Every year, Gloucester City hold the “, which is part of the summer Cotswold League series. This year, it was held at Winchcombe, and we had a beautiful day for the race. 58 riders started the race, with Gloucester represented by Bruce Diesel and Rab McGrath.
There was an early break of about half a dozen riders who got up to about a 40 second gap, before being caught by the peloton. They then pushed on at a ferocious pace, shedding riders who simply could no longer cling on, but another small break managed to get away.
As with the races you watch on TV, this break was also caught, then on the last lap, two Bristol South riders, Andy Edwards and Shaun Cook, managed to break away significantly, and finished well ahead of the rest of the field.
Bristol South rode a fantastic race, and congratulations to their whole team, but particularly Andy and Shaun. Rab and Bruce also deserve a lot of credit for staying with the bunch, as a lot of very good riders were unable to do this. The pace of the race was around 26.7mph, which is an incredible pace to ride at for over 50 miles.
The race is quite a spectacle as they fly round the countryside, as can be seen in the photos. A big thank you must go to all the club members who assisted with marshalling, cars, catering, and all the other tasks which have to be performed to make the race successful. Thanks to Judith Taylor for her photos, and Trevor Bailey for his.
Ian Wareing