Race Report: Crank It Cycling Series Round 2 Sherwood Pines

With Round 1 unfortunately cancelled, Round 2 kicked off the Crank It Cycling Series returning to a much loved location at Sherwood Pines, thankfully this year it was a little warmer that the round last year. A great turn out saw over 300 riders take to the course on the Sunday facing a challenging track filled with tight forest singletrack, A-line drops, road climbs and pallet obstacles. Riders were treated to coaching on the Saturday as well as the introduction of the Crank It Stage races and E-bike race, set to feature several of the rounds across the season. The weather held out, for the most part, and riders were treated to a warm and dry day for the main races on the Sunday, providing perfect track conditions.

The Senior Open and Fun categories started the race day with a bang. Thomas Ramsay and James Moss made an early break away from the Open group, putting distance between themselves and the rest of the pack battling it out to stay in the lead. But with 3 laps to go Ramsey put the power down to take the win, ahead of Moss in second and Dom Clarke in third. A similar picture was seen in the Fun Category with Eddie Fisher and Jamie Pugh battling it out for first and second, with Fisher ultimately coming out on top taking the win ahead of Pugh in second and Callum Faulds in third.

Up next saw the Youth riders take to the course. Joseph Throp took a solid lead in the Boy's 13-14 category, 3 minutes 20 seconds ahead of Zach Hutchinson in second and Casey Jackson in third. In the girls 13-14, Jess Oldham took the win ahead of Harriet Gilmore in second and Ellen Taylor in third. In the 15-16 fields, Arthur Limb took the win, ahead of Luke Trafford in second and Daniel Ward in third in the boys with Zoe Roche taking the win in the girls, ahead of Rose Lewis in second and Lottie Lissaman in third.

The afternoon saw the Combined Women's races take to the start line. Kacey Eyeington wasted no time in showing her abilities, taking the win in the Female Elite a solid 2 minutes 9 seconds ahead of Phoebe Roche in second and Victoria Peel in third. Despite not the fastest intro lap, Layla Bradbrook didn't let this deter her as she worked her way through the pack to take the win in the 17-18 field, ahead of Amy Kolbert in second and Amelia Cleathero. In the 40-49 field, Peddlamaniac's Michelle Paget took the win, just 20 seconds ahead of Eleanor Williams in second and Sarra Boyd in third.

The final race of the day saw the Senior, Junior and Elite men race side by side in an intense race. Cameron Orr showed his talent taking an early win, increasing his distance between himself and his fellow competitors with every lap. Orr finally took the win 3 minutes ahead of James Swadling in second in the elite field and Thomas Timberlake in third. It was a father-son double win in the 17-18 and Veteran fields, with Dec Oldham taking the win in the 17-18 field and Paul Oldham taking the win in the Vets. Despite a mechanical on the last lap, Nick Craig managed to rectify this on-track without any tools in what felt like an eternity but showed his talent and determination in the final lap, taking the win in the 50-59 field just 2.6 seconds ahead of Nicholas Whitley in second and David Allen in third.

The next round takes place on 4/5th May at Leeds Urban Bike Park.

Pinkbike Balance Bike World Championships competitor showing their steeze on the balance track with a Go-pro to catch all the action

The coaching sessions really got riders honing their skills

Even with the sudden hail storm during the Saturday's Coaching Sessions, rider still made of the opportunities availabke

On Saturday the U12 Stage race took place

The forest provided the perfect backdrop for the racers

And they're off!

Scott's Kacey Eyeington stormed to victory taking the win in the Women's Elite

The Crank It courses provide a challenge for all riders, including both A and B lines

The obligatory post-race debrief

Smiles on the start line

The tight forest singletrack made overtaking a challenge

Dyson Cycles Nick Drew took a solid second place in the Men's Vets race

This log bested many riders this weekend, but was no challenge for Hope's Paul Oldham

It was great to see Cameron Orr racing at a grassroots event, showing his dominance in the Men's elite taking the win by 3 minutes

Scott's Nick Craig suffered a mechanical on second to last lap but managed to put the power down in the final lap to take the win in the Men's Grand Vets