Joughin sprints clear to clinch victory in Shropshire & South Staffs RRL R5
report by Ben Goddard
Ben Joughin (Pro Vision RT) charged clear of the peloton to clinch a comfortable victory in round five of the Shropshire & South Staffs RRL.
The 30-year-old, from Stoke-on-Trent, had placed well with two third place finishes in the opening three rounds but went even better on this occasion.
Joughin who is the newly crowned the TLI National Circuit Race Champion sprinted well clear to clinch the win and with it the overall leaders jersey.
Round four was cancelled last week as a mark of respect to local junior rider Joseph Guy who lost his life after being hit by a vehicle while on his bike.
A small field of 54 riders competed over 33 miles which consisted of five laps of the mostly flat Charlton triangle circuit, near Atcham, the same circuit as used in round two.
On that occasion, the first group away in the handicap format held onto an advantage over their faster rivals to compete for victory.
The fastest group had a shorter seven minutes and 30 seconds deficit to catch the first group this time. They were not to be denied again and the race came together on the final lap leading for a mass sprint finish.
Leading up to the finish a crash dashed the hopes of Aaron Poole (Wolverhampton Whls) who was taken to hospital with a suspected broken collarbone.
Previous overall leader Chris Pook (Rhino Velo RT) was on marshalling duty so was unable to defend his jersey. This gave previous yellow jersey wearer Matthew Morris (Wolverhampton Whls) a chance to regain the overall lead, but his second-place finish was not enough as Joughin clinched the win and the coveted jersey.
Fastest woman on the night was Steph Clayton (Mammoth Lifestyle RT) who finished safely in the bunch in 21st position.
| Pos | No | Name | Club | Time | Cat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 20 | Ben Joughin | Pro Vision Race Team | 01:08:38.92 | 2nd |
| 2 | 5 | Matthew Morris | Wolverhampton Whls | 0.421 | 2nd |
| 3 | 2 | Josh Yates | Mammoth Lifestyle Racing Team | 0.601 | 2nd |
| 4 | 11 | Ben Lloyd | Pro Vision Race Team | 0.659 | 3rd |
| 5 | 52 | Chris Lloyd | Stourbridge CC | 0.695 | 3rd |
| 6 | 19 | Simon Bradeley | Pro Vision Race Team | 0.805 | 3rd |
| 7 | 38 | James Barzda | Walsall RCC | 0.811 | 3rd |
| 8 | 85 | Simon Haycock | Stourbridge CC | 0.814 | 4th |
| 9 | 56 | Christopher Taylor | Wolverhampton Whls | 0.907 | 3rd |
| 10 | 36 | Matthew Redworth | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 1.012 | 3rd |
| 11 | 15 | Nick Morris | Clee Cycles | 1.025 | 4th |
| 12 | 14 | Danny Smith | Mammoth Lifestyle Racing Team | 1.102 | 2nd |
| 13 | 10 | Joe Charley | Stourbridge CC | 1.165 | 3rd |
| 14 | 28 | Jason Meyer | Stourbridge Velo | 1.202 | 3rd |
| 15 | 89 | David Whitehouse | Walsall RCC | 1.329 | 4th |
| 16 | 72 | Thomas Colley | Newport CC | 1.408 | 4th |
| 17 | 1 | Alexander Simmons | Pro Vision Race Team | 1.835 | 2nd |
| 18 | 6 | Phillip Glaze | Stourbridge CC | 2.56 | 3rd |
| 19 | 68 | James Gibney | West Midlands Police CC | 2.576 | 4th |
| 20 | 83 | Darren Cadwallader | Stourbridge CC | 3.154 | 4th |
| 21 | 43 | Steph Clayton | Mammoth Lifestyle Racing Team | 3.644 | 1st |
| 22 | 102 | David Smith | Mammoth Lifestyle Racing Team | 4.168 | |
| 23 | 92 | Andy Jones | Wolverhampton Whls | 4.263 | 3rd |
| 24 | 100 | Andrew Cooper | Le Mons Du Velo | 4.919 | |
| 25 | 49 | James Brisco | Wolverhampton Whls | 5.382 | 3rd |
| 26 | 23 | David Griffiths | Mammoth Lifestyle Racing Team | 5.757 | 2nd |
| 27 | 33 | Mark McCann | DMW – BRIDGTOWN | 5.941 | 3rd |
| 28 | 73 | John Bellis | Le Mons Du Velo | 6.47 | 4th |
| 29 | 58 | Garry Bolton | Wolverhampton Whls | 9.13 | 3rd |
| 30 | 55 | Timothy Jones | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 10.823 | 3rd |
| 31 | 74 | Laurence Cooley | Beacon Roads CC | 11.844 | 4th |
| 32 | 31 | Neil Hayward | Stourbridge CC | 13.354 | 3rd |
| 33 | 69 | Alec Bond | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 16.744 | 4th |
| 34 | 80 | Jonathan Perry | Stourbridge CC | 01:22.41 | 4th |
| 35 | 25 | Brett Lowndes | Pro Vision Cycle Clothing | 01:24.62 | 3rd |
| 36 | 62 | Ian Lister | Wolverhampton Whls | 01:25.02 | 3rd |
| 37 | 59 | Andrew Tomlinson | Wolverhampton RCC | 02:09.17 | 3rd |
| 38 | 44 | Craig Whittle | DMW – BRIDGTOWN | 02:09.53 | 3rd |
| 39 | 88 | Philip Richardson | Wolverhampton Whls | 02:10.10 | 4th |
| 40 | 71 | Adam Roper | Newport Shropshire CC | 09:17.91 | 4th |
| 41 | 79 | Jonathan Myers | Wolverhampton RCC | 10:59.27 | 4th |
| 42 | 93 | Ben Pinches | Wolverhampton Whls | 1 Lap | |
| DNF | 97 | Ella Steel | Newport Shropshire CC | DNF | |
| DNF | 65 | Aaron Poole | Wolverhampton Whls | DNF | 4th |
| DNF | 95 | Simon Smewin | Solihull CC | DNF | |
| DNF | 82 | Dave Woodvine | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | DNF | 4th |
| DNF | 45 | Rob Childs | Stourbridge Velo | DNF | 3rd |
| DNF | 51 | Scott Palmer | Stourbridge CC | DNF | 3rd |
| DNF | 101 | Tom Ford | Halesowen A & CC | DNF | |
| DNF | 99 | Jack Escritt | Raleigh GAC | DNF | |
| DNF | 91 | Michael Lenehan | West Midlands Police CC | DNF | 4th |
| DNF | 87 | Peter Taylor | Stourbridge Velo | DNF | 4th |
| DNF | 96 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Wolverhampton Whls | DNF | |
| DNF | 9 | Joseph Hobbs | Halesowen A & CC | DNF | 2nd |
| DNF | 18 | Peter Banham | DMW – BRIDGTOWN | DNF | 1st |