Paul Caton travelled north to Swynnerton in Staffordshire on Sunday for round one of the Percy Stallard LVRC series. Sponsored by Omnipex - BioRacer, this series is a long running national competition and is always hard fought.
"I was a little bit disappointed with my Tim Trialling last weekend but I was determined to make up for it and I'd done some hard intervals in the week to prepare," begins Caton. "I had to make it worth the mileage!"
Learning from a race earlier in the season, he stayed close to the front of the bunch from the off. This paid off very quickly. As with many previous races, the attacks came early. In the words of Jim Golden, reporting for VeloUK, the race was "in bits" by the end of lap one.
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| Paul Caton makes the early selection. more pics at velouk.net |
Caton was part of the early move which escaped the bunch after only three miles. Containing a number of strong riders, it stayed away and proved to be the key move of the race. Although it swelled at its peak to twelve riders, only 8 remained by the finish. Says Caton: "I tried to stay as comfortable as possible and ride within my limits but I could see others were suffering which always feels good!"
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| In the mix: Caton (far left) goes for the finish line. more pics at velouk.net |
Caton came home 4th, and 2nd within his age group: "I was pleased with that," he concluded afterwards. "It was a tough race in cold and windy conditions on a tough course with some strong competition. You can't always take so much satisfaction from high placings, but today's race was one where I really earnt my points."
