National Trophy – Torbay 2024

Mid Devon Cycling Club proudly hosted the third round of the National Trophy Cyclocross for the third consecutive year as a prestigious UCI event. It took place as always at the Torbay Velopark, which features a purpose-built cyclocross course funded by the Mid Devon CC and British Cycling in 2022. Unlike the previous two seasons, which were affected by muddy conditions, this year we enjoyed a dry spell that created exceptionally fast racing conditions. Top UK cyclists competed on a stunning course, making this event a memorable highlight of the 2024 cyclocross calendar.

Mid Devon achieved impressive results in the V50 event, with Catherine Kilburn securing the 3rd podium spot in the V50 Women and Jackie Shute finishing in 8th in the same race. Both demonstrated great skill and determination throughout the race on home turf.

After starting from the back of the field due to limited racing in the UK during this session, Robin Delve finished 9th in the V60. He worked his way up to 5th place but experienced a mechanical issue that caused him to drop a couple of spots. Despite this setback, he still managed to finish in the top ten.

James Bovey has shown impressive form leading up to this race, achieving some of his best results in the SWCX league. He typically prefers muddy, wet conditions, so the fast course we had this weekend posed a challenge for him. Despite struggling to find his rhythm, James still finished in an incredible 21st place.

Lauren Fox entered this round as joint leader after her victory in the first round. With high expectations at a local venue and strong support from the crowd, Lauren started aggressively, trying to wear down her competitors right from the start. However, after two laps, she wasn’t able to execute her strategy as effectively as hoped. Despite this, she finished an impressive fourth place. The Overall series is still very much within her reach, as she is currently tied for second, with only a handful of points separating the top six riders.

Matt Holmes had an excellent ride, finishing in 22nd place and outperforming many riders he had struggled against in the first two rounds. He demonstrated his incredible skills, including bunny hopping up the steps, which only a few riders attempted over the weekend. Clubmate Meryn Kitchen also did exceptionally well, finishing in 51st place.

In the Under 14 boys’ race, James Allen had his best performance to date. Starting from 36th place on the grid, he worked hard to move up the field and finished in 14th place. James has put in a lot of effort to improve his strength and skills, and his hard work paid off with this result. Additionally, Benjamin Simcock performed admirably in his first-ever national race, finishing in 49th place.

Junior riders Laura Dix and Eva Fox had an incredible race, with both finishing in the top 10 and earning UCI points. Laura finished in 8th place, while Eva started strong to set the pace and aimed for a top-five finish. However, on this occasion, she just didn’t have enough strength to execute her plan.

Club organizers Rob Woodger and Martin Smith would like to express their heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to the success of the event over the weekend. It takes approximately 50 volunteers to organize this event, and your support is greatly appreciated.

We also want to extend our gratitude to Gritty for sponsoring prizes in the youth and junior categories and to Bays Brewery for providing prizes for the adult categories. Additionally, we thank Torbay Council and Torbay Leisure Centre for their support of this event, along with the Dartmoor Classic.