Clee Cycles / KCNC / High5 Race Team

The Clee Cycles Race Team compete in XC and marathon races, as well as many enduros and 24hr events.

We are proud to be sponsored by KCNC Components and HIGH5 Advanced Sport Nutrition.

Riding this season are:-
Chris Coombs (Masters), Andy Jones (Masters), Ben Jones (Masters), Hugh Lloyd (Masters), Jonathan Pugh (Elite), Gareth Rowland (Masters), Richard Samuel (Masters), Dave Thomas (Expert), and Dave Winter(Sport).

Results this season are listed below with a brief report.

Results 2010

CRC MTB-Marathon Series

A last minute change of venue resulted in a beautiful setting beneath Kilnsey Crag for the first Yorkshire marathon. The warm dry waether of Saturday had deteriorated a little by Sunday morning, but kept dry - until midday! A good course exposed the dales for all their beauty - rocky and exposed - especially when the wind carried the rain in. Dave Winter and Andy Jones travelled over from Dalby, and met up with Hugh Llyd for a trio of riders out for the 85km marathon.
Andy was the first of the 3 back in 4h32, Dave and Hugh came in after 4h59 and 5h02 resp. although a delayed start of 7mins would mean Hugh beat the 5hr point! A good course, shame about the afternoon's weather!

British MTB Series 2010 - Rd4

Two team riders ventured north for the World Cup course at Dalby and were not disappointed by the course on offer - on slighlty different from last year - and just as challenging! Dave Winter went first in the Sport race and put in steady lap times to finish 15th out of 38 starters.
Andy Jones raced in the final race of the day (unless your young enough for the kids race!). He struggled with grip in the first part of the Vets race on the dry dusty stony singletrack, but picked up a little more speed in the latter stages to finish in 10th place out of 49 starters.

Andy tackling a board walk section.

Are You Tough Enough Enduro

Rich Samuel was the only rider to take on the tricky twisty technical singletrack at Deepcut. He entered the 4hr Solo event and rode well throughout to finish a credible 2nd.

Rich railing the silky smooth singletrack.

Rich managed 6 laps in 4hrs 9mins covering 48miles and earned himself a podium spot.

AYTE2010 4hr Solo Masters Podium.

2010 Welsh Mountain Bike Championships

A sweltering day in mid-Wales added to the typically technical Welsh Champs XC course at Builth Wells. Three Clee Cycles KCNC RT riders made the start - Jonnie Pugh in the Elite race and Hugh Lloyd in the masters and Dave Thomas in Sport. The Elite race saw reigning Welsh Champion Lee Williams set the pace with John Whittingham for company and Jonnie pacing himself behind. This didn't change and the three finished the race 1st, 2nd and 3rd resp. Lee retained his Champs Jersey with Jonnie Pugh claiming second and Matt Page in third.

Welsh Champs Podium.

Hugh Lloyd put in an excellent performance in the competitive Masters race and obtained his best finish this year with 7th.

Hugh Lloyd dealing with the heat!

Dave Thomas showed good pace in his race running in 2nd place after 2 laps, but was forced to retire with a mechanical.

Mountain Mayhem

The first completely dry Mountain Mayhem for years paved the way for some close endurance racing. It was no picnic though - a tougher course than previous years and a very cold night was a test for everyone in the mainly dusty conditions. Clee Cycles KCNC RT had a team in the Male Open Category consisting of Jonnie Pugh, Dave Thomas, James Williams and Barry Marples, and a combined team with MTB Marathon's John Lloyd in the "Oldies" category with Hugh Lloyd, Gareth Rowland and Andy Jones.

Jonnie Pugh on the Kenda Climb.

The Open category was the most strongly contested race and proved to be very close for the first few hours with the Kenda Suntour Team and the Raleigh Team edging in to an initial lead. The Clee KCNC team didn't panic and get throwing down steady lap times to slowly pull the leaders in. Strong night laps left them in the lead and a race through the morning sunshine to hold the lead to the end and finishing 30 laps only 10mins ahead of the Kenda Suntour Team.

The Kenda Climb in darkness.

The Vets started steadily - as expected - and ended up chasing the Norwood Paragon Vets in what turned into a 2 horse race. Laps times were similar with Norwood pulling away by a few minutes initially, but the night laps didn't change the positions as expected and Norwood maintained their lead to the end finishing a good 25mins ahead.
The sun shone for the presentations too and made a fitting end to a fantastic weekend.

Mens Team Podium.

Marin Rough Ride

A beautiful day in Kington saw nearly 1100 riders head out into the hills for a gruelling cross country epic. Clee Cycles RT had a full turn out and soon found their pace as the riders strung out into the Welsh hills. A fast pace was set initially by Matt Page and James Williams, with the Clee team following. Jonathan Pugh made his way through the field caught the leaders just after the half way point. He was the first back in a time of 4h01. Gareth Rowland rode strongly and was the 4th man back in 4h21, followed closely by Andy Jones in 4h22, and Richard Samuel in 4h23. Dave Winter enjoyed his first Roughride and finished in 4h52. Ben Jones suffered the repeated climbs with a bout of cramp, and finished in 4h57.
Another well organised Roughride and an excellent turnout!

Kona Bristol Bikefest

Once again Richard Samuel ploughed a lonley furrow in Bristol, but good previous weeks meant a bit of form for the young man. Consitent laps unsupported in the 12hr Solo race resulted in an 8th place - 23 laps in 11h33 - a total of 117miles - well done Rich!

British MTB Series 2010 – Rd3

A quiet week for the team meant only Richard Samuel travelled to Margam this year for the 75km Enduro on Sunday. A stirling effort resulted in a top 10 finish - with a 9th place in 3h52.

CRC MTB-Marathon Series

Hot and sunny in Wales - and a tough day in the Welsh hills for everyone - with dehydration an issue! Richard Samuel was the first to wilt and completed the 75km route in 3h 19. A strong ride from Dave Thomas brought him back from the km route in 3h23, 15mins behind Nick Craig who completed the long route in 3h08. Hugh Lloyd put in a superb ride, and finished in 4h07. Chris Coombs suffered a little but finished in a respectable 5h09.

Midlands XC – Rd2

A hot and sunny return to Mansell Lacy provided a brilliant xc course with one km long climb, lots of short climbs, technical traverses and swooping single track. Andy went first in a big Vets field and found himself slightly off form finishing 5th.
Elite and Masters ran together and Jonathan Pugh finished the first lap in the lead, then put in a strong second lap and a gap of 2mins to the chasers. He held this lead to the end and won despite a final lap with no saddle!
Ben Jones battles well in a strong masters field and lapped consistently to finish in 6th place.

Jonathan Pugh on the podium.

British MTB Series 2010 – Rd2

A cool but dry Wasing Estate provided an excellent course through trees and bluebells, hills and hollows.
Dave Winter was the first out in the Sport race, and he rode consistently finishing strong in 29th place out of 62 - a good performance as the first race finished for a while after a string of bad luck.
Andy Jones raced the popular Vets category of 70 starters - and after a slow start managed to climb up to 17th place.

Andy climbing one of the short steep sections.

The kids race was as competitive as ever, and the Clee Cycles Jnrs had two good races with a podium for Martha Jones in 2nd in the u7s race. Harry Jones fought well in the u10s race to hold on to 5th spot.

Howies Dyfi Enduro

A beautiful day in Mid-Wales greeted the 650 riders for the Dyfi Enduro. A little rain the previous night just about dampened the dust, with only a few water splashes on the second half of the 35mile route. It's not a great distance for an mtb enduro - but the Dyfi is one of the hardest - hard climbs and hard descents - and nothing in between - unless you puncture and have to stop and fix it! There's plenty of irresistible high speed rocky descending that shreds tyres - but make you grin!
A full Clee Cycles team turned out and some strong riding put 4 riders in the top 10, and 7 in the top 20! Jonathan Pugh was first back in a time of 2h43, Dave Thomas was next in 2h53, Gareth Rowland in 3h01, and Andy Jones in 3h05. Richard Samuel finished in 3h08, Ben Jones in 3h11, Hugh Lloyd in 3h34 and Chris Coombs finished his first Dyfi in 4h33 following the traditional sliced rear tyre just before the end!
A great course, and great food and drink back at camp!
Results are available now, and photos from Jon Brooke here

Midlands XC – Rd1

The sunshine drew the crowds to Hanchurch Woods, and there was a real international flavour to the event with a good crowd from Wales! Perfect conditions for a superb course meant lots of top racing for everyone.
First out was Andy Jones in the Vets race and a slow first lap saw him move up to a 6th place finish from a healthy start line of 60 riders.
The Elite race had a couple of World Cup riders over for the following weekend event at Dalby, and they set the pace for the race. Jonathan Pugh got into 5th place on the first lap, then rode strongly for the entire race managing to gain a position finishing a credible 4th.

The Elite race started like an Icelandic volcano!

The masters race was the usual hot bed, and Gareth Rowland and Richard Samuel battled it out for 5 laps finishing in 13th and 20th resp. from 34 starters. A strong ride from KCNC supported rider Anthony White put him in 6th place.

The first corner of the Masters Race.

The Sport race was contested by 44 riders and Dave Thomas rode strongly to finish 4th only 2mins behind the winner.

Fast, dry sweeping single track at Hanchurch.

Gareth Rowland flies into the big bomb hole!

CRC MTB-Marathon Series

A fabulous weekend of weather made for an excellent CRC MTB Marathon Rd1 (formerly known as Merida Bikes Marathons). The event started with the night marathon on Saturday night and 205 riders headed out at dusk into the dry balmy Builth evening. First home - completing the 45km course in under 2hrs - was Jonathan Pugh finishing a minute ahead of Nick Craig and few other useful riders amongst a very competitive field.
Clear skies greeted the 900 riders for the Sunday Marathon - and a lovely course in perfect condition gave everyone a treat! Honours were reversed for the top two with Nick Craig coming in 5mins ahead of Jonathan Pugh in 3hrs 10mins. The Clee cycles team had a good turn out with Andy Jones following in 3h38, Dave Thomas in 3h49, Richard Samuel in 3h50, Ben Jones in 3h56 and Hugh Lloyd in 4h03.
An excellent weekend and a good start to the Marathon Series.

Southern XC - Rd1

An unlucky Laser Dave Winter was the only rider down south for the opening round of the Southern XC series at Wasing Estate. A slashed front tyre on the first lap was the end of Dave's race.

British MTB Series 2010 – Rd1

The first round of the national series was blessed with sunshine and a dry course. Fast and furious racing ensued, with 5 Clee Cycles riders having a go! First out was Laser Dave Winters and Dave Thomas in the Sport Race. Dave Thomas rode strongly to a top 10 finish, 8th out of 69 starters. Laser Dave suffered 3 soft tyres, but showed good pace otherwise finishing in 20th.
Hugh and Gareth battled it out in the Masters Race. Hugh rode well until a back injury led to retirement, Gareth rode steady lap times to finish 44th out of 75.
Andy was last out in the Veterans race, and although a first year vet - couldn't get near the front after a second corner pile up, and a queue into the single track! But 4 steady laps put him 24th out of 75.
As the first race of the year - the team were feeling the pace a bit!

Laser Dave Winter feeling the heat!

Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series - Rd3

Dave Winter flew the southern flag alone once more! the lap was dry and fast with a mixture of fire road and single track, with a steep bank of collapsing sand and pebbles to add a bit of cycloX fun! Dave had a better run this time and put in consistent lap times to finish only a few seconds off the top 10, in 11th place out of 36 starters.

Mawddach Gold Rush Challenge 2010

First outing for a few riders this year, and some good performances amidst the raw cold sunshine and a little bit of first lap confusion! There was about 180 riders overall, the tyre shredding course was about 45km and was extremely rough going with long sections of rocky singletrack. Jonathan Pugh took overall victory, with Dave Thomas second. Gareth Rowland was the fastest master, and Hugh Lloyd put in a solid ride but suffered with flat tyre. Another good event,and a nice start to the season in North Wales.

Jonathan Pugh receiving his award for the second year running.

Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series - Rd1

Only one rider managed the first round this year - too cold for the rest! Dave Winter had a difficult race with a flat tyre, then a broken chain and twisted rear mech. Plus a load of mud - and he still managed to finish! In 18th place out of 29 in the Sport category - well done Dave - at least you turned up!

The SPAM Winter Challenge 2010

Another very cold start to the year, but the frozen ground made for a really fast event. Two riders completed the 50km course in just over 2hrs : Andy Jones in 2h16 and Jonathan Pugh in 2h20, on a single speed. A good start to the year!

Results 2009

Forest of Dean Enduro

A beautiful autumnal day welcomed riders in the Forest of Dean. A good field took off in dusty conditions to tackle 4 10mile laps. Jonathan Pugh started at a steady pace and made his way to the front for the final lap to finish as the first Elite rider. Andy Jones put in a solid 4 laps and finished 5th in the Masters. A top day of racing!

The start of the Elite and Masters race - photo courtesy of Roy Bevis, roysrides@tiscali.co.uk.

Merida Marathon

Another sunny weekend in Wales and another tough Ruthin Marathon course. Jonathan Pugh continued his good form and was the first to completed the full 85km route in a time of 4h09, Andy Jones finished in a respectable 4h40.

A special mention goes to the TNC boys who bravely attempted their first marathon event at Ruthin, and no less than the 75km route! All four riders completed the course in less than 7 hrs and can be seen below with Andy after receiving their t-shirts. Well done boys - see you next year!

Brecon Beast

Another lovely day for the Beast and a good turn out. Jonathan Pugh and Andy Jones turned out for the Clee Cycles/KCNC/High5 Race Team, Jon rode strongly and completed the gruelling 100km course in first place and a time of 4h09, and Andy was the 4th rider home in 4h34.

TransWales 2009 - Success

Jonathan Pugh - Male Solo Winner

Andy and Ben Jones - Male Team 2nd Place

The TransWales event is a seven-day MTB stage challenge across Wales, covering some 550 km with 15,500 m of climbing. The event is comprised of seven linking stages (~80 km per day), where the competitors ride from A to B within a given time limit, and four special stages, where the riders tackle a short course (~10 km) against the clock (i.e. a time trial). Clee-Cycles entered three riders this year: Jonathan Pugh in the Men's solo category, and Andy and Ben Jones in the Men's pairs category. Day 1 eased the riders in to the event with a 91 km linking stage from Builth Wells to Llanidloes. Day 2 took the riders from Llanidloes to Machynlleth, where the first special stage was held around the Climachx trail. After a gruelling linking stage, the Clee-Cycles riders dug deep and blasted round the Climachx trail, with Jon winning the solo catagory by 2.5 minutes and Andy and Ben finishing in second place, by only 3 seconds. The competitors rode from Machynlleth to Cwmystwyth on day 3, stopping off at Nant-y-Arian half way for the second special stage. Nant-y-Arian provided a great venue for the special stage with a long single-track decent, followed by a long fire track climb - the leg burner. Jon flew up the hill to extend his lead by a minute, while Ben and Andy lost 30 seconds to the RAF, finishing in second. Day 4 took the riders from Cwymystwyth to Cilycm on some of the best trails the week, including the breath taking Doethie valley. After a short break, and some filming by BBC Wales, the competitors were back out for the third special stage - the NiteRider night stage. As was becoming the norm, Jon won the Men's Solo category, while Andy and Ben finished second in the Men's pairs. Day 5 took the riders from Cilycm to Llansewel, via Brechfa Forest, where the final special stage was held on very fast rolling single track trials. Jon, once again, won the men's Solo category, and second was the best Andy and Ben could manage in the men's pairs. With the special stages complete, day 6 provided a more relaxed linking stage to Llanwrtyd Wells, covering 71 km and 2400 m of climbing, with some tough riding, including the Mynydd Mallaeh moorland fell at 448m. The final day provided a shorter 62 km linking stage from Llanwrtyd Wells back to Builth Wells for the final presentations and a well deserved beer. Jon completed a dominant week winnning the solo category in a time of 49:56:55, five and a half minutes ahead of the second place rider Josh Ibbett. Andy and Ben finished second in the pairs category, in a time of 50:03:49, two and a half minutes behind the Dan Lewis and Neil Richardson from the RAF.

Sleepless in the Saddle - Overall Team Winners

With a good weather forecast, there were high expectations for a good weekend of racing at Sleepless this year; despite all the rain in the preceeding week and the slightly sticky conditions. The Clee-Cycles team comprised Andy, Jon, Dave and Ben. After a mid-week victory in a cross-country run, Jon was volunteered to be first man out for the Le Mans style start, and he crossed the start line in third place after the 800m run and handing the baton over in second place after the first lap on the bike. Dave took on the challenge and blasted round to hand over to Ben in first position! A slack hand-over at the next change pushed the team back to fifth, until a scorching lap from Jonny, the fastest lap of the race at 33 mins, handed the lead back to the team. The team pushed hard through the night and, despite the very sticky conditions, opened up a gap over the Salsa Factory team in second position. The team held on to this lead as the sun came out the next morning, and a final lap from Jon saw the team finish the race one lap clear of the opposition.

A great result! To top that Jon Pugh also won the "King of the Night" competition by putting in the fastest night lap; a staggering 36 minutes.

Merida Marathon

Only Jonny Pugh made it all the way up for the Selkirk Merida, fighting hard to be third rider home, in the 100 km category, in a time of 4 hrs 23 min. Great ride!

Twentyfour-12

Clee Cycles entered two pairs in the 12hr event this year. And it was a case of youthfulness against experience as a guest appearance by Richard Samuel as a partner to Andy Jones meant the Team 1 pair were giving away a combined total of 18 years to the sprightly Dave Winter and Ben Jones in Team 2. Team 1 got away to an early lead and raced like the younger of the two teams - pulling out a 5 min lead and maintaining it for the first half of the race. But the early pace told and Team two slowly reeled in the lead and after a couple of laps of wheel to wheel racing pulled away to leave the aging Team 1 finishing 4mins behind. As the midnight finish closed in Ben and Dave put in consistently quick laptimes to claimed third place in the race, just failing to catch second. Andy and Rich limped home in fourth spot with Richard nursing a torn calf muscle.
An excellent race in a dry 12hr event! Well done to Dave and Ben for getting on the poduimm, and a big thank you to Richard for a gutsy performance - hopefully we'll see him again in Clee Cycles colours!

Merida Marathon

A downpour on Saturday Night ended the possibilty of a dry a dusty Summer Merida Marathon. A fantastic course held up well and provided some spectacular riding in the wilderness of Mid Wales.
A fresh Jonnie Pugh rode well to come in second behind Nick Craig in a little under 4hrs for the full 80km route. Andy Jones managed a time of 4h 18mins, followed shortly by Dave Winter, but Ben Jones suffered a mechanical half way down the Doethie valley and had to walk back with Joel Shotton - but lovely views boys!

Dragon XC Rd3

Another testing course provided everything in mountain bike racing from steep, wearing climbs to greasy high speed corners, and a bit of mud at the end! It was all packed into a short lap with no time for recovery!
Three riders turned out for Clee Cycles - a disappointed Jonathan Pugh had work commitments and didn't get chance to compete for the Welsh Championship Jersey. Dave Winter rode strongly to obtain a 3rd place podium in the Sport category. Andy didn't really get on terms with the cousre until the end off the Masters race, and in fact took a swim early on to the delight of the huge crowd gathered in the arena! Ben Jones rode well but tired towards the end of the 7 lap race, they placed 11th and 13th respectivley. For full results see the Timelaps website.
A good event once again, despite the weather - well done Dragon XC.

A flying Dave Winter on his way to a podium finish in the Men's Sport Race.

British MTB Series 2009 - Rd4

Mountain Mayhem

Another cracking Mayhem, but a first lap mechanical dropped the 4 man Clee Cycles team 15mins behind the leaders, and then a night time injury finally scuppered the team's chances of a placing.
Jonathan Pugh rode well for the Bad Ass Big Guns team winning the Open Team event, and placing third overall.

Marin Rough Ride

A beautiful day in the Welsh Borders saw over 900 riders tackle the Rough Ride. Jonathan Pugh continued his excellent form as the first rider home - finishing in 3hrs 57 mins, 28mins ahead of team mate Andy Jones who was the second rider home. Joel Shotton was the other team member , cruising round in a time of 5hrs 17mins.

Kona Bristol Bikefest

"Wet" would be a good word to describe the 2009 Bristol Bikefest. Despite clearing skies on Sunday, the heavy rain preceding the event gave rise to a very wet, but equally entertaining, course. Clee Cycles riders Dave Winter and Ben Jones entered the 6 hour pairs open category on Sunday, racing well to finish in 4th position.

Trek British Marathon Champs

A strong field lined up for the 2009 British Marathon Champs and a superb ride from Jonathan Pugh saw him just miss out on a medal as he rode at the front and hold his own with the favourites for the first half of the race. A break from Oli Beckingsale on lap 3 split the front pack. Beckingsale put in a final lap of 52 mins leaving Paul Oldam 2nd after Ian Bibby punctured, and Jon to follow him 3 mins later to gain an excellent 4th Place.
Andy Jones survived his first marathon for 2 years and finished 19th.
Joel Shotton, recovering from illness, finished 15th in the half marathon.
A testing course in typical Margam high temperatures - a good weekend once more.

British MTB Series 2009 - Rd3

Two Clee Cycles riders turned out for the third round of the British MTB Series, both competing in the Sport Category. Soaring temperatures limited Dave Winter to 15th place, while Ben Jones finished in 7th place.

Merida Marathon

The second round of the marathon series was held at Crickhowell and provided a tough new challenge for the riders. A stunning ride by Jonathan Pugh saw the Clee Cycles rider first man round the full 80 km course, in a time of 3:53 hrs - well ridden Jon! Andy Jones and Joel Shotton finished in 4:16 hrs and 4:29 hrs, respectively.

CLIC-24

A weekend of mixed weather couldn't dampen the spirits of the riders, who rode to raise money for the CLIC Sargent charity. Clee Cycles rider Ben Jones rode the 24 hr event solo, completing 12 laps.

British MTB Series 2009 - Rd2

The course at Dalby Forest, a tough mix of sharp climbs, steep decents and technical single track, and tested rider skill and stamina. Jonathan Pugh, riding in the Elite Men's race, suffered a broken chain and retired after the first lap. Joel Shotton rode well to finish 15th in the Expert Male race, Andy Jones was 29th in the Masters, while Dave Winter finished 11th in the Sport category.

Dragon XC Rd2

A true mountain bike course was set out by the Dragon XC gang - and it received the expected mixed opinions from riders. Testing, and too testing! You can't please everyone.
The Clee Cycles team enjoyed it though! Jonathan Pugh rode away from the Elite class to finish first - an excellent ride! Joel Shotton finished second in the Expert class, and Andy Jones managed to stay on for 5 laps finishing tenth in the Masters.
A good venue and well organised once more.

Photo of Jon Pugh climbing to the top - courtesy of Roy Bevis, roysrides@tiscali.co.uk.

Southern XC - Rd1

The first round of the Southern XC series kicked off at Bordon, where the hot weather and a dry course provided some great racing. Dave Winter came home in 9th place for Clee Cycles in the Sport Category, while Ben Jones finshed 23rd in the Masters.

Enduro 6

Catton Park provided the venue for the 2009 Wiggle Enduro 6. Clee Cycles' rider Jonny Pugh won the Mens Pairs category, with partner Ryan Beavis (Bad Ass Bikes), completing 15 laps in a time of 06:15:18. Andy Jones finished 11th in the Elite Mens category, completing 11 laps, while Joel Shotton finished 19th completing 8 laps.

Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series - Rd5

The final round of the Gorrick Spring Series saw a late venue change, which took the riders back to Tunnel Hill. Clee Cycles were represented by Ben Jones, who finished 8th in the Sport category.

Midlands XC - Rd1

Clee Cycles only rider at the first round of the Midlands XC series was Andy Jones, who finished 21st in the Masters category. It was an excellent venue and a good fun course, dry and fast - so well done to the Midlands XC crew for putting on an excellent series opening round.

Merida Marathon

The Merida Marathon series got underway with the Spring Marathon at Builth Wells. After a freezing night the mist cleared to give a warm, dry ride. Jonathan Pugh was the first rider home for Clee Cycles, completing the 68 km course in a time of 3:05 hrs, followed by Andy Jones and Ben Jones in 3:38 hrs.

British MTB Series 2009 – Rd1

Three riders made the start line for the opening round of the BMB Race Series. A beautiful day and near perfect conditions did not translate into perfect results.
An unfortunate off on lap 1 put pay to Jonathan Pugh's hopes in the Elite race. Jon recovered well but was never going to catch the lead train on his own and finished a credible 24th out of a packed field.
Joel suffered a mechanical and had to retire from the Expert race on lap 3.
A first lap flat hindered Dave in the Sport race, but he rode hard back to 31st place in the Sport race.

Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series - Rd4

Dragon XC Rd1

Mawddach Gold Rush Challenge 2009

Only Jonathan Pugh made it up to Coed Y Brenin for this timed 3 lap race of the old Red Bull route. Damp conditions didn't deter Jonathan who recorded the fastest time of the day, a time of 2h 16mins, to win the event and get his name on the plaque on the wall in the Coed Y Brenin Visitor Centre!

Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series - Rd3

March brought out the XC racers and round three of the Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series was a well attended event. The extra riders meant plenty of competition for places and some fast lap times. Once again, Jonathan Pugh was the first Clee-Cycles rider home, finishing 6th in the Expert category, followed by Joel Shotton in 15th and Andy Jones in 21st position. Dave Winter rode well to finish 11th in the Sport category.

Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series - Rd2

After a weeks delay due to the snow and ice, the second round of the Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series was held on Sunday 15th February. Despite the recent snow, the course rode surprising well and provided some good racing. Jonathan Pugh led home the Clee-Cycles riders, finishing 3rd in the Expert category, followed by Andy Jones in 8th position. While in the Sport category, Ben Jones and Dave Winter finished 8th and 9th, respectively.

Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series - Rd1

The Gorrick Saddle Skedaddle Spring Series got underway with the round 1 at Yateley Heath Wood. The recent rain made it a cold sticky race which tested the early season stamina of the riders. Clee-Cycles were represented by David Winter, who finished 14th in the Sport category, and Andy Jones who pushed his bike over the line for 11th in Expert category, after puncturing on the final lap. A steady start, bring on Round 2!

The SPAM Winter Challenge 09

Very cold prior to the start, about -5C but as soon as we got to the plain the temp soared to the 2C mark - perfect! Warm (ish) air and frozen ground so it was a really fast event. It got interesting about 1/2 way round as the surface of the frozen grassy clay started to defrost - a bit greasy to say the least - but only on the grassy bits! Three riders completed the 50km in just over 2hrs : Andy Jones in 2h02, Jonathan Pugh in 2h07 on a single speed, and Ben Jones in 2h17, 1h46 was the fastest time. A good event to start the year, and good cakes afterwards!