missing the decisive break of the day. Still, Jack’s group battled on and he finished a very credible 8th in his age group, learning some big lessons about tactics along the way! Well done Jack.
In the 2nd/3rd/4ths race (35 miles), Paul Butler drew the short straw and was nominated to work for Rob Thatcher. In a huge field of 120 riders (possibly the largest in Hillingdon history) Paul and Rob worked hard to stay near the front all race, even then Rob was involved in a crash but the field was so big he was up and back on his bike before the last rider had come through! With 5 laps to go Paul did some huge turns into the wind, dragging Rob up to the front only to get swamped time and time again. They persevered though and their efforts were rewarded as Paul led Rob out for 15th, finishing 25th himself.
Considering the quality and the size of the field, that was a fantastic result for the lads.