Garden Shed UK-Ribble-Verge Sport race results

A battling performance from Nathan Smith saw him hold his nerve to secure a deserved 3rd 3rd place finish at the world cyclocross championships. In what proved to be one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the race, Nathan found himself embroiled in a 3-up sprint finish that would decide who finished in which position on the podium.

Nathan's start was ideal as he slotted in at the rear of a group of pre-race favourites who were determined to set a high tempo in the hopes of breaking free of the pack. It was the dry and dusty conditions of the Southern US state of Arkansas however that dictated the course of events. The fast-paced track suited a tactical race that would see riders surge to the front only to drop back into the group as their move was countered.

Initially, it was a breakaway of 5 riders who broke clear with Nathan looking content to bide his time and stick to the leader's coattails. For a brief time, the breakaway swelled to approximately 10 riders as a group led by the Belgians made contact. It was to prove short-lived, however. Looking in imperious form, Aaron Dockx of Belgium, Jan Christen of Switzerland and Nathan drove another break of 5 riders clear.

It was to prove a race-defining moment and with only two laps to go, the quintet had become a trio. Having dropped the field, it was clear that barring an unmitigated disaster the medals would be settled by this leading trio. The only outcome left undecided was the colour of the medal that each would wear on the podium. To say what followed next would be a gross understatement of the epic battle that unfolded.

Every attack countered every countermove nullified until a sprint finish seemed an inevitable outcome and the only way to split the riders. Headed into the home straight it was Aaron Dockx who held the lead with Jan Christen on his wheel and Nathan in third. It looked to be the Belgian's for the taking but the Swiss rider dug deep to hit the line first.

Nathan emptied the tank to produce a last gasp sprint of heroic proportions. Alas, his efforts were in vain as he missed out on Silver by a fraction of a second. Still finishing third-best junior cx rider in the world can't be all bad, can it? We're sure that we are not the only brits that are a little hoarse from cheering on our CX riders this weekend. But what a bright future this sport has in the UK if we can keep producing riders of the calibre of Nathan, Tom, Zoe and the rest of the GB team!

It was a weekend of success for Team Garden Shed - Ribble - Verge at the final round of the National Trophy Series on the Broughton Hall Estate, N' Yorks. Nathan Smith put the disappointment of last weeks National Championships behind him to take his 5th win of the 6 round series. Oli Akers also signed off in style with a third-place podium finish. Nathan's win guaranteed him the title that looked to be all but his barring the unmitigated disaster of a DNF. Oli's impressive ride meant that he finished 2nd a very worth runner up to Nathan in the overall series.

Looking resplendent in his National Champions jersey (at the start at least) Seb Grindley's 2nd place finish clinched the overall series win. With everything hinging on this final result, Seb knew that he only had to finish ahead of nearest rival Alfie Amey to secure the series title. He duly delivered to the great delight of his team, family and sponsors. Libby did not race and finished 4th in the overall standings. A very creditable performance considering that she missed out on the final round completely.

On Saturday the 8th January 2022, Sebastian Grindley of Team Garden Shed achieved the ultimate accolade of UK-based cyclocross racing in claiming the title of British National Cyclocross Champion. Seb's incredible achievement bears testament to a season where he has been in dominant form. He currently leads the standings in the National Trophy series and will look to seal the deal when racing for this competition resumes.

In the meantime, he can bask in the glow of being crowned the champion of his nation and will rightfully get to display his national champs stripes in competition. The result rubber stamps a remarkably successful season so far - with undoubtedly more to come from a great talent. Well done Seb!

Day two of the National Champs would see Nathan Smith and Oliver Akers fighting for the right to wear the coveted stripes in the Juniors and Jenson in the Elite/U23's. Both Nathan and Oli have enjoyed impressive seasons so far. Both riders started well, with Nathan quickly establishing a lead over the field. However, fate is as fickle as ever and a jammed chain put paid to any chances he had of contesting the win.

It was an inopportune time to suffer a mechanical, leaving Nathan stranded far from the pits and the spare bike. He ran back to the pits (a la Chris Froome style) but his race was run. Oli suffered similar misfortune, crashing on the opening lap and then losing a shoe in the cloying mud of the Crawley Showground. He battled back magnificently to finish a very respectable 8th, sadly not the race that the team had hoped for.

Jenson Young launched a brilliantly timed attack on the final lap to take a terrific 10th place finish. He had clearly kept something in reserve as he battled through the deep Crawley mud. A result that was all the more remarkable given the fact that his season has largely been derailed through illness. Sadly that will be the last we see of Jenson for the time being, he is now set to concentrate on road racing throughout the summer. However, Team Garden Shed will look to welcome him back into the fold when cross racing resumes in the Autumn.

Jenson, Oli, and Seb were quickly back in action in Bradford for the latest round of the Yorkshire Points Series in Bradford. Jenson notched his first win of the year with Oli also putting in a great ride to finish 2nd on the podium. Seb once again proved too strong for the competition and claimed his 2nd victory of a fledgeling 2022.

A tremendous team effort saw the team start the new year with a bang. Picking up a momentous 1-2-3 finish at the Macclesfield SX. The race saw the Elite/U23/Junior categories combined to provide an epic spectacle for spectators and competitors alike. Nathan secured the victory with Jenson finishing 2nd and Oli 3rd. In the Youth race, Seb's dominant form of 2021 continued in taking the win.

Photo Credit: @danvernonphoto

Backing up his exploits of the previous day, Nathan recorded his second podium in as many days with a third-place finish in Zolder. In a close-fought race, Nathan found himself battling the current European champion in a two-up sprint for the second spot on the podium. Both riders gave it everything in their surge for the line, Nathan, however, found himself narrowly edged out in an epic photo finish.

Back on home shores, the team were in dominant form in the Boxing Day Cross in Kenilworth. The event saw both the men and women's races combined to provide an incredible spectacle of cross racing at its finest. Jenson Young took the win and Oli Akers also fought his way onto the podium to finish third. Libby also put in an incredible ride to cross the line as the 2nd fastest woman overall and first placed Junior.

Another brilliant performance from Nathan Smith resulted in a superb 2nd place finish in the latest round of the UCI World Cup in Belgium. Once again he showed his class in combatting the treacherous conditions in Dendermonde to finish less than a minute behind the series leader. The result sees Nathan move up to 2nd in the overall standings after three rounds.

Photo Credit: TFoto.

The latest round of restrictions to be rolled out in Europe saw the team participating in the latest round of the World Cup severely curtailed. Nathan was the only rider to make the start line in Namur, Belgium and faced a daunting 3.3km course that featured the infamous off-camber descent. Hitting the front from the off, Nathan led the field for two complete laps before suffering the first of two punctures that put him out of contention. Despite the setbacks, he still managed to finish a very respectable 13th place. His motivation to secure his maiden world cup win remains as strong as ever.

Back on home shores, there were two victories for the team to celebrate. Oli Akers return from illness looks to have taken a giant leap forward. He stormed his way to victory at round 9 of the North East Cross Series in South Shields. Seb was in action at the superbly named #hogwartscross held at Stoneyhurst College, Lancashire. Seb showed total domination from start to finish and held a lead of just touching 3 minutes by the time he crossed the line for the win.

The second part of the weekend's doubleheader saw Seb and Nathan back in action along with Libby. It was also a welcome return to action for Jenson after a prolonged period of illness, while Olly once again missed out through illness. It was a weekend's clean sweep for Nathan as he secured his second victory and consolidated his lead in the overall series. In doing so he notched up his 3rd UCI win in a row and his 6th of the season. Pretty impressive stuff from a rider who shows much promise.

Seb was back on top form as he put the previous days result behind him and rode to a fine win in the Youth race. While in the junior women's race, Libby was going great guns until a broken shoe put paid to her chances of contesting the battle for podium places. She battled hard, however, to secure a fine 4th place finish and signify a welcome return to form after battling illness. Jenson's long-awaited return to action saw him claim the holeshot to put in an impressive few opening laps. His lack of competitive action told however and he eventually faded to finish a commendable 16th. But he can surely be happy with his opening laps and will be hoping for more as he rebuilds his fitness over the coming weeks.

Photo Credit: @oliviasgalleryuk

After a couple of weeks dedicated to training, it was a return to UCI race action at Clanfield, Hampshire. Once again it was Nathan Smith that proved to be the class of the field as he romped home to victory in convincing style. With a lead of 50 seconds over the 2nd placed rider, Nathan even found time to wheelie across the line in celebration! There was disappointment for Seb however, as he endured a tough race to finish 5th. Olly was a DNS for the Junior men's race due to illness.

Photo Credit: @oliviasgalleryuk

It was a relatively quiet weekend for the team ahead of what looks set to be an action-packed Christmas schedule. Oli and Seb were both in action at the Northern Region CX Championship, in the Northeast. Both were looking to maintain their early season form with the next round of the National Trophy Series less than two weeks away. Current NTS leader Seb once again proved that winning becomes a habit, producing another flawless display to add yet another impressive victory to his rapidly growing Palmares.

In the junior race, Oli was looking to keep up an impressive run of results that have seen him finish on the podium in all but one of the UCI ranked events on UK soil. Even that was the result of equipment (shoe) failure. Oli produced the sort of ride that we are becoming accustomed to and claimed a superb runners-up spot on the podium.

Fresh from their World Cup exploits, the team headed to the North East for round four of the National Trophy CX series. What a highly profitable weekend of racing it proved to be amidst wet and blustery conditions. The team claimed two victories out of a possible three and amassed a valuable haul of points for the overall series standings.

On Saturday, Seb Grindley looked to defend his Yellow Verge Sport leader's jersey in the Youth Boys race. Seb broke free of the chasing pack to solo to victory on a course that suited his riding style perfectly.

On Sunday it was the turn of juniors Nathan Smith and Oli Akers who combined to secure a fantastic 1-2 finish for the team. Also sporting his Yellow leader's jersey, Nathan once again showcased his burgeoning talent in powering to a dominant victory. In the face of a stiff headwind, Nathan's unwillingness to provide a slipstream for the riders behind led to him making an early break. In what proved to be the race-winning move, Nathan broke clear to solo to the win.

His margin of victory was 1:08 over Oli who found himself embroiled in a dogfight for the runner-up spot on the podium. In a close-fought finale, Oli edged out Team GB teammate Max Greensill to secure a dominant1-2 finish for the team. The win extended Nathan's lead in the overall standings to 21 points from Oli with just two rounds to go.

Libby Bell was looking to bounce back from a bout of illness that saw her miss the first round of the World Cup. Despite the lack of racing, she put in a gutsy ride to cross the line fifth. The result would see her gain some valuable points which now sees her now sitting third overall. Only a mere 4 points separate Libby from second place, so it's all to play for in terms of the runner-up position heading into the final rounds.

Images: @oliviasgalleryuk.

What an incredible start to the team's UCI World Cup campaign in Tábor, Czech Republic. Nathan Smith laid down a storming performance to clinch a superb runner's up spot on the podium. In a closely contested sprint finish, Nathan narrowly lost out to David Haverings of the Netherlands by a solitary second. Oliver Akers race was brought to a premature end, unfortunately, a broken shoe putting paid to any chances he had of adding even more lustre to Garden Shed's weekend performance. Sadly, Libby Bell did not make the trip due to illness, but we hope to see her, Nathan, and Oli at the next round in Koksijde, Belgium.

Thanks to their impressive performances this season, Garden Shed UK's 3 juniors earned selection to Team GB for the European Championships. The venue for the 2021 championships had until three years previously been the site of a rubbish tip. Now converted for the explicit purpose of cross and MTB racing, it played host to the 2021 championships. The circuits main feature is the fearsome climb of the Col du Vam. Part asphalt, part cobble, and with an average gradient of 10% it provided the riders with a stern test for lap after lap.

First up for Garden Shed UK and team GB on Saturday was Libby Bell, who faced the prospect of racing against the cream of Europe's cross racers. Despite this being only her first appearance for Team GB, Libby showed maturity beyond her years to secure a top 10 finish. In fact, it was a resolution of hostilities when Libby found herself battling teammate Ella Maclean-Howell into the finish. Eventually losing out to Ella by just 4 seconds to cross the line 10th.

Images: Left: Libby powers up the Col du Vam. Right: The constant of cross....mud!

On Sunday the baton was passed to Garden Shed UK's Nathan and Oli to see if they could mirror Libby's incredible achievement. They duly delivered. Despite being pitted against 63 of Europe's finest cross racers, both rode quite magnificently to reward the selector's faith in their abilities. Oli was first to cross the line for Team GB in 6th. Nathan and Team GB teammate Max Greensill were next to cross the line, a further 24 seconds behind Oli and missing out on a top 10 by just 9 seconds. Next up for Garden Shed UK is the first round of the Junior World Cup in Tabor, Czech Republic.

Images: Left: Oli battles a Belgian rider on a muddy descent. Right: Nathan powers past a Dutch duo.

A brilliant performance from Oli Akers saw him battling Belgiums best as he sprinted up the 22% cobbled climb to take a fine third place at the Koppenbergcross. As the name suggests, the race takes place on the slopes of the iconic Koppenberg. A climb that features in one of cycling highest-profile one-day classic races, the 'Tour of Flanders'. The event regularly attracts the cream of cyclocross racers from across the world.

Images: Before and after - It may have been a little muddy!

Over an hour's worth of racing, each rider is forced to conquer this brutal incline over and over again. The result represents a real feather in the cap for Oli, in what is only his first year of racing. Seb Grindley came oh so close to clinching a podium place in the Nieuwelingen (youth) category race. An untimely shoe failure sadly put paid to his podium chances, causing him to drop back to 4th. It was however another superb outing for the current national trophy series leader.

The team's superb start to the new season continued at the third round of the National Trophy Series in Scotland. Seb rode the U16's race on Saturday, with Libby, Nathan, and Oli riding in the juniors the following day. Looking respondent in his yellow series leaders jersey, Seb rode a great race to finish 2nd and consolidate his lead in the overall standings.

Sunday's racing resulted in further success, with the highlight undoubtedly being Nathan's dominant victory in the junior men's race. It was his third UCI victory in as many weekends, ensuring that he took the overall series lead and claimed the series leader's Yellow jersey. Oli finished fifth, new now sits 2nd overall and just 15 points behind Nathan. Over in the Junior Women's race, it was another 2nd place for Libby. She now sits in 2nd place overall after the opening three rounds.

Continuing the packed schedule, thanks to the backing from Garden Shed UK, the team headed over to Ireland to race the Verge UCI Cross Clonmel. Nathan and Oli rode to a 1-2 finish to claim the top two steps of the podium and secure more valuable UCI points. There was further success in the elite women's race where Libby continued her winning ways. She rode magnificently to finish third overall and pick up the top honours in the junior category.

Continuing the packed schedule, thanks to the backing from Garden Shed UK, they head to Scotland for round 3 of the National Trophy Series. This will be their 5^th country in 5 race weekends. Then all eyes will be on the Koppenberg, as we hope to repeat previous successes and Oli looks to defend his ‘King of the Koppenberg’ title as we head over to Belgium at the end of the month for some more international racing.

#gardenshedukribblevergesport

With some hard racing in the legs, the riders returned to Milnthorpe for Round 2 of the National Trophy Series. Adorned with his new Yellow Jersey, Seb kicked things off with another win in the Youth race. Even managing to overcome a puncture and a broken shoe to still ride to a clear victory. Libby had a tough race in the Junior Women’s but battled hard to finish in 4^th place.

Oli and Nathan then proceeded to light up the Junior Men’s race, stretching the field from the start and forming a leading group. Nathan was able to ride away to take his first UCI win of the season whilst great team tactics saw Oli involved in a battle for 2^nd place. Just missing out on the second spot in a group sprint, Oli would have to settle for 3^rd place. Once again rounding off a brilliant performance from the team.

The following weekend it was a short hop across to the continent where the team raced their first European doubleheader. For the Ethias Cross Meulebeke in Belgium and Superprestige Gieten in The Netherlands. Libby produced a stand-out performance, riding her first Elite Women's TV race in Meulebeke. She went on to finish 18th overall and 2nd in the Junior category on a fast, technical Parcours. Oli took the hole-shot in the Junior race but unfortunately crashed out whilst riding strongly within the top-10.

Nathan worked his way through the field to finish just off the podium in 4^th. Meaning more precious UCI points in the bag! Seb also made his European CX debut, finishing 5^th in both races in Meulebeke and Gieten. Riding his way through the field on both occasions.

Gieten saw the rain come down and ‘proper’ cyclocross conditions were on the cards. Bike changes were required and our Ribble CX SL’s got their real first coating of mud! Still running flawlessly and shedding the mud efficiently, the bikes were certainly put through their paces. Libby finished 5^th in the Junior category, whilst Oli and Nathan also battled through the tough conditions in their second race of the weekend to take 8^th and 13^th spots.

The season kicked off with the first round of the National Trophy Series in Derby. Seb took the win and claimed the yellow leader's jersey in the Youth Boys. Not bad on his debut for the team! Libby Bell then took 2^nd in the Junior Women’s category, her first race in her new age group.

Similarly, the Junior Boys, Oli and Nathan, were both in the thick of the action in a fast-paced race. An impressive display from the pair saw them come home to finish 3^rd and 6^th respectively. Jenson Young also put in a strong performance to secure a Top 10 finish in the Elite/U23 race. A great performance considering he is yet to fully make the switch to cyclocross for the winter. He will do so in the coming weeks and will also combine a UCI road program with his CX racing.

We caught up with Charles Page of Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling to find out how he went from riding with stabilisers to competing against the world best riders at the Tour of Britain. Read his story here.

Check out our Drops - Le Col Pro Team roundup for all the latest race results from the Pro Continental race team.

Keep up to date with all of the race results from Ribble Weldtite Pro racing here.