by Anna Magrath | May 21, 2014
Stylish win for Matthew Gibson in Peterborough as Rapha Condor JLT remain on top
Great Britain’s Matthew Gibson took a stylish win with a last lap attack in Peterborough, but it was the riders of Rapha Condor JLT who took the team win to extend their Series lead.
Gibson attacked at the bell from a four-rider breakaway group to win alone in Peterborough city centre, with Adam Blythe coming in second, ahead of Graham Briggs and Mike Northey.
With Felix English and Ed Clancy leading in the bunch for fifth and sixth, Rapha Condor JLT took their second win of the 2014 Series to move into a three point lead at the top of the standings.
Madison Genesis, who placed four in the top ten, took a close second to remain in runners up spot in The Pearl Izumi Tour Series.
English’s last lap dash to the line also gave him the evening’s Costa Express Fastest Lap, just surpassing Gibson’s final lap, which had looked set to give him the Costa Express trophy.
Gibson, Blythe, Briggs and Northey had gone clear midway through the hour long race on The Pearl Izumi Tour Series and worked well together, building and maintaining a lead of over 30-seconds on the peloton.
Then with the bell ringing to herald the last lap Gibson jumped clear and instantly built an unbridgeable margin, which held all the way around the 1.1-kilometre lap.
Behind the celebrating Great Britain rider Adam Blythe crossed the line alone for his best Pearl Izumi Tour Series individual result to date, with Briggs and Northey crossing the line by themselves.
Kiwi Champion Northey actually took third on the road, but was relegated behind Briggs by commissaires after the two clashed in the final corner.
Behind clear the clear 1-2, NFTO took third to keep them in the Pearl Izumi Tour Series title hunt, while Great Britain could only come sixth, despite taking the individual win.
NFTO also kept hold of the Sprints jersey thanks to Jon Mould, who earned enough points to keep him six points clear of Briggs, with Northey winning the evening’s sprint prize in Peterborough.
Highlights of Round Three from Peterborough are shown on ITV4 at 8pm on Wednesday 21st May, with a repeat at 9.55am on Thursday 22nd May.
Round Four sees the Series make its annual trip to Wales for the Aberystwyth round on Friday 23rd May to open the weekend’s Aber Cycle Festival, which includes a downhill mountain bike race and the Welsh Wild West sportive.
The Pearl Izumi Tour Series
Tuesday 20 May 2014, Peterborough
Round Three Team Result
1) Rapha Condor JLT
2) Madison Genesis
3) NFTO Pro Cycling
4) Team Raleigh
5) Starley Primal Pro Cycling
6) Great Britain
7) Metaltek Kuota
8) Pedal Heaven Colbornes
9) Node4 Velosure
Round Three Individual Result
1) Matthew Gibson, GBR, Great Britain
2) Adam Blythe, GBR, NFTO Pro Cycling
3) Graham Briggs, GBR, Rapha Condor JLT
4) Mike Northey, NZL, Madison Genesis
5) Felix English, IRL, Rapha Condor JLT
6) Ed Clancy, GBR, Rapha Condor JLT
7) Tobyn Horton, GBR, Madison Genesis
8) Tom Scully, NZL, Madison Genesis
9) Tom Stewart, GBR, Madison Genesis
10) Yanto Barker, GBR, Team Raleigh
Round Three Costa Express Fastest Lap: Felix English, IRL Costa Express, 1’17.884
Round Three Sprint Winner: Mike Northey, NZL, Madison Genesis
Overall Team Standings, post-Round Three
1) Rapha Condor JLT, 42pts
2) Madison Genesis, 39pts
3) NFTO Pro Cycling, 33pts
4) Team Raleigh, 28pts
5) Great Britain, 23pts
6) Node4 Velosure, 21pts
7) Metaltek Kuota, 18pts
8) Starley Primal, 15pts
9) Pedal Heaven Colbornes, 9pts
Overall Sprint Standings, post-Round Three
1) Jon Mould, GBR, NFTO Pro Cycling, 25pts
2) Graham Briggs, GBR, Rapha Condor JLT, 19pts
3) Mike Northey, NZL, Madison Genesis, 14pts
by Anna Magrath | May 20, 2014
PRESS RELEASE
LAURA TROTT AND DANI KING LATEST BIG NAMES TO ENTER
This Sunday the legendary Milk Race returns to Nottingham City Centre with exciting new elite cyclists now added to the line up.
The elite field, which includes Dame Sarah Storey, World and European cycling champion Katie Archibald and Olympic gold medalist Ed Clancy, has been joined by Olympic champions Laura Trott and Dani King, who will compete in the Elite Women’s Race.
Trott, who was also part of the ‘make mine Milk’ celebrity based advertising campaign, will lead a strong line-up from Wiggle Honda, alongside 2013 Milk Race Elite Women’s champion, Dani King.
Speaking about her Milk Race debut, Laura said: “I’m excited to be taking part in The Milk Race this year. It creates one of the best crowds on the domestic circuit and who doesn’t love riding in front of big crowds? Women’s road racing in the UK is on a high at the moment and I’m looking forward to putting on a great show with Wiggle Honda and hopefully leading out one of our girls for a win!”
On returning to The Milk Race this year, Dani said: “I’m delighted to be back riding The Milk Race to defend the title I won last year. I can’t wait to get stuck into such a great race.”
The event’s return to Nottingham has been made possible by The Dairy Council and Nottingham City Council who are hosting a day of family activities in Old Market Square on the Saturday before the Milk Race.
As well as the elite races, the Milk Race event will provide a host of entertainment including live music, stunt shows and public rides, starting at 9:30am in Nottingham’s Old Market Square.
A full timetable of the day is as follows:
09.00 The Milk Race Village Opens
09.00 Registration open for Public Rides
10.15 Public Rides: Advanced, Community and Family ride
12.45 Elite Women’s warm up
13.15 The Milk Race – Elite women’s race
14.30 Presentations – Elite Women’s race
15.30 Elite men’s warm up
16.00 The Milk Race – Elite men’s race
17.30 Presentations – Elite Men’s Race
Families and individuals can still register for the public rides via the website athttp://www.themilkrace.com/register-now.
Further information about the 2014 Milk Race can be found at www.themilkrace.com.
by Anna Magrath | May 15, 2014
Press Release – Graham Briggs leads Rapha Condor JLT to Pearl Izumi Tour Series lead in Barrow
Graham Briggs took the individual win to help his Rapha Condor JLT team back into the five red and yellow Pearl Izumi jerseys of Series leaders at the BAE Systems Barrow round of the team based Series.
Briggs outsprinted long-time breakaway companion Tom Scully on Barrow’s long final straight for the win, with Scully’s consolation being the team victory on the night for Madison Genesis, complete with model Astute-class submarines from round sponsors BAE Systems.
Second place behind them for Rapha Condor JLT returned them to the Series lead, with erstwhile leaders NFTO Pro Cycling dropping to third overall having come sixth on the night.
NFTO’s Jon Mould keeps the sprints jersey, with Scully winning the evening’s sprints competition, while Brigg’s last lap effort was enough to snatch the Costa Express Fastest Lap away from Adam Blythe at the death, with a 1’22.924.
Briggs and Scully had escaped midway through the race on the 1.1 kilometre Barrow circuit, slowly eking out a lead despite valiant chase attempts from Andy Tennant and Felix English, and Richard Hepworth and Matthew Gibson.
The latter duo’s effort came closest to reeling them in, with Great Britain rider Gibson taking third ahead of Hepworth, just clear of the chasing peloton led home by Blythe, and then Madison Genesis duo Mike Northey and Tobyn Horton to secure the team victory. With Tennant also in the top 10 it was a comprehensive performance from the team, who had also taken victory in Stoke-on-Trent, to make up for their disappointment in the team time trial event, when spectators had baulked them.
Large crowds had packed the Barrow town centre circuit for the first visit of Britain’s leading team based Series to the Cumbrian town, lining the home straight and filling out all of the corners, on what proved to be a popular, and fast, circuit with an average speed of 42’68kph.
Highlights of the BAE Systems Barrow round will be shown on ITV4 at 8pm on Friday 16th May, with a repeat at 8am on Saturday morning.
Round Three sees The Pearl Izumi Tour Series return to Peterborough after a year’s absence, with the women re-joining the fray for the second Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series event of 2014, on Tuesday 20 May.
The Pearl Izumi Tour Series
Thursday 15 May 2014, Barrow
Round Two Team Result
1) Madison Genesis
2) Rapha Condor JLT
3) Team Raleigh
4) Node4 Velosure
5) Great Britain
6) NFTO Pro Cycling
7) Starley Primal Pro Cycling
8) Metaltek Kuota
9) Pedal Heaven Colbornes
Round Two Individual Result
1) Graham Briggs, GBR, Rapha Condor JLT
2) Tom Scully, NZL, Madison Genesis
3) Matthew Gibson, GBR, Great Britain
4) Richard Hepworth, GBR, Node4 Velosure
5) Adam Blythe, GBR, NFTO Pro Cycling
6) Mike Northey, NZL, Madison Genesis
7) Tobyn Horton, GBR, Madison Genesis
8) Felix English, IRL, Rapha Condor JLT
9) Yanto Barker, GBR, Team Raleigh
10) Andy Tennant, GBR, Madison Genesis
Round Two Costa Express Fastest Lap: Graham Briggs, GBR, Rapha Condor JLT, 1’22.924
Round Two Sprint Winner: Tom Scully, NZL, Madison Genesis
Overall Team Standings, post-Round Two
1) Rapha Condor JLT, 30pts
2) Madison Genesis, 29pts
3) NFTO Pro Cycling, 21pts
4) Team Raleigh, 21pts
5) Node4 Velosure, 19pts
6) Great Britain, 18pts
7) Metaltek Kuota, 13pts
8) Starley Primal Pro Cycling, 10pts
9) Pedal Heaven Colbornes, 6pts
Overall Sprint Standings, post-Round Two
1) Jon Mould, GBR, NFTO Pro Cycling, 18pts
2) Kristian House, GBR, Rapha Condor JLT, 13pts
3) Tom Scully, NZL, Madison Genesis, 10pts
by Hayley Davies | May 15, 2014
©Bettini
Marco Pantani was like many other cyclists: he loved cycling, he was passionate, fearless and more than anything, he wanted to win. But, he was also like no other cyclist, putting the combination of passion and determination into practice to make him the only winner of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same year, something not even Lance Armstrong attempted. But, on Valentines Day 2004 he was found dead, alone in a hotel room in Italy. Aged 34, Pantani had overdosed on cocaine after a period of depression and addiction.
With his distinctive bandana and gold earrings earning him the nickname of ‘il Pirata’ (the Pirate), Pantani’s aggressive riding as an attacking climber projected him to fame in the 1990s, with 36 professional wins, the Maillot Jaune 6 times and the Maglia Rosa 14 times in his career.
“YOU CAN’T WIN THE TOUR DE FRANCE ON MINERAL WATER”
As we’ve all come to learn, cycling in this era was, what can only be described as, a dirty sport. The Festina Affair of 1998 shone light on the behind-the-scenes activities and the depth a team would go to to make sure they were the best. The following year, Pantani was disqualified from the 1999 Giro d’Italia for a hematocrit reading of 52%, 2% above the upper limit set by the UCI to determine EPO usage, which lead to persistent allegations of doping throughout the rest of his career, leading to his subsequent mental health issues. However, Pantani was never actually found guilty of doping during his living years* and evidence as laid out in the film, suggests that his positive tests were a result of coup within the governing bodies of the Giro d’Italia in a bid to allow other teams some glory.
“I AM QUITTING CYCLING, IT’S LIKE A MAFIA”
Having recently finished Tyler Hamilton’s ‘The Secret Race’ and part way through David Millar’s ‘Racing Through The Dark‘ (yes, I’m a few years behind!), it’s clear that doping was the blood of the sport for many years. If you wanted to be ‘in’ with the A team and any chance of winning, you had to dope. Bradley Wiggins highlights this, stating “If you were going to survive and if you wanted to win or make a living you had to do what you were told to do.”
Fundamentally, there was a deep psychological want and need to be accepted in the peloton. Joining a pro team at the ripe age of 22 having won the ‘Girobio‘, the amateur version of the Giro d’Italia; I can’t help but think Pantani was coerced into believing that what he (and his team) was doing, was just part of the job. And so, when the public turned on him following doping allegations, calling him a cheat, he could feel nothing but shame. “I’ve been pressured, I’ve been humiliated” he states in a post ban interview. “Today I don’t associate cycling with winning. I associate it with terrible, terrible things that have happened to me and people close to me.” He had been let down.
This film however, isn’t about an exploration of doping in Pantani’s era, but the story of a cyclist. Interviews with his family, close friends and fellow cyclists of the peloton, depict Pantani as a humble man who loved his family and his sport.
“Marco Pantani was not a saint. Even Pantani would probably not have believed that Pantani was a saint.” Ned Boulting
Clean or not, Pantani is still today hailed a hero by many. The King of the Mountains. An intriguing story, The Accidental Death of a Cyclist provides a unique, but sad and tragic insight into a heroic cyclist and the sport of his era.
PANTANI: THE ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF A CYCLIST IN CINEMAS FROM MAY 16TH
*It’s only in 2013 that samples of Pantani’s samples were retested from the 1998 Tour de France and found positive for EPO.
Writer
Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping!
Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk
by Anna Magrath | May 13, 2014
[youtube http://youtu.be/F7aH1bn6yUI]
Will they – won’t they, the discussion has been ongoing for a while now about the value of using on-bike cameras during road racing. The UCI have been contradicting themselves for a while, and more recently Brian Cookson (UCI President) has hinted that they may be allowed in the future. With the release of this footage there is speculation that the UCI may have acknowledged the merits of filming from within the peloton. There isn’t any clarification yet that I can find, but just the existence of this film suggests that the UCI might roll it out.
The footage is from the Tour of California on stage 1 as John Degenklob and his team sprint for the finish only to be pipped at the post by Mark Cavendish. You can’t deny it’s thrilling to watch – maybe ‘Sprint Cam’ will be coming to a bike race near you soon!
by Anna Magrath | May 12, 2014
PRUDENTIAL RIDELONDON WOMEN’S GRAND PRIX TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON TV
This year’s Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix criterium race will be broadcast live on BBC television with a 60-minute programme on Saturday 9 August.
The event, part of the Mayor of London’s world-class festival of cycling, will be staged on a 1.3-mile route in and around St James’s Park with the start and finish on The Mall.
“We have worked closely with the BBC to make this happen,” said Hugh Brasher, Prudential RideLondon Event Director. “This is a pivotal year for women’s cycling with the recent first Women’s Tour, La Course in Paris on the last day of the Tour de France and this race in the centre of London.”
Held for the first time in 2013, the inaugural race was won by double Olympic champion Laura Trott (representing Wiggle Honda) in a spectacular sprint finish. Highlights were shown on BBC TV the next day in the coverage of Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, the mass-participation event, and the men’s road race, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic.
The field for the 2014 Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix will be announced in the coming weeks.
