Thrilling finish in Totnes-Vire race

One second – that’s all that separated winner Gabriel Dellar from Mid-Devon CC’s Charlie Meredith after a riveting two days of competition in the annual Totnes-Vire Stage Race.

Dellar, 22, from Hampshire’s Stolen Goat Race Team, shadowed comeback man Meredith throughout a high-speed fourth and final stage at Paignton’s Torbay Velopark on Sunday.

And although Meredith won the bunch sprint, behind MDCC’s solo winner Nick Makin, earning a ten-second bonus on the line, it still wasn’t quite enough to snatch overall victory for the host club’s No.1.

Exeter-based former pro Meredith, 26, who is rebuilding his career after several years away from the sport, could hardly have done more.

He won the opening nine-mile Time Trial stage at Hatherleigh by eight seconds from Dellar, but then paid the price for bravely pulling back a two-minute gap to one of Dellar’s teammates in the Stage Two road race around Jacobstowe.

This year’s Totnes-Vire featured a successful revival of the Oddicombe Hill Climb for Stage Three.

Dellar won it, powering up the steep half-mile climb in one minute 59secs, one second faster than Meredith.

Then it was on to the Velopark, where Dellar just managed to stave off Meredith’s final bid for victory.

The Oddicombe HC also featured a programme of Junior age-group competitions, and a ‘have-a-go’ session for anyone brave enough to tackle the lung-bursting ascent.

One standout effort came from MDCC’S Under-16 Edward Fraille-Whysall, who clocked 2mins 14secs – only 15 seconds slower than Dellar.