45 Road Club

LIAM STONES opened his 2012 road race campaign with a close-up third place at the eighth round of the Imperial Winter Series in West London.

Riding in his new colours of Team Corley Cycles, the 23-year-old Ecton rider was in an eight-strong break which formed in the early stages of the hour-long elite race on the Hillingdon circuit and stayed away to the finish where Jamie Pine (London Dynamo) took the sprint ahead of Tom Smith (Felt Colbornes RT) and Stones.

 

“We all worked together nicely to stay away – I just wasn’t in the best position for the sprint although it was very close as we crossed the line,” said Stones, who began racing less than a year ago.  “I really went down just to judge how I am going, if the training is paying off and to compare it to this time last year.  “Overall, I was very pleased with third place as it showed my improvement from the bottom ranks to the top in just the year.

“I hope that I can continue to get stronger and have the same improvement by the start of next season.  “But in between that, I’m sure there will be lots of highs and lows and a huge amount of suffering to look forward to!”

 

Tom Kruger finished in the main body of the field in 18th place, while 45 Road Club team-mate George Fox took a fine third place in the race for fourth categories – won by Matthew Bone (I-Team) – which ended in a bunch sprint after Fox and Kettering’s Joel Lewis had made the early running.