At the half way point of the event, after suffering bad luck and injuries in the opening two days, things were finally looking up for the ACU British ISDE Teams. The eight remaining riders initially enjoyed a largely trouble-free day three, despite the inevitable fatigue creeping in.
The third day of the event saw the same lap as Day 1 & 2, but ridden in the reverse direction, with one of the previous tests removed and a new one added in. But the large field of 500+ riders had left the course churned up since the opening day of the event on Monday, and this alone made it a difficult day. It was also the longest lap of the event in terms of distance, with the riders each covering 283km (175 miles).
Just as things were beginning to look up for Team GB it emerged that several top riders had been excluded for missing a check on the route. Unfortunately David Knight was one of these riders, so the event is seemingly over for the experienced Manxman.
Fastest British rider of Day 1 & 2, Jamie McCanney, said that his day was “not as good” as the opening days of the event, but said he still felt happy and comfortable with his pace. A problem for his rival, Kailub Russell, means that Jamie now moves into the lead of the E1 class.
The next fastest rider of the team today was Tom Sagar, after “dreading” Day 3 initially he soon clicked with the tests and admitted he had a “brilliant day” and really enjoyed himself. Fellow Welshman Jamie Lewis also had a better day and he finished the day smiling and relaxed.
Jack Rowland was as happy as ever but he damaged his exhaust pipe and needed to change it at the end of the day. This is allowed though so no penalties were picked up for the youngster from Doncaster. After the disqualification of David Knight, the Trophy Team sit at the bottom of the leaderboard, alongside other top teams such as Spain, France and the USA - who all lost riders with today’s missed route check.
The Junior Team soldiered on without Josh Gotts, who sadly DNF’d on Day 2. James Dent said he felt ever more confident on his bike and he is finally “relaxing in” to the event. Taking each day as it comes, he says the pride of being on the team has worn off and he’s keen to continue his increasingly strong results. Rob Johnson struggled with his energy levels and more discomfort in his hands but he is keeping a positive attitude, keen to start Day 5, and says that it will be “refreshing” to ride a new lap tomorrow. Lee Sealey bravely fought on after a crash which left him with pain in his arm. Today’s stellar work has seen the Juniors move up to 5th from 6th.
Day 4 will see a new lap for the riders to take on, with two new tests and one carried over from Day 3. They will need to stay positive and keep up their great team spirit to push on after losing so many riders.