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Exodus Spring Series round 5 race report

by Luke Webber, 25 May 05. Results [ 1» ] Photos [ 1» 2» 3» ]

The final round of the Exodus Spring Series organised by Gorrick MBC took place on Sunday at Deepcut where - despite recent rain across the south - was dry; much to the disappointment of those who had packed the mud gear and didn't bring any alternative. The short 3.7 mile lap saw times in the teens for the fastest on a course that tested both legs, lungs and bike handling skills. One monster of a climb was the highlight for many riders, with loads of fresh new singletrack ready to catch out those not giving 100% concentration.

Everything was to play for in the Expert/Elite race and with John Veness at the South East Road Race Champs, the door was wide open for Richard Wood to take the series. From the gun it was clear that Wood and Chris Minter (PedalOn) were in a league of their own, pulling out a big gap after the first climb. They stayed together until the final lap when Wood made the move that would see him receive £300 of holiday vouchers from series sponsors Exodus and £80 from Cycle Kingdom.

This sees a continuation of superb form for the Extreme Endurance rider who won the Gorrick 100 and scored top tens in the National Series. This form must now make him favourite for Mountain Mayhem solo, which he is also being sponsored for ( donate here ). Rob Lee, team manager and Masters Spring Series champion, had nothing but praise for his star rider, commenting that he enjoys seeing such a good friend doing so well after so many years of hard work.

Elsewhere, Steve Hambling (Activ) rode away from the Torq duo of Simon Burgess and Marcos Schier to take third in the race and the series. There was another race within the Expert/Elite category, which saw some Sport racers take to the top rank. Most found it a real challenge, with some retiring, but Spring Series Sport champion George Budd (Titus) relished the challenge, coming home seventh after a race-long battle against regular Brent Collyer.

In the Sport race Dean Morgan (Mountain Trax) took to the front, leading out from Ben Lockwood (GS Invicta). A crash on the final corner was not enough to stop Morgan from taking the win, such was the sizeable lead he had built. Third this round for Chris Lane secured him second in the series and Dan Giffin's (RATZ) consistent performances saw him take third.

The Veteran series title went to the wire, with 47 seconds separating the top two after five rounds. Mark Cracknell (AW Cycles) and David Nelson (Beyond Mountain Bikes) have been inseparable throughout the year and so it proved on the final day. Both tied on points it was down to who had the best result and with Cracknell winning on the day the Spring Series title was his. Steve Jones (AW Cycles) made it third in both the race and series to round out the most closely contested campaign.

The Youth race was also close run with all title contenders on the line. Matt Hill (Primera) took on Jay Spetch (Torq) and came out on top in both the race and series by just two seconds and a point respectively. Jake Moxham's (Dysons Cycles) fourth saw him second in the series ahead of Spetch, third in the points standings.

Super Master series leader Darren Shepherd was out of the running after three slow laps, but Simon Willats (Ride Cycleworks) beat team-mate Mark Chadbourne into second to take the series title by a solitary point. Shepherd (Tri UK) had to settle for second and was left wondering if it was team tactics by the Cycleworks duo that saw him knocked from top spot. Paul Lasenby (Marin) returned to racing in style, getting fourth on the day and third for the series.

As mentioned earlier Rob Lee won the Masters title with second in the race, behind second in the series Lloyd Bettles (Numplumz.com). James Lett (DeLaune) was fifth on the day, holding onto his third in the series.

There has been no match for the speed and skill of Grand Veteran Norman Butler (BikeGuatemala.com) and he took the final race just as he did every round - with a convincing victory. Michael Thyer (Beyond Mountain Bikes) was second and John Watkins rounded out the series top three.

The Open race saw a fine display from the younger contingent of mountain biking, with Robert Whenman (Corridori) riding to his second consecutive win of the series, closely followed by Tom Smart (Activ). In the series, Alex Darby finished top after many top performances ahead of seasons rival Ian Grist. Oli Pepper took third.

In the women's categories Jenn O'Connor and Kate Potter took a Team Specialized one-two in Expert/Elite, Anita Hibberd (Berks On Bikes) wrapped up her fine start to the year by winning the Master/Veteran series and Viv Hazelton (Beyond Mountain Bikes) was the champ in the Open category.

This year Gorrick have attracted the best racers from across the country, offering everyone the chance to race on the best courses there are in the UK. Somehow every race has been dry, both under foot and on the day helping to make 2005 the most successful year ever.

As ever we could not put the series on without the help of you the riders, many of the behind the scenes volunteers and the sponsors Exodus, Mountain Trax, Bumpybikes.com, Cyclosport, CycleZone, East Street Cycles, Wellington Trek, Plan:IT, Mountain High, First Gear Cycles, Beyond Mountain Bikes and iBike. Also thanks to Timelaps who always seem to have the results up before you get home.

Gorrick will be back for the fifth round of the Southern XC Series in September at Surrey Hill and again for the Autumn races.