THE Peel Junior Tour, the state’s leading single day event for junior cyclists, attracted cyclists from as far away as Albany and the Goldfileds Cycling Club to the region over the weekend.
In the past the race has been dominated by riders from the Midland Cycling Club, this year it was time for Peel District Cycling Club members to shine.
The results of three races (a 500 metre sprint prologue, a time trial between 2.5 and 7.5 kilometres in length and a road race of between eight and 54 kilometres in length) determined the overall winners.
In the under 13 women it was Albany Cycling Club’s Emily Wiggins winning the prologue, the time trial and then winning the bunch sprint in the road race to take overall honours.
Emma Smith took second in all races to finish second and Isabella Commons third.
The under 13 men’s competition was a tighter contest, with Peel’s Ashton Sime finishing second in the prologue before narrowly winning the time trial by one second and taking out the bunch sprint in the road race to take overall victory.
Cooper Bates who won the prologue, finished third in the time trial, and was only two seconds off Sime’s time finished second overall and Hayden Clarke was third.
The under 15 women was dominated by Peel’s Dharlia Haines, who won the 500 metre sprint, the time trial by over a minute, and then attacked on the final lap riding away to win solo and secure the outright win.
Danica Wiggins was consistent to finish second and Jessica Waldron, the closest rider to Haines in the road race, secured third overall.
James Derrick, who won the under 15 mens prologue, crashed out in the time trial, leaving the battle between Peel’s Oliver Bleddyn and 225 Racing’s Courtland Wood.
They finished first and second respectively in the time trial.
Then the pair broke away early in the road race to make it a race between two.
Bleddyn won the two-up sprint to win the road race and overall honours.
Wood was second overall. Matt Connan won the bunch sprint for third in the road race and secured third overall.
Peel’s Emma Lendrum won the opening prologue in the under 17 women’s event, before Midland’s Emily Mascaro won the time trail.
In the road race Lendrum just missed the two rider break of Mascaro and Laura Hodges was left chasing the whole race.
Hodges won the two-up sprint, but it was consistent performances in all three races that gave the overall win to Mascaro, with Hodges second and Lendrum third.
It was a commanding performance by Peel’s Tyler Lindorff in the under 17 men winning the prologue, the time trial and then breaking away with his closest competitor Luke Howe and Mian Grimbeek after the first of 15 laps in the road race.
Lindorff attacked prior to the final corner to win the road race and overall victory.
Howe was second in the road race and second overall while Grimbeek’s performance in the road race secured third overall.
