It’s been a busy couple of months this summer for Pro Cycle Hire UK Racing Team.
Mark Smith put in a fine performance at the BC Eastern Region Divisional Road Race Championships at the beginning of June finishing 19th overall and was unlucky not to finish higher after being in a long break which was eventually caught with one lap to go of the nine laps of the rolling Whitwell circuit in Hertfordshire. Mark was satisfied with his performance although cramping at the end of the 90 mile race hampered his finishing sprint, but shows that on his day he’s got the ability to be right up there with Elite and 1st category riders.
John Woyton competed in the BC Masters National Championships in June in the ultra-competitive 35-40 age category. John’s race reports will follow in a future news summary.
James Sale and Mark Howard both focused their efforts in June on two very different long distance charity rides.
James rode from Brindisi in northern Italy, following an undulating coastal route through San Remo to St Tropez in France, covering 884 miles over eight days in very hot weather, to help raise over £40,000 for Wellchild (supporting children with complex health conditions throughout the UK).
Mark’s nine day journey took him from Land’s End to John O Groats, cycling 894 miles often in very wet and windy conditions, especially up near Glencoe and beyond, to personally raise over £2,000 for Lyla Harvey, the daughter of a close friend of Mark’s who has a very rare condition called Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. Tremendous efforts by both PCH UK team riders!
With a high amount of endurance miles mid-season it was only a matter of time before the race results started to come in. James was 2nd in the CC London Circuit Races at Hog Hill and 3rd in the VC Baracchi Summer Road Race.
Mark has set some quick TT times, the highlights being a 22’58” 10 mile 2-up TT with team mate Dan Young and a 22’16” 10 mile 3-up TTT again with Dan Young, plus ex-U23 European TT Champion and good friend of the team, Joe Perrett.
Elsewhere Dan Young has also been notching up a good string of road race results with a fine 2nd place in the Ipswich Velo Road Race and 3rd and 7th places in the Hog Hill Summer Series Circuit Races.
Mark Smith rounded off July with an 8th place in the Hopton Road Race and a 6th place at the Cyclopark in Kent, both events for second category riders.
So that’s seven top-10 places for the team during July. The elusive first win of the season has to come soon!