2023 Totnes Vire – Race Report

TWO SECONDS – that was the margin of victory for Cycle Sheffield’s James McKay after a battle of
wits over the final stage of the Totnes-Vire Two-Day stage race at Paignton’s Torbay Velopark.
Only a handful of seconds covered the leading riders, including McKay and 2022 winner Oliver
Hurdle (Stolen Goat Racing) after the first two stages – a time trial and 57-mile road race near
Okehampton – of the annual Mid-Devon CC promotion.

Hurdle led going into the last test, an 80-minute plus five laps ‘criterium’ at the Velopark.
A spirited four-man break, including Stage Two winner Ross Fawcett (Orwell Velo) and 16-year-old
MDCC junior Nick Makin, took the bonus seconds out of the equation in a stage run at 28mph
average speed.

While Hurdle and his teammates had to chase Fawcett, who was a threat overall, McKay – he was
third in the Rutland-Melton Classic – bided his time.
One of the breakaway quartet, James Bevan (Trainsharp Elite), held on to win the stage with Makin a
confidence-boosting second and Fawcett third.

In a split bunch sprint McKay beat a tired Hurdle by just enough to take the yellow jersey.
The race threw up several bonuses for the host club.
Makin’s final stage effort was impressive for one so young, but Felix Whetter, 19, got into the second
stage break and finished a close-up eighth In Hatherleigh, and Callum Start and Henry Howell were
also in the top-20.

Overall: 1 McKay 4.28.25, 2 Hurdle @2secs, 3 Daniel McDermott (Moonglu RT) @8, 4 Oscar
Hutchings (Team Tor 2000 Kalas) @13, 5 Marinus Petersen (Kalas Motip RT) @26, 6 Ed Morgan
(Wales Racing Academy) @35, 11 Whetter 4.30.02, 15 Start 4.31.22, 16 Howells 4.31.59 (all MDCC).