Optimum trio take control

ESSEX GP winner Wayne Randle led a clean sweep for the Optimum Performance RT in Sunday's Ashfield RC Classic over a 50-mile course at Selston, Nottinghamshire.

Randle led team-mate Paul Curran over the line on the uphill finish, with Optimum's Mark Lovatt five seconds down in third place as the trio controlled the race from the front.

Matt Stephens (North Wirral Velo) came in 47 seconds adrift, with the next six riders spread over more than five minutes.

Roadworks forced the race to be cut from its scheduled 60 miles, but the revised five-mile circuit included an extra short but tough climb in addition to the main ascent to the finish.

Randle escaped on the opening lap along with Stephens, Bryan Steel (Team Chilwell) and Pete Coggins (Brough Wheelers), their attack blowing the field apart on the first main climb.

By the second lap their lead had grown to half a minute, while Lovatt and Curran had escaped from the bunch and were coming across to the leaders. Then came Matt Jennings (Ashfield RC), Julian Ramsbottom (North Wirral Velo), Kevin Dawson (Optimum Performance RT) and Barry Charley (Parker International RT).

Curran and Lovatt got on to the leaders on the fourth lap, with Julian Ramsbottom's group chasing at a minute and, a further minute behind them, a group containing Darren Peny (Chesterfield Coureurs), Phil Wilkins (Ashfield RC) and Martin Pitchford (Brough Wheelers).

Steel was dropped from the front group on lap seven, and with two to go Randle attacked and Curran went with him, leaving Lovatt to police Stephens and Coggins until he, too, jumped across as Randle and Curran waited for him on the main climb with a lap to go.

Steel was caught by the chasers on the final lap, finishing in eighth place behind Stephens, Coggins, Dawson and Ramsbottom.

RESULTS

1. Wayne Randle (Optimum Performance RT-Power Bar) 50m in 2-02-20
2. P. Curran (Optimum Performance RT) same time
3. M. Lovatt (Optimum Performance RT) at 5sec
4. M. Stephens (North Wirral Velo) at 47sec
5. P Coggins (Brough Wh) at 52sec
6. K. Dawson (Optimum Performance RT) at 1-43
7. J. Ramsbottom (North Wirral Velo) at 1-49
8. B. Steel (Team Chilwell) at 2-52
9. B. Charley (Parker International RT) at 5-36
10. G. Speight (Optimum Performance RT) at 6-25.