Paul is Regional Criterium Champion

Paul & John play it cool while Neil does the obligatory grimace

Paul went to the MK Bowl last night in his skinsuit. A statement of intent for the LVRC Regional Criterium Championships.

Characteristically quiet, he was already warming up whilst others were chattering and trying to find lost items of kit. Racing got started with a bang and despite his group C tag, Paul was straight into the thick of the action with the younger team members.

Head Down as usual, Paul gets to work and puts his adversaries under pressure

As others struggled with their peers, he took the fight to his age group and, despite being heavily marked, he shook off the competition to take an emphatic win, his second in two weeks. The Regional Title joins the Road Title he took at Cranfield on May 4th. Congratulations Paul!

Left to Right - John Lacey, Neil Wass, Paul Caton

John Lacey and Neil Wass, meanwhile, were in with the As and Bs. "I was in shock," recalls Neil. "The race went off like a Rocket. It was as if a select group had been fired up with Nitrous Oxide! I was pretty much defeated the moment that first move went."

John had other ideas. Sat in the second group, he could have bided his time but instead he came out fighting and attacked. Staying away on his own, he soloed to take a thoroughly deserved second place in his group. "I think my long time trials are handy training for this," he smiled. "It's great to get away against the odds."

Once he got over what he described as his 'Marlboro' cough, Neil was upbeat: "Great night for the team," he concluded. "The riders who put the work in and took the risks got the results."