A cold west wind blew across Abberton Reservoir on Sunday for the Jock Wadley Memorial Cycle Race, although the sun shone and the rain kept away until after the race had finished.

Eighty, mainly Elite and First category, riders lined up at Alderman Blaxill School at 10am on Sunday for the neutralised start to what was planned as an 83 mile race (134k).

Serious racing began after the right turn at Layer Cross Roads onto the circuit.

A two-man break gained a small lead on the first lap of the 11k circuit; one of the riders being 2005 winner Tony Gibb, of the Plowman Craven four-man team.

By lap three they were back in the fold of the bunch and from then on the six-man Sports Beans Wilier Team took the race by the scruff of the neck and put one or even two riders in every breakaway.

The pace was furious with 16 minute plus laps dropping many of the hopefuls before the halfway stage.

By lap five a rejuvenated Yanto Barker (Le Col/Colnago) was in a fast moving two-man break with Will Bjergfelt of Sports Beans.

They looked very smooth and strong and had a lead of over one and a half minutes at times.

However, there were many in the chasing bunch calculating that the wind and terrain would wear them down and they were proved correct.

With four laps to go the leaders were caught and the front group consisted of approximately 15 riders – still with predominately Sports Beans Jerseys on display.

By circuit nine the pace had slipped to 17 minute laps as observed by veteran timekeeper Geoff Keeble and then there were four leaders, James Millard, of Plowman Craven, Ben Luckwell, of Sports Beans, Simon Gaywood, of Phil Corley Cycles, and Jack Kirk, of Wyre Forest CRC.

They were being seriously chased, but at over two minutes by Yanto Barker, Billy-Joe Wenman and Jason White a private member.

Then Sports Beans played another card and up to the front came Marcin Bialoblocki. At the finish line James Millard (Plowman Craven) had managed to sprint away on the final climb to win alone by 11 seconds in a time of three hours 45 minutes.