Canny Caton plays it cool for the win

Husbands Bosworth in Leicestershire this morning played host to the Fleche Waltonne round of the LVRC series. Designed as a 'hardman's race', the course included a 3 mile section of unclassified road which was not only demanding from a handling point of view, it left the competitors and their machines liberally splattered with dirt.

those of a mechanically sensitive disposition should look away

To add to the challenge, the weather threw in its lot. Temperatures barely above freezing combined with driving rain and sleet to give the field an unforgettable morning out.

Paul Caton recalls "At one point, my jaw was actually fatigued just from shivering! I made one attack out of the bunch if only to keep warm, but my body seemed to rebel so I was caught quite quickly." Resolved to tough it out, the Anders TMG Horizon rider counted down the laps as a lone attack from Steve Johnson was reeled in.

With 1km to go, it was clear the race was going to finish in a bunch sprint, but there was a small climb to the line. Says Caton: "I just manned it out. I tried not to think about the weather, the risks and the other riders."

Paul Caton - early win in 2012

Timing his move to perfection, the team's number one rider distanced the field and took the win by over three bike lengths. "I really did think of packing in the early laps," he concludes. "It just shows that everyone else was feeling it too. It's always worth sticking with it and giving it a shot."