Mud Dock’s Jewitt is Bath Cycling Club Mid-Summer Series champ

William Jewitt of Mud Dock Racing won this year’s Bath Cycling Club Mid-Summer Series for elite, first- and second-category riders.

Action from the third round of the Bath Cycling Club Mid-Summer Series | Photo © Bath Cycling Club

Boosted by victory in the first round of the series, he finished the competition with 94 points.

Luke Barfoot (Primera-TeamJobs) took second place in the series, with 88 points, and William Metcalf (Ride Revolution) came third, with 80.

Charlie McFadzean (Friction Racing) was fourth, with 78 points; Joe Reeves (Reflex Racing) came fifth, with 76; and Oliver Featherstone was sixth, with 62.

The third and final round on the Odd Down circuit got under way with the third- and fourth-category riders in action.

Morgan Curle entered the race as the series leader with 62 points. But the top 10 riders were all in contention for the overall podium.

The race started aggressively, with the bunch immediately strung out.

Jonah Bryant (Avid Sport) ignored team orders and launched an early solo attack, holding off the pack for a lap. He was soon followed by a flurry of activity from Ross Dewar (University of Bristol CC), Reuben Dando, Isaac Pearcey (both Avid Sport) and Bailey Rafferty (VC St Raphael), all keen to animate the race ahead of the first intermediate sprint.

Intermediate Sprint 1 results: 1 Reuben Dando, 2 Ross Dewar, 3 Andrew Henderson, 4 Danny Puig Nieves (Bath Cycling Club).

Dando’s win in the sprint brought him closer to the general classification leader, adding 10 valuable points to his tally.

Intermediate Sprint 2 results: 1 Mark Aldred (Kingston Wheelers CC), 2 Ross Dewar, 3 Reuben Dando, 4 Bailey Rafferty.

Dando’s consistency in both sprints moved him within 15 points of Curle in the general classification standings.

Despite numerous break attempts over the following laps, none managed to stick. After 18 laps, the field regrouped, with 32 out of 42 starters still in contention for the win.

Race results: 1 Tristan Stevens (PDQ Cycle Coaching Property Elite), 2 Thomas Hurst (Reflex Nopinz), 3 Scott Pearce.

The final bunch sprint saw fresh legs triumph, as none of the main general classification contenders made the top five after their efforts in the earlier sprints.

Dando was the best placed among them, finishing sixth and securing second place overall in the series. Curle crossed the line in seventh spot, doing just enough to retain his overall lead.

Henry Bond, who placed 17th, slipped from second to third in the general classification.

Final general classification: 1 Morgan Curle (Pronto) 81 pts, 2 Reuben Dando 67 pts, 3 Henry Bond (Bath Cycling Club) 61 pts, 4 Tom Heathcote (Bath Cycling Club) 56 pts.

Best fourth-category rider was Puig Nieves, with Christopher Phibben top over-50 and Steven Cottington (Bath Cycling Club) best over-60.

The final race of the night featured the elite, first- and second-category riders – and it was set to be a showdown, with 13 of the top 15 in the general classification on the start line.

Coming into the race, Jewitt, Barfoot and Featherstone were separated by just eight points.

Meanwhile, Charlie McFadzean, Reeves and Metcalf were close behind and knew that strong intermediate sprint performances could launch them into podium contention.

The opening laps were tense, with every attack quickly shut down. Jewitt and Barfoot kept a close eye on one another, marking each other’s moves.

When the first intermediate sprint arrived, Reeves took full advantage, claiming maximum points. Crucially, Barfoot and Jewitt also scored, keeping the title race alive.

Intermediate Sprint 1 results: 1 Joe Reeves, 2 Luke Barfoot, 3 William Jewitt, 4 Oscar Hutchings (Schils-Doltcini RT).

The action ramped up after the sprint. A strong breakaway formed, featuring McFadzean and Metcalf, who launched off the back of the sprint.

They were soon joined by Josh Smith and Will Duffy, forming a well-organised quartet that worked smoothly together and looked like a potential race-winning move.

The second intermediate sprint went uncontested within the break, with McFadzean needing the points and the group obliging.

Intermediate Sprint 2 results: 1 Charlie McFadzean (Friction Racing), 2 William Metcalf, 3 Josh Smith (Avid Sport), 4 Will Duffy (Bath Cycling Club).

Thirty points were still available for the final finish and the top six riders were within 20 points of each other, so the series title was still wide open.

With three laps remaining, Featherstone made a bold move, launching a solo attack in a bid to avoid a bunch sprint. Though ultimately reeled in, his aggressive riding earned him the Topps Performance Most Combative Rider award.

The race concluded with a bunch sprint, and it was Metcalf who powered across the line first, followed closely by Smith and Mohammad Ganjkhanlou.

Race results: 1 William Metcalf, 2 Josh Smith, 3 Mohammad Ganjkhanlou (Reading CC), 4 William Jewitt, 5 Luke Barfoot, 6 Joe Reeves, 7 Charlie McFadzean.

As the riders crossed the line, none of them was sure who had taken the overall series title. The winner was ultimately revealed as Jewitt.