Tom Mazzone sprinted to victory in the Isle of Man Road Race Championships at the end of the Nick Corkill Memorial event the Sunday before last.

Riding in the colours of his UK team, Vitus Pro Cycling, the 26-year-old from Ramsey was in the lead group for the entire distance of the 57-mile race, hosted by Ellan Vannin/IoM Cycle Tours.

He, Max Walker (Trinity Racing), Tyler Hannay (Utmost IoM Junior team) and Jamie Fletcher (Ellan Vannin) broke away from the large pack in the early miles.

The pace from the start was quite brutal, so only the strongest were able to hang on as the peleton skirted Andreas village and headed on through Regaby to the Dhoor and the fringes of the northern capital.

Swinging left onto the Bride coast road at St Bridget’s corner there was a touching of wheels towards the rear of the field, but no one was injured in the incident.

First time up the short-but-sharp Bride hill, Hannay led Fletcher, Mazzone and Walker went over the crest some 35 seconds clear of the main bunch, but such was the pace the combined field was already looking somewhat fragmented.

Less than two miles away at the completion of the lap the leading quartet had doubled its advantage to 1m 10s. Already it was looking likely that such a strong breakaway could stay clear for the entirety of the race.

Chris Kneen and young Zac Walker had jumped off the front of the bunch at the start of the climb on lap two, briefly pegging back the lead that had stretched to 1m 25s over the main bunch on Bride coast road.

Another lap in and the breakaway had extended their advantage to 1m 57s as they hit the halfway point in the six-lap senior/veteran over-40 race.

Zac Walker had slipped back into the safety of the bunch to save his legs for any possible challenge to the youth title at the end of the shorter four-lap race next time around.

Such a contest did not occur and the 16-year-old glided over the line to retain the title he first won in 2019. He duly carried on for another lap before calling it a day.

Ralf Holden had opted to ride the junior race (over six laps) before the race, so it left a gallop for the lower rungs in the youth class, taken by Tyler Annis from Niall Colquitt and Callum Salisbury.

They were mixed in with the over-50 contest, won narrowly by Juan Kinley from Stuart Grunsell and Mark Harrison.

It was a great pity that Colby’s Jess Carridge had no opposition for the women’s championship, which she also won in 2019 on the Tour of the West course. At the start of the truncated season, there were regular fields of six or seven females, stretching to a dozen of more in the Bikestyle handicaps on Jurby airfield.

Zac Walker’s sprint off the front on the Burma Road instigated an injection of pace by James Harrison who then saw his chance of perhaps bridging the gap to the overall race leaders. Leon Mazzone joined him and the two worked hard over the next 10 miles to somehow reel-in the breakaway.

The lead group of four became six and, despite all of his effort in catching up, Leon Mazzone (Crimson Orientation Marketing RT) briefly attacked over the top of the Bride climb.

That came to nothing and the outcome was always likely to be in his older sibling’s favour if it came to a straight drag-race to the line.

Tom pushed hard with 100 metres to come and raised his left arm as he took the chequered flag to gain his second Isle of Man national road race title in four years.

Max Walker split the Mazzone brothers in second place, while Harrison’s successful link-up to the front group effectively won him the junior title as he crossed the line a length-and-a-half clear of his Utmost team-mate Hannay, with fourth senior Fletcher lodged between them.

The one title still to be decided was the 40-49-year veteran award and this came down to three men - Andrew Roche and Rob Moneta of the host club and Rob Sorby of Manx Viking Wheelers.

Moneta attacked first, leaving Roche and Sorby looking at one another. Rochie, who had never lost a race as a veteran on this course, then decided to chase and this enabled 44-year-old Sorby to briefly sit on before overtaking both men to take the win on the line.

Nick Corkill Memorial Tour of the North, Ellan Vannin CC, sponsored by Isle of Man Cycle Tours (incorporating the 2020 Isle of Man Cycling Road Racing Championships), Sunday, Andreas/Bride. Combined senior, junior and veteran-40 men’s race (six laps, 57 mile): 1, Tom Mazzone (senior) 2hr 14min 43sec; 2, Max Walker (snr) @ same time; 3, Leon Mazzone (snr); 4, James Harrison (junior); 5, Jamie Fletcher (snr); 6, Tyler Hannay (jnr) all @st; 7, Rob Sorby (vet 40-49) @2m 48s; 8, Andrew Roche (vet 40-49) @st; 9, Robert Moneta (vet 40-49) @2m 50s; 10, Matthew Cooil (jnr) @3m 03s; 11, Conor Davies (snr) @3m 03s; 12, Ralf Holden (jnr) @3m 13s; 13, Chris Kneen (snr) @3m 13s; 14, Paul Phillips (snr) @9m 10s; 15, Andy Bass (snr); 16, Peter Harrison (snr); 17, Leslie Corran (snr); 18, Richard Curphey (snr); 19, Stuart Grunsell (vet) all @st; 20, Gianni Epifani (vet 40-49) @9m 14s; 21, Juan Kinley (vet) @st; 22, Nick Colburn (snr) @9m 47s. DNF: Matt Looker @1 lap; Corrin Leeming; Ben Christian, Mark Blair, Thomas Kneen, Charles Leece, Niall Quiggin all @2 laps; Michael Faid @3 laps.

Youth, women’s and veterans (four laps, 38 miles): 1, Zac Walker (youth) 1hr 30m 02s; 2, Tyler Annis (yth) 1:33.52; 3, Niall Colquitt (yth); 4, Juan Kinley (veteran 50); 5, Stuart Grunsell (v50) all @st; 6, Callum Salisbury (yth) 1:33.53; 7, Mark Harrison (v50) @st; 8, Jessie Carridge (woman) 1:33.56; 9, Ivan Sorby (yth) 1:33.58; 10, Tony Varley (v50) 1:46.15; 11, James Scott (yth) 1:52.35; 12, Charlie Swales (yth) 1:55.33; 13, Phil Swales (v50) 2:17.42. Manx Timing Solutions