Victory for Smith in the mud sets up final round showdown
Round four of the Guernsey Velo Club Cyclocross series sponsored by Cycleworld returned to the motocross track at Torteval. After the weekend downpours it was no surprise to the riders that this would be the one with the mud. Thankfully, some expert course design meant there was at least more of the popular grass sections which had been such a huge feature in the previous round.
The main CX race was won by Utmost & Ian Brown’s Academy rider Zach Smith, who after a race long battle with Mark Le Page, came out on top after taking the lead in the closing stages of a shortened race, sprinting solo across the line in impressive fashion.
“I started off in the lead but Mark came past on the second lap and built up a 20 second gap ahead of me. The last two laps were brutal with semi-tired legs but I closed the gap. I was very happy to win.” Said Zach after the race.
The youngster has been very impressive in the series and this race showed his determination to not settle for second. He crashed trying to close the gap to Le Page but engaged the right mindset to get on terms with the Senior rider, who had won his previous two outings in the series.
Reflecting in his race, Mark Le Page said; “I really enjoyed the course with a mix of mud and tarmac/gravel. I put in a big effort in this race to secure first place but a mechnical problem on the last lap was a stab in the heart”.
Both riders go into the final round in two weeks level on points (after dropping their worst result), setting up a last race showdown not to be missed.
A distant third was Phil Touzeau returning to the series after a two year gap and probably a little too late to add any further silverware to his overflowing 2025 cabinet. He could disrupt the points in the final round.
Fourth place went to Mark Smith, having his best CX season so far and in the running for third overall, ahead of Nathaniel Moseley-Jones in fifth who could also snatch a podium spot in two weeks.
The rest of the top ten was Ben Walden, Alex Clark, Mark Naftel, Simon Francart & Steven Palmer. First female in the race Amy Critchlow, in her first CX race, finished 13th.
In the MTB race, John Mapley eased to victory ahead of series leader Adam Torode with Pete Sargent in third. Youth rider Harry Manning was an impressive fifth and held onto sixth place overall in the series. First female Jamy Petit-Fulgoni was 10th.
In the Sport race, Freddie Martel took the Cyclocross win ahead of Alex Hutchinson and Jacob Piercey won the mountain bike category ahead of rivals Luka Robilliard & Arun Scales – Jacob & Luka are on equal points after trading wins all series.
Anyone considering trying Cyclocross or any other form of cycle racing is encouraged to contact the club to find out more informtaion.
Full results and standings can be viewed at gvc.gg.
