Young riders battle wind and mud in puddle-filled race

Thursday 06 December 2018

There was mud, sweat, but thankfully no tears from a determined set of youngsters who recently battled their way through the elements in a winter mountain bike race.

The fourth race of the HSBC Winter Mountain Bike Series, which took place at Les Platons on Sunday, was marred with windswept and muddy conditions, but the riders were in high spirits and seemed delighted to negotiate the puddles.

Organised by the Jersey Cycling Association Youth Academy, the race saw young bikers aged four to 14 take to the track at Les Platons.

Those competing in the Under 6 category were the first on the start line.

Pictured: Les Platons, where the latest race in the series took place.

Corey Wood took his third consecutive win of the season, closely followed by Maverick Bull, who claimed his first podium position of the series. Jayden Hughes took third, followed by Thomas Spacie. Victoria Grant won the girls race, followed by Thea Bell, the only other entrant in the girls category. Having won 22 points in the race, she is still at the top of the championship, ahead of Grant.

The drizzle turned to rain making the ground more slippery just as the Under 8’s were getting ready to race.

Sienna Raimondo set off at a furious pace, chased closely by Theo Le Sueur the youngest rider in the age category. The two of them jostled for the first place at every corner. As the pair closed in on the final meters of the race under cheers from the crowd, Le Sueur nudged ahead to take the win.

Pictured: Theo Le Sueur, the youngest rider in the under 8 category, won the race.

Raimondo finished second overall but took first place in the girls' category, one minute and 14 seconds ahead of Lacie and Thea Thompson who came in second and third place. Ethan Mwanga was in eighth position at the end of the the first lap, but made his way up with each passing lap to claim third overall, and second boy.

20 competitors from the combined under 12 and 14 age category then took to the start line.

Charlie Hart made a good start with Tom Huelin on his wheel. Keen to get ahead, the pair completed an additional lap on the rest of the competitors. Huelin pulled ahead, creating a gap which he held to the finish line, finishing 45 seconds ahead of Hart.

Pictured: Corey Wood won his third race of the season.

Old friends and rivals Filip Nowacki, Jacob Mauger and Max Mahony fought elbow to elbow for the podium in the under 12 boys race. Mauger had to fight his way through the field of riders after a cautious start, but managed to overtake Mahony in the fifth lap. He then went on to take second place. Nowacki claimed his fourth win in a row in his age category, and finished third overall.

The Under 12 girls had three competitors. Emma Mwanga, who struggled with the challenging conditions, took third, while Libby Hart took second. Emily Le Gros continued her winning streak to take a fourth straight win and seventh overall. 

The Under 10’s were the last to race. 

Pictured: Under 10s competitor Evie Worth.

Marley Raimondo took the lead form the start, whilst the battle for second and third was hotly contested between Tom Sterry and Harry Cutting. Amber Mauger took a comfortable win ahead of Evie Worth, while Skyla Malloy took third, seemingly undeterred by the challenging conditions.

The next race in the series will be at Les Quennevais from 13:00 on Sunday 16 December.