Great team effort and race win
With Ben Ives and Steve Coates starting in group 2, Tom Macdonald in group 1 and Nick Coupland and Mark Mckeown in group 3 from a total of 5 groups, there was no clear team tactic from the off.
As a result the team riders worked well with their fellow riders in each group, each keeping to the front of each working group to keep up there should the groups split as Toms did.
Groups 2 and 3 came together at the start of the last of the 4 laps of the windswept 7 mile circuit around Sproatley East Yorkshire where Steve, Nick, Ben and Mark kept themselves out of trouble and at the front until the remainder of Toms group were caught with half a lap to go and Mark found himself blocked in and slipping towards the back in the windy conditions of what had become a large group of around 40 riders from the 3 groups that came together.
After some tight maneuvoring and a close call with the group and an oncoming car, with 2 miles to go Mark decided it was time to have a go off the front, to keep out of trouble and with a bit of luck steal a sneaky victory if legs would hold and a strong favour from the following wind that blessed the final mile of the circuit.
No one initially gave chase until the remaining WLM riders at the front of the field one by one decided to go for the chance of forming a break so close to the finish and seal the victory for the team.
First Nick bridged the gap to Mark followed by Ben then Steve.
With 4 team riders off the front in the final mile and a half the bunch were bound to up the pace and responded closing the gap catching 3 of the 4 team riders who had now reached the narrow road that wound its way through the village of Sproatley.
Meanwhile, the forth WLM rider, Ben Ives had driven on creating a sizable gap, and with obvious legs to go it was plain that the bunch catching the 3 remaining WLM riders going into Sproatley were not going to be helped to chase Ben down.
Through the narrow roads the team held its position at the head of the bunch as a few riders tried to get round to organise a chase, though with most now hoping to pick up a placing in the final bunch sprint, no one wanted to commit whole heartedly to chasing Ben who was now out of sight of the bunch.
With less than a mile to the finish and a gap of 200m Ben had plenty of time to celerbrate his first win from his first ever road race, the remaining riders having done their stirling work for the team only had to ensure they kept out of trouble as the bunch went in for the remaining positions.
Needless to say the whole team was elated and welcomed congratulations from some riders as others weren’t quite so happy about their win, for sure next time they will be a marked team.
Congratulations everone, job well done!
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