The first round of the Lloyds National XC Series kicked off at Newnham Park, Plymouth this weekend. The course was a tough one with a long climb to start, technical rock gardens and fast sections that offered little chance to recover. It set the scene for close racing across the board, with tight gaps and late moves deciding many of the podium spots.
Race Summary
Elite Open
The Elite Open race was tight from the start, with Max Greensill, Max Standen, Innes McDonald and Jason Bouttell all setting the early pace and quickly separating themselves from the rest of the field. Through the opening laps, there was nothing between them, with the front group matching each other almost exactly and keeping the race locked together.
Bouttell remained part of that lead group through the early and middle stages, holding the pace alongside the front three as the race began to take shape. Just behind, Joseph Beckingsale rode consistently but was unable to quite bridge across.
By lap five, Greensill, Standen and McDonald were still inseparable, setting up a final-lap showdown, while Bouttell began to lose contact heading into the last climb.
Greensill made the decisive move on the final lap, putting in the fastest lap of the race to finally break clear. Standen stayed close and limited the damage, but couldn’t quite respond to the late acceleration, while McDonald slipped slightly off the pace and came home in third.
Bouttell held on for fourth after spending much of the race at the front, with Beckingsale rounding out the top five after a steady ride just behind.
Elite Female
The Elite Female race quickly turned into a head-to-head battle between Evie Strachan and Bethany-Ann Jackson, with the two riders setting identical times on the opening lap and immediately moving clear of the rest of the field.
Strachan began to gain small amounts of time on each lap as Jackson stayed within touching distance. The gap never grew to more than a few seconds, keeping the pressure on right through the race.
Behind them, Daisy Taylor settled into third early on, but was unable to match the pace at the front, with the gap steadily increasing as the laps went on.
Going into the final lap, it was still close between the front two, but Strachan held her advantage and brought it home for the win. Jackson responded with her quickest lap of the race on lap five, but it wasn’t quite enough to close things down, finishing just 13 seconds back.
Further behind, Nicky Healy and Caoimhe May were closely matched throughout, trading similar lap times before finishing almost side by side, separated by just a second at the line.
Junior Open
It was a fast and tightly packed race at the front, with Gus Lawson and Luke Trafford locked together from the first lap, both setting the same first lap time and immediately taking control.
There was very little to split them through the next two laps, with Trafford occasionally matching or slightly bettering Lawson’s pace, but never quite managing to get ahead.
Just behind, Arthur Limb and Luca Hill were riding their own battle, staying close to each other and within striking distance of the leaders, but the front two were just that bit quicker.
On the last lap, Lawson held things together under pressure and kept Trafford just behind to take the win by the narrowest of margins. Trafford crossed shortly after in second, with Limb securing third after a solid, consistent ride.
Hill followed closely in fourth, while Joel Gillan came through in fifth after a steady race just off the leading pace.
Junior Female
Iris Gray set the pace early and quickly established control of the race, putting in the fastest opening lap and creating a small gap from the start. She continued to build on that through lap two, extending her advantage with another strong effort.
Behind her, Heidi Roscoe and Helen Stevenson settled into second and third, with Roscoe holding a steady gap over Stevenson as the race progressed.
On the final lap, Gray maintained her lead despite a slightly slower lap, comfortably securing the win. Roscoe remained consistent to take second place, while Stevenson rounded out the podium in third after a solid ride.
Results
Saturday
Sport Open
- Rory Mansfield – 1:06:04.4
- Thomas Smith – +6:16.7
- Lee Harvey – +6:38.6
Fun Open
- Andy Taylor – 0:59:54.4
- Andrew Watton – +6:48.3
- Geoff Parish – +8:15.1
Fun Female
- Cath Robinson – 1:22:49.0
- Cat Allen – +6:59.4
Masters 40 Open
- Phillip Pearce – 1:33:26.4
- William Bjergfelt – +3:03.2
- Andrew Gardiner – +3:25.4
Masters 50 Open
- Nicholas Craig – 1:36:40.8
- Marc Chamberlain – +3:17.2
- Douglas Cameron – +4:02.3
Masters 60 Open
- Steve Robertson – 1:26:08.8
- Nigel Brown – +3:35.8
- Paul Byford – +4:02.1
Masters 70 Open
- Lynn Lines – 1:34:26.7
- Clive Powell – +2:09.3
Sunday
Youth Open
- Zachary Buchan – 0:47:53.6
- Wilfred Pugh – +0:30.0
- Zach Smith – +0:38.4
Juvenile Open
- Tom Craker – 0:37:58.2
- Samuel Medland – +0:43.8
- Ewan Allaway – +1:33.0
Youth Female
- Olivia Poole – 0:55:56.0
- Aoife Scawn – +2:57.2
- Jessica Oldham – +3:14.9
Juvenile Female
- Bryony Medland – 0:44:43.1
- Eilidh Coutts – +1:53.8
- Eve Carline – +4:51.0
Elite Female
- Evie Strachan – 1:19:33.0
- Bethany-Ann Jackson – +0:13.5
- Daisy Taylor – +5:37.3
Masters 40 Female
- Jane Barr – 1:18:37.5
- Angela Laycock – +4:44.5
- Emily Paddington-Smith – +4:58.3
Masters 50 Female
- Melanie Alexander – 1:19:49.7
- Helen Pattinson – +3:23.0
- Ruth Miller – +4:04.9
Masters 60 Female
- Claire Sharp – 1:16:53.7
- Carolyn Speirs – +8:37.4
- Carol Miller – +22:36.1
Elite Open
- Max Greensill – 1:27:22.9
- Max Standen – +0:09.5
- Innes McDonald – +0:45.2
Junior Open
- Gus Lawson – 0:57:16.2
- Luke Trafford – +0:04.1
- Arthur Limb – +0:30.6
Expert Open
- Henry Timewell – 1:18:22.9
- Euan White – +0:22.3
- Jeremy Bigg – +1:00.7
Race Photos & Videos
Get your race photos and videos at our new website, Raceshots.co.uk
Video & Photo bundle – £17
Photo Bundle – £10
Video Bundle – £10