Season gets better for Briggs with victory in road race

The 29-year-old led a clean sweep of the top five places for Team Raleigh GAC in the five-lap round of the Yorkshire Road Race League on a modified version of the Epworth circuit due to roadworks.

Briggs was in a leading 10-strong group going into the final lap and escaped with team-mate Jamnie Sparling to contest the finish half-a-minute ahead of third Raleigh rider Simon Holt.

Victory in the 77-mile Neil White Memorial Road Race – also a Yorkshire League round – went to York’s Kit Gilham (Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes.com).

Gilham broke away after 30 miles of racing with Dan Smith (Velo 29), who took second place in the final sprint, and his own team-mate Alistair Kay, and they were still half-a-minute clear at the finish.

Attacking from the start, Graeme Rose (Dirtwheels Cycles) and Simon ward (Hope Factory Racing) dominated Kirklees CA’s Summer Road Race over 10 laps of a 5.5-mile Birdsedge circuit, near Huddersfield.

The pair were never caught with 33-year-old Rose, from Bramhope, pulling away from Ward midway round the final lap to win by 40 seconds. Rob Watkinson (Doncaster Wheelers) led in the rest in third place.

Tenth place in the final round was enough to give Callum Rogers (Scunthorpe Poly CC) overall victory in the Blyton Circuit Race Series by a single point from Mark Cotton.

In time trials, Kevin Dawson (Strategic Lions) clocked a record 59:57 for the 30-mile Hatfield Woodhouse course to win North Midlands VTTA’s event.

Seth Smith (Paul Milnes Cycles-Bradford Olympic RC) finished fourth in the final round of the Yorkshire Cyclo-Cross Summer League to take the overall title on countback from Andy Peace (Science In Sport).

Both finished on 578 points, but Smith took the decision by virtue of his higher placing in the final race – Peace coming in seventh - behind winner Jack Clarkson.