Pomare serves up closest finish of the series
Round three of the Ian Browns XC series was held at La Pomare attracting fifty riders in the two races. Although not a favourite with some riders the course has a good mix of technical sections and enough climbing to make the riders work hard. The senior race saw some very close racing especially at the head of the race. From the start, two Island games riders Mark le Page and Charlie Tourtel set off at a fast pace gapping others by over twenty seconds on the first lap. The two riders were not separated by more than a few seconds throughout the race. The final laps turned into a tactical game with each trying to get into the single track first. Despite some huge efforts they could not get a gap from each other with Tourtel getting the edge on the last climb with some shoulder to shoulder racing, Tourtel entered the final straight first with both riders sprinting to the line and the younger rider having the edge.
Behind the leaders John Mapley came in a credible third place having shaken off the early pace from Mark de la Mare who’s pace dropped off but was able to keep a good distance from Adam Torode. Behind the Expert riders Veteran Pete Sargent and Down Hill specialist Joe Collenette had a close race with Sargent taking the flag however close behind was an intriguing battle between seasoned campaigner Mark Smith and the ever improving Dan Johnson who despite the encouragement from his children he could not quite beat Smith and fell away in the last few laps.
Mark Naftel had a good battle with Tristan Robilliard with Sam Nichols further behind. Our leading lady was again Jamie Petit Fulgoni who was in fine form with Nor Holden behind, despite the technical aspect of the course these ladies rode superbly and always had a smile. In the shorter U16 & U14s race the star of the day was Luka Robilliard who was untouchable and was pushing hard all race, his closest rival was Harry Manning with young Jacob Piercey not too far behind. In only his first season back young Rory le Cheminant showed his technical skills which helped him to an impressive fourth place. Luka Stonebridge and Arun Scales had a good battle with Stonebridge edging it by less than ten seconds. Again Humphry Brimson and Finley Sargent in only their third race with the adults showed their potential and looked to improve on their previous performances. Holly and Amy Smith both showed grit and determination on a course that they described as not their favourite but finished the race with Holly taking the win over her sister. This is all good preparation with many of the Utmost Ian Browns Academy riders attending the Southern XC next weekend in Winchester.
The U10s & U12s race was held on a shorter less technical course. Today we saw twenty one riders race with U12s Hugo Johnson taking the win over fellow rider Scott Bradbury. The ever charging young U10 rider Ethan Shorto came next ahead of a bunch of U12 riders who were fighting for the final podium place in the U12s with George Davey pipping Oscar Mezza. Rounding up the U10s podium was Jasper Sargent followed by Dawson Pearce. The girls had a great race with young U10 rider Orla Pipet coming in ahead of the slightly older Eleanor Piercey and Sofia Fulgoni. All our young riders rode amazingly today so the future is bright.
Full results: https://www.gvc.gg/klub/guernsey-velo-club-lbg/sider/2026-results
The next XC race is 03 May 2026, with two rounds of the Gravity series coming up. Check out gvc.gg for the full calendar.
Image supplied by Andy Dovey.