Cotter wins final special stage and TransWales overall
Hawson wraps up GC victory with fast final timed section
The seventh and final day of the Gore Bike Wear TransWales dawned to dry skies. With weary bodies motivated by the relatively short distance of the final stage, riders saddled up and set off at 9:00 am to cover the final 52km from Brecon to Builth Wells. Once in Builth, all that lay between them and a cold beer was the final and deciding special stage in Cefnderys Woods above the campsite. At the day's end for some, the spoils of victory, whilst for others the satisfaction of completing Britain's toughest mountain bike event.
The start of the linking stage took the riders along the black top to ease their tired legs into the final days riding: it then jumped off road and traversed Mynydd Fforest before dropping into the Wye Valley and crossing the river in preparation for the climb up Llandeilo Hill. Passing rocky bluffs on the ascent, the trail eventually veered into a few inches wide singletrack that flitted beautifully along the ridgeline, just inches away from the edge. The trail then turned back on itself and headed downwards fast with a few hairpins and rock slabs and drop offs thrown in to spice things up. After the trail eventually spat the riders out back onto to the Tarmac it was a spin back on the road and a steep climb up to the end of the linking stage in Builth. Then it was time for the final and deciding special stage.
Using Cefnderys Woods woods above the campground, the fifth special stage was a 2km sprint that headed straight up before coming careering downwards again amidst a mix of techy sections, steep and fast flat-out open trail, and flowy singletrack. With the final corner proving a choice spectator point for heckling and cheering riders as they swept by on their way to the finish, it was a memorable way to bring proceedings to a close on this year's TransWales.
Rickie Cotter (WXC Racing) finally stamped her total authority in the women's solo category by taking the final special stage.
"The stage was really good," she said afterwards, "it was a lot greasier on the climb than the first day [the course took in a portion of the very first linking stage], and it was more efficient to run because it was so muddy. But finishing the whole week on a sprint was a great idea."
Hannah Thorne finished second, 42 seconds back from Cotter, who netted the overall title that she's been promising herself following last year's nail biter where she lost to Italy's Marika Covre in a thrilling competition. Thorne took second overall in a total time of 44:45:42, just under a minute down on Cotter. Thorne's fellow New Zealander Amanda Brooks took third overall in almost 10 minutes down.
"It's been fantastic - really good," said Cotter of the week's competition, "Mechanicals have been a pain in the ass but apart from that it's been great. And every time it's been raining I've reminded myself 'I could be working Rik, I could be working.'"
It was a similar result in the men's solo as Aussie Ryan Hawson (Ayup Lighting) took the win ahead of Greig Walker by just eight seconds. Kenyan Nickson Mwaura claimed third on the final special stage at just three seconds slower than Walker. Nickson himself is aiming to be selected to represent Kenya for both the upcoming Commonwealth Games and the 2012 Olympics and Mountain Biking UK (MBUK) magazine will shortly be doing an in-depth feature on Nickson, his Olympic dream and his TransWales experiences.
Today's stage win topped off a fantastic week's riding for Hawson in which he never stopped smiling regardless of the mechanicals he suffered. This saw him also secure the overall title ahead of Greig Walker by two minutes and 14 seconds, with Paul Whittaker (Stockport Clarion) in third. After the prize presentation, Hawson was seen discussing snow bike and Iditabike racing tips over his new Belgian-built snow/sand bike with snow and endurance racing legend Carl Hutchings of Squirt lube.
"It went great. It was challenging for everyone with the wet ground conditions yet everything came together in the end," said event co-organiser Mike Wilkens after the dust had settled. "I think it was another great year and it followed the footsteps of previous events as the typical TransWales spirit was burning strong. It's about riding your bike, seeing the countryside, and making friends."
"The concept of the TransWales - having this non-timed and timed thing - brings people closer together; there's always a lot of chat out on course which you don't find on events which are a race from beginning to end and that translates onto the camp after riding too. And I know it's cheesy but that doesn't make it any less true: at the beginning we had 200 strangers but by the end of the week we had 200 friends."
So with the dust (and mud) finally settling after seven days, 487km and 14,795m of climbing covered alongside five special stages - including climbing, descending, sprint, and all-round trail riding tests - the 2010 TransWales came to an end.
Special stage 5 Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Rickie Justine Cotter (WXC) | 0:07:38 |
2 | Hannah Thorne | 0:00:46 |
3 | Annie Marson (Annie) | 0:02:04 |
4 | Amanda Brooks | 0:02:19 |
5 | Joy Bringer (justgiving.com/Cymru-Cry) | 0:02:37 |
6 | Gill Crane (Clifton CC) | 0:03:33 |
7 | Emma Johnstone | 0:05:03 |
8 | Claire Pinder | 0:05:13 |
9 | Camilla Edlin | 0:08:09 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Ryan Hawson (Ayup Lighting) | 0:06:22 |
2 | Greig Walker | 0:00:08 |
3 | Nickson Mwaura (JW Seagon - Team Gild) | 0:00:11 |
4 | Paul Whittaker (Stockport Clarion) | 0:00:14 |
5 | Michael Mccutcheon (Mad MTB) | 0:00:36 |
6 | Anthony Morris (Evans Cycles) | 0:00:53 |
7 | Sean Grosvenor (Summit Cycles / Conti) | 0:00:59 |
8 | James Davies (Brooks Cycles) | 0:01:01 |
9 | Richard Edge (TreadHunters) | 0:01:03 |
10 | Matthew Bertram | 0:01:12 |
11 | Graham Mcconaghy (Army Cycling Union) | 0:01:24 |
12 | Martin Macgregor (VC Lincoln) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Eddy Rossini | 0:01:30 |
14 | Andrew Gardner | 0:01:32 |
15 | Richard Morgan (Bike4life) | 0:01:39 |
16 | Green Groenewald | 0:01:53 |
17 | Stuart Reid (Tread of Heaven) | 0:01:54 |
18 | Marco Kaiser | 0:01:59 |
19 | Howard Stinton (Dan and Howard) | 0:02:02 |
20 | Christopher Snook | 0:02:07 |
21 | Bram Duin (CTWT) | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Robin Calverley (RAF CC) | 0:02:20 |
23 | Doug Inge (Team Dig It!) | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Richard Querelle | 0:02:26 |
25 | Paul Crowley | 0:02:27 |
26 | Dan Nisbet | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Neil Hardwood (Darwen MTB Club) | 0:02:35 |
28 | Johan Putter (Superiato) | Row 27 - Cell 2 |
29 | Joshua Brady | 0:02:44 |
30 | Daryn Thompson | Row 29 - Cell 2 |
31 | Lee Price | 0:02:49 |
32 | Paul Clark (phase9clothing.com) | 0:03:04 |
33 | Paul Burton | 0:03:16 |
34 | Russell Mawson | 0:03:20 |
35 | Rob Birmingham (www.MBNW.co.uk) | 0:03:24 |
36 | David Hinks | 0:03:26 |
37 | Matt Wood (West Dragon MBC) | 0:03:27 |
38 | Mark Whelan | 0:03:32 |
39 | Johan Diamond | 0:03:33 |
40 | Brian Kierwan (Iplod) | 0:03:37 |
41 | Andrew Smith | Row 40 - Cell 2 |
42 | Stuart Bruce (Cotswold Outdoor) | 0:03:38 |
43 | Victor Potgieter | 0:03:45 |
44 | Alex Cameron | 0:03:49 |
45 | Matthew Cockerham (Chew) | 0:03:58 |
46 | Benjamin Smith | 0:04:40 |
47 | Matthew Breakwell | 0:04:50 |
48 | Paul Latchem (www.phase9clothing.com) | 0:04:52 |
49 | Myles Pawley | 0:05:23 |
50 | Alex Metcalfe (Gore Bike Wear) | 0:11:25 |
51 | Edward Reynolds (Royal Air Force) | Row 50 - Cell 2 |
52 | Charles Boucher | Row 51 - Cell 2 |
53 | Andrew Latham | Row 52 - Cell 2 |
54 | Alan Griffin | Row 53 - Cell 2 |
55 | Matthew Woodall | Row 54 - Cell 2 |
56 | Mark Holroyd | Row 55 - Cell 2 |
57 | Andy Cook (Gore Bike Wear) | Row 56 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Alan Parkinson (South Western (London) Road Club) | 0:07:13 |
2 | Daryl Cavill (Tenby Aces Cycling Club) | 0:00:10 |
3 | Henry Harris | 0:00:44 |
4 | Thomas Wilkens (Dirtworker.de) | 0:00:45 |
5 | Steve Whitehouse | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Tony Higgins (Accordia Consulting Ltd) | 0:00:55 |
7 | Graham Hughes (Manx MTB) | 0:01:07 |
8 | Adrian Brown | 0:01:13 |
9 | Hal Jubb (Oakuille Cycle Path) | 0:01:36 |
10 | Erik Deferme (Warringa) | 0:01:50 |
11 | Jason Stephens | 0:01:52 |
12 | Enzo Rivella (Cicli Gorgio) | 0:01:53 |
13 | Steven Marsh (Gordano Worrier) | 0:02:12 |
14 | Kevin Rolt | 0:02:14 |
15 | William Jones (Bilbo) | 0:02:28 |
16 | Johan Jansen | 0:02:31 |
17 | Tim Hubert (jersey beans) | 0:02:34 |
18 | Graham Hughes (Corinium CC) | 0:03:27 |
19 | Stephen Burke | 0:03:59 |
20 | Tony Munoz | 0:04:16 |
21 | Paul Markland (Evans Cycles) | 0:05:29 |
22 | Ray Blaber | 0:10:34 |
23 | Craig Murdoch | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Chris Roberts | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Doug Little | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Laurence Moore (old fart) | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Steffan Van Molendorff | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Neil Richardson & Dan Lewis (RAFCC) | 0:06:21 |
2 | Darren Koslicki & Adam Wroz (Team Unknown) | 0:00:29 |
3 | Gary Cousins & Andy Edwards (phasen9clothing.co.uk) | 0:01:00 |
4 | Nicholas Jones & Ross Farley (M+D Cycles) | 0:01:25 |
5 | Rolf Woodward & Jeremy Woodward (Pukka Parts) | 0:02:02 |
6 | Andrew Heywood & Jon Stapley (Bat Fastard) | 0:02:09 |
7 | Andrew Clark & Jonathan Hill (Ken & Jonny) | 0:02:18 |
8 | Hand Leen & Lawrence Spierings (BikeTeam Kabeljauws.nl) | 0:02:30 |
9 | Dick Smith & Joe Castle (Dick & Joe) | 0:03:48 |
10 | Martin Zepler & John Moore (Fellowship of the Granny Ring) | 0:04:03 |
11 | Olivier De crem & Raf Van Overstraeten (V.S.B.) | 0:04:43 |
12 | Rupert Denny & Shane Dickenson (Cytek) | 0:08:47 |
13 | Graham Brown & Nathan Crabtree (Magic Knees) | 0:11:10 |
14 | Jonathan Tizzard & Jonathan Felton (Dumb and Dumber) | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Steve Bone & Chris Smith (Fineworx) | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Philip Mastro & Gareth Stewart (M & S Racing) | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Nathan Clarke & William Clarke (Singletrack Magazine) | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
19 | Philip Richmond & Nik Ringwood (Team Hayland) | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
20 | Anders Schødt Jørgensen & Jeppe Thing (KiteDanmark) | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Steph Fountain & Lisa Bolton (Clifton CC) | 0:09:27 |
2 | Julie Neuhoff & Victoria Moorhouse (2 Non Blondes) | 0:00:29 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Mark Olivier & Andrew Donkin (Invalids) | 0:09:09 |
2 | Trevor Marshall & David Sheppard | 0:02:22 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Luc Selen & Wendy De Graaf (Double Dutch) | 0:07:58 |
2 | Claire Neuhoff & Simon Neuhoff (The Clantons) | 0:00:19 |
3 | Elizabeth Docherty & James Docherty (Ohh!) | 0:01:06 |
4 | Nikki Lane & Chris Watson (The old Goats) | 0:01:11 |
5 | Kimiko Holder & John Roberts (Red Dirt Rollers) | 0:01:51 |
6 | Rachael Stow & Andy Whitlum (Team WS) | 0:02:35 |
7 | Tony Stimpson & Sophie David (Specialicious) | 0:03:12 |
Final general classification
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Rickie Justine Cotter (WXC) | 44:44:49 |
2 | Hannah Thorne | 0:00:53 |
3 | Amanda Brooks | 0:10:03 |
4 | Annie Marson (Annie) | 0:21:01 |
5 | Joy Bringer (justgiving.com/Cymru-Cry) | 0:23:52 |
6 | Gill Crane (Clifton CC) | 0:26:47 |
7 | Camilla Edlin | 0:35:50 |
8 | Claire Pinder | 0:49:01 |
9 | Emma Johnstone | 1:09:52 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Ryan Hawson (Ayup Lighting) | 44:31:17 |
2 | Greig Walker | 0:02:14 |
3 | Paul Whittaker (Stockport Clarion) | 0:03:30 |
4 | Sean Grosvenor (Summit Cycles / Conti) | 0:03:34 |
5 | Anthony Morris (Evans Cycles) | 0:04:39 |
6 | Michael Mccutcheon (Mad MTB) | 0:04:56 |
7 | Nickson Mwaura (JW Seagon - Team Gild) | 0:06:05 |
8 | Graham Mcconaghy (Army Cycling Union) | 0:06:42 |
9 | James Davies (Brooks Cycles) | 0:07:18 |
10 | Eddy Rossini | 0:09:46 |
11 | Matthew Bertram | 0:10:33 |
12 | Richard Morgan (Bike4life) | 0:11:59 |
13 | Stuart Reid (Tread of Heaven) | 0:13:59 |
14 | Green Groenewald | 0:14:40 |
15 | Andrew Gardner | 0:16:49 |
16 | Neil Hardwood (Darwen MTB Club) | 0:16:53 |
17 | Richard Edge (TreadHunters) | 0:17:03 |
18 | Lee Price | 0:17:21 |
19 | Robin Calverley (RAF CC) | 0:17:39 |
20 | Howard Stinton (Dan and Howard) | 0:17:42 |
21 | Marco Kaiser | 0:17:43 |
22 | Doug Inge (Team Dig It!) | 0:18:12 |
23 | Christopher Snook | 0:18:35 |
24 | Alex Metcalfe (Gore Bike Wear) | 0:18:43 |
25 | Martin Macgregor (VC Lincoln) | 0:20:01 |
26 | Paul Crowley | 0:20:33 |
27 | Matt Wood (West Dragon MBC) | 0:22:14 |
28 | Victor Potgieter | 0:22:18 |
29 | Dan Nisbet | 0:22:56 |
30 | Bram Duin (CTWT) | 0:23:17 |
31 | Mark Whelan | 0:24:07 |
32 | Paul Clark (phase9clothing.com) | 0:25:46 |
33 | Edward Reynolds (Royal Air Force) | 0:25:58 |
34 | Brian Kierwan (Iplod) | 0:26:02 |
35 | Paul Burton | 0:26:26 |
36 | Stuart Bruce (Cotswold Outdoor) | 0:26:38 |
37 | David Hinks | 0:27:17 |
38 | Johan Putter (Superiato) | 0:30:15 |
39 | Andrew Smith | 0:31:59 |
40 | Matthew Cockerham (Chew) | 0:33:50 |
41 | Benjamin Smith | 0:37:19 |
42 | Richard Querelle | 0:38:16 |
43 | Rob Birmingham (www.MBNW.co.uk) | 0:38:26 |
44 | Russell Mawson | 0:39:28 |
45 | Joshua Brady | 0:42:21 |
46 | Daryn Thompson | 0:42:22 |
47 | Paul Latchem (www.phase9clothing.com) | 0:43:40 |
48 | Myles Pawley | 0:45:44 |
49 | Charles Boucher | 0:46:26 |
50 | Matthew Breakwell | 0:46:44 |
51 | Alex Cameron | 0:49:32 |
52 | Johan Diamond | 0:50:30 |
53 | Andrew Latham | 0:52:05 |
54 | Alan Griffin | 0:55:36 |
55 | Matthew Woodall | 1:02:35 |
56 | Mark Holroyd | 1:13:31 |
57 | Andy Cook (Gore Bike Wear) | 1:32:24 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Alan Parkinson (South Western (London) Road Club) | 44:37:32 |
2 | Daryl Cavill (Tenby Aces Cycling Club) | 0:01:27 |
3 | Thomas Wilkens (Dirtworker.de) | 0:05:06 |
4 | Graham Hughes (Manx MTB) | 0:06:55 |
5 | Steve Whitehouse | 0:07:19 |
6 | Adrian Brown | 0:11:09 |
7 | Hal Jubb (Oakuille Cycle Path) | 0:12:39 |
8 | Steven Marsh (Gordano Worrier) | 0:15:59 |
9 | Henry Harris | 0:17:45 |
10 | William Jones (Bilbo) | 0:20:39 |
11 | Tim Hubert (jersey beans) | 0:22:02 |
12 | Kevin Rolt | 0:22:43 |
13 | Graham Hughes (Corinium CC) | 0:22:53 |
14 | Enzo Rivella (Cicli Gorgio) | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | Paul Markland (Evans Cycles) | Row 14 - Cell 2 |
16 | Tony Higgins (Accordia Consulting Ltd) | Row 15 - Cell 2 |
17 | Erik Deferme (Warringa) | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | Johan Jansen | Row 17 - Cell 2 |
19 | Ray Blaber | Row 18 - Cell 2 |
20 | Craig Murdoch | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | Chris Roberts | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Tony Munoz | Row 21 - Cell 2 |
23 | Stephen Burke | Row 22 - Cell 2 |
24 | Doug Little | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | Laurence Moore (old fart) | Row 24 - Cell 2 |
26 | Jason Stephens | Row 25 - Cell 2 |
27 | Steffan Van Molendorff | Row 26 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Neil Richardson & Dan Lewis(RAFCC) | 44:31:10 |
2 | Darren Koslicki & Adam Wroz(Team Unknown) | 0:05:24 |
3 | Gary Cousins & Andy Edwards(phasen9clothing.co.uk) | 0:06:54 |
4 | Nicholas Jones & Ross Farley(M+D Cycles) | 0:09:05 |
5 | Hand Leen & Lawrence Spierings(BikeTeam Kabeljauws.nl) | Row 4 - Cell 2 |
6 | Andrew Heywood & Jon Stapley(Bat Fastard) | 0:21:08 |
7 | Andrew Clark & Jonathan Hill(Ken & Jonny) | Row 6 - Cell 2 |
8 | Martin Zepler & John Moore(Fellowship of the Granny Ring) | 0:18:38 |
9 | Graham Brown & Nathan Crabtree(Magic Knees) | 0:43:54 |
10 | Dick Smith & Joe Castle(Dick & Joe) | 1:01:04 |
11 | Rolf Woodward & Jeremy Woodward(Pukka Parts) | 0:33:02 |
12 | Jonathan Tizzard & Jonathan Felton(Dumb and Dumber) | Row 11 - Cell 2 |
13 | Olivier De crem & Raf Van Overstraeten(V.S.B.) | 1:19:16 |
14 | Steve Bone & Chris Smith(Fineworx) | 0:50:44 |
15 | Rupert Denny & Shane Dickenson(Cytek) | 0:42:54 |
16 | Philip Mastro & Gareth Stewart(M & S Racing) | 0:26:55 |
17 | Nathan Clarke & William Clarke(Singletrack Magazine) | 0:45:45 |
18 | Philip Richmond & Nik Ringwood(Team Hayland) | 1:15:03 |
19 | Anders Schødt Jørgensen & Jeppe Thing(KiteDanmark) | 0:38:01 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Steph Fountain & Lisa Bolton(Clifton CC) | 44:57:48 |
2 | Julie Neuhoff & Victoria Moorhouse(2 Non Blondes) | 0:02:58 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Mark Olivier & Andrew Donkin(Invalids) | 45:01:47 |
2 | Trevor Marshall & David Sheppard() | 0:13:31 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Claire Neuhoff & Simon Neuhoff(The Clantons) | 44:46:50 |
2 | Luc Selen & Wendy De Graaf(Double Dutch) | 0:00:47 |
3 | Elizabeth Docherty & James Docherty(Ohh!) | 0:03:36 |
4 | Nikki Lane & Chris Watson(The old Goats) | 0:11:46 |
5 | Rachael Stow & Andy Whitlum(Team WS) | 0:19:40 |
6 | Kimiko Holder & John Roberts(Red Dirt Rollers) | 0:20:14 |
7 | Tony Stimpson & Sophie David(Specialicious) | 0:35:17 |
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