44th Eddie Soens Memorial Handicap - NE

Aintree Racecourse, Great Britain, March 5, 2005

2003 Results Results Past winners

Recycling cleans up

By Henry Iddon

Rob Hayles (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)
Photo ©: Henry Iddon

The weather may have been Baltic but with a field of 139 riders, things soon got hot at the 44th edition of the classic Eddie Soens Handicap RR. Held over the club circuit at the famous Aintree Race course on Merseyside, the scratch group soon demolished the 3 minute lead given to the first group of riders, thanks in part to bug turns put in by Shaun Snodden and Ben Greenwood.

Before the halfway point of 25 miles, four Recycling.co.uk/MG-X Power/Litespeed Riders were away along with accomplished junior Ian Stannard of Planet X. With less than half a dozen laps to go though, the youngster cracked, leaving the four teammates to fight it out amongst themselves. Although in middle of a heavy track work load before the World Championships, Hayles still had the legs to attack, crossing the line alone followed in by Dean Downing, Russ Downing and Chris Newton.

Photography

For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here

Images by Henry Iddon

Dean Downing does a turn
Rob Hayles (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power) powering to the win
Rob Hayles (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power) goes solo
Recycling.co.uk/MG X Power powering at the front
Rob Hayles (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power) wins the Eddie Soens Handicap
The Recycling.co.uk boys were fairly convincing in finishing behind their teammate Rob Hayles for second through fourth
The podium (L to R): Dean Downing (2nd), Rob Hayles (1st) and Russell Downing (3rd)
Downing, Hayles and Downing with their trophies

Results

1 Rob Hayles (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)    1.46.53
2 Dean Downing (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)     0.16
3 Russell Downing (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)      
4 Chris Newton (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)         
5 Ian Stannard (Planet X RT)                    1.44

1 lap behind

6 Robin Sharman (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)    
7 Evan Oliphant (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)        
8 William Wright (Wills Wheels CC)                  
9 Phil West (VC St Raphael)                         
10 Adam Blythe (Planet X RT)                        
11 Ian Wilkinson (Giant Racing)                     
12 Mark Lovatt (Planet X RT)                        
13 Mike Jolley (Onimpex RT)                         
14 Leigh Cowell (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)        

2 laps behind

15 Ben Swift (Kinesis UK)                  
16 Mark Thwaites (Kinesis UK)                       
17 Paul Oldham (Giant Racing)                       
18 Christopher Belsham (York Cycleworks)            
19 Jack Hill (Leigh Premier)                        
20 Mike Moss (Cottingham Coureurs)                  
21 Mark McNally (Liverpool Century RC)              
22 Christopher Daddy (Star Bikes RT)                
23 Stephen Rudkin (Kinesis UK)                      
24 William Smyth (BC PM)                            
25 John Cosgrove (Onimpex RT)                       
26 Jonathan Fletcher (KW Heist-Zuiderkempen)        
27 Pete Williams (Kinesis UK)                       
28 Emmanuel Guitton (Wills Wheels CC)               
29 Ben Greenwood (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)       
30 Matt Clinton (Specialized Racing Team)           
31 Sam Thompson (Kinesis UK)                        
32 Peter Kennaugh Jnr (Manx Road Club)              
33 Graeme Hatcher (Manx Viking Wheelers)            
34 Richard Barnett (Tunstall Wheelers)              
35 James Drummond (Merlin Development Squad)        
36 Dan Walker (Clayton Velo)                        
37 Kristian Poole (BC PM)                           
38 Paul Lally (BC PM)                               
39 Mark Bateman (Triangle RT)                       
40 Kevin Wilkes (MK Cycles)                         
41 James Rutherford (Wills Wheels CC)               
42 Christopher Lockyer (Manchester Wheelers)        
43 Jonathan Kennedy (Team Chevin Cycles)            
44 Mark Powsney (Manchester Wheelers)               
45 Paul Robinson (Ystwyth CC)                       
46 Giles Bett (Weaver Valley CC)                    
47 Luke Rowe (Cardiff Ajax)                         
48 Chris Ellis (Team Orrell)                        
49 Tim Baldwin (Paul Milnes Cycles)                 
50 Kev Shand (West Pennine RC)                      
51 Roger Leather (Getmeabike.com)                   
52 Jimmy Froggatt (Wills Wheels CC)                 
53 Phil Valentine (GS Surosa)                       
54 Neil Higgins (Preston CC)                        
55 Tom Diggle (Southport CC)                        
56 Ian Donohue (Team Axiom)                         
57 Charlie Evans (Knaresborough CC)                 
58 Mike Marshall (University of Birmingham)         
59 John Kent (Birkenhead North End CC)              
60 Gary Spencely (Lakes RC)                         
61 Robert Palmer (www.thebicycleworks.com)          
62 Dafydd Dylan (Ystwyth CC)                        

3 laps behind

63 Jon Cannings (VC St Raphael)
64 Michael Kerr (Glasgow RC)                        
65 David Walker (BC PM)                             
66 Brian Nicol (Clayton Velo)                       
67 Cherie Pridham (Merlin Development Squad)        
68 Rachel Davies (Cardiff Ajax)

7 laps behind

69 Alexandra Greenfield (Cardiff Ajax)  

8 laps behind

70 Lucy Richards (Cardiff Ajax)                    

DNS Tony Gibb (Team DFL)                            
DNS Paul Manning (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)       
DNS Ben Crawforth (Evans Racing Team)               
DNS Rob Partridge (Team Fujibikes UK)               
DNS Dave Ebbrell (Blackburn & District CTC)         
DNS Carl Helliwell (Blackburn & District CTC)       
DNS Martin Ruepp (York Cycleworks)                  
DNS Stuart Meek (Cardiff JIF)                       
DNS Mark Cope (Clwb Rasio Mona)                     
DNS Brian Greenfield (Cardiff Ajax)                 
DNS Chris Loxley (Warrington RC)                    
DNS John Sealey (Liverpool Mercury RC)              
DNS Jonathan Bellis (Manx Road Club)                
DNS Rob Blunden (Dysynni CC)                        
DNS Andrew Tennant (BC PM)                          
DNF Leigh Haigh (Race Scene CC)                     
DNF Steven Higgins (JE James RT)                    
DNF Alastair Kay (York Cycleworks)                  
DNF Shaun Pearson (Ribble Valley CRC)               
DNF George Richardson (Ritchey Cycle Ops)           
DNF Shaun Snodden (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)      
DNF Andrew Flynn (Liverpool Century RC)             
DNF Matthew Higgins (BC PM)                         
DNF Richard Kent (scienceinsport.com)               
DNF David McGowan (EC Leon)                         
DNF James Notley (cyclestore.co.uk)                 
DNF Alistair Rutherford (Wills Wheels CC)           
DNF Nick Shaughnessy (Wills Wheels CC)              
DNF Chris Siepen (Warrington RC)                    
DNF Matt Chester (Leisure Lakes RT)                 
DNF Chris Diggle (Southport CC)                     
DNF John Lindsay (Wills Wheels CC)                  
DNF Steven Mercer (Clayton Velo)                    
DNF Ross Miller (Preston CC)                        
DNF Paul Ray (Southport CC)                         
DNF Chris Truett (Kinesis UK)                       
DNF Ben Akins (Terrydolan.com)                      
DNF Shelley Childs (Ystwyth CC)                     
DNF Jonathan Dawson (GS Surosa)                     
DNF Daniel Drake (Horwich CC)                       
DNF Richard Felton (Ystwyth CC)                     
DNF Stephen Gauller (Birkenhead North End CC)       
DNF Ben Green (Manchester Wheelers)                 
DNF John Guy (BC PM)                                
DNF David Hitchen (New Brighton CC)                 
DNF David Hughes (Clwb Rasio Mona)                  
DNF Alan Linford (Liverpool Century RC)             
DNF Michael Mudd (York Cycleworks)                  
DNF Christopher Wade (Ellis Briggs RT)              
DNF Jim Beard (Liverpool Mercury RC)                
DNF Graham Cuddy (BC PM)                            
DNF Peter Kennaugh (Manx Road Club)                 
DNF Simon North (BC PM)                             
DNF Jason Nowell (BC PM)                            
DNF Ifan Richards (Dysynni CC)                      
DNF Courtney Rowe (Cardiff Ajax)                    
DNF Will Simmons (Mountain Trax)                    
DNF John Stanistreet (Liverpool Mercury RC)         
DNF Alistair Watson (Knaresborough CC)              
DNF Jonathan Wynn (Border City Wheelers)            
DNF Adam Biggs (Merlin Development Squad)           
DNF Adam Blakeley (Sportcity Velo)                  
DNF Adam Bonser (GS Surosa)                         
DNF Philip Bridge (Wills Wheels CC)                 
DNF Steven Burke (BC PM)                            
DNF Simon Holt (Merlin Development Squad)           
DNF Keir McKenna (Kinesis UK)                       
DNF Andrew Nightingale (Kinesis UK)                 
DNF Ian Pugh (Liverpool Century RC)                 
DNF Robert Smith (Cleveleys RC)                     
DNF Mike Webb (Cardiff Ajax)                        
DNF Shaun Rhead (Team Sport & Publicity)            
DNF Philip Rose (GS Surosa)                         
DNF Christopher Goodwin (Macclesfield Wheelers)     
DNF Tom Broadbent (Leisure Lakes RT)                
DNF Greg Roche (Fuji UK)                            
DNF Gary Adamson (Biemme Kuotl)                     
DNF Richard Jones (Holyhead CC)                     
DNF Tim Kay (BC PM)                                 
DNF Johnny McEvoy (Liverpool Century RC)            
DNF Paul Lowe (Dysynni CC)                          
DNF Steve Jolley (Warrington RC)                    
DNF Michael Clarkson (BC PM)                        
DNF Tom Worvill (University of Birmingham)          
 
Category Awards
 
2nd Christopher Belsham (York Cycleworks)           
3rd William Smyth (BC PM)                           
4th Christopher Lockyer (Manchester Wheelers)       
Junior Ian Stannard (Planet X RT)                   
Woman Cherie Pridham (Merlin Development Squad)     
Master C+ John Cosgrove (Onimpex RT)                
 
Points
1 Chris Newton (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)        9 pts
2 Rob Hayles (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)          4
3 Dean Downing (recycling.co.uk/MG X Power)        4

Past winners

2003 Chris Newton (Corima RT) 
2002 Tony Gibb (Team PCA - Orbea)

Past winners by Mario Stiehl, www.world-of-cycling.com