Chhatri fastest in day two's special stage
Spotswood mixes up the women's standings
Day 2 of the TransWales got underway under sunny skies as the riders saddled up for the second longest day of the event, 76km. It may have been long, but it was also high quality: with varied riding, stunning vistas, and high octane racing on the second special stage. Oh, and some sunshine, too. Lots of it.
Heading from Knighton, the trail climbed almost immediately through woodland before winching up Stow Hill at 424m, and into after almost 20km Bucknell Wood; here the riders hit the second special stage of the TransWales.
Initially billed as a 5km trail loop, the special stage length was put on a Slim-Fast diet and reduced to 2km over safety concerns on the bottom section of the full descent where several huge kickers could spit the unwary into the stratosphere. Instead, the special stage loosed the riders directly into some beautifully rooty and pumpy singletrack, before a berm spat them into a sequence of rollable double jumps prior to a big drop in.
After the warp speed accrued off the drop railed you round a big berm, a sequence of table tops segued into some tight switchbacks that delivered the riders back into the trees for the final section of the descent. This included a left hand bend which dropped through a tangle of roots that only the fastest and most alert riders cleaned without dabbing or wiping out.
A couple of rutted corners then dropped the riders onto the beginning of the fire road climb at speed. A big ring effort saw the riders tackle the worst of the hill mid-way, before the gradient eased a little for a sprint to the finish line. All in all, it was a varied and rewarding special stage that fully tested bike handling skills and fitness; to win here, riders had to be strong in both.
In the end, the racing was close and well-fought, with many categories seeing fresh faces climb onto the podium. Chief of which was Nepal's Ajay Chhatri (Torq) in the solo men's category. The two-time Yak Attack winner stormed the special stage in four minutes and 58 seconds to be in a class all of his own as the only rider to go sub-five minutes. Close on his heels just six seconds adrift was Matt Williams in second, with Matt Page (Wiggle) just pushed back into third by the matter of mere hundreths. Page admitted presciently before the results were announced that "the special stage was alright: I wasn't quickest but I think it was close." In hindsight, he could've written the script.
In the solo women's category, there was a total overhaul of the top three, as Cyclist No. 1's Fiona Spotswood put daylight between her and her chief rivals. She took the special stage by the scruff of its neck to complete it in six minutes dead; last year's overall second place finisher, Hannah Thorne, proved that she is hungry to improve on 2010's performance by beating yesterday's stage winner, Natasha Barry (BikeLux/Progression) into third place by nine seconds. Sixteen seconds is all that separates first from third.
Elsewhere, the solo veteran men's category saw a great result for five-time TransWales rider Gary Cousins (phasenineclothing.co.uk) as he claimed his first solo podium with a strong second place finish in a time of 5:27, pushing yesterday's stage winner Paul Whittaker (Stockport Clarion CC) into third six seconds down. The top spot was taken emphatically by Andy Jones (Clee Cycles KCNC) in 5:10 - a time good enough to have placed him sixth in the open male solo category.
"I loved it," said Cousins afterwards, "I thought the special stage was absolutely brilliant: it was like the Climachx [descent] - it was just hard enough to be a little bit scary. That makes you think enough and also feel like you've been pushed out of your comfort zone - which is what it's supposed to be like."
The profile for the first half of today's linking stage looked more like the ECG of someone being electrocuted: it convulsed upwards sharply into jagged peaks before hurtling horrendously down once more. The good news for the riders was that the profile looked worse than it was to ride, but the plain fact was clear: the bulk of the day's 2300m of climbing was dispensed with in the first two thirds of the ride. So, it was no surprise that after catching their breath, the riders trundled downwards from the special stage before the trail pointed ominously up once again along the wooded trails on Bucknell Hill. Then down. Then up again into Hopton Titterhill and down the marked downhill track with its multiple lines and rooty singletrack. Then up. Then down. Then repeat to fade. And once again for good measure.
The reward for the riders was stunning scenery that was the perfect opiate to their toils: wooded hillsides gave way to river valleys, which in turn passed the baton onto open hills. All in all, today's stage had a great blend of scenery, cracking riding, and good weather all day that, bar a minor sprinkling of the wet stuff, showcased this area of Wales and England (much of today's riding and Clun itself lies in Shropshire) in a great light.
The results of the day's special stage has altered the overall standings in more than one category. In the solo men's category, Matt Page (Wiggle) has relinquished his leader's jersey to Ajay Chhatri (Torq), who now leads Page by 17 seconds, with Jonathan Harris just a few hundredths of a second behind Page. With so many strong racers so close, Wednesday's downhill special stage on the Climachx trail near Macynlleth could well see fireworks as they all try to force an advantage.
Gary Cousin's (phasenineclothing.co.uk) impressive performance was good enough for him to move into second in the overall for the solo men's category. Andy Jones' emphatic ride sees him take the overall lead by 20 seconds, with the former category leader, Paul Whittaker (Stockport Clarion CC) just two seconds behind Cousin.
In the solo female category, the special stage standing is repeated for the overall, with Fiona Spotswood putting clear daylight between her and yesterday's stage winner, Natasha Barry (BikeLux/Progression) by 15 seconds, with Hannah Thorne maintaining contact with Spotswood in second, just 11 secondss behind.
Tomorrow, the TransWales carnival will experience that true "out there" feeling across plenty of open moorland along the way to Llandiloes, some 70km and 2050m of climbing away. It also follows a fair bit of history as the stage crosses Offa's Dyke and follows Glyndwr's Way for a spell. If the weather plays ball it will be a stunning day's riding across the backbone of mid-Wales, before the riders screech down the final descent to the day's end. There will be no special stage tomorrow, so the overall standings will remain the same barring any time penalties.
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Fiona Spotswood (Cyclist No 1) | 0:06:00 |
2 | Hannah Thorne | 0:00:07 |
3 | Natasha Barry (BikeLux/Progression) | 0:00:16 |
4 | Anna Buckingham (the big adventure store) | 0:01:49 |
5 | Saskia Hart | 0:01:52 |
6 | Abigail Armstrong (Tommy Cooper Fan Club) | 0:02:33 |
7 | Angela Burt (Team Anjill) | 0:03:41 |
8 | Rachel Henderson (Edinburgh RC) | 0:05:39 |
9 | Grace Leung | 0:09:04 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Ajay Chhatri (Torq Team) | 0:04:58 |
2 | Matt Williams | 0:00:06 |
3 | Matthew Page (Wiggle) | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | David Ian Price (Drover Cycles) | 0:00:07 |
5 | Jonathan Harris | 0:00:11 |
6 | Simon Burgess (Severn Road Club) | 0:00:14 |
7 | Scott Cornish | 0:00:23 |
8 | Simon Hawken (Army Cycling Union/Primal Europe) | 0:00:29 |
9 | Jui-Lin (Mickey) Fan | 0:00:31 |
10 | James Davies (Brooks Cycles) | 0:00:33 |
11 | Adam French | 0:00:39 |
12 | Rob Brown | 0:00:44 |
13 | Rob Thomas (Gore Bike Wear) | 0:00:51 |
14 | Lee Monks (Pearce Cycles) | Row 13 - Cell 2 |
15 | James Parker | 0:00:52 |
16 | Philip Mastro | 0:00:57 |
17 | Rob Brickley (Clee Cycles/KCNC) | 0:01:01 |
18 | Richard Edge (Tread Hunters) | 0:01:02 |
19 | Marc Sharman | 0:01:04 |
20 | Ryan Machin (Leisure Lakes Cheltenham) | Row 19 - Cell 2 |
21 | David Langridge (Stockport Clarion) | 0:01:09 |
22 | Richard Morgan (The 6th time) | 0:01:16 |
23 | Gary Lake (Cyclist No 1) | 0:01:21 |
24 | Robin Thomas | 0:01:22 |
25 | Steve Bone (Phase 9) | 0:01:26 |
26 | Paul Burton | 0:01:36 |
27 | Jon Stapley | 0:01:37 |
28 | Jonathan Bowl | 0:01:38 |
29 | Alex Forester | 0:01:43 |
30 | James Crask (V02) | 0:01:47 |
31 | Graeme Spreadbury (Anything 4 A Ride) | 0:01:52 |
32 | Nicholas Jones (Myeloma UK.org / M&D Cycles) | 0:01:54 |
33 | Russell Mawson | 0:01:57 |
34 | Florian Tauser | 0:02:01 |
35 | Richard Querelle | 0:02:04 |
36 | Michel Anton | 0:02:14 |
37 | Karl Dobson | Row 36 - Cell 2 |
38 | Ultann George | 0:02:17 |
39 | Ivan Rawlinson | 0:02:39 |
40 | Ewan Main | 0:02:58 |
41 | Jon Parker (MTB Pigs) | 0:03:02 |
42 | Chris Howard (Treadscc.co.uk) | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Aaron Riley | 0:03:04 |
44 | Justin Coward | 0:03:22 |
45 | Matthew Wyatt | 0:03:46 |
46 | Damian King | 0:04:01 |
47 | John Chell (Welland Valley CC) | 0:04:02 |
48 | David Barnes (Bad Boy Barno) | 0:04:05 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Andy Jones (Clee Cycles KCNC) | 0:05:10 |
2 | Gary Cousins (phasen9clothing.co.uk) | 0:00:17 |
3 | Paul Whittaker (Stockport Clarion CC) | 0:00:23 |
4 | Andy Roberts | 0:00:28 |
5 | Ian Musgrove (Ians Cycle Centre) | 0:00:42 |
6 | Tony Higgins | 0:00:48 |
7 | Andy Wilson (For Goodness Shakes) | 0:00:54 |
8 | Steve Whitehouse (One And All) | 0:01:25 |
9 | Chris Watson (Manx Mountainbike Club) | 0:01:31 |
10 | Rider # 332 | 0:01:32 |
11 | Nigel Thomas (TREDZ) | 0:01:33 |
12 | John Mcgillivray (brelades vets) | 0:01:37 |
13 | Roman Petr | 0:01:38 |
14 | Andy Wright | 0:01:41 |
15 | Stephen Wood | 0:01:45 |
16 | Andy Crane | 0:01:46 |
17 | Mark Plant | 0:01:52 |
18 | Stuart Bruce (Cotswold Outdoor) | 0:01:55 |
19 | James Pope | 0:02:00 |
20 | Dave Ross (Trailbadger) | 0:02:05 |
21 | Mike Take (Team Tredz) | 0:02:18 |
22 | Ian Hirst (St Ives CC / Plastributon / Techniflo / Grafham Cycles) | 0:02:32 |
23 | Colin Bound | 0:02:36 |
24 | Nigel Rees | Row 23 - Cell 2 |
25 | David Steele (Tommy Cooper Fan Club) | 0:02:38 |
26 | Peter Price | 0:02:50 |
27 | Ioan Morris | 0:03:08 |
28 | Paul Whitaker | 0:03:37 |
29 | Paul Steiger | 0:03:43 |
30 | Adrian Normanton | 0:04:56 |
31 | Melvin Waters | 0:06:15 |
32 | Adrian Peters | 0:11:18 |
33 | Stephen Graves | 0:21:18 |
34 | Peter Norman | Row 33 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Simon Harrison & Robin Calverley (RAF CC) | 0:05:43 |
2 | Mark Wright & Enda Reynolds (Team Trailbadger) | 0:00:05 |
3 | David Askin & David O'brien (Rally da Digger) | 0:00:26 |
4 | Daniel Liddle & Jason Aspden (mucky melyd) | 0:00:36 |
5 | Peter Tachelet & Stijn Tachelet (Bronto - Chaos) | 0:00:40 |
6 | David Tortoishell & Stuart Crighton (Army Cycling Union) | 0:01:07 |
7 | Charlie Murphy & Martin Morrissey (KK1) | 0:01:21 |
8 | Jason Rankin & Tim Wintrip | 0:01:23 |
9 | Dean Camier & Tim Hughes (Kings of Lemon) | Row 8 - Cell 2 |
10 | John Cleaton & Paul Roberts (aber mafia) | 0:01:38 |
11 | David Cooper & Chris Murray (Norfolk In Chance) | 0:02:12 |
12 | Joris Wynendaele & Koen De Vuyst (The Flandriens) | 0:02:17 |
13 | Ben Warrick & David Evans | 0:07:38 |
14 | Fernando Mainar & Sergio Leal (Dekora Team) | 0:07:54 |
15 | Justin Knox & Chris Peach (Who's idea was this!!) | 0:10:02 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Elizabeth Adams & Rosemary Byde (Team number 28 (better name to follow!)) | 0:07:01 |
2 | Steph Fountain & Lisa Bolton (Saddle Skedaddle) | 0:00:13 |
3 | Kelly Clark & Cath Hempsall | 0:01:37 |
4 | Nell Hall & Rachael Harrison | 0:02:50 |
5 | Lauren Cooper & Elizabeth Hughes (Bonkers) | 0:03:23 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Dave Sheppard & Trevor Marshall (MAMIL) | 0:07:07 |
2 | Ben Barden & Chris Putnam (White spirit) | 0:02:21 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Katie Vaughan & Andrew Heywood (Motor Neurone Disease Association) | 0:06:42 |
2 | John Drummond & Catherine Drummond (Align Pilates) | 0:00:46 |
3 | Guy Shingler & Sophie Shingler (Team Chutney) | 0:01:03 |
4 | Johanita Swanepoel & Pierre Cloete (Cameltoe) | 0:01:36 |
5 | Darren Pritchard & Kate Simmonds (Simmonds snorkers) | 0:01:52 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Fiona Spotswood (Cyclist No 1) | 13:10:47 |
2 | Hannah Thorne | 0:00:11 |
3 | Natasha Barry (BikeLux/Progression) | 0:00:15 |
4 | Anna Buckingham (the big adventure store) | 0:02:52 |
5 | Saskia Hart | 0:04:10 |
6 | Abigail Armstrong (Tommy Cooper Fan Club) | 0:04:21 |
7 | Angela Burt (Team Anjill) | 0:08:20 |
8 | Rachel Henderson (Edinburgh RC) | 0:10:18 |
9 | Grace Leung | 0:14:46 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Matthew Page (Wiggle) | 13:08:34 |
2 | Ajay Chhatri (Torq Team) | 0:00:17 |
3 | Jonathan Harris | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
4 | Matt Williams | 0:00:26 |
5 | Simon Burgess (Severn Road Club) | 0:00:28 |
6 | David Ian Price (Drover Cycles) | 0:00:40 |
7 | Scott Cornish | 0:00:50 |
8 | James Davies (Brooks Cycles) | Row 7 - Cell 2 |
9 | Simon Hawken (Army Cycling Union/Primal Europe) | 0:01:05 |
10 | Rob Brown | 0:01:13 |
11 | Adam French | 0:01:17 |
12 | Richard Edge (Tread Hunters) | 0:01:37 |
13 | Jui-Lin (Mickey) Fan | 0:01:41 |
14 | Rob Thomas (Gore Bike Wear) | 0:01:42 |
15 | James Parker | 0:01:53 |
16 | Rob Brickley (Clee Cycles/KCNC) | 0:02:01 |
17 | Lee Monks (Pearce Cycles) | 0:02:09 |
18 | James Crask (V02) | 0:02:12 |
19 | David Langridge (Stockport Clarion) | 0:02:23 |
20 | Richard Morgan (The 6th time) | 0:02:24 |
21 | Ryan Machin (Leisure Lakes Cheltenham) | Row 20 - Cell 2 |
22 | Philip Mastro | 0:02:38 |
23 | Steve Bone (Phase 9) | 0:02:42 |
24 | Marc Sharman | 0:02:44 |
25 | Gary Lake (Cyclist No 1) | 0:02:50 |
26 | Russell Mawson | 0:03:21 |
27 | Alex Forester | 0:03:30 |
28 | Richard Querelle | 0:03:32 |
29 | Jonathan Bowl | 0:03:33 |
30 | Jon Stapley | 0:03:35 |
31 | Florian Tauser | Row 30 - Cell 2 |
32 | Nicholas Jones (Myeloma UK.org / M&D Cycles) | 0:03:36 |
33 | Paul Burton | 0:03:53 |
34 | Graeme Spreadbury (Anything 4 A Ride) | 0:03:55 |
35 | Karl Dobson | 0:04:09 |
36 | Robin Thomas | 0:04:18 |
37 | Ultann George | 0:04:39 |
38 | Ivan Rawlinson | 0:05:40 |
39 | Aaron Riley | 0:05:43 |
40 | Chris Howard (Treadscc.co.uk) | 0:05:56 |
41 | Ewan Main | 0:05:59 |
42 | Jon Parker (MTB Pigs) | Row 41 - Cell 2 |
43 | Michel Anton | 0:06:01 |
44 | John Chell (Welland Valley CC) | 0:06:45 |
45 | Matthew Wyatt | 0:07:19 |
46 | Justin Coward | 0:07:38 |
47 | Damian King | 0:08:42 |
48 | David Barnes (Bad Boy Barno) | Row 47 - Cell 2 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Andy Jones (Clee Cycles KCNC) | 13:09:20 |
2 | Gary Cousins (phasen9clothing.co.uk) | 0:00:20 |
3 | Paul Whittaker (Stockport Clarion CC) | 0:00:22 |
4 | Andy Roberts | 0:00:29 |
5 | Tony Higgins | 0:01:17 |
6 | Ian Musgrove (Ians Cycle Centre) | 0:01:19 |
7 | Andy Wilson (For Goodness Shakes) | 0:01:30 |
8 | Steve Whitehouse (One And All) | 0:01:55 |
9 | Chris Watson (Manx Mountainbike Club) | 0:02:18 |
10 | Nigel Thomas (TREDZ) | 0:02:45 |
11 | Roman Petr | Row 10 - Cell 2 |
12 | Rider # 332 | 0:02:49 |
13 | John Mcgillivray (brelades vets) | 0:02:52 |
14 | Andy Crane | 0:03:06 |
15 | Mark Plant | 0:03:08 |
16 | Stephen Wood | 0:03:18 |
17 | Andy Wright | Row 16 - Cell 2 |
18 | James Pope | 0:03:51 |
19 | Dave Ross (Trailbadger) | 0:03:54 |
20 | Mike Take (Team Tredz) | 0:04:05 |
21 | David Steele (Tommy Cooper Fan Club) | 0:04:10 |
22 | Stuart Bruce (Cotswold Outdoor) | 0:04:15 |
23 | Ian Hirst (St Ives CC / Plastributon / Techniflo / Grafham Cycles) | 0:04:36 |
24 | Colin Bound | 0:05:02 |
25 | Peter Price | 0:05:06 |
26 | Nigel Rees | 0:05:26 |
27 | Ioan Morris | 0:06:09 |
28 | Paul Steiger | 0:06:37 |
29 | Paul Whitaker | 0:06:54 |
30 | Melvin Waters | 0:09:01 |
31 | Adrian Normanton | 0:09:24 |
32 | Adrian Peters | 0:12:55 |
33 | Stephen Graves | 0:23:51 |
34 | Peter Norman | 0:25:24 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Simon Harrison & Robin Calverley (RAF CC) | 13:10:07 |
2 | Mark Wright & Enda Reynolds (Team Trailbadger) | 0:00:19 |
3 | David Askin & David O'brien (Rally da Digger) | 0:00:52 |
4 | Daniel Liddle & Jason Aspden (mucky melyd) | 0:01:28 |
5 | David Tortoishell & Stuart Crighton (Army Cycling Union) | 0:01:50 |
6 | Peter Tachelet & Stijn Tachelet (Bronto - Chaos) | 0:02:10 |
7 | Dean Camier & Tim Hughes (Kings of Lemon) | 0:02:37 |
8 | Charlie Murphy & Martin Morrissey (KK1) | 0:02:44 |
9 | Jason Rankin & Tim Wintrip | 0:03:24 |
10 | John Cleaton & Paul Roberts (aber mafia) | 0:03:41 |
11 | David Cooper & Chris Murray (Norfolk In Chance) | 0:04:28 |
12 | Joris Wynendaele & Koen De Vuyst (The Flandriens) | 0:04:44 |
13 | Fernando Mainar & Sergio Leal (Dekora Team) | 0:08:27 |
14 | Justin Knox & Chris Peach (Who's idea was this!!) | 0:13:15 |
15 | Ben Warrick & David Evans | 0:22:10 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Elizabeth Adams & Rosemary Byde (Team number 28 (better name to follow!)) | 13:12:07 |
2 | Steph Fountain & Lisa Bolton (Saddle Skedaddle) | 0:00:47 |
3 | Kelly Clark & Cath Hempsall | 0:03:04 |
4 | Nell Hall & Rachael Harrison | 0:05:42 |
5 | Lauren Cooper & Elizabeth Hughes (Bonkers) | 0:07:16 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Dave Sheppard & Trevor Marshall (MAMIL) | 13:11:53 |
2 | Ben Barden & Chris Putnam (White spirit) | 0:02:26 |
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Katie Vaughan & Andrew Heywood (Motor Neurone Disease Association) | 13:11:51 |
2 | John Drummond & Catherine Drummond (Align Pilates) | 0:00:59 |
3 | Guy Shingler & Sophie Shingler (Team Chutney) | 0:02:58 |
4 | Johanita Swanepoel & Pierre Cloete (Cameltoe) | 0:03:54 |
5 | Darren Pritchard & Kate Simmonds (Simmonds snorkers) | 0:04:05 |
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