BC MTB National Series round 2 race update
Utmost and Ian Brown’s Academy riders Zach Smith and Charlie Tourtel together with velo club member Mark Le Page travelled to Cannock Chase last weekend for round two of British Cycling’s MTB National Series. The event which is one of the most prestigious mountain bike events on the calendar, would see entries for the weekend exceeding 750 participants and would also include top British riders, Charlie Aldridge, Cameron Orr, Evie Richards and Isla Short.
The short track event, which was held on Friday evening, spanned 1.2km and would see the riders completing nine laps of the leg sapping course, whereas the full course spanned 4.8km on a very well laid out track, which included fast descents, steep drop off and short sharp hills, demanding grit and determination to complete the race.
Zach Smith still on a high from his recent European event, was the first to compete in the Youth XCC short track event and he wouldn't disappoint. Gridded at the back of the pack, he powered off the line to join the lead pack in quick time and sat behind the top riders. The following eight laps would see the positions change many times with Smith hanging on against the physically stronger riders to produce an excellent third place!
In the Juniors class, Charlie Tourtel gridded in the middle of the pack against a strong UCI rider field. Tourtel made a great start moving up the grid a few places after lap one. The remaining laps would see Tourtel battling well against the race legs of Alarik Knox and Arthur Oliver to finish in a superb 24th place.
All three riders took to the line for Sunday's MTB race, starting with Zach Smith, who lined up third in a massive field of forty six Youth riders. The start was a physical battle, but Smith held his own with "elbows out" to sit at the tail of a six rider lead group. As the pace increased during lap two, the pack thinned to four, with Smith still looking strong. Lap three, would see Zach making his move, seizing the lead while being hunted by the "Scottish train" of Ross Allan and Zach Buchan.
On the final lap, Buchan used the Commonwealth downhill section (and slow traffic) to gap the field, leaving Smith and Allen to fight for the remaining spots. Smith still holding second, emptied the tank on the brutal draggy uphill finish, but was narrowly pipped at the line by a powerful sprint from Allen. It was another impressive podium for Smith, further cementing his reputation on the UK national circuit.
Starting from the back of the grid, Junior rider Charlie Tourtel charged early to hold eighteenth place after the first lap. Despite moving two further places on lap two, a technical issue forced him to retire. Despite the DNF, it was a solid performance and valuable experience for Charlie in his first National Race in quite some time.
Mark Le Page, the final rider for Guernsey, delivered a strong performance in the Expert class. After a solid start, Le Page held fifth position through lap one, leading rival Giorgio Coppola by three positions. Le Page continued to maintain a consistent pace with high 14/15-minute lap times over the next five laps, ultimately securing a seventh place finish. Another impressive result for Le Page brings him one step closer to his first career podium at the National level.
The next event will see Zach and six of his fellow GVC team mates travelling to round two the Southern Series being held in the New Forest this coming weekend.
Written by Roon Smith
