Crawforth confirms in Derby

By BikeRadar.com

After winning the National Cyclo-Cross Championship last weekend, Jody Crawforth added the National Trophy Series to his list of wins after a strong performance in the final round, at Derby on Sunday.

Surrey-based Arctic-Premier RT rider Crawforth won the event at a muddy Markeaton Park comfortably, but had previously said he would need some luck to catch up with series leader Paul Oldham (Hope Factory Racing).

That luck came in the form of a strong ride by Picarsso Pulman's Stuart Wearmouth, who finished ahead of Oldham, leaving Crawforth tied on points with his rival. On count-back, Crawforth's victory on the day proved crucial and he was awarded the overall title.

Second across the line was Belgian Ben Berden, who chased hard but could not reel in Crawforth, who attacked on the opening lap and stayed clear of trouble throughout.

"I had a perfect race with no problems," said Crawforth afterwards. "It's great to win the series after winning the championship last week. I'm riding a local event next weekend, and then it's the Worlds the following week, so we'll have to see how long my form can hold up."

While Crawforth hit the front on the opening lap, a big pile-up left many of the top names struggling to untangle their bikes and get back on their way.

"I didn't know there was a crash," continued Crawforth. "I was just riding my own race. It was such a muddy course that you just had to ride as hard as you could, there was no real tactics as such.

"I changed my bike every lap and the pit crew did a fantastic job. It was really muddy, and a lot of people had problems with clogging up, but I just kept going. I had my tubs really flat to give me more traction, and it all worked out well."

Meanwhile, Science in Sport.com rider Suzanne Clarke made sure of the overall series win with victory in the Derby event by more than two minutes over Isla Rowntree (Stourbridge CC), with junior Ruby Miller third.