Team Microgaming-Isle of Man rider Jake Kelly won the bronze medal in the British National Junior Road Race Championship on Sunday (May 13). Kelly was third in the 125km race held on a testing course near the Brecon Beacons in South Wales.
Sam Lowe (Hargroves Cycles) won finishing just two seconds ahead of Sebastian Baylis (Mid Devon CC). Kelly finished in the same time as the silver medalist. Baylis will be familiar to Isle of Man cycling fans as he won the second stage of the recent Sleepwell Hotels Isle of Man Youth Tour.
A group of four riders went clear after an hour of racing but the lead group swelled to 19 riders - including Kelly and defending champion Dan Pearson (Wilier/Live 2 Ride) - with 30km to go. The tough 4km climb back to Brynmawr whittled the leaders down to nine who stayed together to contest the finale. Lowe got the jump on the group and left the other eight to sprint it out for silver and bronze.
Team Microgaming riders Nick Corlett and Alex Haddock finished 48th and 60th respectively.
Kelly’s medal continues the success of Manx riders in the British National Junior Road Race Championship in recent years. Chris Nicholson won bronze in 2010, Tim Kennaugh silver in 2009 and his brother Peter won silver in 2006 and gold in 2007. The current World Road Race Champion Mark Cavendish was silver medallist in the 2003 British junior race.
Team Microgaming’s excellent all-round performance in the national championship will give them renewed confidence when they resume racing in the British Junior Road Race Series. Round four is the Tom Simpson Memorial Road Race in Donacaster on June 17. Other events in the series are the CC Giro Junior Criteriums, Lichfield, on June 23; Hatherleigh Junior RR, Exeter, on July 8; Bath RC Junior RR, Milton Keynes, on July 22; and the Junior Tour of Wales on August 25-27. Microgaming has been the title sponsor of the Isle of Man national cycling team since 2008. This season the team is also supported by Eurocars which has supplied a team car for the squad.
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