Local road racing cyclist, Andy Turner (Team KTM UK), earned himself a place on the podium by finishing in third place at the 46th Severn Bridge Road Race on Sunday, March 4th, 2018. This national level event is known for being a tough one.

The riders cover 112km over nine laps of a circuit which includes a section adjacent to the Severn Estuary with guaranteed headwinds and crosswinds, and a brutal climb before each passage of the finish line.

The lead up to the race was not without its own dramas. Following confirmation on Saturday afternoon that the race was definitely on (in the aftermath of ‘The Beast from The East’), Andy and his family had to dig his car out of the snow - with the help of neighbours - then hope that enough of the drifts would thaw to allow access to the main roads. Luckily, temperatures continued to rise as the start of the race approached.

Unfortunately, the sunshine was short-lived and, after three laps, the 80 riders found themselves being lashed by rain. Andy used this as an opportunity to make an attack on the front of the race. He was soon joined by Matt Downie (TAAP Cervelo) then by Rupert Graham (Spirit Tifosi) and the three riders worked well together to hold a gap of over a minute from the main bunch. On the final climb, Graham attacked and remained ahead to take the win for Spirit Tifosi for the second year running.

This is a great early season result and Andy is now looking forward to representing Team KTM UK in British Cycling’s HSBC UK Spring Cup Series which begins with the Chorley GP on April 15th.