GYCC Speed League Round 3 Race Report
Round 3 of the Speed League delivered another quick night of racing, with 14 riders taking on the course. Conditions were not quite as favourable as Round 2 and, although the pace remained high, it was generally a slower night across the field.
Mark Richards and Matt Holland once again set the two fastest speeds. Mark topped the TT category with 28.14mph, while Matt followed closely at 27.55mph. Impressively, both riders exactly matched the personal bests they set in the previous round despite the less favourable conditions.
Liam Walpole and Chris Wheeler both made their Speed League debuts and immediately made an impact. Liam produced an excellent 22.81mph average to earn Gold and win the Novice category at his first attempt. Chris recorded 20.69mph, earning a Bronze Average Speed Level and finishing second among the Novice riders.
Jordan McWilton led the Club category with 21.88mph and a Silver achievement. Paul Hayward and Ashton Moore were the two returning riders to improve on their previous bests, recording new PBs of 20.52mph and 20.28mph respectively.
With the faster benchmarks established during Round 2, improvements were always going to become more difficult. Matching an existing best was an achievement in itself, while Paul and Ashton showed there are still valuable gains to be found as the league progresses.
The league standings are now extremely close. Mark Richards leads with 100 points, but Jordan McWilton is only two points behind on 98, with Gavin Stock a further two points back on 96. Just four points separate the leading three riders.
The battle immediately behind them is equally competitive. Tom Moore and Stephen Brown are tied on 78 points, Toby Barnes and Adam Glover sit on 74, and Ian Armstrong has 70. That means only eight points separate the next five riders, leaving both the podium battle and the chasing group wide open heading into Round 4.
See below for link to the rider gallery.
