Wallbank off to a flier for busy Clarion

Sunderland Clarion have had a busy start to the road racing season, with a degree of success, particularly for Neil Wallbank.

After early-season success at Croft racing circuit, Clarion riders took to the roads around Etal for Berwick Wheelers’ Reivers Road Race, a challenging 54-miler.

Wallbank led home a fourman Sunderland team with a strong fourth-place finish, finishing behind winner Scott Wardlaw (VeloClub Edinburgh), and narrowly missing out on the podium after getting into a good quality break that saw Keith Greenwood (Pedal Power RT) and Jon Bayley (Gosforth RC) ending second and third. Mark Tully was the next Clarion rider home in 15th, with Kris Adlington 23rd and Lewis McEvoy 33rd.

The two-day Tour of Northumberland followed, with Wallbank second behind Dominic Munnelly (Parentini) in the 3/4 category event.

That helped Wallbank take third place overall, after finishing fifth behind eventual overall winner William Corbett (Manilla Racing).

Kris Adlington was 17th overall, after a strong 23rd in stage one. Lewis McEvoy and Tom Guy also competed in the 3/4 race.

In the Elite/1/2 event, Michael Sloanes finished 25th overall in a strong field, following up on a good showing with 10th place in the Castle Carrock Road Race in Cumbria.

Sloanes also finished 16th in Cramlington CC’s 18- mile time trial, clocking 43min 15sec, two places behind Clarion team-mate Steve Gordon (42:.33). Blaine Metcalf (Team Swift) won in 40.31

Next up for racers is the Wansbeck CC 21-mile time trial next Saturday, with the eagerly-awaited Sloan Trophy on April 24.