BREAKAWAYS were the order of the day when the Tamworth Cycling Club completed its 2015 criterium racing at Goddard Lane on Sunday morning.
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In A grade, eventual winner Ray Griffin, Mick Sherwood, Ashley Smith and Darren Taylor made an early break before Taylor dropped off while Mal Nash broke away after about six minutes and stayed away for all but the final four laps.
He finished fifth in B Grade to young running star Sam Ellicott, Dave Menzies and Jonathon Sanders.
“They left me out there,” Nash quipped after the race.
“They got me with four laps to go and I finished fifth.”
He then copped a flat tyre to end his day.
Darren Taylor and Andy Bayliss had some good moments too before finishing back in the field.
“Sam Ellicott is a good young rider,” Taylor said.
“He went to nationals with his running too.
“But everybody had a good ride today.
“It was good for the final race of the year.”
Ray Griffin, also the Tamworth Cycling Club president, agreed with Taylor.
“It was a good way to finish,” he said.
“We don’t start back now until Sunday, January 11.”
Griffin was happy young professional Sam Spokes and Mitch Carrington were away but still had to ride hard to overcome Ashley Smith and Mick Sherwood.
“The four of us got away after about 10 minutes and then we dropped Chuck (Taylor) ,” Griffin said.
“That left the three of us for about the last 17 minutes.”
He said his experience enabled him to be in the right spot at the right time for the final sprint and overpower his younger adversaries.
“There’s still some life in the old bloke yet,” he joked.
A GRADE (30mins +2laps): Ray Griffin 1, Ashley Smith 2, Mick Sherwood 3. B GRADE (25mins +2laps): Sam Ellicott 1, Dave Menzies 2, Jonathon Sanders 3. JUNIORS: Fletcher Partlin 1, Emily Deasey 2, Luke Deasey 3, Kai Sanders 4, Josh Deasey 5.