Cycling: Glasford Fastest at IBC Opener
102 riders took to the line on Sunday to contest the season open of the IBC Criterium Series, the first race of the Bermuda Bicycle Association’s regular season held at Southside, St. David’s.
Darren “Shakee” Glasford, riding for team Winner’s Edge, rode away with line honors in the “Adult A” race, out-sprinting Damian Sharp of Team Fast Forward Bicycle Works and Mark Hatherly of Winner’s Edge.
The race which lasted 40 minutes plus a lap started off extremely fast and due to mainly flat course and it did not slow down with teams launching attacks and counter attacks in an attempt to break free from the very strong field of 29 riders. The six teams contesting the race ensured that no one escaped the peleton come the final lap and that the race would be decided by a bunch sprint.
Unfortunately, the race did not end without incident. With half a lap remaining a crash between 17-year-old Dominic Mayo of Team Madison, one of the most dominant riders of 2010, and Mark Lombardi of Team Tokio saw Mayo crash out. He was taken to the hospital for x-rays but checked out OK, none the less bruised and battered.
“Shakee” led the pack into the final 90 degree turn before a 300 meter dead run to the finish line, used his advantage, and a tail wind, to full effect, holding off Sharpe and Hatherly to take take the win. Youngster Alex Godfrey of Team Fast Forward Bicycle Works emerged the winner of a bunch sprint to win the “Adult B” race out sprinting Arthur Glasford of Team Winner’s Edge and Arther Pitcher of Team Fast Forward Bicycle Works. Numerous attempts to break away from the field of 38 men and women were unsuccessful but left a selection of 25 or so riders to contest the sprint. Winner’s Edge’s Nicole Mitchell was the top woman.
In what turned out to be a race no less exciting than the Adult A race, Daniel Oatley and Martin Bolton both of Team Fast Forward Bicycle Works rode away with the honors in the combined Junior A and Adult C race respectively. Junior rider Oatley would be the only rider of the day to definitively leave his mark on his race riding away from the Adult C field as well as the other Junior A riders soon after the gun. Nigel Godfrey of Team Tokio was second to Bolton in Adult C followed by Earlena Ingham of Team Focus. Gabriella Arnold of Team Winner’s Edge battled shoulder to shoulder with the Adult C riders to finish as the top woman in the race and second to Oatley in Junior A. Nakeno Creighton finished third.
Christian Oatley of Team Fast Forward Bicycle Works managed to come out ahead of team mate Alex Pilgrim and Zion Dowling of Team Focus to win the hotly contested Junior B race. Nicholas Pilgrim of Team Fast Forward Bicycle Works took Junior C honors ahead of teammate Julianne Oatley and Tokio rider Nicholas Narraway.
Sunday’s racing was also notable in that it marked the introduction of a team points competition. The aim of the competition is to maximize competition across the season across multiple categories and event types – road races, criteriums and time trials. Mass start races score ten deep in the Adult A and B Categories and five deep in the C categories. Time trials score 20 deep. After the first race of the sixteen race regular season Team Winner’s Edge is leading with 61 points ahead of Team Fast Forward Bicycle Works with 53 and Team Focus with 26 points. Despite a dominant Butterfield Grand Prix Team Madison managed only 14 points. Team Crime Stoppers scored seven and Team Tokio 4.
The five-race IBC Criterum Series will run all season long and leading up to the IBC Criterium Championships in October. The next IBC race will be on June 26 in Hamilton. The next race on the Bermuda Bicycle Association calendar is the Team Tokio Road Race on May 8th. For more information visit bermudabicycle.org.
- Article by Duncan Simmons, photos by Phil Trussell
