Podium finish for Wood his finest pro result

Torquay’s Harrison Wood pulled off the biggest result of his senior pro career when he finished third in the Trofeo Internacional da Arrabida, south of Lisbon (writes Dave Thomas).

Making the most of a hard ten days of training in the French Alps, Wood (Anicolor-Tien21) blew the race apart with a determined attack on the last of three climbs on the 174K route from Sesimbra to Setubal.

Only four other riders could stay with him, although eventual winner Giaimi Luca (UAE Team Emirates) from Italy and Argentina’s Nicolas Tivani (Aviludo Louletano) proved stronger in the final sprint.

“It was a very windy day, and I got caught out in the second group at one point, so I had to invest a fair effort to get back to the leaders,” said Wood, who raced for two years on the WorldTour with Team Cofidis before switching to Portugal’s Anicolor squad.

“On the last climb with 15K to go, I went hard from the bottom all the way to the top, when there were only five left.

“I tried my best in the sprint after a hard day’s racing.”

Wood, 24, added: “The Alps was one of the best training blocks I’ve ever done – I had my dad with me on an E-bike, pacing and encouraging me!

“It sometimes takes a race or two for that sort of training to kick in, but apparently not this time, which is promising.”

Former Mid-Devon CC starlet Wood next tackles the five-day Volta ao Alentejo in central Portugal, starting today (Wed), followed by Spain’s GP Miguel Indurain (Apr 5) where he will come up against many of his old WorldTour rivals.

Fresh from winning the Evesham Vale Road Race the previous weekend, George Kimber followed up with an impressive solo victory in the Mid-Devon CC’s Primavera Pursuit RR at Hatherleigh.

Kimber (Spirit Racing Team), from Exeter, seized his chance with a powerful attack after the three handicapped groups had come together at Halwill Junction with just under ten miles to go.

The 25-year-old former national junior hill climb champion was not for catching after that surge.

Kimber won on his own on the uphill finish at Hatherleigh, just over half-a-minute clear of a seven-man group led in by Ben Millar (Reflex Nopinz).

“That was a bigger effort than I put in last week,” said Kimber, who now has his sights set on the MDCC’s Totnes-Vire Two-Day stage race in a fortnight’s time and then the National Road Race Series.

Three young riders from the host club – Edward Fraille-Whysall, Rob Hodge and Henry Cadwallader - had got together to stay away for much of the race, followed by a spirited attack by Aidan King (Reflex Nopinz).

But Cadwallader’s hopes of a high finish were ended by a puncture in the closing stages.

Results (44mls): 1 George Kimber 1.43.20, 2 Ben Millar @32secs, 3 Callum Orchard (Okehampton CC), 4 Iestyn Jones (Cardiff Ajax), 5 Edward Fraille-Whysall (MDCC), 6 Ben Meek (Reflex Nopinz); 1st Junior – Fraille-Whysall; 1st Lady – Lara Dix (MDCC).

MDCC’s Lauren Fox continued her impressive switch from cyclo-cross to road racing when she was a clear winner of the Under-15 Girls competition at the Deux Jours de Cyclopark meeting in Kent.

Fox won every race in her section over a weekend that also saw Bayley Woodger, Matt Holmes and Meryn Kitching all ride well in the Under-16 Boys category.

An eighth on the third stage was a highlight for Woodger, who eventually finished 20th overall, with Holmes 22nd and Kitching 24th.