Gascoigne rides to second in series

MELTON Olympic Cycling Clubs Adam Gascoigne has taken a very impressive second place in the countrys premier cross country mountain bike series. The final round of the National Mountain Bike Cross-Country Series was held at Hammsterly Forest, County Durham, at the weekend and consisted of two laps of a five-mile course which climbed from the race village to the top of the forest. From the start a fast gravel firebreak took the riders up the first climb where Gascoigne (right) led the field into the first bit of single track. The Melton rider coped well with the technical single-track descents and used his strong climbing skills to get away from the main field. But he lost time on the particularly long descents which enabled series contender Ian Legg (Principia RT) to forge a gap and go on to win the race. Gascoigne finished third, just in front of national champion Ben Crawforth. Leggs win also gave him the series but Gascoigne finished a very impressive runner-up in his first season of racing with one first place, a second and two thirds to his credit. *The audax season is drawing to a close, but Richard Ludlow still had some unfinished business as he started the Robin Hood High Peak Trial on Sunday from Trowell. As the title suggests, the course was decidedly lumpy, taking in such well-known climbs as Winnats Pass, Snake Pass, Bamford Moor and Beeley Moor. However, the organiser provided plenty of additional climbing in order to keep the riders entertained. The weather, although windy with occasional rain, was much better than had been forecast. Cafes were strategically placed to help keep the riders going and Ludlow arrived back after 11 hours and 45 minutes of riding. But the most important thing was that he has now reached 50 points and with it the accompanying 5000 Brevet award.*Ian Laws clocked a superb 21.13 minutes in the Nottingham Clarion 10-mile Time Trial held in windy conditions that put paid to hopes of super-fast times on the renowned Tuxford to Carlton-on-Trent course. Andy Robinson was equally unperturbed by the wind, racing to 22.58 behind winner Julian Ramsbottom (Pete Read Racing) who clocked 19.44.*Norman Portess is still in great form and last weekend he finished seventh with a time of 56.42 minutes in the BDCA 25 held on the Rocester to Blythe Bridge course. Matt Botrill (Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers) was a clear winner with 53.27 from Team Lutterworths Ashley Long who clocked 54.18. This was the final event in the season-long BDCA Best All-Rounder Competition where, after winning last year, Portess slipped to third this time behind Derby Mercury RC pairing Andy Eagers and Simon Pedley.