A PUNCTURED tyre denied Royal Leamington Spa Cycling Club’s chances of success in the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Poznan, Poland, on Sunday.
Three riders from the club headed to Eastern Europe for the Championships, with Jon Appleyard the fastest in RLS colours after completing the 150km course in 3:38:43 – a time enough to place him 120th in the under-35 category.
Gerard Scott fared slightly better in the men’s 45-50 category rankings, coming home in 104th after a 3:52:09 race, but had his chances of finishing further up the rankings scuppered after suffering a puncture mid-race.
Spencer Tapia completed the line-up in the men’s 35-39 race with a 3:44:53 finish, earning him a ranking of 86th.
The club also hosted a category three and four road race on Sunday, at Friz Hill in Wellesbourne at the weekend.
60 cyclists in all competed in the event, with University of Bath CC’s Sam Hardy winning the 46-mile course, while Samuel Hucks – a winner in 2018 – was forced to settle for runner-up in the colours of High Wycombe CC.
Stuart Hepburn was the top-ranking rider from the club at the race, finishing in tenth.
