Eoin Elliott Returns!

23/08/2011

Round 16 of the Fulford Cycles TT league was the one mile ascent of Norwood Edge from Lindley Reservoir. Although one mile doesn't sound much the shorter distance requires agonising effort up the 10-15% incline that stretches the contestants cardiovascular system, endurance and pain threshold to the maximum. Norwood Edge is perhaps the most difficult of the three end of season hill climbs, testing the riders with its steepest pitch straight away and then constantly changing grade and twisting and turning to its summit, which offers little encouragement as it remains hidden until the last. Traditionally many seasoned time triallers just don't do hills and so the podium is often unfamiliar. Last year Nova's Eoin Elliott came from nowhere to smash the Norwood Edge and Darley Head records. This year he made a surprise return after moving away for a new job and stunned again by producing exactly the same time as last year, a record equalling 5:28. Eoin will now attempt to make his mark on a much bigger stage when, since he is an Irish passport holder, he will make an attempt on the Irish National hill climb record. In second place and slightly slower than last year was former record holder Paul Caswell in 6:00. Another story in the making was the 6:03 and first podium for school boy Edwyn Oliver-Evans, who's constant record breaking, including this week, belies the fact that he is only just 15 and it is possible that his clutch of school-boy records, which are faster than the older age junior records, could last for years and years. Duncan Mullier in fourth with 6:06 didn't mind a rare excursion off the podium. Only a win would have guaranteed him a second successive veterans' title and league runner up spot but with competition Nigel Goscinski, a self-confessed non-climber who needed to win all three hill climbs to win the vets' or two to draw, absent, it left Mullier just waiting for next week to be confirmed as the champ. In fifth place and in a new junior record time was Nova’s Will Staveley in 6:22 just two seconds ahead of Gary Marks (6th), who’s ten second victory over Rob Senior(7th) could well leave him above Senior at the end of the season. Sam Watts came home in 6:39 in eighth, Jonty Bright 9th in 6:40 and junior James Marsden in 7:23 completed the top ten. In the ladies’ event, Corinne Mitchel took her first win of the season in 8:24. The next event is the one mile climb of Darley Head.

A relatively quiet weekend on the open scene saw Steve Smales of Boneshakers RT in action. Following narrowly missing breaking the magic twenty minutes for ten miles last weekend, Nidderdale's Steve Smales continued his run of strong late season rides in the Hartlepool promoted VTTA ten mile event. Starting as scratch rider the forty two year old exploited the tough
crosswind conditions on the Crathorne course to finish second overall in a time of 22:06. Mike Hudson of Harrogate Nova also performed strongly on a day where fast times were unlikely with a solid 24:40 minute performance, to finish fourth in the handicapp event. The event was won by Geoff Robinson, former national bronze medallist who beat Smales by a tantalising two seconds with a time of 22:04.


Not content with his impressive ride at Norwood Edge, Edwyn Oliver-Evans was also involved on the mountain bike scene. Fremington Edge XC concluded the Nutcracker mountain bike series for 2011. The course included a gruelling, lung-busting climb as well as a long, technical descent, making it the hardest course on the 2011 calendar. Harrogate Nova youth, Edwyn Oliver-Evans, who, after a slow start to the mountain bike season, picked up an impressive 2nd place in the under 16 category. Adding to his success, the following day, competing in 3rd round of the Brownback’s mountain bike series, Oliver-Evans managed to pick up second place, an impressive feat after racing the previous day. Edwyn has his sights set upon winning the Brownback’s series, after winning the second round of the series by an astonishing seven minutes, in July. Next week Edwyn will be participating in the Sainsbury’s UK School Games, where he has been selected to represent Yorkshire, in the UK’s biggest multi-sport Youth event. Picture of Edwyn Oliver-Evans.

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