Roe snatches victory in XC Round 2 thriller!
The second XC event of the season took place at Le Guet, attracting 65 riders to a course lined with slippery roots, sharp turns and steep descents. Conditions were especially challenging as the heavy rain which only stopped ten minutes before the race began left the track slick and unpredictable, posing problems for riders from the very start.
The Expert category saw the welcome return of Brad Vaudin & Andy Colver, adding further intensity to an already competitive field that included Mark Le Page, James Roe, Zach Smith, and strong contenders Charlie Tourtel and John Mapley. After five laps, there was virtually nothing to separate Le Page, Smith, and Roe, with the trio locked together on the tight and technical course.
Le Page eventually managed to create a small but decisive gap as the race entered the second half of the race with Roe the only rider managing to reel Le Page in, setting up a tense final lap showdown. As they entered the final lap, Roe was able to take full advantage of Le Page’s misfortune when his chain came off. Seizing the moment, Roe sprinted past to claim victory by just four seconds, also clocking the fastest lap of the race with an impressive 4.36.
Despite riding superbly throughout and losing contact with the front two, Smith ultimately settled into a well‑earned third place, another outstanding performance from the 15yr old. Although Tourtel and Mapley both rode strongly, they were unable to stay with the front group, finishing fourth and fifth respectively.
Remi Le Compte put the disappointment of the previous race firmly behind him, delivering a strong ride to take victory in the Advanced category. New Riders Ben Langlois and Craig Bougourd put in a solid performances to secure the final two place on the age group podium.
The Veterans category once again delivered an exciting contest, with Pete Sargent, Pete Miller, and Wayne Piercey all in the mix for podium positions. Sargent rode strongly from the start, securing a convincing victory having controlled the race throughout.
Behind him, Pete Miller ground out an excellent second place, despite his dropper post failing on lap 2. Wayne Piercey rode consistently to take third place.
Mark Smith extended his strong run of form with another convincing win in the Grand Veterans category. Kieran Lee followed in second, with Rod Smith securing the final podium position.
The Lady’s race would see a close battle with Jamy Petit-Fulgoni edging out Frankie Middleton by just 4 seconds to taker her second win of the series. Nor Holden despite being battered and bruised from the previous days MX activities, took third place.
Mark Naftel, Tony Manning, and Donna Smith each delivered strong performances, securing victories across the Super Vets and Sport categories. Utmost & Ian Brown’s Academy riders Harry Manning and Holly Smith claimed commanding victories in the U16 categories, with strong rides from Luca Stonebridge and Amy Smith securing the runner‑up positions.
Utmost & Ian Brown’s Academy riders Harry Manning and Holly Smith claimed commanding victories in the U16 categories, with strong rides from Luca Stonebridge and Amy Smith securing the runner‑up positions.
The U14 Academy boys’ race proved, as ever, to be fiercely contested, especially with Freddie Martel, Luca Robilliard, and Jacob Piercey now competing in the same age group. Martel and Robilliard went head‑to‑head over six laps, with Martel ultimately taking the win by just six seconds. Less than a minute behind, Piercey rode strongly to secure third place, holding off a late charge from Arun Scales in fourth.
Hugo Johnston and Ethan Shorto were once again the riders to beat in the U12 and U10 boys’ categories, each taking confident victories and replicating the exact podium order from the opening round. In the girls’ events, Darcy Meza delivered another superb performance to win the U14 race, while Eleanor Piercey and Orla Pipet continued their impressive form, dominating the U12 and U10 categories respectively, also matching the podium places from Round 1.
The next round of the Ian Browns XC Series is on March 15th, venue to be confirmed. For full results please go to gvc.gg.
