Resident professional Chris Lawless sprinted to his second MVW Hamper Road Race victory in four years at Jurby on Monday morning.

Originally from Wigan, but now living in Crosby, the 26-year-old Total Direct Energie team rider clocked an incredible finishing straight speed of 55 kilometres per hour (34mph) to cross the line outside Jurby Parish Hall more than one bike length clear.

The strong scratch group also included the likes of Tyler Hannay (shortly off to join French team CC Ãtupes), Australian Nick Schultz (Team BikeExchange) and Sam Brand (Team Novo Nordisk).

On damp roads, but otherwise near-perfect conditions for the time of the year, group four (containing Zac Walker, Ralf Holden and Matt Cooil of the Utmost IoM Junior team), caught the group ahead - that started three minutes ahead - on the second circuit of the five-mile course.

Behind them the scratch group was really motoring and when they made contact with the merged three/four group one lap later there were a lot of casualties as the pace ultimately became too hot for all of the caught riders with the exception of the aforementioned Zac Walker and Ralf Holden, plus the experienced figure of the recently-turned-50 Andrew Roche.

Out in front, group one - containing a mix of strong youths with a handful of seniors and veterans - was working together well, but the likelihood of them being gobbled up by the faster of the chasing groups behind looked more and more probable.

Half the remnants of group two and one (which had totalled 10 going into the final circuit) were caught by the combined charging group of seven last time down the pillbox road (Ballavarran), while the others eventually succumbed on the approach to Sandygate with approximately two miles remaining.

Now finally on the front of the race, the attacks came in swift succession. Lawless went first in an attempt to break the resistance, but he was swiftly caught. Next went Hannay, then Max Walker and Hannay for a second time.

But it eventually came down to a six-man sprint, with Roche dropping off in the final 400 yards.

Holden went for the long one and Lawless used him as a lead-out to take the win by almost two bike lengths from Trinity Racing’s Max Walker, with Hannay, who sets off on his Continental team adventure in the coming weeks, 0.891s farther down, just ahead of Holden - who cheekily fended off his sister Lizzie’s partner Schultz for fourth.

Younger of the two Walker brothers, Zac, rounded off the top six ahead of Roche.

At just 14, Jess Pickavance rode an extremely good race in the front group throughout to take the female honours in 10th place overall.

Having worked hard in the advance group, she dug deep over the final mile or more to comfortably hold off Lizzie Holden (group three), Sophie Smith and Florence Griffin (both group one).

The category winners were - leading veteran-60 Tony Varley; vet-50 Roche, vet-40 Andy Bass.

Festive Hamper Race, Manx Viking Wheelers, Jurby - Monday (handicap, five laps - 26 miles): 1, Chris Lawless 1hr 05min 58sec; 2, Max Walker; 3, Tyler Hannay; 4, Ralf Holden; 5, Nick Schultz; 6, Zac Walker all @ same time; 7, Andrew Roche @7s; 8, Richard Fletcher @31s; 9, Richard Cryer @1m 09s; 10, Jess Pickavance @1m 11s; 11, Sam Hardman @1m 11s; 12, Chris Bulley @1m 14s; 13, Russ Lewin @1m 16s; 14, Dominic Dunwell @1m 17s; 15, Oscar Gaylor @1m 27s; 16, Eric Kelly @1m 27s; 17, Lizzie Holden @1m 27s; 18, Andy Bass @1m 31s; 19, Niall Quiggin @1m 37s; 20, John Beaty @1m 46s; 21, Sophie Smith @2m 03s; 22, Corrin Leeming @2m 05s; 23, Adrian Harrison @2m 05s; 24, Mark Horsthuis @2m 05s; 25, Paul Phillips @2m 07s; 26, Charlie Swales @2m 07s; 27, Elliot Baxter @2m 11s; 28, Tyler Annis @2m 15s; 29, Florence Griffin @2m 15s; 30, Ivan Sorby @2m 18s; 31, Stuart Grunsell @2m 20s; 32, Richard Curphey @2m 27s; 33, Tony Varley @2m 44s; 34, Nick Colburn @2m 48s; 35, Michael Faid @2m 59s; 36, Sam Brand @7m 20s; 37, James Scott @7m 20s; 38, Callum Salisbury @7 m25s; (four laps) John Sanderson; Jamie Blair; Mike Chatel; Orry Lund; (three laps) James Hinchliffe; (one lap, puncture) William Curphey

Manx Timing Solutions

l Tyler Hannay is off to Tenerife on Monday for two-and-a-half weeks training, based on Mount Teide, prior to meeting up with the CC Ãtupes team at St Tropez for one week, then a second training camp in February.