Through and Off …the back and out of the race.

Race reports following the escapades of the Yorkies 4th Cats

Thurcroft 50km and Sunderland Clarion Spring Circuit Race 3 – 20-3-04

It has been a wet and wild week for the YRC Road Racers. Last Sunday Yorkies were in the thick of action at the Thurcroft 50km RR for 3^rd and 4^th cats. Poor Craig Maude wasn’t allowed to start the race because he had 4-spoke wheels which violate British Cycling rules and seeing as he was using 650s there was no chance of borrowing wheels off anyone else. In contrast, Hammer Houghton wished he hadn’t started the race as he had left his racing legs in Sunderland having ridden the Clarion Spring Circuit Race the day before. Soon he was off the back, then off the course, (deciding to ignore a Marshal’s directions), and then off his bike with a puncture. However, Hammer Houghton is not called Die-Hard for nothing. He fixed the puncture and completed the course, although he just managed to return his race number before the organisers headed off home.

Our last hope, Carl “The Saint” Saint, (well he’s just too good to be true) struggled in the gale force winds, got the front end shakes and went off the back of the pack on the 2^nd of 5 laps. Fortunately, The Saint regained his composure when he realised that his fellow YRC road racers would never let him forget the day that he was dropped and soon he was time trialling himself through the pack and off down the road with Michael Mudd (Team Chevin). However, they couldn’t catch a breakaway and The Saint finished in a very respectable 5^th spot, especially considering he had won the Stockton Wheelers 10 mile TT the day before.

The wind had worsened one week later and as Hammer (Steve) Houghton and Wheel Sucker (Mark) Johnson picked their way through wind blown car wreckage strewn all over the A1 and A19 they wondered whether the final Sunderland Clarion Spring Circuit Race would go ahead. The Yorkies were suffering chest infections and were clearly disappointed when the organisers give the race the all clear. The final nail in the Yorkies coffin was the appearance in the longmarker group of international roadman Phil Bateman (riding as a 4^th cat for Triangle RT) and his 16 year old son Mark (8^th in Harrogate Nova 18 mile TT). They proceeded to work over the longmarkers from the gun and life became a recurring nightmare. Phil shot off down the road, Hammer Houghton and the poursuivants chased him down. When they caught Phil, Mark would shoot off down the road and when Sucker Johnson and the poursuivants caught him, Phil would jump off again. By lap 8 the longmarkers had been ridden into the ground leaving the father and son team to head off down the road never to be seen again.

However, the longmarkers had no time to draw breath as the scratch group came through looking for Phil and Mark. The pace quickened, the weather conditions worsened, and the Yorkies wearily rode on at 45 mph, 4.5mph or at a 45 degree angle depending on their location on the windswept course. Delirium appeared to be setting in as riders started to see the remaining laps disappear in multiples of two – actually the race organiser was hastening the finish of the race because he was too cold. Soon Hammer Houghton and Sucker Johnson were heading down the final straight for the last time. If they had known that their group was contending 5^th and 6^th place and the accompanying prize money they may have dug a little deeper in the sprint. As it was they cruised over the line in 9^th and 10^th spot with David Duffield exclaiming ‘just sit back and admire the sheer commitment of these riders’.

The post race post mortem was disrupted by pneumonia and riders trying to regain control of their hair. There was some confusion about the minor placings although Mark Bateman (Triangle RT) was declared first followed by Colin Ash (Cestria CC), Terry Tiffin (Cestria CC) and Philip Bateman (Triangle RT). The overall series placings were 1st Colin Ash, 2nd Lewis Meadows (Cleveland Wheelers) and Terry Tiffin, 3rd Mark Johnson (Yorkshire Road Club).

Yorkies are now present in the local peleton on a regular basis but we still don’t have enough to make up a team in most events. Why not give it a try – you just need to remortgage your house to afford the BC license and a set of wheels with 16 or more spokes. For those interested Yorkies have posted entered for the following races Sunday 28th March - Tour of Derwent Reservoir (Carl), Sunday 4^th April – Keighley RC Spring Road race (Mark), Sunday 11th April - Phillip Russel Mem. RR (Carl), Sunday 11^th April - South East Surrey League Easter Race (Mark), Tuesday 13^th April - Viking Wheelers Circuit Race (Mark), Sunday 18th April - Bridlington CC RR, Sunday 25th April - Wetwang Spring RR (Carl, Mark, Steve).

Mark and Steve will be making regular appearances at the summer series of TLI Australian Pursuit events at Croft Park Motor Racing Circuit (45 mins from Leeds) on Tuesday nights starting on 20^th April. Croft Park is a great way of starting road racing as you do not need a racing license, you get a head start on the faster riders, and there are no hills. Get in touch with Mark or Steve if you’re interested.