Race Report – Velopark Series – Race 3
Plenty of action for the Mid Devon CC race team in Thursday Velopark races. Kenny and Andrew Parker took 2nd and 3rd in the 3/4 and an outstanding ride by Julian Pittoco to make the break and take 3rd in the E/1/2 Race
Velopark 3rds + 4ths race 5th May
Kenny Parker continued his fine run of form at the Team Tor 2000 evening race at Torbay Velopark. However behind the scenes the under lying theme was a growing confidence from the club’s race team.
The race was run off at a quick pace – 26mph and a new Strava lap time was set at 1:52. Throughout the race there were attacks from Somerset based Tri Uk and Tavistock Wheelers, with MDCC riders covering all the moves and sticking in a few accelerations of their own. Of note Tim Prowse, David Johnson Oskar Karsenns and Andy Parker all spent time off the front and Mark Coombe put in a five lap stint in the closing stages of the race.
Going into the final laps the pace was high and a couple of crashes split the large group – a record entry of sixty riders. In the final corner Kenny Parker “dive bombed” the leading riders on the inside line and positioned himself well on the exit. Kenny looked to have the win in the bag but was overhauled in the final metres by talented young Cornish rider Alfie Peters of Team T1 Diabetes. In a close finish Andy Parker squeezed into third place. Honorable mention for Dave Johnson finishing 9th as well
Kenny had this to say of his second place. “I’ve been training hard with the lads from the team for the last couple of months and the form is starting to kick in. I opened the sprint up at 300 metres and nearly took the win. It’s only a matter of time before I get the first place that’s alluded me so far this season” Kenny expressed his thanks to club member Ian Cullen who has helped him with the loan of a bike which has made a big difference to his riding.
Quote of the day – “You’re the guy who lost the Tour De France by 8 seconds aren’t you?” – “No I’m the guy who won the Tour De France twice” – Laurent Fignon
