Older News

To get results published on this site as fast as possible after a race, the quickest solution will often be to photo the handwritten results sheets which are used to announce the winner within an hour or two of every race and then to email the picture to somebody who can put them on the ERRL forum.

Send the picture to:

hugo.robins@eastlondonvelo.cc

and the results will get recorded in the League Tables too.

PCH have set their stall out - they're targetting the League title.

But to win they'll they'll have stay ahead of Virgin Active: mesdames, m'sieurs place your bets. . .

The new ERRL members really have spiced up this season's racing - and so, onwards to Super Sunday. For the first time ever we have an ERRL Regional B, a Regional A and a National A race all on the same day: the inaugural Fleche Welwyn, the Chelmer and the Tour of Dengie Marshes.

For the Chelmer, competition for a place on the starting line is so fierce that fully 17 teams have been held back to just three entries each. Victory here will be sweet.

The much-loved Tour of Dengie this year gains National A status and it is a race only for the most intrepid of ERRL riders - they will line up with the cream of the country's road racers, but for any of them to look beyond this. . . Well, we shall have to see. The best placed ERRL rider will win maximum club points if he can finish in the top 20. (No pressure, Basil Moss.)

The Fleche Welwyn appears more idiosyncratic - the field has large contingents from the promoting club and from the so far rather reticent Finchley Racing Team but has been neglected by the bulk of ERRL clubs. These opportunities offer something of an early season joker for these teams: let's see how they get on.

Is it too early to expect to see written for the season the writing on the wall?

The ERRL has had one of the most exciting starts to the season for several years. New members CC Hackney have taken half of the podium places in the two races so far with three separate riders, and sit proudly on top of the club table.

CCH does not have deep roots in road racing yet, but it clearly has roots amongst riders who should be racing: connecting ERRL with these riders is something we can all celebrate. The question for the other clubs now is can they catch them?

Only Cambridge amongst the established League leaders has made a strong showing so far, and again it is the newer faces who have been making an impression, as they have at the ever-enigmatic Eagle RC. St Ives have again started strongly, and we can only hope that this year they can carry their challenge right into the season. The other team to show notable early promise is newcomers, PCH UK RT.

ERRL bids farewell to the Orbea-For Goodness Shakes! team who won the League last year, and we wish them success in their new incarnation. Meanwhile last year's second and third placed clubs, East London Vélo and Finchley RT, have yet to make an impact.

Perhaps 2011 is going to be a year in which we see a real changing of the guard in ERRL. So far we've only seen the results of two Regional A(Cat 2/3) races and we won't be able to see the shape of the season until we start to see which teams are scoring in the Regional Bs(Cat 3/4) and the National Bs(Cat E123). Looking at their results in the (non-League) Jock Wadley and the Wally Gimber, perhaps it is in these National Bs that ELV have their best chance of making up ground.

Next up though, one of those Regional Bs - this one promoted by newcomers Braintree Velo CC. Best wishes to them and to everyone supporting the League and its races this year.

Jim Moffat (Spirit Racing Team) won the five-up sprint for the Last Chance Points Grabber, narrowly beating Edgar Medellin of Finchley, Phil Hetzel (Ipswich), James Fox (Luton) and Basil Moss(Cambridge).

No doubt chastened by their experience in the Shaftesbury RR the previous week, Basil and Phil made sure they were well positioned for the second out of the seven ascents of the long climb. The hammer came down with such clinical precision that the race was all but finished for everyone who did not make the selection, just one last spasm produced three riders who worked well to catch the break of twelve and then it really was all over.

Glade, Eagle and St Ives were represented, Cambridge had three away, Finchley two, ELV had one plus Simon Bateson already up the road and ahead of all the drama on an ambitious solo ride (or hunt for primes). With all the sharks up the road, only remoras left in the bunch, the race seemed set.

In a reversal of their good fortune of the previous week ELV lost both of their riders from the break by the penultimate lap when the final selection of five separated themselves and rode away to contest the finish.

Second placed Finchley's lead over ELV in the ERRL Club League had come down to just 6 points, but with this result they have came roaring back to stretch it back out to 18 points (allowing for the needed adjustments).

Cambridge have closed to within just a point of Norwich in the struggle for fourth place with today's booty of 11 points. The contest for the other places in the top ten is equally hard fought.

Today Finchley came as close as they could to a win, but that win still eludes them. All the early season promise of their sprinters' firepower has been dissipated on the track before it could bear fruit on the road, and on the evidence of today and of last week, it's Jason Kettle (Eagle) who now wears the ERRL sprinters crown.

After the Falling Leaves RR but before the Interbike results, VC Norwich just push Cambridge CC into 5th spot, Inverse overtake Glade for 7th and Eagle overtake Luton for 9th, once these adjustments are included.

Unfortunately updates to the tables for the ELV 2Day RR results are still causing problems.

While we work on this, we can at least set out the net additional points due for each club:

Orbea-FGS 44

Finchley RT 18

ELV 7

Cambridge CC 11

VC Norwich 17

Inverse 14

Eagle RC 9

PCA Ciclos 10

We shall have to see what changes teams can make in this with what is left of our season.