This Is Guernsey

Eventual winner Ben Walden leads the way around a bend during the GVC’s handicap road race on the Pebble Bank circuit. (Picture by Adrian Miller, 0571125)

DAN ARBLASTER thought he had sprinted to another victory in the Guernsey Velo Club’s handicap road race on Sunday.

It was not until a few minutes after he had crossed the line that he realised he had been preceded by Ben Walden, who had had time to dry off and get changed before seeing the battle for runner-up spot reach a climax.

On a day when fog and heavy rainfall descended on the 30 riders, making conditions very tough, the 15-lap race around the short two-mile Pebble Bank circuit had four different starting groups based upon previous performance and so some confusion over positions was understandable by the end.

However, it should not detract at all from Walden’s excellent performance.

Group four set off at scratch with a 6min. 45sec. advantage over three, a 12-minute one over two and 14 minutes ahead of one.

The scratch group set off quickly trying to establish a lead over the chasing ones and it was clear from the start that closing the gaps was going to be difficult, with the riders completing one-and-a-half laps before the next had even started.

Group two started as three and four finished laps one and two.

To have a chance of winning, groups one and two needed to un-lap themselves and then catch the riders again.

Pushing hard up the only climb on the short lap, group two managed to shake off all but one of the riders from four and three, with Walden being the solitary cyclist remaining from group three.

Lap after lap he maintained contact with group two despite the best efforts to shake him off and so he retained his one-lap advantage over the others.

Slightly further back, group one featuring the island’s top riders had set off and were slowly eating into the lead, but their cause was not helped when the initial group of seven were reduced to five, losing Stuart Le Tissier to illness and Matt Osborn to a puncture.

Group four had begun to splinter, with John Beck leading from Phil Setters, John Dorey, Tracey Dowinton, Katrina Thomson and Ray Pinchemain.

With all the chasing riders quickly catching the leaders, they all broke up over the climbs trying to stay away, with Beck holding a solo lead for most of the first 10 laps.

With many early laps being completed before groups one and two had even started, it was confusing for many riders to know exactly who was leading and who was with which group.

As the final laps were getting closer, it became clear that Walden was leading overall as he had managed to stay with group two despite continuous attacks up the hills and along the flat sections.

It was not until four laps to go, when group one had finally caught two plus Walden that he was dropped. The fast pace up the climb led by Arblaster, James McLaughlin, Josh Gosselin, Rob Smart and Aaron Bailey also resulted in all the other riders except Leon Ogier and Philip Touzeau getting dropped.

This group caught and passed group two, who had also made contact with Beck, who had been in second place.

Leader Walden continued to ride with the rest of group two throughout the final few laps and when that group caught three again, he had actually put a lap in on his fellow starting riders.

Walden enjoyed the final lap knowing that he was nearly an entire circuit in front of most of the riders and when he crossed the finish line for the victory, the remaining riders carried on for another lap.

The battle for second place, which had changed hands so many times, now featured the group one riders plus Ogier and Touzeau.

Entering the coast roads, McLaughlin and Arblaster attacked and opened up a gap from Bailey and Gosselin, with Arblaster winning the sprint for second.

Bailey claimed fourth followed by Gosselin, Ogier, Touzeau and Smart.

A second group of 10, 1-30 further back, sprinted for the line, with Nick Mann taking ninth place and Gary Robert completing the top 10.

Ann Bowditch was the first woman in 13th and Beck came in at the back of the second group to finish in 18th.

Dorey and Thomson completed the riders to finish.