The four youth riders supported by Colchester Rovers were in Derby for the first round of the National Trophy.
Isaac Starmer (Under 16) and James Clarke (Under 14) had experience of racing at national level before. But for Elizabeth Whall (Female Under 14) and Barnaby Burgoyne (Under 14), this standard of racing was new to them.
And youth coach Dan Hall was with them for moral support and advice (and to take part in the last race of the trophy programme – the Senior Open).
[Photo credits: Man Down Media and Benson Ho]
7th Place for Isaac
‘I was gridded 9th out of 91 riders so was second row which I was very excited about. I had a reasonably good start getting into around 7th after the long start section. By halfway through the first lap I had made my way into 3rd.
Unfortunately, I had to ease up a little bit after being very close to being sick… so I settled into a large group of around 6 riders.
As the race went on, I began to cramp; I had probably not drunk enough during the day. I really struggled on the last lap and lost a few places and eventually finished 7th.
I am very happy with this result and hopefully there is more to come throughout the season.’
Under 14 race red flagged!
James and Barnaby’s race was red flagged almost immediately after the race began due to a massive crash.From the restart, James began strongly and was in 9th place at the end of the first lap. On the third of four laps James was caught by a group of riders and he eventually finished in 20th place.
Part of the team
Barnaby has made great progress this year. Even though he has gained in confidence due to encouraging results, he was nervous when he arrived in Derby.
Because other Rovers’ youth riders were racing in Derby (along with some friends from Hadleigh CC), Barnaby was able to relax and enjoy the experience. After an exciting race (and a few falls) Barnaby finished in 48th place.
An all-female race!
‘I have been getting used to the longer U14 races on full adult courses since moving up from the U12 category.
But the main difference with this event was that I was racing in an all-female race.
It was a long and fairly technical course with hurdles, hills and a bomb hole. There were stretches of tarmac and lots of rolling, grassy hills. It was one of those races where the legs really burn!As the first event of the trophy series, and as a first year U14, I was very pleased to finish in 19th place.’
Coach Dan…
Because his race was the last of the day, there isn’t a photo to prove he raced!
But he did race and finished 35th in the Senior Open (and he was 17th Under 23).
Well done Dan and all the Rovers who raced!