by Chris Maher | Apr 17, 2016
All images ©www.chrismaher.co.uk / CyclingShorts.cc
Garner And Moses Claim Stage One Victories By A Wheels Length In The 2016 Tour Of The Reservoir.
Podium Ambition P/B Club La Santa’s Grace Garner and JLT Condor’s Thomas Moses both win the first Tour of the Reservoir stage by a narrow margin in a last effort kick for the line.
The Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir’s Women’s Race started the days action off, after an hours delay due to the return of more overnight Wintery weather.
Four girls made an initial break once they were on the Kermese Style circuit course of the Dam Wall. The main group then reformed by lap three in this reduced ten-lap race.
This second in the Women’s Road Series event had attracted an twenty-percent more field than the Men’s event, but the promise of harsh conditions and poor health had reduced the sign-on to eighty-one riders starting the day.
It all came down to the final big bunch sprint across the Dam Wall with Garner just edging out Lowther across the line.
It’s Grace Garner’s first visit to the Tour of the Resevoir, and she’ll start stage two in the Pink Champion System’s leaders Jersey.
Tom Moses victory came after a gruelling seven lap circuit of Derwent Water Reservoir.
An active Peloton from the start saw a lone escapee after the official Start. Neon Velo’s Jeremy Durrin attacked on the first lap, but got reeled back for the start of lap two.
Madison Genesis’s Matt Cronshaw broke free soon after and gained around a minute, taking the first Prime of the race.
A second rider bridged across Harry Tanfield, Pedal Heaven, followed by a third, Tom Moses. With eight more trying to bridge. The lead had been reduced to 20s according to race radio.
Moses took the second Prime and the trio had build a 1.23s lead.
Cronshaw drifted back towards the Peloton as the time gap reduced to 20s once more.
Over the third Prime, the original break-away had all but been caught, but a five man group counter-attacked on the far-side of the Reservoir, Moses being one of them, they soon had a three minute lead.
As the race drew to it’s conclusion, it looked like the Winner would come from this group of five with Adria Moreno Sala, Raleigh GAC, Jonny McEvoy, NFTO, Joe Fry, Pedal Heaven and Taylor Gunman, Madison Genesis making up the other four places.
A hard fought reverse climb to the finish-line saw Moses clinch the victory narrowly from McEvoy, who will wear the Champion Systems Yellow Jersey on stage two.
Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir
1: Grace Garner, Podium Ambition P/B Club La Santa
2: Melissa Lowther, Team Breeze
3: Charline Joiner, Team Ford Ecoboost
Motorpoint Spring Cup
1: Tom Moses, JLT Condor
2: Jon McEvoy, NFTO
3: Joe Fry, Pedal Heaven
by Chris Maher | Sep 23, 2015
All images ©www.cyclingshorts.cc | www.chrismaher.co.uk
Giant Sheffield Women’s Elite ½ Cat Race
Gabriella Shaw (Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International) sprinted to victory in the third Giant Sheffield Women’s Elite, 1st and 2nd Cat circuit race.
The race built into a dramatic bunch sprint in the final few laps with former winner Tanya Griffiths trying to break free in a repeat of last years race.
The front of the race had been hotly contested through-out the sixty-minute circuit race, with Corley Cycles Drops RT driving the race along in the early stages.
Amy Gornall (Corley Cycles Drops RT) had escaped the pack, only to-be neutralized whilst the emergency services accessed part of the circuit.
The race re-started after the circuit had been cleared with Corley Cycles once again setting the pace.
Team Jadan’s Henrietta Colbourne rode aggressively on the front of the race, but was unable to forge ahead with counter moves from Charlotte Broughton (Corley Cycles), Rebecca Womersly (Corley Cycles) , Amy Gornall and Annasley Park (Team Giordana-Triton).
Annasley Park began the first move of the race initially, quickly marshaled by Rebecca Carter (Team WNT) and Hannah Walker (Team WNT).
After the re-start, Rebecca Womersly took-up the pace, before Annasley once-more found herself driving the race along.
The lead group whittled down to a manageable fifteen riders, as the girls looked amongst themselves to see who would try and break-free next.
With good representation from Corley Cycles Drops RT and Les Filles Racing Team whom had both fired riders off the front through-out, any move though soon got counteracted. The pace remained high as the final few laps grew close.
Womersley, then Gornall, then Womersley once more led the race. The bell lap was looming.
Gornall was joined by Tamara Davenne (Oxford University CC), then they were brought back together for the final lap and inevitable bunch sprint.
Elite/1/2 Women Results
1 Gabriella Shaw Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Intl 58.13
2 Henrietta Colborne Team Jadan “”
3 Charlotte Broughton Corley Cycles – Drops RT “”
4 Elizabeth-Jane Harris Army Cycling Union “”
5 Annasley Park Team Giordana- Triton “”
6 Jennifer George Les Filles Racing Team “”
7 Rebecca Womersley Corley Cycles – Drops RT “”
8 Elizabeth Stedman University of Sheffield CC 00.03
9 Delia Beddis Les Filles Racing Team “”
10 Tamara Davenne Oxford University Cycling Club “”
11 Laura Greenhalgh Les Filles Racing Team “”
12 Melissa Lowther Matrix Fitness “”
13 Amy Gornall Corley Cycles – Drops RT 00.07
14 Tanya Griffiths Velosure Starley Primal 00.08
15 Nicole Oh Les Filles Racing Team
16 Rebecca Carter Team WNT
17 Lucy Shaw Matrix Fitness Development
18 Sophie Lankford Team WNT
19 Hetty Niblett Team Velosport
20 Sian Botteley Velosure Starley Primal
21 Ellie Russell Sportcity Velo
22 Hannah Walker Team WNT
23 Charmaine Porter Army Cycling Union
24 Clover Murray Corley Cycles – Drops RT
25 Rebecca Rimmington
26 Jenny Holl Stirling Bike Club
27 Julia Van Campen Sheffrec CC
28 Melissa Brand IKON – Mazda
29 Laura Cheesman Velosure Starley Primal
30 Nicola Moore Squadra RT
31 Tracy Best Zappis Racing Team
32 Samantha Verrill Speedflex Race Team
33 Nikki Metcalfe Team WattCycle
34 Fiona Hunter Johnston Onit Cycles WRT
35 Karen Poole Team WattCycle
36 Sophie Black Elitevelo Kalas Sportswear CRT
Yesss Electrical – BikeBoxAlan Elite 1/2 Men’s Race
1 Christopher Lawless Team Wiggins
2 Graham Briggs JLT Condor
3 Jake Hales Spirit Bikes Racing Team
4 Connor Swift Polypipe Cycling Team
5 Adam Kenway SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
6 Tom Mazzone Polypipe Cycling Team
7 Simon Wilson Polypipe Cycling Team
8 Oliver Peckover Sherwood Pines Cycles SRAM RT
9 Alastair Hepworth Team Envelopemaster/Bikeboxalan
10 Richard Hepworth SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
11 Jacob Hennessy Spirit Bikes Racing Team
12 Samuel Williams One Pro Cycling
13 Kieran Simcox Bike Box Alan/Envelopemaster
14 Elliot Jones Paramount CRT
15 Alex Minting Neon-Velo Cycling Team
16 Ryan Davis SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
17 Edward Clemens Spirit Bikes Racing Team
18 Max Williamson Bike Box Alan/Whiston Velo
19 Buauna Ball Zappis Racing Team
20 Robert Scott VCUK PH-MAS Junior Cycling Team
21 Michael Thompson Team Wiggins
22 Matthew Nowell Kuota – Spinergy – GSG
23 Thomas Traviss-Pollard Polypipe Cycling Team
24 James Hill Team Envelopemaster/Bikeboxalan
25 Joseph Clark Team Envelopemaster/Bikeboxalan
26 Adam Turner Andy Moore Autocentres Racing
27 Calum Lawson Broom Wagon Racing Team
28 Ashley Marshall Achieve Northside Skinnergate
29 David Clarke Giordana-Mitsubishi Electric RT
30 Jake Beach Knottingley Velo
31 Liam Davies Broom Wagon Racing Team
32 Cameron Jeffers Bill Nickson Cycles RT
33 Jacob Trotter Team Envelopemaster/Bikeboxalan
34 David Bates Giordana-Mitsubishi Electric RT
35 Luc Hall Team Wiggins
36 Alexander Colman Arrow Cycles
37 Andy Bishop Andy Moore Autocentres Racing
38 Matthew Hindmarsh Dinnington Racing Club
39 William Lewis High Peak Cycles RT
40 Liam Gilpin NFTO Race Club
by Chris Maher | Sep 23, 2015
Continental Tyres Women’s ¾ Cat Race
A gutsy solo break by Rebecca Hoare (Army Cycling Union) in the Continental Tyres Women’s 3/4th Cat race provided the winning move in the 2015 Tickhill Grand Prix.
Setting off three quarters of the way through the race, Becky gained a significant distance to secure first place finishing twelve seconds ahead of the main group.
The race ran at a high pace from the off in the fifty-minute session. The peloton had splintered early on, with twelve girls going clear.
Driving the group along earlier in the race, Team Jadan’s Monica Dew couldn’t edge away.
Rebecca then managed to gained five seconds midway through the race with Clifton CC’s Anna Docherty joining her.
A tumble by a lapped rider disrupted the chase slightly, but once cleared the chase was back on.
The group then reformed as they began making their way through the back markers.
It was at this slowing down point that Becky set about her winning move. Quickly gaining ten seconds, there was no reaction from the pack for several laps.
A strong performance again from Monica; she began closing the gap, this time with Johnson Wheelers CC’s Sarah Bradford.
Becky had been pegged at around fifteen seconds, but time was beginning to run out for anyone that had ambitions for the top place on the podium.
In the final push for the line, the remaining chasing girls could only sprint for second place.
3/4 Women Results
1 Becky Hoare Army Cycling Union 43.09
2 Sophie Williams Cardiff JIF 00.12
3 Anna Docherty Clifton CC “”
4 Monica Dew Team Jadan “”
5 Sarah Bradford Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club “”
6 Hayley Edwards Team Velosport “”
7 Sophie Enever Tyneside Vagabonds CC “”
8 Elizabeth Denby Paul Milnes – Bradford Olympic RC “”
9 Samantha Wilson Army Cycling Union “”
10 Elizabeth Catlow VC Lincoln 00.16
11 Jessica Woodworth Bourne Whls CC “”
12 Lindsay Atkinson-Wright Albarosa Cycling Club at 1 Lap
13 Gemma Penman Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club “”
14 Vanessa Holmes Arrow Cycles “”
15 Hannah Saville www.cxmagazine.com
16 Elizabeth Burrows Featherstone RC
17 Savannah Morgan Liverpool Century RC
18 Ann Walsham Maxx RT (Max Road Team)
19 Sophie Holmes Team Terminator
20 Lusia Steele Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club
21 Isabel Darvill VC Lincoln
22 Anna Weaver Team WattCycle
23 Rebecca Smith University of Sheffield CC
24 Jess Millar Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club
25 Melissa Greaves The Racing Chance Foundation
26 Lily Greenhalgh East Bradford CC
27 Jordan OMara Bolsover & District Cycling Club
28 Gemma Scougal WCS Race Team
29 Nicola Fox Manchester Whlrs Club
30 Emily Watson-Thoday University of Sheffield CC
31 Emma Grayson Wolverhampton Whls
32 Lindsey Styler The Racing Chance Foundation
33 Linsey Lyon The Racing Chance Foundation
34 Sarah Gregson Sportcity Velo
35 Heather Wesson Team WattCycle
36 Hazel Wright Team WattCycle
37 Nicola Doody
38 Dawn Russell
39 Vikki OBrien Manchester Wheelers Club
40 Coralie Glaunes Les Filles Racing Team
41 Zoe Forbes Giant Sheffield Poppycock Racing
42 Helen Goldthorpe Otley CC
43 Pamela Challen Team WattCycle
44 Olivia Tomlinson Team Jadan
45 Catherine Ferguson Manchester Wheelers Club
by Anna Magrath | Sep 14, 2015
All images ©CyclingShorts.cc / wwwchrismaher.co.uk
Edvald Boasson Hagen of MTN Qhubeka became the first rider to win the modern Aviva Tour of Britain twice when he successfully defended his 13 second lead on the final stage, an 86.8km circuit race around some of central London’s iconic landmarks.
The Norwegian sprinted to fifth on the stage, which was upgraded to fourth when Andre Greipel was relegated for impeding Elia Viviani in the final sprint up Regent Street St James, handing the Italian his third stage win of the week.
Viviani’s victories in Wrexham, Floors Castle and now London also mean he is only the fifth rider to win three stages in one edition of the race, and joins Mark Cavendish as one of only two riders to win Tour of Britain stages in England, Scotland and Wales.
Speaking afterwards he said “After yesterday I saw I had good speed in the legs after a really hard week, so we thought we could win today.
“(Ben) Swifty and Andy (Fenn) put me in a perfect position for the last corner. We saw the road go up and I knew we couldn’t start the sprint too early. When I saw Greipel go I went directly on his left-hand side. He came across a little bit, a little bit and that edged me towards the barriers. I’m disappointed because it is better to win without this. He is a big champion and I’ve never seen him do this before. But we won in London and that is the main thing.”
“This week has been really good with lots of stages over 200 kilometres,” he added. “It has given me a very good base for the worlds and I am really confident. I think the Tour of Britain is the perfect roads for the worlds this year.”
After the stage Greipel insisted the incident was accidental: “I didn’t see Viviani coming. I was just concentrating on my sprint and suddenly he was next to me. The final straight wasn’t that wide, I had to look for space to overtake. Everybody was on the limit on the final corner. I didn’t do anything for purpose that’s for sure. That’s sprinting.”
Boasson Hagen’s fourth place on the day was more than enough to see him win the Aviva Yellow Jersey outright thirteen seconds ahead of Team Sky’s Wout Poels with young British rider Owain Doull capping an outstanding week’s work by moving up to third place overall thanks to a time bonus, the best result of his road career to date.
Doull also claimed the Chain Reaction Cycles Points jersey, having finished in the top ten on all but one stage (the finish at Hartside where he came 11th) and the Premier Inn Best British Rider award.
Boasson Hagen, who won three stages in 2008 and four in 2009, didn’t take a stage victory in 2015, but arguably his overall victory was all the more impressive, having to fight off a determined effort from Team Sky, working for the in-form Poels.
“I am very happy with that win,” said Boasson Hagen who joined MTN Qhubeka at the start of this season from Team Sky. “The object today was simply to defend the jersey and my team did a great job all day. Team WIGGINS took it out very fast at the start looking for the intermediate Sprint and seconds for their rider and it was very hard but then the race settled down a little. I always like to race to win. I had my chances with Sky but perhaps I get more chances with MTN Qhubeka. I think perhaps this year it was harder to win the GC than back in 2009, the course was tougher and Sky were very strong.”
Boasson Hagen now goes onto the World Championships in Richmond, Virginia where he will be riding primarily for Alexander Kristoff although on this form he clearly represents a viable Plan B. Both Greipel and Viviani have also expressed their hopes of taking the title and it could yet be that the Aviva Tour of Britain again acts as ideal build up for the eventual champion, as it did last year with Michel Kwiatkowski.
With a new look circuit hosting 14-laps of racing, the early interest in the final stage centred mainly on Team WIGGINS trying to secure two vital seconds for Doull to move him from fourth place onto the podium in third ahead of Rasmus Guldhammer of Cult Energy Pro Cycling.
For a team consisting of Great Britain’s best team pursuiters that was a pleasing scenario and provided a fine spectacle for a large crowd as Team WIGGINS went to the front half way around the first lap and bossed the race for the first three laps right up to the first intermediate YodelDirect Sprint.
A huge turn on lap three from Sir Bradley Wiggins set Doull up nicely although Russ Downing, riding for Cult Energy did manage to infiltrate the Team WIGGINS train and take the line honours to deny Doull the full three seconds. Doull, however, comfortably collected two seconds for second place to move into third on the road, a position he was able to defend.
After the first sprint an eight man break went up the road which meant Cult had to chase in an attempt to get Guldhammer into the second YodelDirect Sprint. Ultimately it was in vain with the peloton unable to get on terms in time, last year’s overall winner Dylan van Baarle taking both the second and third YodelDirect Sprints, on his way to finishing eighth overall.
Elsewhere Peter Williams of ONE Pro Cycling completed an excellent week’s riding – both individually and in the team context – by taking both the SKODA King of the Mountains title and YodelDirect Sprint jersey, only the third time that feat has ever been achieved in Aviva Tour of Britain history
Williams, from Southport, had cinched the Skoda King of the Mountains title on Saturday when he took maximum points on the final climb of the day up Brantham Hill in Suffolk and started today’s stage seven points up from Conor Dunne in the YodelDirect Sprints classification. With neither rider contesting the first sprint of the day Williams’ lead became unassailable and the celebrations could start.
“It’s a massive achievement for ONE Pro Cycling. This time last year it was just a few conversations and the ball had just started to role so it was a really new team. To come away with two leaders’ jerseys on our Tour debut is a brilliant achievement.
“I feel like I’ve been in good form all year, the setup is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before and it helps get the best out of all the riders. It’s a really good environment. Coming into the Tour of Britain we had prepared well and felt ready to come here and do something.”
For full results and standings, please click here.
by Anna Magrath | Sep 12, 2015
Andre Greipel sprinted to victory in Ipswich, Suffolk at the end of the Aviva Tour of Britain’s longest stage, a 227-kilometre leg from Fakenham in Norfolk.
The Lotto Soudal rider headed home Team Sky’s double stage winner Elia Viviani and IAM Cycling’s Sondre Holst Enger by the narrowest of margins
The win was Greipel’s fourth Aviva Tour of Britain stage win, adding to the three victories he took in the 2010 edition of the race.
MTN Qhubeka’s Edvald Boasson Hagen took fifth to maintain his thirteen second lead over Wout Poels and the Aviva Yellow Jersey heading to London and the final stage of the race.
Team WIGGINS’ Owain Doull finished safely sixth to keep his lead in the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey, as well as remaining the Premier Inn Best British Rider thanks to his fourth overall. Only a Boasson Hagen stage win in London will deny the Welshman the Chain Reaction Cycles jersey, providing he finishes the stage.
Peter Williams clinched the SKODA King of the Mountains competition, with no climbs on the final stage London circuit, the ONE Pro Cycling rider took maximum points on the final SKODA King of the Mountains climb of the 2015 race at Brantham Hill in Suffolk to win by two points from Madison Genesis’ Tom Stewart.
Williams also maintains a seven point lead in the YodelDirect Sprints competition. Nine points are available on the London Stage presented by TfL, so only An Post Chain Reaction rider Conor Dunne can defeat him.
Starting in damp conditions from Fakenham’s racecourse, the original four man break consisted of Chris Opie, Alistair Slater, Johnny McEvoy and Tom Stewart, before that was reeled in and another all British group of Alex Dowsett, Gabriel Cullaigh and Graham Briggs went away, with the latter going on to win the Rouleur Combativity Award for Stage Seven.
With the battle for the final SKODA King of the Mountains points at Brantham Hill a priority, Madison Genesis worked hard to bring back the break, catching first Dowsett and then the other two escapees.
Williams took the points at the top of the ascent, with both Zdenek Stybar and then Rob Partridge attempting to go clear in the final kilometres.
Lotto Soudal and Team Sky worked hard on the front to set up the sprint for their men Greipel and Viviani, and it looked briefly like the Italian had claimed the victory on the near side, but television replays confirmed it was the German who crossed the line first.
On the Aviva General Classification there was no change at the top, with Boasson Hagen preserving his lead, but fifth placed rider Dylan Teuns, from BMC Racing, did crash out as the race passed through Wattisham Flying Station, which provided a unique home to the day’s final YodelDirect Sprint, flanked by Apache helicopters of the British Army.
For full results and standings from Stage Seven, please click here.
The 2015 Aviva Tour of Britain concludes in central London with Stage Eight from 3.30pm on Sunday 13 September, with a 14-lap circuit race starting and finishing on Regent Street St James, and taking in the sights of Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square and Regent Street.
Riders will contest three YodelDirect Sprints on the start/finish line on Laps Three, Six and Nine, with the final points and time bonuses of the available.
Highlights of Stage Seven will be on ITV4 at 8pm on Saturday 12 September with a repeat at 09.55am on Sunday 13 September. Highlights of all seven stages so far are also available on demand via the ITV Player.
by Anna Magrath | Sep 11, 2015
Edvald Boasson Hagen extended his lead in the Aviva Tour of Britain, finishing second on Nottingham’s Forest Recreation Ground behind Etixx Quick-Step rider Matteo Trentin, who took his team’s third stage win of the week.
The Italian outsprinted Boasson Hagen in a two-up sprint at the end of the 192-kilometre stage after the Aviva Yellow Jersey had bridged across to him in the final kilometres through Nottingham, going on to describe the stage as the hardest he had ever ridden.
The two riders were just ahead of a chasing bunch of 28 riders, all that remained of the main field at the end of a hard day’s racing, which saw aggressive riding from the start in Stoke-on-Trent.
The sight of a 75 strong grupetto coming home 45-minutes and 47-seconds behind the stage winner – on a 192km stage of less than five hours and featuring no long climbs – would appear to back up Trentin’s claim.
That the Etixx Quick-Step rider had contributed massively to the main break of the day while still having enough energy to outsprint Boasson Hagen was testament to his good form.
“For me and probably 99% of the field that is the hardest race I have ever done,” said Trentin. “It was full gas right from the beginning we never really stopped. You just have to look at the numbers, I was averaging 365 watts for four hours and 45 minutes. That’s tough. In the break we were never more than one minute or so ahead, the race was always on and never slowed. Even when it was flat at the start we had cross winds and then think about riding the climbs in the cross winds
“When Edvald attacked off the front of the group and came up to join me I thought that would be it because somebody was sure to chase the yellow jersey. But when he joined me we looked back and everybody was on the limit. Edvald was riding for the bonifaction and GC so I took a rest in his wheel and went for the stage win. And then I just sprinted as hard as I could.
“That is the mentality of this Etixx team whether even when we have injuries or crashes. We have a winning mentality, we always race for the victory, we are never here to be just part of the race. Sometime it works sometime it doesn’t but we always try.”
The Etixx Quick-Step team have now won three stages of the race, although both previous stage victors – Petr Vakoc and Fernando Gaviria – have dropped out through injury, and were today joined by Mark Cavendish who crashed, causing his abandonment.
With two stages to go, Boasson Hagen now leads by 13-seconds from Wout Poels, with Rasmus Guldhammer third at 43-seconds and Britain’s Owain Doull fourth, one second back and keeping hold of both the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey and Premier Inn Best British Rider Award.
In both the YodelDirect Sprints and SKODA King of the Mountains classifications there was no change with ONE Pro Cycling’s Peter Williams keeping hold of both jerseys, with neither Williams or his nearest challengers collecting any points towards either competition on Stage Six.
Boasson Hagen and Trentin had both been among a leading group of 30-riders that over the course of the stage from Stoke-on-Trent to Nottingham, through Derbyshire and the Peak District, that chased a lead group of varying different combinations.
Initially a strong eight man group of Trentin, Ian Stannard, Zdenek Stybar, Stefan Kueng, Steven Kruijswijk, Sebastian Langeveld, Tao Geoghegan Hart and last year’s winner Dylan Van Baarle forged ahead, but on heavy rolling roads the race was a constantly changing picture, until a six rider group built a small group.
Kueng and Trentin remained clear coming off the hills and into Nottingham, with the latter taking a slender lead into the final three-kilometres before being joined by Boasson Hagen. The MTN Qhubeka rider jumped across the gap that had been reduced by Sky duo Stannard and Ben Swift, but couldn’t defeat Trentin in the sprint.
“It was a really hard day but I am happy with that result,” said Boasson Hagen afterwards. “I would have happily settled for that before the start of the stage. Sky applied the pressure and eventually the break went and when Stannard came back I had to try and cover the moves and hope for the best.
“Stannard asked me to ride at one stage and that is natural of course but I didn’t want to do that before the final intermediate sprint because I could have lost time there or they could have attacked me there. I wanted to wait as long as possible before I stated to work but it was always my plan to try something about five kiloetres out. I looked over and Wouter seemed to be on his own so I went.
“I didn’t feel my form was that good at the start of the race but it feels like it is getting better every day now. We will see tomorrow for sure. A lot of people are very tired although perhaps the riders in the grupetto are not quite so tired. I need to stay focussed for two more days now and hope that the team have been saving a lot of energy for the long day tomorrow.”
Coming home in third place on Stage Six four seconds back was the in-form Owain Doull of Team WIGGINS who now moves into fourth place overall with power to add in the final two stage.
“I’ve been taking it day by day, it was very hard from the off but I made the selection and was very happy with third place. I’m a bit surprised at my form although I have always targeted this race and the Under-23 Worlds later this month.
“We will be trying to get onto the podium, there are three intermediate sprints tomorrow with a total of nine seconds available so if I could grab a few of those it would be pretty good but I need to keep contesting the finishes as well and try and get it that way as well. We will give it a good go in the next two days.”
For full results and standings please click here.
Stage Seven sees the race return to East Anglia for the first time since 2012, with Norfolk hosting its first stage start, at Fakenham, since 2010. At 227-kilometres riders will face the longest stage of the race to Ipswich, including a YodelDirect Sprint on the runway of Wattisham Airfield, home to the British Army’s Apache helicopters.
Page 20 of 30« First«...10...1819202122...30...»Last »
