BRITISH ENDURO SERIES:
ROUND 4 - EASTRIDGE - DAY TWO
WORDS AND PHOTOS: IAN LEAN
Unfortunately the sun didn't shine in Shropshire today, but what an amazing day of racing nonetheless. A blanket of cloud stayed throughout the day which meant the trails were as dry if not drier than the previous day, and no overnight rain saw parts of the track inches deep in dust. With stages one to three in the bag from day one, riders were left to practice and race stages four to six for Sunday which were very similar to the previous day. Every stage was running fast as a few riders found out very quickly, towards the bottom of stage four a steep shoot into a very rocky and loose open corner saw some riders needing to hold on for dear life, others sampled some Shropshire dirt.
All stages claimed a few people today, most notably four and six. Unfortunately, as series leader Leigh Johnson found out on his first run of the day, the Welsh lad had a big crash hitting the ground hard enough to end his day rather quickly. Landing heavily on his shoulder and seeing his bike cartwheel down the track into the trees one would say he got away lightly, and hoping no further damage was caused we hope to see him back for round five.
With Leigh out of contention, it was up to Sam Shucksmith, Nikki Whiles, and John Owen to fight it out for the top spot. The same couldn't be said for the elite women's category, Tracy Moseley showing true professionalism on every stage, looking comfortable as ever someone had to be rather pinned to topple her this weekend.
See you all at Innerleithen for round five and the final event for the British Enduro Series of 2016!
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