Victory in the Totnes-Vire race includes a tussle over the hills of Okehampton

Elliott Colyer proved his own best advert when he powered away to win the 53rd Totnes-Vire Two-Day stage race in the colours of Aero CLCTV, the team he started, after a tough final stage over the hills near Okehampton.

Colyer, 22, from Fordingbridge in the New Forest, has set up the Aero squad with a group of friends since leaving Exeter University with a degree in physics.

Undaunted by limited finances, they’re even throwing themselves into race organisation at a time when the domestic scene isn’t exactly booming.

Colyer rode well in the recent Kennel Hill RR in Sussex without threatening the podium, but he came out of that race well and he was up for the fight in one of the oldest and most challenging races in the UK.

After a first-day closed-circuit Criterium (42miles) and a rain-affected 1K Hill Climb (11%) in Torbay, Colyer was more than half-a-minute down on overall leader Hamish Johnstone (TAAP 2000 Kalas).

Johnstone had won the ‘crit’ and the 15-second bonus that went with it, before Cornish Junior Jed Claxton (Wheal Velocity) stopped the TT clock at two minutes and one second to take Stage Two on Oddicombe Hill.

A rain shower halfway through that test made the surface greasy and gave the early starters an advantage.

But the time gaps weren’t big enough to stop the final 83-mile road stage from being decisive, as it nearly always is in the Mid-Devon CC promotion.

With rain and a shower of hail spicing up the already lumpy terrain, the race soon broke up, before a nine-strong group came together as the decisive action kicked off on the smaller of three circuits near Jacobstowe.

Just when the distance and the conditions were getting to everyone, Colyer struck with around 15 miles to go.

Johnstone was already struggling to stay the pace, though he mounted a brave defence of the yellow jersey with a strong finish.

But Colyer had his eyes on the prize, and the legs to do it.

“I thought the others were starting to tire, and it was always the plan to go solo,” he said.

Colyer, who cut his teeth in the Exeter Uni team, knew he had to put time into the chasers, and he did it in impressive style.

That was despite a slowly deflating tire which he couldn’t afford to check, but must have been a worry as he tried to maintain his lead.

By the uphill finish line at Hatherleigh, only Clay Davies (Ride Revolution Coaching) could get within 30 seconds of him, and that was more than enough for victory.

Spencer Corder (BCC RT) was third, Matthew Webber of Team prize winners TAAP 2000 KALAS fourth and Johnstone rallied gutsily to win a sprint for seventh on the stage and fifth overall.

Stage One leading results – 1 Hamish Johnstone 1.21.46, 2 Oliver Snodden (Mandene Racing), 3 Ollie Cadin (Draft Racing), 4 Jacob Mauger (Crabbe Dstny).

Stage Two – 1 Jed Caxton 2mins 1sec, 2 Mauger, 3 Harvey Thomas (Nopinz), 4 Corder.

Stage Three – 1 Colyer 3hrs 9mins 42secs, Davies 3.10.12, 3 Corder 3.11.19, 4 Matt Webber (TAAP Kalas) 3.11.41, 5 Olivier Maugham (DAS Richardsons) 3.12.05, 6 Josh Hall (Nopinz) 3.12.05.

Overall – 1 Colyer 4hrs 34mins 9secs. 2 Davies @ 44secs, 3 Corder @53secs, 4 Webber, 4 Johnstone, 5 Mauger, 6 Hall.