Oxford on wrong road
Dave WorthingtonLAST SATURDAY, OXFORD University Cycling Club hosted the combined BUSA 25-mile time-trial championship and cycling Varsity Match on a course near Cumnor.
Winning back the Varsity Shield was always going to be a tall order for Oxford, as Cambridge came to the event fresh from their team win in the BUSA 10-mile time-trial the week before.
Cambridge rider Duncan Alexander had the fastest personal best on paper out of a field of ninety riders but it was the defending champion James Gilfillan (Manchester) who stole the BUSA individual gold with a time of 51:47 and an average speed approaching 30mph.
Duncan took the silver with a time of 52:12 and the bronze went to Paul Watson of Loughborough (53:49). The Women's individual gold went to Charlotte Goldsmith of Salford University (1:01:59).
The Varsity result is decided on the combined time of the first three riders. The fastest Oxford rider was Kevin Backhouse (Lincoln) in eighth place (55:48) but, with all three Cambridge counters in the top seven (Duncan Alexander, Sam Collins and Craig Snydal), Oxford did not do enough to reverse the recent tide of defeats.
Captain Dave Worthington (Exeter) picked up his third half-blue as the second Oxford rider in 14th place (56:32) and Viet Schenk (St. Cross) completed the team with a time of 58:56.
In the ladies, competition, Oxford had won before a pedal had been turned as Cambridge could only supply one rider. The victory was thoroughly vindicated, with four out of five of the Oxford Women recording a faster time than Catherine Isherwood of Cambridge, but the success of the occasion was marred by a crash involving the fifth Oxford rider Eleanor Bennett (Exeter).
BUSA 10-mile time-trial champion Nic Hutchins (UCL) was well on his way to another medal when he collided with Eleanor while overtaking on the approach to a roundabout. Both riders were taken to hospital but neither was badly injured.
The fastestof the Oxford women was Monica McDonnell (St. Hugh's) with a time of 1:10:11, closely followed by the Women's Captain Chloe Jones (Exeter), 1:10:57.
Oxford can take some comfort from Kevin Backhouse's ride, as this was his first ever 25-mile time-trial. The ex-Cambridge rower convert follows in the tyre tracks of the last Oxford Captain to win the Varsity, Digby Symons, and there is clearly more to come from this talented rider.
Another hopeful for next year is Mike Cubison (Corpus), whose form was put on hold this year following a bad crash while training. Mike is a current BUSA Olympic Sprint Champion along with Dave Worthington and Nick Smith could also be a strong contender next year.
Although the winning margin for Cambridge was large (7 min 30), this is more a reflection of Oxford's tradition of bias towards road racing and the track, in which the club has had considerable success this year.
Web link: users.ox.ac.uk/~cycling
4th May 2000