Event Report by Alex Jones

It was a typical cyclo-cross rainy day for the 3^rd edition of the Fred William’s Scramble hosted at Aldersley Leisure Village. Despite the poor conditions, there were good turnouts in every event and close and competitive racing throughout the day.

The first race of the day was the under 10’s where Josef Feiven and Elliot Randall (both Halesowen A & CC) dominated before Feiven pulled away in the final lap to take victory. Luke Turnbull (Stratford CC) crossed the line 3^rd. Lewis Askey (Lichfield CC) put in a strong performance to finish as the first under 8.

Shortly after was the under 12s, run on the same course as the under 12s. Charlotte Broughton (Leicestershire RC) was the fastest in the tough conditions and she took the win well ahead of Harrison Palmer and Tom Biddle (Halesowen).

Next up were the youth and the weather was still poor. Joe Page (Worcester St. Johns) dealt best with the conditions as he took the win ahead of Jacob James (Halesowen) and Sam Broughton (Leicestershire RC). Chris Brookes (Wolverhampton Wheelers CC) was the first under 14.

The rain had almost stopped by the time the Vets. Women and Juniors took to the start, but by this point the course already cut up enough to ensure a hard race for all competitors. Will Verney (Felt Racing) and Keith Sperry (Welland Valley) started the fastest and by the time they came across the line for the first time they had opened a significant lead. Soon after, Verney dropped Sperry and he went on to win by a very big margin. Behind there was a battle for the minor placings and, in the end, it was Nigel Hay (Pedal Power) who secured 3^rd with a quick last couple of laps. Jasmine Adams (Wyre Forest) finished as first Lady.

The final race of the day was for the seniors. The weather had cleared up by now and the sun even dared to come out at one point. The dryer weather did cause problems for the riders though as the mud thickened and began to clog up bikes. The main problem seemed to be derailleurs getting jammed in back wheels and having the cages ripped off. Many riders were forced to retire and only 23 of 38 starters managed to finish the race. As the riders set off it was Dan Booth (CyclingBargains.com) who took the initiative and opened a good lead. Behind Keith Murray (Hope) and Darren Atkins (Coventry RC) tried to chase but it was all in vain. Atkins’ hopes were ended with a mechanical and he was forced to pull out leaving Murray to take 2^nd and Atkins’ team mate, Colin Miller, to round off the podium places. Rob Burns Jnr (Wolverhampton Wheelers CC) overcame a mechanical problem to finish as the first under 23.