Boneshakersbikes.com press release 290608

Over the weekend, team boneshakersbikes.com were present at a number of events across the North of England.

Competing in the 50 mile Ferryhill Wheelers event, Steve Smales rode to a solid second place, recording 1:53:13 The winner, Joel Wainman's recorded 1:51:59. Whilst pleased with his ride in blustery conditions, Smales was frustrated to miss the win by what amounted to little over a second per mile covered. Smales is now hoping that weather conditions improve to enable the setting of a respectable qualifying time over this distance.

Meanwhile Max Vesty raced cyclo cross at Duncombe Park, finishing second from a small field in this hotly contested juvenile event.

Oliver Pierce rode the Huddersfield Star Wheeler Road Race on Sunday and managed a creditable top twenty finish from a fragmented race despite suffering from a troublesome cold which made the Ferrensby rider feel sluggish when under race pressure.

Martin Vesty rode LVRC road race at Boroughbridge and was performing well until a puncture at a critical point put him out of contention. Despite chasing for fourteen miles, Vesty was only able to regain contact with the peleton in time for the finish.

15th June 2008

Riders from team boneshakersbikes.com were represented across the country over the weekend. Craig Stevenson and Tim Moorhouse made the long trip to Leicestershire to compete in the Jester Stage Race, contested over three stages. Despite driving hard in a six strong break on the decisive road stage, Stevenson was caught at 50 miles and was unable to react when the race winning attack happened. Despite being disappointed at not making this break, Stevenson was to win the sprinters jersey, winning an impressive four sprints from a possible six.

31st of May 2008

Team boneshakersbikes.com riders Tim Moorhouse and Steve Smales travelled to the North East to compete in the R.A. Best 10 mile time trial held over an exposed and undulating course based on Sedgefield.

Competing in the event was Chris Newton, a previous World Champion and Olympic gold medallist. The Teeside rider being selected to represent Great Britain at the forthcoming Olympics was unsurprisingly the pre event favourite.

18th May 2008

It was another busy week for riders from Harrogate based team boneshakersbikes.com

Oliver Pierce continued to perform well in road events. Wednesday's Fulford TT League, event over the rolling Kirby Hill Circuit produced a convincing win in 28.06 with fellow team mate Tim Moorhouse coming in with 29.16 for second place. Sunday brought the City RC Centenary RR in East Yorkshire, a tough race with a substantial climb to be overcome six times. Pierce finished 7th from a bunch gallop. Nathan Wilson won the event in the same time.

Steve Smales, recovering after a recent health setback recorded 1.55.05 to finish third in the Stockton Wheelers 50mile event on Teeside. Despite being a comparatively slow time due to the cold North Easterly wind and rain, this performance provided an early indication of what can be expected as weather conditions improve.

Martin Vesty, showed a steady return to condition in a mid week event at Croft Circuit by finishing 12th in the sprint for the line.

12th May 2008

Max Vesty rode an evening meeting at Croft motor racing circuit. Once established in a small lead group, Max rode confidently to finish in a strong fourth place.

Martin Vesty, Max's father, recovering from his recent broken collar bone felt much stronger than of late and was able to muster a strong sprint for a top twenty finish from the eighty strong field. This bids well for a strong mid season from the veteran rider.

On Saturday, Tim Moorhouse finished 11th in the veterans round of the NPS Series on Saturday followed up by a creditable 6th in the British Eagle Trophy event near Edinburgh on Sunday.

The team fielded Craig Stevenson and Matt Manakee in the John May Memorial 87 mile event with Stevenson established in a nine man break which stayed away for the last 80 miles. Despite a desperate effort to bridge a small gap on the run in to the finish, Stevenson was unable connect with the two leading riders, Wayne Randall and Kevin Dawson.

Due to a heavy cold, Steve Smales was unable to use his recent improving form being forced to miss his start in the VTTA 30mile event and Oliver Pierce was absent from competition this weekend, choosing to hone his form with some rest and training on Maltese roads.

27th April 2008

Riders from team boneshakersbikes.com represented Harrogate cycling in a variety of events across the North during the last week.

Max Vesty competed in a enthusiastic under 10's race at Croft. Despite riding at almost the same speed, 15.6mph, as a small group of four riders who took an early lead, Vesty was unable to bridge the gap. At the flag a sixth place and a valuable lesson in race tactics was the young riders reward.

Oliver Pierce travelled to Wetwang in East Yorkshire to compete in a road race of 45miles. Despite a determined early attack, Pierce was caught rapidly and decided to play his hand in the final sprint. A well timed late effort resulted in a well deserved 7th place in atrocious conditions.

Craig Stevenson, Matt Manakee and Tim Moorhouse all finished in the bunch in the Sloan trophy RR at Stamfordham in Northumberland, the race being decided in a frantic dash to the line in very wet and treacherous conditions with post race photographs clearly showing the amount of mud on the areas roads.

Boneshakersbikes.com multisports specialist Mark Shaw came in 20th at the British National Duathlon rankings points race at Ashbourne, Derbyshire. The race covers an undulating 12km off road run, followed by a 40km bike leg including the challenging climb up to Middleton Top in the Derbyshire Peaks, immediately followed by an out and back 4km run to the line along the shores of Carsington Water.

Against the watch, Steve Smales produced a solid performance with a twenty five mile ride of 56.36 to earn 3rd place in the Otley CC event held on the undulating A168 Boroughbridge-Walshford course.

21st April 2008

On Saturday, Tim Moorhouse travelled to the Midlands to compete in the Veterans Time Trial Association twenty five mile event. In the cool overcast conditions, the boneshakersbikes.com rider recorded a solid performance of 1.00.18 to finish 9th from a sixty strong field.

Sunday saw riders from the team compete in two events, the Hambleton CC road race and one of the toughest time trial events of the year, the forty one mile Teesdale Mountain event based at Barnard Castle.

In the road event , Craig Stevenson rode an exciting race with Moorhouse working hard to support on the road. Stevenson managed to identify the decisive move and established himself in a nine strong break. This group built a substantial lead on the road, which declined rapidly to less than ten seconds on the run in to the finish. Rather than be caught on the line Stevenson unleashed his sprint early and was able to secure seventh place.

At Teesdale, Oliver Pierce and Steve Smales produced solid rides over a course which is renowned for being brutally difficult. The course sees extremes of speed with long, steep and hairpined climbs over Bollihope Common or fifty miles per hour plus descents. The course tests climbing ability and descending nerve and favours light weight roadmen rather than the heavier rider. Pierce continued his rapid progress in the sport to record 2.02.15 with Smales recording 2.02.09. This meant that both riders placed within the top fifteen from a hundred strong field.

Entered as a team to the Skipton sprint triathlon, Simon Gray completed the swim, Jonty Bright completing the run and bike. They finished first of the teams, and a very credible sixth overall.

13th April 2008

Team boneshakersbikes.com fielded riders to compete in several disciplines over the last weekend.

Tim Moorhouse made the long trip to Thetford Forest where he made the switch onto fat tyres for the first round of the XC National points series for mountain bikes. As this was the first time Moorhouse had competed in the veteran's category, the Harrogate rider had to start at the back of a sixty strong field. Despite this, Moorhouse was able to work his way up through the field to finish fifteenth. Moorhouse's performance being most likely to fatherly pride having just seen his daughter finish her juvenile event with a podium place.

On Sunday, Moorhouse joined team mates, Craig Stevenson and Matt Manakee to ride the John Raisbeck Trophy Road Race at Stokesley. All three using the undulating 71 mile race primarily to hone form. All three riders finished safely in the bunch.

Oliver Pierce rode the Bishop Aukland CC SPOCO on Sunday, with a challenging course containing some 1800 feet of climbing over a heavy 32miles. Despite often stating that he cannot climb, Pierce produced a solid fourth place, recording a quality ride of 1hr 21mins. The coming weekend sees Pierce travel to Barnard Castle where he will compete in the classic Teesdale Mountain event over a severe 41miles, supported by fellow team mate, Steve Smales.

6th May 2008

On a bitterly cold weekend team boneshaker.com riders competed in several competitions against the watch.

In Cumbria, Tim Moorhouse made his first trip over to the ultra fast Levens course. Despite poor conditions Moorhouse recorded 21:59, just over a minute off the winner's time placing him in 19th place. More importantly, Moorhouse was able to gain valuable experience of the course which will no doubt be of benefit when weather conditions improve.

Oliver Pierce rode the Stockton Wheelers SPOCO on Sunday, conditions were terrible; freezing cold with frequent snow blizzards. Overcoming these terrible conditions, the Ferrensby based rider recorded a superb win by three seconds in a time of 56.07. Following his recent third place in the Altura RT event, this win will see Pierce in a top position in the Tyne & Tees SPOCO league tables.

Suffering the same terrible conditions with minus four centigrade temperatures, Steve Smales completed the classic Circuit of the Dales 50 mile time trial over the challenging roads between Ingleton, Sedburgh and Hawes. Smales, riding the event for the tenth time, rode a controlled event to finish 16th in 2.16.56. This event providing some good conditioning over the longer distance.

31st March 2008

Despite the changeable spring weather it was another busy of competition for team boneshakersbikes.com

Off road Martin Vesty and Ben Imeson competed in the Midlands Cross Country mountain bike races at Hanchurch Woods. Ben Imeson, competing in the four lap masters event finished a creditable 16th. Martin Vesty seemed on track for a strong finish having settled nicely in the top 5/6 riders after 3 laps in Vetearans race, but then disaster stuck when his front wheel went wayward in muddy rut. Vesty was unable to finish the race such was his pain. A diagnosed broken collarbone has thus consigned Vesty to an indoor trainer for the next few weeks.

Against the watch Tim Moorhouse and Steve Smales contested the rolling 25miles Harrogate Nova time trial at Boroughbridge. This promotion has a reputation for foul weather conditions and yet again it didn't disappoint with torrential rain falling in a strong South wind throughout. Sub 60minutes for any competitors seemed unlikely at the start however consumate all rounder Moorhouse recorded a strong 59.10 for the challenging course with TT long distance TT specialist Smales recording 59.02.

25th March 2008

With Easter being traditionally one of the busiest racing weekends of the early racing season, riders from team boneshakersbikes.com suffered mixed fortunes in the bitterly cold conditions.

Tim Moorhouse made the long trip to Surrey for the tough Easter 3 Day event. Tim's dreams of a high finish on G.C. evaporated in the first ten miles of the first stage with an early puncture. Despite getting prompt service, Tim was cruelly diverted off course by an inattentive marshal. This caused Tim to go about three miles off course and finish the stage some fifteen minutes down. Stage two saw only slightly better luck for Tim who this time punctured in the closing few miles at a crucial point in the race. Given his luck so far, perhaps it was fortunate that the third stage was cancelled due to blizzard conditions.

Against the watch Steve Smales was entered to ride twice over the weekend, a ten mile time trial on the ultra fast A63 Hull course on Friday and to join team mate Oliver Pierce in a 24mile hilly event at Staindrop, County Durham on Sunday. On arrival at Hull on Friday, temperatures were barely at freezing point with an icy 20mph wind making conditions difficult. Following a warm up Steve decided to save his legs for another day by completing the course at part throttle and well wrapped up to finish well down the field. Sunday's event fell victim to the weather with 19mm tyres being deemed as perhaps unsuitable for the three inches of snow that lay on the course.

16th March 2008

Bonehakers team suffered a blow when one of their key riders was in collision with a car whilst training on Friday, resulting in hospital treatment. This meant that Tim Moorhouse was unable to partner Craig Stevenson in the City RC 25mile two up time trial on Saturday.

In the event TT specialist Oliver Pierce partnered roadman Matt Manakee to record at time of 55.05. Being forced to ride solo, Stevenson recorded a noteworthy 55.25.

The event was won by elite riders, Russel Downing and Pete Williams in under 49 minutes.

9th March 2008

Harrogate based team boneshakers.com fielded riders in a duo of North East events this weekend. On the road, Craig Stevenson and Matt Manakee rode the Neil White Memorial Pursuit on the rolling Hutton Rudby circuit. Stevenson and Manakee being handicapped into the scratch group of seven riders. Due to suffering from being isolated in a small group our local riders worked tirelessly in an effort to capture the previous groups on the road. Being unable to achieve this, Stevenson jumped with 2km to go in so doing taking two other competitors with him to the finish.

Against the watch Steve Smales and Oliver Pierce contested the hilly 21 mile time trail around the exposed and undulating roads near Stokesley. Both riders rode strongly with Smales recording a time of 47.43 and Pierce 48.00 this placed both riders firmly inside the top ten and sets Pierce up well for his objective of the Tyne Tees SPOCO series. The event was won by Keith Murray in 45.28.

2nd March 2008

Boneshakersbikes.com Cycling Team competed in several events over the weekend.
On Saturday, the team fielded two teams in the City RC Team Time Trial based over an undulating and exposed course at Beverley. The first of the two teams with Simon Hudson, Martin Vesty and Tim Moorhouse suffered in the high winds and became separated on the road, unfortunately they failed to make an impression against the thirty plus other teams. Craig Stevenson, Oliver Pierce and Steve Smales faired significantly better and rode well as a team to finish fourth overall in 59:56. The event was won by a considerable margin by an elite Planet X team in 55:42. Due to the high winds and undulating terrain, high speeds approaching 45MPH were attained on the fast run in to the finish. Sadly a crash marred the event with three riders from Team Swift being taken to hospital with serious injuries.

On Sunday Craig and Tim rode at Stokesley in the Chapters Hotel Australian Pursuit. Tim starting with the second cat. Riders and Craig occupying the scratch group. The event was Won by Dean Downing with Craig misjudging his legs in the sprint to finish 12th.

24th February 2008

Boneshakersbikes.com rider Steve rode his first event of the season in the YCF10 on the potentially fast Tadcaster A64 course. On an overcast and windy morning Steve found himself at the turn in little over seven minutes using 55x11 most of the way due to a tailwind. The headwind stretch back from the turn was a real test for legs not used to the big gears required for the racing season. Steve narrowly missed a top ten finish from a full field of 120. Overall he was pleased with his ride of 22.47 in an event which is typically dominated by riders with a more explosive physiology.

Following the event Steve rode home, which was made memorable by the failure of a carbon seat post necessitating 20 miles of uncomfortable progress.

Craig and Oliver opted to train instead with long endurance sessions of several hours.

The next objective for boneshakersbikes.com is the City RC Team Time Trial next Saturday.