Team Hope Factory Racing rider, Paul Oldham, continued this seasons winning streak after taking victory in the north of England cyclo-cross championships this weekend. A solid performance by Paul gave him a convincing 1min 46sec winning margin over Ian Bibby of Endura Racing.
Paul tackled the hilly and muddy course head-on going out hard on the first lap to ensure he led from the start. He describes the course at the Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster, as one of the toughest this season. With 407ft of elevation the 2.9mile course wasn’t one that could be raced at full pace. Paul used his CX experience to pace himself and push hard where it would count, focusing on pulling a few seconds gap each lap – but still describes the race as “a seriously long hour.” Paul was chased hard by the chasing group which consisted of Ian Bibby, Rob Jebb and Adam Martin (Cestria Cycles) but Paul’s strength was enough to hold them off and gradually open up a worthy lead to take the title.
The race proved to be a generally good outing for the Team with Rob Jebb and Jack Clarkson taking 4th and 5th places respectively.
With the north of England championships title and the National Trophy leaders jersey under his belt Paul looks to be in good form for the National Championships at Peel Park, Bradford in January.
Elsewhere Factory Rider Dave Collins had a great race in the Midlands CX championships finishing second in the men’s race just 24 seconds behind rival Tom Last.