County gearing up to three-day elite cycling race

Organisers are expecting hundreds of spectators to watch the Giro Del Mon, which will take place from Saturday to Monday. One of the highlights of the event will be a day of racing at RAF Shawbury to celebrate the RAF’s 100-year anniversary.

The event is hosted by Shrewsbury based Rhino Velo Race Team and run by Chris Pook and Ben Lawrence.

Pook, who is also taking part in the race, said: “We have worked hard to organise a high quality stage race that should produce a very worthy winner at the end.

“Not only is there a mix of terrain for the cyclists with plenty of scope for riders with different attributes to have a chance to shine, but it will be a fantastic event for spectators. We really hope to see lots of people out and about, cheering the riders on.”

The flagship event is the Giro Del Mon, supported by Pro Vision Clothing.

This is classed as a National B event and is open to 20 teams of four riders who have either Elite, 1st, 2nd or 3rd Category on their licence. There is a total of £2,700 in prize money up for grabs in the Elite race.

Pook added: “This event comprises five stages over May 26, 27 and 28 and we are welcoming teams from Scotland, Wales and various corners of England to what should be a fiercely contested race.”

The second event is the Giro Del Mon Support Race, which is open to individual riders with either 3rd or 4th category on their licence. The event is a Regional B event and held over three stages on Saturday and Sunday.

On the Saturday, riders will sign on at Minsterley Parish Hall from 8am. The Elite event will begin at 9.30am with a Team Time Trial up Hope Valley, followed in the afternoon at 2pm with a road race in the Minsterley, Westbury and Worthen area. The support race will begin at 11.15am and follow the same route as the Elite road stage.

On the Sunday, riders will be at RAF Shawbury from 8am with an individual time trial for both the Elite race and the Support race involving a lap of the airfield. There will be two separate ‘Kermesse’ races, a punchy style of racing popular on the flat and windy terrain in Belgium. The Support race will go first at midday followed by the Elite race at 1pm.

On Monday, riders will return to Minsterley Parish Hall from 8.30am for the final stage of the Elite race. Starting at 10am, it will take in four laps of a 20 mile course around (and over) the Stiperstones with the finish line at the top of the Stiperstones, as ascended from Bridges.

Rhino Velo Racing will enter two teams of four riders in the event. One team will be made up of Matthew Davies, of Minsterley, Chris Pook, of Shrewsbury, Barrie Pugh, of Hanwood, and Graham South, of Leegomery.

The other will be Matthew Garthwaite, of Newport, Oliver Hayward, of Ludlow, Liam Holohan, of Shrewsbury, and Kirk Vickers, of Oswestry.

Tom Pook, of Shrewsbury, will be riding for Rhino Velo in the Support race.