Race Report
Mass start cycle racing on Jersey given an extra interest on Sunday morning with the inclusion of three riders from the mainland in the field of nine senior entries and nine juniors. The course making a two and a quater mile circuit through the lanes of St John, with many bends and treacherours surface under the trees proved to be very fast.
At 7o’clock the senior race got away on the first of the 22 laps, and for the first few laps the local boys were sizing up the opposition from England. Several times individual riders attempted a break, then on the sixth lap B Gardner and J Nevinson with Don Ecobichon made a break away from the main bunch and lap by lap increased their lead until by the end of the eighth they were some 90 seconds in front. At this stage of the race the juniors were started just behind the second bunch and right from the start the junior stars D Lidster, K de la Haye and D Le Brocq put on the pressure and swept through the field to be 35 seconds behind the breakaway group on the first time round, and then by gaining 5 seconds on each lap they caught the seniors when there were still 8 laps to go to the finish.
RETIREMENTS
Meanwhile there had been three retirements, G Clarke came in early in the event finding the pace to much for him, then Roger Liot who had ridden very well in the early stages was forced to withdraw with gear trouble and on the 12th lap M Sweet the third visitor from England who was sitting in well with the second bunch was thrown off his machine when his back tyre burst.
Regularly averaging six minutes per lap the six leading riders flashed past the start and finish line gradually overtaking and lapping the slower men making the lap-scoring task for the club president Frank Machon a tricky business.
So the picture when they went for their last lap was the leading bunch made up of local club Champion Don Ecobichon, the two very good riders from England each of whom had completed 50 miles, and the three local juniors having ridden just 30 miles. As they came into view down the slight slope to the finish line a terrific battle was going on between Ecobichon and Gardner for first place and it was gratifing to see that in the final few yards Ecobichon had the edge on his mainland rival.
GREATER INTEREST
Unlike most of the previous mass start events organised by the club when everyones capabilities are common knowledge this event had that unknown quantity which stimulated the interest of all concerned. This increased interest in Jersey cycle racing by the entry of visiting riders is due in large extent to the very fine publicity the Caesarean Cycling Club has been given in a widely-read national cycling periodical.
Details
Date | Time | Series | Season | Club |
---|---|---|---|---|
4th June 1961 | 07:00 | General Racing | 1961 | CCC |
Race Results
Position | Rider | Club | Category | Time | Category Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | Mr A.Phillips | Caesarean Cycling Club | Senior | 0:00 | |
12 | Mr Alan Richardson | Caesarean Cycling Club | Junior | 0:00 | |
2 | Mr B. Gardner | Bournemouth Olympic | Senior | 0:00 | |
8 | Mr David Le Brocq | 319 | Junior | 0:00 | |
6 | Mr Don Cook | Caesarean Cycling Club | Senior | 0:00 | |
1 | Mr Donald Ecobichon | 319 | Senior | 0:00 | 1st Senior 2:11:15 |
7 | Mr Doug Lidster | 319 | Junior | 0:00 | 1st Junior 1:16:33 |
15 | Mr G. Cornillet | Caesarean Cycling Club | Junior | 0:00 | |
100 | Mr Geoff Clarke | Caesarean Cycling Club | Senior | 0:00 | |
4 | Mr Graeme Audoire | 319 | Senior | 0:00 | |
10 | Mr Ian Mckenzie | Caesarean Cycling Club | Junior | 0:00 | |
14 | Mr J.Collingwood | Caesarean Cycling Club | Junior | 0:00 | |
13 | Mr J.Le Marquand | Caesarean Cycling Club | Junior | 0:00 | |
3 | Mr J.Nevinson | Bournemouth Olympic | Senior | 0:00 | |
5 | Mr Jim Tanswell | Caesarean Cycling Club | Senior | 0:00 | |
9 | Mr Ken de la Haye | Caesarean Cycling Club | Junior | 0:00 | |
99 | Mr M.Sweet | Bournemouth Olympic | Senior | 0:00 | |
101 | Mr Roger Liot | Caesarean Cycling Club | Senior | 0:00 |