NATIONAL Amateur Road Race Championship

French Team-Mates Share Out Medals

MERSEYSIDE has a new national amateur road race champion in John Hughes, the Liverpool Mercury-Townsend Cycles rider, who ended an eight-year famine for the Northern city, starved of success since John Cavanagh won in 1983.

Hughes finally got the national title that he deserves in Dudley on Sunday when he outsprinted his breakaway companion Dave Spencer (Alpha RC), with last year's champion, Simeon Hempsall (GS Strada), third at 43 seconds.

There was more to the distribution of the medals than just that, in that the first three all ride for the same UVC Aube team in France, they also train together, and live together in the same flat at Troyes in the champagne area of France.

It is in that order that their successes have come this year in France: Hughes has won the most, notably Franco-Belge, and when he is not winning it is Spencer's turn, while Hempsall gener-ally has to help the other two and win the bunch sprint.

On recent form, there is no doubt in my mind that the talented Hempsall could have bridged the gap to the two leaders and possibly have won the title for a second time, but you don't attack your team-mates, or your flat-mates for that matter, not if you know which side you like your croissants buttered in the morning.

'Let's say that I didn't hinder them,' Hempsall said diplomatically afterwards. 'If there had been two other guys away instead of John and Dave I might have tried harder, but we are, after all, team-mates in France.

This should not detract from Hughes' victory, which came in a good from-the-front sprint, after a move initiated by himself and approved by Spencer.

Finding themselves at the head of the hreak with 33 miles to go, they agreed to attack and within five miles had gained a minute, building up to a maximum 1-40 before a strong reaction came on the circuit in Dudley, with Hempsall in the chase and adopting a role that he knows almost off by heart now.

This championship, excellently promoted for the third successive year by the Stourbridge CC and Dudley Leisure Services, will be the last, but possibly not the last in the Midlands as Wolverhampton has been named as a possible venue next year, subject to tenders of course.

Each of the three championships has produced a worthy winner - Dave Cook, 1989; Hempsall, 1990, and now Hughes, thanks to a tough course that punishes those that give it scant respect.

There is a new attacking spirit in British amateur racing this year, especially in the Star Trophy competition, and with five of the first 10 based in France, this could account for a lot.

A break of five formed almost from the start, leaving no time to discuss last night's TV programmes or the main news in the Sunday morning papers.

In the break were Michael Clucas (Apollo RT), Philip Leigh (Solihull CC), Paul Coats (Cumbernauld CC), Andrew Matheson (Musselburgh RCC) and John McKenzie (Bournemouth Arrow), a useful group which quickly gained 1-30 on the dual carriageway to start the first of seven laps of the big circuit with just five miles done.

Their lead reached a maximum of 1-54, before going down to 1-30 at 10 miles, 1-10 at 13 miles and then one minute.

There was a split off the front of the bunch with 10 riders bearing down on the break, now at 45 seconds, with 15 miles covered and the start of the first climb of Romsley.

Clucas was dropped on the climb, and the break was caught at the start of the second lap, with the Clent hills glimpsed on the left and the Lyttleton obelisk at Hagley on the right, surely the biggest monument ever erected in honour of a pet dog.

There was nothing hangdog about the next attack either, a five-man break containing Paul Curran (Manchester Wheelers), Simon Lillistone (Team Haverhill), Alan Walker (Stockton Wheelers), Barry Charley (Stourbridge CC), and Stephen Howells (Southend & County Wheelers).

The break gained 50 seconds as the news came that former Star Trophy winner Darryl Webster (Ratae RC) had retired on the second climb of Romsley.

Into lap three and the break said goodbye to Walker and Howells, but a chase had been organised containing Dave Spencer, Andrew Moss (BCF Northern Ireland), John Tanner (Dinnington RC), John Hughes and Richard Hughes (Manchester Wheelers), Steve Farrell (Tunstall Wheelers), and Paul Rogers (VC St Raphael).

The break was caught and now there were 10 men in the lead, but then more chases were set up, and the order read: break at 55 seconds on a chasing group (riders not identified), 1-7 on another unidentified chasing group, 1-45 on the bunch.

Eventually the two chasing groups merged to get within 58 seconds of the leaders, and 45 seconds with 50 miles covered, with the bunch at 1-53.

There were 17 men in the chase: Matthew Rogers (Bristol RC), Paul Barratt (Paragon RT), Matheson, Christopher King (Bath University CC), David Cook (Ferryhill Wheelers), Matthew Postle (CC Abergavenny),

Mark Lovatt (Congleton CC), Darren Earp (CC La Zouch), Toby Pinn (Anglia Sport), Bruce Scott (Glasgow Wheelers), Alan Gornall (Manchester Wheelers), Lee Davis and Andrew Hitchens (Bournemouth Arrow),

Andy Lyons (Olympia Sport), Alan Macauley (Cumbernauld CC), Andrew Perks (Royal Sutton CC), Brian Tinsley (Solihull CC) and Dominic Sweeney (Invicta RC).

Charley was dropped at the foot of the climb and was absorbed by the chasers, and the retirement of Mark Gornall, the Star Trophy leader, was announced, quickly followed by the news that Wayne Randle (Dinnington RC) had also freewheeled to a halt.

Farrell punctured from the break, luckily at the summit of Romsley, and last year's Star Trophy winner was soon back with the break, with an impressive turn of speed on the long descent before the start of the next lap.

Nine riders: Earp, Barrett, Scott, Perks, Postle, King, Davis, Cook and Sweeney successfully left the 17-man chasing group to chase the leaders themselves and catch them.

With the break at 1-7 and the race on its sixth lap, something had to happen.

Hughes and Spencer just seemed to glide off the front of the break, then got down to some hard work to build up a minute's lead.

Spencer was doing the lion's share of the work as they made their way round the last of the big circuits, with so many well-known names from the past shouting encouragement on the last climb of Romsley. Tour de France veteran Stan Jones was there, newly-reinstated Phil Bayton too, watching the amateurs instead of the professionals in Shropshire.

With 90 miles covered the lead was 1-25 as they left the big circuit for Dudley and the six laps of the three-mile circuit in the town centre.

The lead rose to 1-40, dropped to 1-30 in the coned-off Broadway area, and was not quite enough to guarantee victory as the chase increased in ferocity, with new names joining in and others falling back.

There were now eight chasers: Hempsall, Ian Gilkes (Wembley RC), Tanner, Gethin Butler (Norwood Paragon), Curran, Cook, Farrell and Matthew Stephens (Hemel Hempstead CC).

Hempsall had the interests of his two team-mates in France at heart, Gilkes looking to add his recent good form - fourth in the Cycling Weekly-sponsored Manx International, second in the Shell Grand Prix, while most of the rest were either looking to improve on previous silver and bronze medals, while Cook sought a second national title and Stephens a trouble-free ride to the finish after meeting Rob Langley head on last year.

Down to the last lap and the gap was 43 seconds. Hughes led out all the way up the wide finishing straight in Priory Road to take the title from Spencer. Hempsall led the chasing bunch in for the bronze medals, the UVC Aube had the clean sweep of the medals.

'Dave was stronger than me,' said Hughes. 'I was bluffing a bit. We knew that the final selection would come on the final climb so we decided to get ahead before it came. We were both totally smashed from riding a five-hour race in France where Dave came second, and we were hoping that Simeon and Paul Curran would get across to share the work.'

'We planned the attack,' said Spencer. 'We train together, we live together and we know each other's moves by heart.'

'It has taken me a long time to get this jersey,' Hughes said. 'After coming second last year I was really motivated today and I knew it was important to be first into the last corner.

'It was the first time that I was able to race in Britain under similar conditions to those that we ride in France, thanks to the police, they were superb.'

It was a view shared by all, the West Midlands and West Mercia forces combining to give the race safe passage with the minimum of inconvenience to other road users, who once they knew what was going on, watched with interest as the race progressed.

RESULTS

1. JOHN HUGHES (Liverpool Mercury-Townsend Cycles) 123m in 4-58-17
2. D. Spencer (Alpha RC) st
3. S. Hempsall (GS Strada) at 43sec
4. Gilkes (Wembley RC)
5. J. Tanner (Dinnington RC)
6. G. Butler (Norwood Paragon)
7. P. Curran (Manchester Wh)
8. D. Cook (Ferryhill Wh)
9. S. Farrell (Tunstall Wh)
10. M. Stephens (Hemel Hempstead CC) all st
11. M. Postle (CC Abergavenny) at 1-11
12. T. Hall (Ace RT) st
13. P. Barrett (Paragon RT) at 2-31
14. N. Martin (Dinnington RC)
15. G. Foord (Wembley RC) both st
16. P. Rogers (VC St Raphael) at 4-47
17. S. McVitty (Liverpool Mercury) at 5-54
18. B. Scott (Glasgow Wh) st
19. Moss (BCE N Ireland) at 6-14
20. S. Lillistone (Team Haverhill) at 7-3
21, R. Hughes (Manchester Wh); 22, M. Ludlam (Leicestershire RC); 23, D. Sweeney (Invicta RC); 24, L. Davis (Bournemouth Arrow), all st; at 1 lap: 25, C. King (Bath Univ); 26, V. Slinn (Paragon AT); 27, R. Sharrock (Stoke AC); 28, S. Telford (Ridley CC); at 5 laps: 29, M. McKay (CC Luton); 30, G. Gimson (Alpha RC); 31, A. Hardy (N Bucks AC); 32, I. Wright (Invicta RC); 33, S. Wingrave (Team Haverhill); 34, 5. O'Brien (Manchester Wh); 35, I. Bryant (Dinnington RC); 36, G. Speight (Paragon RT); 37, J. Wright (Tyne Velo); 38, A. Matheson (Musselburgh RCC); 39, A. Hitchens (Bournemouth Arrow); 40, P. Goodwin (Tame Valley RC); 41, B. Tinsley (Solihull CC); 42, P. Longbottom (Manchester Wh); 43, J. Charlesworth (Ace RT); 44, A. Gornall (Manchester Wh); 45, D. Earp (CC La Zouch); 46, S. Swales (City RC); 47, H. Broadhead (Southdown Velo); 48, R. Binks (Huddersfield RC); 49, P. Panton (Team Haverhill); 50, A. Cooke (VC Chesterfield); 51, R. Prebble (Gloucester City CC); 52, M. Maltby (Dinnington RC); 53, S. Russell (Glasgow Wh); 54, S. Bray (Invicta RC); 55, A. Walker (Stockton Wh); 56, C. Allcock (Alpha RC); 57, P. Spencer (Alpha RC); 58, N. Dunn (Paragon RT); 59, N. Smith (Paragon RT); 60, N. McLeod (Glasgow Wh); 61, M. Clucas (Apollo RT); 62, A. Allen (Team Haverhill); 63, C. Waning (Apollo RT); 64, J. Harrison (Invicta RC); 65, A. Naylor (Apollo RT); 66, 5. Howells (Southend & Co); 67, A. Macauley (Cumbernauld CC); 68, G. Irvine (BCF N Ireland); 69, J. Ramsbottom (Dinnington RC); 70, L. Burns (Bradford Wh); 71, N. Martin (N Yorkshire Coureurs); 72, S. Price (Leicestershire AC); 73, R. Hare (Southend & Co); 74, N. Giles (Kirkby CC); 75, B. Long (Southend & Co); 76, P. Foley (Heron AC); 77, M. Harrison (Congleton CC); 78, G. Holmes (Aennrad); 79, A. Lyons (Olympia Sport); 80, M. Pluckrose (Border City Wh); 81, A. Mills (kirkby CC); 82, D. Hayton (E Bradford CC).