Kavin Smith and Jennifer Wilson seal Mountain Bike Series titles
Kavin Smith clinched a maiden One Communications Mountain Bike title after wrapping up the season with a second-place finish in the seventh round of the Series at Ferry Reach on Sunday.
Not only having to contend with high winds, riders also faced a challenging 2.5-mile course, which incorporated two differing course options – A and B lines – making mid-race strategy difficult to work out.
The A-line was extremely technical, with climbs and descents that put the best riders to the test, while the B course section was longer, but much easier to navigate.
In the Male Open 60 Minute race it was Dominique Mayho who prevailed, completing five laps in 1hr 3min 49 sec.
However, it proved a memorable day for Smith, who sealed his first overall title when finishing second after completing five laps in 1:07:22, ahead of James Holloway, who managed the same amount of laps in 1:09:30.
Holloway ended the season as runner-up, 25 points adrift of Smith, with Alan Potts claiming third place on 109 points.
Jennifer Wilson leapfrogged Ashley Robinson to clinch the Female Open 60 Minute honours, despite finishing second to Jennifer Lightbourne in what proved a hotly-contested division.
Both the top two riders completed four laps of the course, but it was Lightbourne who took victory, having done so in 1:15:42, about 90 seconds ahead of Wilson. Robinson had to settle for third, having managed a lap less in 1:03:51, while Pansy Olander saw her challenge ended by an early puncture.
The result left Wilson top overall on 135 points, with Lightbourne 14 points adrift and Olander and Robinson joint third on 118 points.
There was also race and title success for Dominic Smith in the Male Open 30 Minute division. Having completed two laps in 31:37, he finished the season top of the standings on 137 points, 17 clear of Dave Wolffe, with Daniel Ringer third overall.
On the day, Wolffe also finished on two laps but had to settle for third place behind Matthew Carr.
In the Female Open 30 Minute race, each of the four riders managed two laps of the course, but it was Rebecca May who came out on top, crossing the line in 38:01, comfortably ahead of Becky Garley in 42:05, with Florence Pedro completing the top three in 4:27.
The result mean May sealed the overall title with 142 points, 11 points ahead of Pedro, with Zina Jones in third.
There was also a comfortable victory for Wyatt Hall in the Male 13-16 race, in which he completed three laps in a time of 39:17, ahead of Gordon Smith in 42:51 and Andrew Thomas a further two minutes behind.
However, it was Smith who claimed the divisional title with 147 points, just nine ahead of Hall, with Zach Moniz in third.
In the 12 and under race, most riders went off course on the second lap of a shortened route, forcing a restart, but Ray Richardson dominated from start to finish to take the win with Philando Hill Jr narrowly holding off Hannes Swart for second place.
It capped a dominant campaign for Richardson, who finished top of the standings with 147 points, 34 clear of Jonah MacGuinness, with Abram Da Ponte third.
In the corresponding female division, Daisey Langley held the lead for a large proportion of the race only to be passed on the final lap by Naomi MacGuinness, who ultimately claimed top honours, 17 points ahead of Langley in the season standings.
Ava Swart completed the podium places on the day, with Stella Richardson taking third place overall for the season.
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