Robin Delve on the podium With World and National champion’s jerseys already in his wardrobe, ‘supervet’ Robin Delve completed the coveted full set of honours when he won the European Masters (65-69yrs) Cyclo-Cross Championships with a brilliant performance over the daunting Namur course in Belgium.
Delve (Mid-Devon CC), from Longdown, beat a 21-strong field of riders from seven nations, attacking fellow Brit, and former world champion, Peter Harris on the last big climb. Harris eventually finished second by 13 seconds, with Austrian Herman Mandler another 20 seconds away in third place.
“I’m really happy, because if you want to win a big title, it has to be at Namur, which is the most difficult course in the world,” said Delve, who regularly hones his off-road skills over the lanes and tracks of Dartmoor.
“There’s lots of climbs, so steep you can’t run up them, and even steeper descents, so there’s no room for error.”
Delve was fourth at the end of the first lap, moved into first place by halfway, but then had to make a bike change – ‘one descent was so steep that my gear shifters folded inwards,’ he reported.
“Peter Harris was just ahead, but I was always confident that I could pull him back. I attacked him on the last big climb, got a gap and managed to hold it to the finish.”
Delve, the current UK and former World champion, finished the 9.1k race in 31mins 13secs and celebrated the next day by winning a nearby club event sporting his […]
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