2008 Road Team News & Results
This year's race was held way up north in Pontefract, West Yorkshire and as a previous winner in 2006 I decided to make the long trip. The race was held on Saturday 6th September and I travelled half way on Friday night and had a nightmare trip round the M25, taking 2.5 hours to get from Epsom to the A1(M). It was the day of heavy rain and flooding across the midlands and the north and I tried not to look at the weather forecast for the next day. But, after a few short showers, I arrived very early and the sun was shining.
There were two races held on the same course, one for the over 50s and the other for us in our forties. I was going to say under 50's but that doesn't quite sound as good. Our race started first and at end medals would be given out in the 40-44 (my category, being a youthful 41) and 45-49 categories. A shower at the start made the roads wet for the first few miles on a winding route then we started on the real rolling 15 mile laps with plenty of long drags with a nasty uphill stretch that seemed to go on forever. 3 riders went away at the start and then 3 more joined them. I tried to get away several times, but the bunch wasn't prepared to let me or Roy Chamberlain get away without a fight. Meanwhile, the 6 were riding away and had nearly 2 minutes after 2 laps. Eventually, we got a group clear on the 3rd lap and we set about closing down a 2.5 minute gap. Our group of 7 was just about OK on the flat, but most struggled on the hills, with myself, Roy and Phil Hetzel doing most of the work. It was working though and into the last 15 mile lap we had the traffic jam behind the break in sight. A lot of the course was on an A road that wasn't totally empty on a Saturday afternoon. We could see the 6 riders ahead for the last 5 miles but the gap wasn't coming down fast enough. I remember thinking that we have to catch them as what is the point of 7th? Most of our group didn't have the same attitude so when Roy and I attacked in the last few miles they were fresh enough to close us down but not chase the break! We have all been there. Last rise up to Pontefract we split our group and as we hit the really stiff finishing hill, the break was halfway up it and about 20 seconds still clear. I had gambled on catching them but it wasn't going to be so I started thinking about which categories were in the group. I had no idea so went for the sprint and got it quite easily. It was well worth it as only two in the front were youngsters and I had snatched a bronze medal in the 40-44 category! This was a nice bonus at the end of a very hard race for me and brilliant training for the upcoming Masters Tour of Mallorca.
Next day, after staying with my brother overnight near Peterborough, I decided to start the Peterborough CC road race. Sigma's Rob Sharman was there, fresh from holiday and lots of other really good riders. Again the rain stayed way, but the roads were damp and it was very windy. It was a nice course with lots of narrow lanes zig-zagging across the open countryside. There was one long hill were an elite group powered away in the crosswind on the 2nd lap. I waited and then jumped across with one guy on my wheel and the bunch was gone. We had about 13 in the front and Rob was there as well. After yesterday's efforts I wasn't sure how long I was going to last so got stuck in to help increase the gap. It was going OK until it all kicked off with 2 laps to go on the hill, but I hung in there as we lost 3 riders. Group then split and I helped Rob get back to the front. Next hill, he attacks and I go out the back! It would have happened sooner or later. Grovelled the next 20 miles on my own then was caught by small group about 5 miles to go. Got pipped by Nigel Williams in sprint for 10th. Front group ended in a 9 up sprint with Rob getting 4th at the line.
Wouter proudly stands on the podium next to Michael Hutchinson and Mathew Bottrill. Photo: Sarah Brooke, courtesy of British Cycling.
This years National Time Championship promoted by Gloucester City CC had to be shortened after the week’s heavy rain had flooded part of the circuit. This did not put off Sigma Sport's Woultar Sybrandy who took second place on the podium behind legendary time trialist Michael Hutchinson who completed the 22 mile course in the winning time of 44-49. Wouter, who was second in last year’s Espoirs Championship, was originally racing in the Sigma Sport local team under the watchful eye of SE champion Gary Dodd, he and team mate Andrew by Bye swiftly moved ranks after proving their ability to race alongside the best riders in the country. Wouter will be giving us a personal report on his TT success shortly, in the meantime Andrew Bye has taken some time out from racing to get married and is currently enjoying his Honeymoon...we wish him and his wife all the best for the future.
For a full list of results and more pictures go to the British Cycling website.
Prior to the main event my 7 year old son Joshua and his friend Sam took part in the British Cycling 'Go Ride' childrens event, held on part of the crit course. Both lads rode really well, riding an obstacle course first, with understated skill, belying their tender years, before tackling 7, yes 7! 500 metre individual time trials. I was getting full lactic build up just watching!
One things for sure- those folks at the Face Partnership sure know how to put on a show. The event was absolutely tremendous- there were about 5000 people packed into the start finish area and under the giant video screen. A variety of stalls and stands selling everything from bike kit to foot long German sausages filled the ampetheatre like precinct between the Lowry Centre and it's adjacent shopping mall. Of course, the pull of our Gold medal winning Olympic heroes Chris Hoy and co only added to the buzzing atmosphere and by the time the main event had started it had turned positively electric.
We had three of us in the 40 man field; myself, Rob and Dan. The course was pretty narrow in places but only had 3 tight corners over its 1.2km length so in that respect it suited me a little more. The main thing was that it was not raining- if it had been it would have been a nightmare- especially the finish area that was run over very smooth almost marble like concrete slabs.
We had a rolling lap behind a rickshaw before the action kicked off- I got a decent start and immediately held a good position in the top 6 as we sped along the canal bank opposite Manchester Utds Old Trafford. Down the back straight and past the pits we took a long sweeping right hander (which got increasingly darker and was unlit!) which then lead us into another sweeping right hander and into the 150 m long finish straight. Most of the circuit was pretty fast except for a tight chicane at the far end of the circuit. The noise through the finish was deafening, the crowds must have been 5 or 6 deep all the way up the finish straight. Just after the finish we hit a sharp 90 degree left hander which was made even more difficult by the amount of camera flashes that were going off! A few times I was literally riding blind round that bend and almost wiped out on a number of occasions! Despite my good positioning I missed the three man move that went clear very early containing Plowman's Simon Richardson, SIS's Ian Wilkinson and Pearl Izumi's Liam Holohan. I was feeling pretty good and never dropped out of the top 15 places and got way in several chase groups including ones with Ed Clancy and Rob Hayles.
As the race whizzed on the light was fading just as rapidly- with about 10 laps to go the bend after the pits was basically pitch black! I managed to navigate by watching the light grey concrete kerb as it curved its way round the bend on the right- to be honest it wouldn't have been much worse if you had closed your eyes! Put it this way it wasn't an evening for dark lenses! It is testament to the skills of all riding that there wasn't a crash down there. Well, I guess I had entered a 'Nocturne'!
With Dan pulling out after 40 mins (one of many to not finish) Rob and I put in a few digs to try and get clear. It was not to be and the 3 early escapees stayed away with crit specialist Ian Wilkinson taking the nights honours. Rob Hayles won the ensuing gallop for 4th whilst I sprinted in 12th and Rob 14th. Despite not getting inside the top 10 I had thoroughly enjoyed the event; it was exciting, fast and fun bike racing at is best, a wonderful, colourful spectacle and a great advert for our sport that is only on the ascendancy.
After a weekend at work its back to racing next week with the final CDNW event up near Clitheroe, Lancs. Then its the final Premier Calendar- the Richmond GP. We are all going to try and hit that one in very good form- its a do or die one for us. I'm certainly very focussed and despite working this weekend have been doing some very hard interval turbo work before I hit the road again in the week. My final event of the year will be on 28th September- the Blenheim GP. It's a new event and looks really good,with a 5km circuit based round the grounds of the palace. Should wrap up the season nicely. However, there's still some racing to be done...
Another CDNW- this time at Cockerham, only 5 miles due West of last weeks event but on a much flatter and windswept circuit. This time I had James for company but with 4 Rapha riders in the field it was going to be a tough one. After only a mile or so I felt a strange sensation in my right leg- my shoe plate wasn't positioned quite right ( I had adjusted it earlier in the week whilst riding the turbo but not ridden the road since- fatal schoolboy error Matt!) leaving me with the feeling I was riding with my toes rather than the ball of my foot. To lessen the impact it had on my power output I just used pretty low gears, which wasn't ideal but did help. Even so, after not being too active over the first half an hour I was soon up the road in a move with Ben Greenwood and Kristian House chasing across to the early break that was still away. We bridged in about 10 miles, making the front group about 12 strong and including the Kinesis duo of Matt Cronshaw and Kit Gilham, Pinarello's Pete Williams plus Corley Cycles Mark Wordsworth. With a lap to go of the 11 mile circuit I attacked (sat down!) into the headwind and split the group in half taking Cronshaw, Ali Kay, Wordsworth and one other guy clear. We all worked well and with the Rapha guys content not to chase we opened up a good gap. Although I felt pretty strong I just couldn't press on out of the saddle in a decent gear- this meant that I despite several underpowered attempts at attacks I wasn't going anywhere! Eventually I had to settle for a disappointing 4th with Matt Cronshaw taking the win from our group. The race was a quick one- we covered the 78.5 mile course in 2hrs 52 which shows how competitive these events are. Although cheesed off at my mechanical failings at least I'm riding consistently and still kept my overall series lead.
Sunday 17th Aug I raced in the 'Cycling Development North West League' event number 11 up in Dolphinholme. For those not familiar with the location its just South of Lancaster and is nestled in the Trough of Bowland. I was still leading the series overall and felt I could win it with only 3 events still remaining. As I have mentioned in previous reports these events are great and usually pull a decent Northern field- the courses are really varied but this particular one was pretty tough with hardly a flat bit of road. Although not in Sigma colours Pennine Pete was also in the field- that guy just can't keep away! Other notable riders included Rapha's Ben Greenwood and Kristian House.
As we pulled out through the winding Lancashire lanes the sun shone on our backs but it wasn't long before (yet again) black clouds started rolling in. Within half an hour it was lashing it down and a good few degrees cooler. In the early laps my legs were screaming, I just couldn't get in a decent rhythm but did still manage to grovel my way into a move with Kristain House, Ben Greenwood and Kinesis's Matt Cronshaw. However I didn't last long in the move and lost contact on the long climb to the finish leaving the 3 out front. I did link up with a chase group of 10 including Plowman Cravens Tom Barras but still struggled until we hit the two hour mark.
Despite feeling not 100% I dug deep and ensured that, at the very least, I made it a hard training session. To this end I did some very long hard turns on the front and stuck in a few little digs. With 10 miles to go and with our group still intact we caught Matt Cronshaw who had been dropped by the Rapha duo. With 3rd place on the cards and some handy series points on offer I set about launching a few moves on the undulating run in to the finish. By now everyone in our move was tired- the race wasn't overly long but the terrain was taking its toll. With 2 miles to go I managed to jump clear through cold driving rain. My legs felt like wood but I had opened a reasonable gap. Coming onto the finish drag I gave it my all but was pipped on the line by a fast finishing Tom Barras. Considering how rough I had felt 4th wasn't a bad result- and I had increased my overall lead. Ben Greenwood took the win from Kristian.
Down South the lads were tearing it up in the Surrey League Five Day taking two stage wins with Steve Golla and Wouter. (see report by Wouter for insight). It was great to see the rest of the team battling it out so well over 'home' roads! Steve's win and Dan's close second in the TT was most impressive- especially given they both beat speed merchant extraordinaire Rob Hayles!
Matt Stephens, Ben Greenwood and Tom Murray lead the race for a long time. Photo: Larry Hickmott.
The line up for this round of the Premier series was myself, Rob, Mike, Wouter, Dan and James. Everyone had been riding well with four of us placed in the top 20 in the previous weeks East Yorkshire Classic so the aim was again for one of us to get on the podium. Guest starring in the DS's seat this weekend was Rapha/Recycling/Condor's Charlie Jackson- as our own Pennine Pete was away in Norway. Thanks to Charlie for filling in at short notice! The course was a simple one; three large 27 mile laps over rolling terrain around the Barnoldswick area in Lancashire with one particularly long climb each lap with one smaller 5 mile lap to finish. The weather was of the pick and mix variety; basically everything barring snow was to be thrown at us during the course of proceedings..
The flag dropped and and as ever the racing started straight away, lining the bunch out giving no-one a real chance to settle in. We kept riders near the front covering the moves and I rode in the top 20 eyeing the front of the bunch as it stretched and fragmented before coming back together under the impetus of repeated attacks. The wind was blowing at nearly gale force with driving rain added to the mix- (cape on). The sun would then come out for a moment, teasing you with false hope (cape off) before the gloom returned and gave us all another severe soaking (cape on!). 20 miles or so into the race and on a fast but undulating bit of road I started to feel my legs at last. I spied Tom Murray of Pinarello and Rapha's Ben Greenwood just up the road by a handful of seconnds and made the immediate decision to join then. Attacking into a wide sweeping left hand bend I drove it hard and joined the pair very quickly, driving past and putting in a long hard turn before flicking my elbow to indicate the others to come through. This they both did and we soon opened up a 30 sec gap on the bunch. Over the main climb I let Ben and Tom force the tempo- I was struggling a bit at this point and really had to dig in as the rain and wind blasted us from our left. Over the top of the climb I began working again and by now we had opened up a gap of over a minute. For the next 10 miles or so we all worked well but going through the feed at half distance our lead had been dramatically reduced to 20 seconds or so. Fortunately we got reinforcements in the form of Halford's National Road Champ Rob hayles, Kinesis's Kit Gilham, Ciclos Uno's Dan Patten, Felt's Will Bjerfelt and Rapha's Graham Briggs. Our lead then went up to nearly three minutes over the next 20 miles or so.
I was feeling pretty good but was tiring after being away for nearly a full lap so just did my bit in the break and nothing more. With 15 miles to go a break had forced itself clear from the bedraggled bunch and was being driven along by 'on fire' Russ Downing of Pinarello- the 'Sharmanator' was also was also there along with Tom Southam and Kristian House.
As we approached the finish circuit the chasers had closed to within 30 secs of our group. On a wide open descent Rob Hayles indicated to me he was going to 'launch one' but as he went, on the right- accelerating in the saddle at Mach 10 doing 120 rpm- I was unable to get his wheel. I pulled myself inside out in an effort to join him but just could not bridge the 20 metre gap. Just after Rob had gone clear we hit the finish with one small lap to do. The finish was up a short but steep climb so I put in a dig that took 5 of us clear, chasing at about 20 seconds behind a motoring Rob. There was another sharp climb to negotiate just 2 miles from the finish- it was here that, seemingly from nowhere, Russ Downing caught my group and just flew past. I dug deep but didn't manage to get his wheel and ended up just off the small group created by Russ's surge. With onlyTom Murray for company we both chased until the finish but didn't quite regain contact despite closing to within 10 seconds. I managed to jump Tom to collect 6th place- to be honest I was disappointed- a podium place had slipped away again. However, I couldn't have gone any deeper. Rob had ridden really strongly from behind and came in a solid 8th place- both of us again inside the top 10.
Dan finished a solid 32nd, Wouter 44th and James 50th- the bunch split over 5 minutes. All had ridden well in the early stages but the awful weather had clearly taken its toll. Mike failed to finish but was unable to hold the bars properly after a nasty crash in training. We now have six weeks before the final Premier of the year the Richmond GP. The course is a tough one and should suit us.
After the total wash-out at the Tour of Pendle the week before, the start of the Revolutions 5-day stage race started in nice weather for a change on Friday. The race, organised by the Maestro himself, Keith Butler, and the rest of the Surrey League team is one of the hardest in the country, and only bettered in distance by the professional Tour of Britain. Keith is notorious for the toughness of the races he puts on, so five very hard stages of around 100 miles each and a short time trial awaited the Sigma Sport team consisting of Gary, Dan, the 2 Steve’s, Mike and myself (Wouter).
Maybe I should have noticed the omens trying to tell me it would not be my day today. Driving down with Steve we heard reports on the radio of a man dressed as Batman who had chained himself to a motorway bridge near Heathrow on the M25. For some reason, the police decided that it was necessary to close off three lanes, leading to an 18 mile tailback on the M25, and making it impossible for us to get to the HQ at our planned time. Beats me why (a) someone would buy a Batman suit, (b) feels the need to show this to thousands of motorists, and (c) the police make him feel more important than he his by closing off three lanes. Anyway, navigating Steve through the lanes around the M25 in true rally-style, we managed to get to the HQ with about 10 minutes to spare. Quickly get changed and get some pressure in the tyres, and off we were for the first day.
I mentioned earlier it wouldn’t be my day today and sure enough after about 5 miles at the bottom of the main climb of the first circuit I punctured. Got a relatively quick change of wheel, but by the time I got back to the bunch, the break with all the main GC contenders had already gone up the road. When I realised we had no one in this break, I started to mobilise the team to chase them down. After doing a few hard turns on the front, I looked back and only saw Twickenham’s Andy Betts in my wheel. Not the best way to chase, but since we had a massive gap on the bunch we might as well keep it going. In hindsight, this was a big mistake as we both completely blew after riding in the wind for 40 miles, and still losing ground on the break. We eventually got caught by another chasing group, and all I could do was sit in and hope to make it to the finish line. I did make it and finished 13th in the stage, but more than 6 minutes down on the break, which meant my GC was gone. The rest of the team finished in the bunch, another 3 minutes down. Irish rider Peter Hawkins (Team Ras Mumhan) took the stage win and yellow.
For me, personally, there is not much to report about this stage. I finished the race where I had started it, in the bunch, still suffering from the effects of yesterday’s long chase. The rest of the team were quite active though, with Gary going up the road with National Champion Rob Hayles (Halfords) in one of the first breaks of the day, and later joined by the two Steve’s. Despite various efforts to try to get away from the lead group, it was another Irish win, this time Micael Concannon, who got away with Tom Southam (Halfords) at the end of the race. Gary took 2nd in the sprint for 4th, with the two Steve’s also finishing in the lead group. The rest of the team, including myself, rolled in 10 minutes behind the winners, but at least I’d had plenty of time to recover for the next 3 days.
Part A of today’s stage was a time trial on the 2.5 mile Goodwood motor circuit. Having won this stage last year, I was really focused on doing well. I had my time trial bike, whereas many used their road bikes, giving me that all important aerodynamic advantages. After doing plenty of warming-up, checking over the bike, etc, I was called to the start line and sprinted to the first corner. When I got back on the saddle and tucked into the aerodynamic TT position my shock was great when I found out that I was still wearing my training jacket! Oh no, it was doing a great job as a parachute in cancelling out all aerodynamic advantages of my bike. Not sure what slowed me down the most though, the aerodynamics or the embarrassment of my silliness. Anyway, I was 6th in the end, but Steve Golla did a great job by winning the TT in a super fast time, ahead of Dan. It could have been an all Sigma podium, though, if only…
The afternoon stage took us out of the motor circuit and into the South Downs. When we hit the fist climb of the day, it was Dan who did all the damage to the bunch. He was riding so hard on the front that there were only a handful of riders left, mostly the top of the GC. Luckily, I had finally found my good legs, and had managed to make the split of about 6 who caught up with about three others, including Rob Hayles, who were already up the road. These 9 turned out the winning break of the day, and everyone seemed happy do to their share of the work, whilst keeping it steady on the many steep climbs.
When we came to the second circuit it was Rob Hayles who got away with Tom Last (Kinesis) on the main decent. It wasn’t even an attack, but Hayles rode just so fast, no-one else could follow him. When Last got dropped after 1.5 laps, we kept Hayles in sight, thinking that with a bit more effort we could get him back. This turned out to be a miscalculation, as by the time we went back on the motor circuit, he just kept increasing his lead despite most of our group in being full pursuit. Quite amazing really, but definitely a well-deserved victory for the National Champion. I managed to get away with Chris McNamara (Wildside) with half a lap to go, settling for third on the stage. As seemed to be the norm in this race, the time gaps were enormous again as a group containing Gary and Steve Gowar was almost 11 minutes down, with the bunch with the rest of the Sigma riders a further 4 minutes down.
Having stayed at a nearby youth hostel for the night, Steve and I were feeling a lot fresher than the previous days when we got the HQ on Monday. This was despite the cockroaches in the hostel’s toilets, only 1 shower for all guests and the creaking of the bunk beds with every inhalation. An interesting experience, but at least no 1.5 hours drive before and after the race. Anyway, it would be a windy day today on a relatively flat (read: rolling) circuit in Sussex. The bunch was noticeably smaller today, with a lot a riders having packed after yesterday’s hard stage.
Steve (Golla) got away with a few others after a lap or so, which put the rest of the team in a perfect position to sit in and take it easy. It was easy, until Rob Hayles decided it was time for one of his notorious motorbike efforts, splitting the bunch in two big groups. The Sigma team were the clear winners after this, with Steve still up the road, and four in the first bunch. Soon after, Steve was also caught as everyone seemed happy to do their share of the work trying to maximise the gap on those who had missed the split. I say everyone, but I was actually trying to do as little as possible, knowing that the finish would suit me. The trick here is to sit in without being noticed, because otherwise everyone will stop working. Unfortunately, I didn’t do a very good job as GC-leader Tom Southam (Halfords) soon told me to start coming through again.
With one lap to go a sprint for the Green jersey points caused a split in the bunch, with Hayles, Southam (both Halfords), Concannon (Team Ras Mumhan), and Dan Staite (Python RT) going up the road. Gary responded and tried to make the jump, with me following suit. I definitely left it a bit too late, but somehow we both managed to get across, despite Rob Hayles pulling hard on the front of the group. With about 1 mile it was clear we would stay away, and it was time for attacks. Rob Hayles was first to go, with Gary and Concannon in his wheel. This left it up to Staite to close the gap, which he did, but this paved the way for an immediate counter-attack of Tom Southam, this time with me in his wheel. Knowing that I could simply sit in his wheel and out sprint him at the finish, but also knowing that his main GC contender, Micael Concannon, was behind, Tom asked to help him extend his lead, promising not to sprint for the stage win. Seeing Rob Hayles approaching from behind, I rode hard to the finish and could comfortably lift my arms for my first ever road win! Gary was 4th, with Dan taking the bunch sprint with Steve not far behind. A pretty good day for the Sigma team, I would say!
With this stage, it is probably better not to know what is coming up. However, having done this stage last year, I knew how tough the many climbs of today were, especially the ‘Wall’, a long, dead-straight 20% climb. Three riders got away on the short first circuit, which had to be completed six times, and basically consisted of a decent and a long drag. The bunch was taking it quite easy, knowing what was to come, quickly giving the break a 2.30 minutes lead. Moving onto the second circuit around Crowborough, riders started to get shelled out of the back on the steep climb into the town. I had moved forward in the bunch, trying to take some KOM points, as I still had a chance of finishing in the top 3 in this classification.
Moving onto the circuit with the ‘Wall’, racing still hadn’t really started, however with many tired legs in the bunch; the main group was getting smaller every time I looked over my shoulder. It wasn’t until the last time up the Wall that the gaps were really being created. Tom Southam (Halfords) and Chris McNamara (Wildside) were the first over the wall, with me about a hundred meters behind. Looking around, I could see nobody else with me, so I made a big effort in crossing over to the first two on the very windy top of the Wall. I made the contact on the decent towards Crowborough, and after we caught which I thought was the last of the early break, we started sprinting to the finish on top of the hill in Crowborough. I quite easily took the sprint and even made a victory salute, only to find out that Tom Last (Kinesis) had finished a minute and a half earlier. Whoops! Anyway, 2nd was still a really good result on such a hard stage, giving me a hat trick of podium finishes the last three days. Gary and Dan finished half a minute behind me, in 6th and 7th respectively. In the GC, Tom Southam (Halfords) won the overall, with me over 16 (!) minutes behind in 7th place. With the rest of the team also in the top 20, two stage wins, and various top 3 placing, I think we can be pleased. With a bit more luck, we will be back next year and a really contest the GC.
Special mention should go to Mike, the unluckiest rider of the race. It’s a long list, but here we go: a hand injury, a puncture on stage 1 and being left on the course for 1.5 hours, punctures towards the end of every stage causing him to finish on his own, and finally on the last day, being sent the wrong way over another climb. At least it can only get better from here, Mike!
Click here for video highlights, courtesy of sleepingbearproductions.co.uk
After Dan and Mike's fine efforts placing 14th and 19th respectively in the National Criterium Championships held in Historic Beverley on the Friday a fuller squad lined up in fine sunshine in the same location on Sunday morning. Along with Dan and Mike we had myself, Rob, Wouter, James and Andy all ready to do battle over a tough rolling 98 mile course based around the East Yorkshire Wolds. As ever Penine Pete was at the helm in the team car. Everyone one was feeling good and we hoped to place well. The plan was to ride aggressively and show ourselves and ultimately to have a couple of us up there in the final with a shout for the podium. Everyone had been riding well in the three weeks leading up to the race with Andy taking a win and Rob a close second the week before. I hadn't raced in three weeks (apart from the Blackburn Crit where I failed to finish) but had trained pretty well and felt up to the challenge.
As seems to be the norm the race started very fast with no real splits forming initially. We all kept near the front and covered things pretty well. I was feeling a little sluggish early on but managed to hold a decent position as the race entered the smaller lanes that were to characterize the race. After around 20 miles or so a split went over the top of a nasty drag. I had just had a dig and was in oxygen debt and didn't make it- Rob was riding well and close to me so I shouted for him to make an effort- this he did and joined the group that stayed away all race. The group was a good one- along with Rob there was a storming Russ Downing, Simon Richardson from Plowman, Marcin Bialbloki from Sports Beans, the Rapha Condor quartet of Dean Downing, Ben Greenwood, Kristian House and Ryan Bonser, completing the group was Kinesis's Kit Gilham.
Andy was looking good early on but punctured at a critical time when the racing was flat out. Although I didn't actually see him I know he spent a good 30km yo-yoing off the back as he tried to fight his way back into the bunch. Nasty. He eventually regained contact but the effort took alot from his legs. James and Dan were covering moves very well with Mike and Wouter also looking solid.
After two hours of racing I started to feel something like my old self. The gap to the leaders was still just over a minute and my plan was to chip off with one or two other like minded riders in an effort to bridge. After a few abortive attempts I finally managed to jump clear just after the KOM. I took with me Mark Lovatt and the Rapha duo of Rob Partridge and Graham Briggs. We all worked well together and I was feeling quite strong, pulling some longer turns up some of the drags that seemed to come at you again and again. We pulled about a minute clear of the bunch and were a minute behind the leaders before we started to lose time as the front group stepped it up gear as they began to race. Undeterred I felt strong enough to keep riding for a top 10 place.
With 70 miles covered we started the ride back towards Beverley where we were to cover two laps of a draggy 5 mile finish circuit. Over a nasty steep climb which had me spinning my 39 x 23 Lovatt lost contact and a glance over my shoulder revealed a chasing and splintering peleton. The 3 of worked well until we were caught by a chase group of about 8 riders coming into Beverley. With a a lap and a half to go Pinarello's Pete Williams raunched (is that a word? it should be- filed under adjectives meaning 'slow but hard attack towards end of long bike race when one can seemingly only use large gears in the absence of ability to pedal with 'souplesse' (French adjective meaning 'to spin pedals freely and with natural ease') up the road into a headwind and got a decent gap. I could see heads were dropping within the group and with my legs stinging I knew the others would be hurting just as bad if not more- to me that was a green light to attack and go with him. In a similar style I rolled a rather large gear up to him and we soon were riding well and within a couple of miles had put secs into the group we had left.
With a lap to go and Rob still riding well in the lead group, which was now fragmenting under the pressure of Russ Downing's constant attacks, myself and Pete caught Kit Gilham who had been dropped by the leaders. With 3 miles to go I took a chance glance behind only to se a furiously chasing bunch which must have literally eaten up the road in the preceding 10 miles. I told Pete to hammer it and even Kit gave us a few decent turns. We did hold out and I managed to place 9th just behind Pete. Up front the race had been won yet again by Russ Downing- that guy is on fire and no one seems to have a suitable enough fire extinguisher at the moment with which to dampen his flames.. Rob took a fine 4th place after being well outnumbered by the Rapha guys. Next time I'll be there with him!
To round off a really solid day for the squad Wouter finished 12th after jumping the bunch with about 5km and putting his high watt TT ability to good use. Mike rounded out our four places inside the top 20 by sprinting into 18th. In fact everyone rode well and I was proud of the whole team.
The podium was, alas, just one place away yet again. Rob is going very well and my form is still solid. With the support of the rest of the team, all of whom are riding strongly and as a unit, that elusive win or podium place cannot be far away. Next stop is the Tour Of Pendle Premier up in Lancashire on Sunday 10th August. We'll be there minus Andy who is getting married in Ireland. Good luck mate.
The southern Counties Road Race champs on the 20th of July saw a fine result for the Sigma local team with Andrew (Bye) winning and Sigma placing a total of 5 riders in the top 20 from a field of around 80 starters. This event used laps of a rolling circuit around the village of Ockley but finishes at the top of Leigh Hill, the highest point in the South Downs.
The early race was kept quick with the Sigma team keen to stamp their mark on the race. On the second lap Wouter and Andrew attacked off the front of the peleton and formed part of a 9 man break that would stay away from the bunch for the rest of the race in part thanks to the efforts from the rest of the Sigma team back in the bunch controlling the race.
A puncture near the end would see Wouter drop back to the bunch, which was dissapointing as he was riding very strongly and putting in long fast turns often dragging the break. An unfortunate accident on the 2nd to last lap of the race also saw two other riders Tiernan-Locke (Mid Devon CC) and Roy Chamberlain (Team Corley) crash out. This left 6 men left in a group about 3 minutes up on the main bunch with about 10 miles to ride.
Because of the crash and the large time gap to the break the main bunch were diverted up the finish climb a lap early leaving the riders in the break to compete for the victory. Sensing fatigue in the other riders after a long hard ride in the break, a still strong Andrew attacked with half a lap to go and rode solo to the top of the finish climb for his second win of the season finishing some 40 seconds ahead of his nearest rival Dan Patten (PCA Ciclos Uno).
The 25th anniversary edition of the Guildford Town Centre Races, promoted by Charlotteville Cycling Club and Sigma Sport, held on the infamous cobbles of Guildford High Street took place under dark and wet skies. But there were smiles all around in the crowd as the youngest riders took home the spoils and caused a few upsets. 16 year old Chris Legg (AWCycles.co.uk) took part in the Youths race at last years event but made the big jump up to the main event and then took the spoils by making a last gasp jump away from the group to take the win. Then if things weren’t going well enough for Legg he was thrilled to receive his prize money from former Tour de France winner Stephen Roche.
According to race commentator Colin Docker (who has been behind the microphone for almost all of them), the rain has only come down for just three of the previous 25 years but the rains came down for the whole of the day and did not let up into the evening. Consequently, the race organisers unfortunately had to take the decision to cancel the Sheerwater Glass Youth Criterium on safety grounds. The older (but not much for some) riders were left to utilise their best bike handling skills to get round the tight circuit which included some tight corners which in the wet were taken at much slower speeds than normal.
The main event started off steadily with the Plowman Craven RT duo of Tony Gibb and James Millard controlling proceedings from the front of the pack. However, a handful of laps into the race and Matt Stephens (Sigma Sport RT) broke away from the main field and steadily built up a healthy lead which grew over the next five laps until it reached 15 seconds and stayed there until the last ten laps when the bunch finally decided to haul him back in. Meanwhile riders further back in the group used all their skills to keep upright around the course although many lost their battle with gravity and fell to the ground particularly on the tough transition on to the cobbles of the High Street which claimed many a victim, most of whom remounted and continued, albeit with a few bruises.
At half distance Legg attacked the bunch to chase down Stephens, catching him to take the prime. He then got dropped soon after but still stayed clear of the pack. Behind, the bunch were starting to get organised in an attempt to pull back the leaders. Getting a second wind Legg then chased down Stephens again catching him on the bell. On the last lap he attacked and got the lead all the way to finish to become almost certainly the youngest rider to win the Guildford Town Centre Race crown with Matt Stephens holding on for second followed by James Millard in third.
The first race of the night saw less controlled racing action with no large groups of riders from the same team and right from the flag Sam Sturgeon (Team Terminator) took off from the front and never looked back. Within just a couple of laps he had built up a healthy lead over the chasing field where a small group of chasers were trying to organise themselves into reducing the gap but it was to no avail. Sturgeon was too strong and perhaps his skills from the track were used to greatest effect resulting in lap times that were well ahead of his nearest rivals and it was no surprise when he lapped the whole field and from that point on it was just a case of staying upright (although even he hit the cobbles at one stage but was able to remount and without too many problems). Behind him the race was, from very early on, for the minor places with Nick Onslow (Pedalon.co.uk) leading the remaining riders home from Simon Bird (Dulwich Paragon).
Three riders from the host club started the support race but both Neil Thomson and Matt Wakeford had to retire part way through after crashes and injuries forced their exit. It was left to Jon Lewis to fly the flag for Charlotteville CC with a strong and powerful ride forming part of the group who spent almost all the race trying in vain to chase down Sturgeon. Finishing in fourth place was a great performance in such harsh conditions.
Speaking after the event, race organizer Matt Legge from the promoting club Charlotteville CC said “I’d really like to thank all those spectators who still turned up in their numbers despite the heavy rain it was great to see them all out their enjoying the action. It was also a great privilege for us to have Stephen Roche down to present the prizes, I hope that he had a great time and enjoyed the racing. Let’s hope for some better weather next year”.
The riders start in Abergavenny at 11am. Photo: Larry Hickmott.
Last week the team had ridden splendidly at the Beaumont Trophy Premier Calendar but only come away with the modest result of me finishing in 14th. We had all agreed that the result did not reflect the way we had ridden, which in short was a solid 'to plan' team effort, the best we had gelled as a unit all season. To use a footballing analogy it was if we had hit the post 5 times, played out of our skins and got 1 sent off for a second rather disputable bookable offence. To add to the mix we had two punctures and numerous mechanicals. However we knew that physically we were all coming nicely to the boil and that a decent result was not far away. On a personal level my form was on a par with this time last year but I knew I could still tweak out a few more percentage points- especially on the climbs. My Cornish hill efforts were beginning to pay off but I felt that some more work was required in this area- so to this end during the week I did two decent two hours sessions based around the notorious Mow Cop climb near Stoke On Trent with a 15lb rucksack on. (Training with a rucksack isn't what I'd normally recommend, mind you, but you can feel the difference when racing!) I then made sure I tapered towards the weekend.
On the day of the race the team line up as well as myself was; Wouter, Mike, Rob, Andy and James. The plan was similar to the week before with an emphasis on getting as many as we could in the main group over the three mile climb of the Tumble then take it from there. Having seen the rather brutal finish circuit that included a 2km climb on each of the 8 8km laps I was hoping to get there as fresh as possible along with Rob. I knew that if we were both on good days the circuit would suit us.
133 riders took the start with some decent foreign teams adding some variety and quality to the mix. The sun was shining but a fierce wind was raging that would assist us on the first part of the big loop before battering us over the top of the Tumble before we headed back to Abergavenny.
Only a few metres into the race and the first attack went- this then lead to some very fast racing over the undulating roads heading towards Monmouth. All the the team were evident at the front covering moves which was great to see and is now becoming the norm. Eventually the elastic on the strung out peleton snapped and I found myself in a 20 man move that included a storming Rob Hayles and Malc Elliott amongst others that included some handy Italians from the Katay RT squad. We had about 30km of freedom and worked well but the group soon swelled to around 40 riders just before we hit the notorious climb of the Tumble (or Iron Mountain).
I struggled a little on the second section of the climb and ended up in small chasing group that included Wouter, Andy and James. Over the summit we were about 20 secs down on the lead group of 20 that included Rob. I knew we could close it and didn't panic; I had my team mates around me to assist and they did a cracking job to help shut down the gap. The lads rode really strongly in a nasty side wind that saw some riders get popped from the front group. It took us about 10km of hard riding to finally close the gap and make the junction. Back in the fold I downed some gels and plenty of fluids, got fresh bottles and thought about how I was going to ride the next decisive part of the race.
The group had swelled even more by the time we hit the circuit and an Italian was about a minute up on his own having launched a stinging attack and up the Tumble. I knew the circuit would shred the group but thought the best way to ride it was to attack early. This I did, coming into the finish the first time through. I took with me Rob Hayles, Evan Oliphant and Malc Elliot. First time up the climb I led all the way just keeping a nice tempo and riding within myself. Over the top we all worked well but after a couple of laps were joined by about 10-14 others including team mate Rob, Russ Downing, Keiran Page, Peter Kennaugh, Liam Holohan, Martin Ford, Simon Richardson, Tom Southam and GB boys Andy Tennant and Ben Swift plus a few others. Initially I got detached from the group as the junction was made but along with Rob and Ben Swift we chased hard over the top and had rejoined the group within 3 km or so.
Stephens, Elliott, Hayles and Oliphant in pursuit. Photo: Larry Hickmott.
Over the next couple of laps the group just tapped along, the relentless gradient and distance now sapping everyones strength. By the way the group was riding I knew that most guys were pretty tired as no one could really force anything. I was suffering from awful cramp in both legs but managed to get a 750mill bottle from my Dad with just water which I downed in no time. This seemed to help and with some serious leg stretches I managed to get the cramp under a bit of control. With 3 laps to go and the Italian guy caught, on form Martin Ford opened up a gap on the climb that nobody shut down. With 400 metres to go to the top of the climb I stuck it in the big ring and attacked as hard as I could- this resulted in me opening a big gap immediately but also in both thighs going into cramp spasm as I crested the climb! Russ Downing and then Ben Swift bridged across and rode straight past me as I freewheeled in pain, trying to stretch out my thighs. Realising this could be the move of the day I dug deep and rolled a huge gear back to Russ and Swift. We then hammered it and I glanced over my shoulder to see empty road. Within a few Km we had caught Martin Ford and he soon joined in the effort. Up the climb with two to go Russ put in a surge that none of us could could hold. I wanted to go with him and felt like I could but at the same time knew that if I tried to match him both my legs would seize as they were starting to twinge with cramp again. I just kept the gears low and concentrated on riding within myself. Russ's effort put Swift out the back but he was soon replaced by 100%ME's young star Peter Kennaugh, who bridged across from the remnants of the chasing group on the climb. Into the last lap and Kennaugh opened up a 10 sec gap on myself and Ford on the climb. Again with my legs cramping I couldn't accelerate hard so just had to ride as steadily as I could! Over the top both Ford and I chased hard and closed to within 8 seconds of Kennaugh at the finish with Russ winning by just over a minute. Unfortunately Ford beat me in the sprint for the final podium spot.
A further minute back Rob sprinted in for a fine 8th place to show his form is really coming along in time for the Nationals. To cap a good day for the team Wouter and Mike rode to a soild 25th and 28th place respectively. The ultra tough course resulted in only 32 finishers and the Sigmasport/Specialized/Sportful Cycling Team were the only team to finish with four riders! Not bad at all in a UCI international 1.2 ranked event with both Rob and I taking UCI points.
I was confident after the Beaumont that a decent result was just around the corner. I hope now that we can take the confidence gained from this race into the Nationals and Premier calendar events beyond. 4th place was a decent result but we will be striving for better. The team rode well again and really assisted in getting myself and Rob in position to battle the finale. Next stop is the National RR where we'll be up to 8 riders with Dan, Neil and Alex back in the fold. Should be a good day out...
Next stop, the British Road Race Championships at Duncombe Park, Helmsley, North Yorkshire. You can download the programme from britishcycling.org.uk
Team Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful are now in third place in the National team/club rankings with 1583 points, the Pinnarello Racing team are not far behind with 1443 points but it is still Rapha top of the leader board with Plowman Craven in second place.
The team's next major race will be the Beaumont Trophy Road Race, part of the Premier Calendar series, on the 15th June, click here for more information.
The Tenterden circuit in Kent was the setting for the 2008 BC South East Regional Road Race Champs, with an excellent promotion courtesy of the SERRL and made safer by Colin Docker and his crack team of motorbike marshalls. The circuit was as used by the legendary Wally Gimber race, 'legendary' because it's held at the start of March when it's normally snowing! The finish was at the top of a windy climb, about 1 Km long, big ring but a nasty false flat over the top. There is one more hill about 5 miles before the finish that has been the launch for many breaks but the rest of the 13 mile circuit is only gently rolling. The wind can play a big part but this year is was pretty calm. There was some drizzle in the air for the first lap, but the roads were never damp and it was just about 'arm warmers' temperature.
Gary Dodd in action. Photo: Glyn Durrant
The team was supported by all the riders living in the SE. We had Andrew (fresh from the FBD Ras in Ireland!), Dan, Simon, Steve Gowar and myself. As a two time part winner of the event, I was a marked man, and took it steady in the first lap. The bunch was moving fast, and everyone was keen not to miss out on a early break. Andrew, Simon and Dan were very active and we were rewarded with Dan getting away after the finish hill on the second lap. He was in a break of 5 or 6 and they had a lead of about 1.5 minutes fairly soon. The bunch was still moving well, and I was covering lots of chasing groups that looked threatening. The ideal scenario being to get in a chase group then get close and jump across to the front. The break's lead never went out, so with 2 laps to go I asked Andrew to work on the front to see if we could close it down a bit and I could jump across. By this stage the bunch was working well and the break came back really quickly and we caught them about 3 miles from the finish hill. It was all together as we approached the hill with 1 lap to go.
I was very near the front at the bottom, and as we hid the mid section, Simon shouted and hurtled past, really going for it. I remember uttering the odd profanity as Chris McNamara jumped after him and I was forced to dig in and follow. But it really worked, over the top Simon dug in and dragged Chris, Andrew and I clear with another 3 or 4 clear of the splintering bunch! Chapeau! The break was on, but Simon couldn't hang on down the other side, but we were definitely clear. Andrew put in some big turns to force the gap up but halfway round the last lap the bunch was still fairly close. I was finding it hard after missing my bottle the previous lap. Andrew managed to get a bottle off Joy and we shared it and I downed a couple of gels. I started feeling OK coming into last few miles as the bunch was going backwards. Andrew tried a few times to get away but was chased down very quickly. Not time for cat and mouse tactics, but I didn't have to chase, which was good.
At the bottom of the climb, a London Dynamo rider was on the front until about mid point when Steve Calland attacked. I started to close him down but not too quickly. With about 300 to go I jumped hard past him, changing up through the gears. Still the finish wasn't in sight but I looked back and had a good gap over Chris Mac, finally with about 75m to go I could see the finish and Chris was still about 25m back. It felt fantastic to win after coming second last year and really nice getting it by a clear margin. Andrew was a fine 4th and Simon was at the front of the bunch to get 9th. The win and two other riders in the top ten is a another great team result.
Rob Sharmon taking victory. Photo: Dave O'Nyons, courtesy of Britishcycling.org.uk
Sunday 18th May saw an impressive come back from Rob Sharmon as he took victory in a fast paced 75 mile road race around the Worcester and Herefordshire and countryside. A field of over 70 riders battled it out, continuously attacking until Rob, along with team mate Matt stephens, Matt Jennings (Webster Cycles), and Mike Jones (Paramount) pulled clear with 20 miles to go. A group of 10 riders quickly crossed the gap to form a 14 man group and soon managed to get a 40 second lead on the chassing riders. On the last of 6 laps the original four man brake pulled away from the lead group and Rob proved to be the strongest rider on the uphill finish taking victory from Matt Jennings and Mike jones. Matt Stephens finished in 4th place with fellow team rider, James Williamson, coming in 12th. All in all a great race for team Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful.
In the glorious May sunshine and with the Cathedral bells chiming we (being myself, Rob, Neil, James, Wouter, Dan, Mike, Andy and James) rolled out with the other 138 riders taking part in this years event. As always, and primarily due to the nature of the course and size of field, the Lincoln is always a nervous race, especially for the first few laps anyway. No doubt the main instruction from mangers and team leaders to their riders from every team would have been, "Stay near the front!" With nearly each rider trying to follow this instruction it makes for a fast and rather hairy opening few laps.
Matt gives a pre race briefing. Photo: Victoria Juffs
I was feeling ok with my form slowly but steadily increasing each race. The team were all clearly motivated for the event especially since we had Rob Sharman on board for the first time this year. Over the first few laps the bunch stayed together but I was feeling a little jaded, my legs seemingly lacking in power. However I stayed focussed and made sure I rode in the top 20 as much as I could. It was great to see so many team mates riding close and in good positions- the team talk must have worked!
3rd time up the infamous Michaelgate, which was lined with cheering spectators from bottom to top, I got myself into a good position, leading at the bottom- at this point I knew I wasn't feeling great but thought I could give myself some sliding space on the climb. By the top about 12 guys had passed me and it was flat out over the top and round the cobbled plateau through the finish. Here I started to lose the wheel in front so Malc Elliot came round me- he couldn't close the 20 metre gap either and we found ourselves distanced by a crack group containing Chris Newton, the Downings, Simon Richardson and Tom Southam amongst a few others. I dug really deep but just couldn't force it enough. That group then forged clear and built up a 20 second lead heading out of Lincoln.
Matt and Tom Barras attack the peloton late in the race. Photo: Larry Hickmott
With no-one in the move Rob and I called for the team to hit the front which they did in style. We were joined in our efforts to close the gap by a Dutch team and Plowman Craven. Although I was cheesed at missing the move I was quite proud to see the lads in full flow, hammering on the front and lining out the peleton. For two laps we chased and held the break at around 30 to 40 seconds. Coming to the climb for lap 5 I sat in and tried to save myself to make some efforts over the top. The team got me into a great position at the foot of the climb and I managed to ride away up the climb just behind a very strong Simon Gaywood of Plowman. We closed to within around 15 seconds on the climb but just didn't have enough to shut it down.
By now I was starting to feel like myself so for around a lap just continually attacked the by now depleted bunch until I went clear on the flat just after the descent with Tom Barras, Marcin Bialbaloki of Sports Beans, Graham Briggs and Ryan Bonser from Rapha and Halford's Rob Hayles. James was unlucky not to join me in this move having been with Graham Briggs when he got across- unfortunately he had a mechanical which meant a bike change. The front group was now down to six and we had already absorbed the guys dropped a lap earlier. Working well we soon opened a gap of over a minute on the bunch and slowly ate into the lead of the leaders. Conscious of the heat I kept on drinking to avoid cramps and tried to keep the gears lowish. Over the climb the next few times I knocked it into the 39 x 23 and sat down the last part of the climb, trying to keep the revs high whilst avoiding overzealous photographers sat on the edge of the kerb, encroaching on the precious smooth sections each rider frantically tries to get their tyres purchased on to avoid the strength sapping cobbles.
Photo: Larry Hickmott
The crowd was phenomenal- a wall of noise that literally carried you through the finish area on a crest of an adrenaline rush. Over the last couple of laps my legs felt strong and I was able to do my part in keeping our group clear. Into the bell lap Malc Elliot and Irish Olympic hopeful David McCann of Giant Asia bridged across to us giving us extra inpetus. We could see the break up the road which had now split in two. With 4km to go McCann attacked and took Hayles with him- I tried to bridge across but couldn't make it. Into the climb for the final time Tom Barras attacked early after sitting on (under instruction) with Elliot close behind him. I gave it everything last time up and ended up an utterly spent 12th place. An impressive Russ Downing took yet another fine victory from his brother Dean with Simon Richardson of Plowman rounding out the podium places. Andy got into a small chase group a couple of minutes back and finished a solid 18th. Unlucky James finished strongly with Rob who without doubt will show in the next Premiers after hammering strongly on the front in the earlier part of the race.
Looking back it was a solid performance by the team. It was the best we had ridden as a unit all year and should give us confidence going into the next batch of Premiers in early June. Every rider showed well and although not all finished they can be proud that they played their part. I'm coming into form and felt stronger as the race progressed. I'm in a very similar position form wise to this time last year- I just hope I can keep building on it. By the way the entire team rode this race I'm confident that the best is still to come...
Driving through the rain with James en route to Rutland for the Cicle classic my thoughts were focussed on the distinct possibility of riding in a 200 rider peleton through mud filled lanes and negotiating farm tracks thick with muck- what tyre pressure do I go for? Is it knee warmers or shorts? I was just going through my base layer strategy in my head when, just as we passed the turn off for Uttoxeter, the rain cleared to leave a blue horizon punctuated with a few fluffy white clouds. I looked across at a smiling James- 'This'll do.'
Contrary to the forecasters doom and gloom predictions we were bathed in warm spring sunshine as we lined up for the start in Oakham. The final team line up was myself, James, Dan, Andy, Alex and Wouter- a late replacement for Mike who had a cold. In a cruel twist of fate we had drawn last team car so ended up 22nd in the convoy- not the best start. We all hoped we didn't need a service! As for dropping back for a chat... The team crew for the car was DS Pete Hey- Mgr Jason Turner and team mechanic Matt Sewell.
The race started off pretty fast and I kept myself in the front 30-40 riders with the everyone else not too far away and in good positions. A break formed early on after several ones and twos clipped off to form a 9 man break. No-one from any of the main British teams was in the move but it did contain strong men Ciaran Power of Team Pezula and his teammate and Irish Champion David O'Loughlin.
A peleton of around 160 riders make full use of closed roads, followed by the 23 team cars! Photo: Andy Whitehouse, courtesy of British Cycling.
After about an hour of racing I started to get severe cramps in my left leg- cramp is something that I luckily don't suffer very much from so it was a bit of a shock. I decided to just drink as much as I could and continually stretch- then it spread to both legs! I shouted over the radio for someone to get me a bottle as soon as they could- after a few moments the towering figure of Wouter rode alongside and gave me a bottle- I downed it virtually straight away and had already gone through three large bottles with only about 70m covered. Despite the continuing cramp which was worse on the climbs I tried to keep in a good position. Going into the small lanes for the first time I was third wheel- this enabled me some sliding room on the climbs so I didn't have to press too hard.
There seemed to be crashes galore but I managed to keep out of trouble- narrowly avoiding crashing several times- it was heart in your mouth stuff. Still suffering with cramps approaching the feed and in need of a drink I missed my bottle- it was no-one's fault-just a sea of arms, dust and bottles -total mayhem and confusion. Luckily Matt Higgins from Corley Cycles gave me one of his- an absolute life saver. By now the bunch had whittled down to under half its original size. There was no real attacking off the front just a relentless pressure that saw riders constantly dropping off the back. After three hours or so of racing the cramps subsided and I began to feel like my old self again, this was lucky because we were about to climb the infamous Somerberg. I started about 10th at the bottom but simply went as hard as I could and managed to move up to around 6th as we hit the smooth tarmac the other side- this climb had literally split the already fragmented bunch to bits but there was no real effort to drive it on the other side so there was a general regrouping- a chance for a breather and another energy gel!
The break hovered at around 2 mins but by now was reduced to just two at the head of affairs- Power and Dutchman Jan Bos. I tried a few little digs to get things going a bit but there was no concerted chase. As we hit the Somerberg for the second time I again kept in a reasonable position although by now the legs were getting tired. As I descended the steep part of the Somerberg I hit a large pothole which caused by bars to rotate round a few degrees and my saddle to point downwards- it absolutely wrecked my personal undercarriage as well!
Dan Duguid on the Somerberg. Photo Larry Hickmott.
This sector had caused even more damage and by the time we hit the main road with 20km to go the lead group was down to about 16 riders. It was about to lose one more as I had a rear flat! Nightmare- I'd made the selection and now this! I rode for as long as I could on the rim, but with pressures you can only do this for so long. After a bit of a wait I saw James on his own- he had been riding strongly and had only become detached from the group on the Somerberg. He selflessly gave me his rear wheel and waited for service whilst I rode on- Just empty road in front of me. After a while the team car caught up with me and assisted a little in getting me back into convoy- however it was onto the rear of a group of 7 that had been dropped from the group I was in.
This group contained Plowman Craven's Evan Oliphant and Tom Barras plus a couple of foreign guys. I kept tapping through but was gutted about the puncture- realistically I felt I could have pulled out a top 10 but I guess it was not to be. I sprinted in to the finish with this group and was placed 26th. A poor result on face value for me but I take heart in the fact I was in the key selection when it mattered and it was just bad luck that took away the possibility of a reasonable result. This was as well as being not yet on top form. Keiran Power took the honors from Jan Bos with Pinarello's Malc Elliot jumping away from the chasing group to take third.
Matt Stephens on the Somerberg. Photo: Larry Hickmott
The rest of the guys also had their fair share of bad luck. James sacrificed a top 30 by giving me his wheel and ended up 40th, Wouter and Andy both punctured at key times and never saw the front of the race again but both battled on to finish. Alex had to pull out early with a pulled hamstring after riding well near the front in the early stages and Dan rode a solid puncture free race, apparently loving all the cyclo- crossy bits! At least we all finished in one piece anyway.
The Cicle Classic is a fantastic yet unique event- you need good legs and good luck to come away with a result. For a full race report and loads of pictures click here
Next stop for the team is the Plowman Craven Chas Messenger Two Day Premier Calendar followed by the Lincoln Grand Prix.
With the UCI ranked East Midlands International Cicle Classic only a few days away I can now announce the Sigmasport/Specialized /Sportful Cycing Team squad that will contest the event; Myself, Andrew Bye, James Williamson, Mike Harrison, Alex Wise and Dan Duguid. Unfortunately someone had to left out of the squad and on this occasion it was Neil Swithenbank who is still on the comeback trail after an illness and injury blighted start to the season. He'll be back in action at the Chas Messenger Two Day Premier Calendar in two weeks and no doubt back to form very soon.
This weekend myself, James, Mike and Neil contested the 2nd round of the Cycling Development North West League up at Elswick near Blackpool. It was another windswept and rain soaked affair (much like last weeks Thames Velo Road Race won by our very own sprinter supreme Gary Dodd) but at 120km was a decent distance especially with the Cicle Classic just a week away. With that race being the main focus we set about making this one a hard 3 hour work out. It seemed that Olympic medallist and former World Champion Rob Hayles of Halfords Bikehut had the same idea as he just ripped up the race at will.
After only 10km or so myself and James got away in a group of about15 riders including 3 guys from Kinesis and Hayles. Initially we worked well and soon pulled well clear of the bunch. With 50km or so covered Hayles put in a turn on a flat tailwind part of the course that split the group asunder leaving only 9 of us left. Shortly afterwards he went again taking James with him as a passenger. This gave me the chance to leave the riding to the Kinesis team who took the best part of 15 miles to catch the obviously in form Hayles. With 90km covered I started to feel a little like my old self so set about launching a series of attacks- firstly to shake things up a little and secondly to feel what it was like to race properly again after my lay off. I felt pretty good and put myself into the red a few times- it was good to see James going well again- he was going over the top of my attacks and making life difficult for the other guys in the move. Given the not too hilly nature of the course the break stayed together and ended in a sprint that Hayles won convincingly. I rolled in 6th and James 7th but with our focus being the following Sunday the hard miles were in the bag.
On a personal level I feel that I am approaching the form that I had at the start of the season prior to my chest infection. My right lung/ rib area is still quite sore from my torn intercostal muscle but luckily (as long as I don't sneeze!) it doesn't affect me too much when riding. Over the last two weeks I have put in some good training and with another week leading up to the Cicle Classic I'm hoping I can pull out a few more percentage points on the form front.
The rest of the squad are super motivated for the event, especially Alex who will be riding (quite literally in fact) on home soil! I'll be looking to him, Mike and Dan to lay the foundations early in the race in keeping myself, Andy and James out of trouble until we hit the rough 'special sectors' and climbs. From that point on it will be a war of attrition with literally every man for himself, ultimately leading to a natural selection of the strongest and those with most luck! If myself, James and Andy can make this selection then we have every chance of pulling off something.
Kit wise, most of us are going to be using our Roval Fusee SL wheels- we've chosen these due to their durable yet aero and light makeup- the light alloy rim an ideal, more forgiving option (arguably, some may say) over carbon, given the terrain we will be covering. They will be shod with Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elite tyres. These tyres are absolute quality and were road tested on our Welsh training camp. They do everything well, making it one of the best, lightweight, multi-condition, puncture resistant tyres available anywhere. The lightweight siped tread blends all-weather traction and the Dual Radius Tread design with exceptional wear, without sacrificing rolling resistance- just what the doctor ordered for what's in store in the Rutland lanes...
Watch this space for the lowdown on the race in a weeks time. Cheers for now, Matt.
The Sigma boys were out in force for the Thames Velo Spring Road Race on Sunday 13th April 2008 with Matt, Mike, James, Alex, Andrew, Steve, Wouter and myself. Mind you, the full field of 80 riders had at least 5 other teams of 5 riders or more, and Rob Hayles as a lone rider to make for a very competitive race. Matt said he was recovering from illness at the Girvan so not to rely on him but added that Mike was going well.
With heavy showers forecast and big grey clouds rolling in we all started with extra protection but after one lap I was worried about overheating. The 75 mile course was 5 laps of a giant square, with 3 sections flat and open and the bottom section narrow with a long but not too steep hill. Taken at speed in the big ring, it got harder and harder as it was the best place to get away. Trouble was the longish downhill afterwards where it always seemed to come back together.
The plan before the start was to get at least 2 riders in the main break. In comparison to other years, the wind wasn't too bad, it can be brutal! This meant breaks didn't get very far. The pace was high and we all had a go, but nothing was sticking until Mike jumped after a move that started on the downhill. Soon, his group of 8 had about 40 seconds and looked like it was going well. We looked to Matt who gave it the thumbs down, as we needed at least 2 Sigma riders for a good chance of winning. So we started a chase, Rob Hayles joined in and they came back very quickly As it came back, lots of counter attacks came to nothing until 2 riders slipped away. I had drifted back to the middle and didn't see who had gone, but was pretty sure one of them was a Sports Bean rider. They were both going well, but never got reached a minute's lead or got out of sight. Next lap through the finish, we had the worst hail I have ever experienced. It's all very well having a nice Specialized helmet with big air vents but when chunks of ice are falling through and bouncing off your head it's not great, it's painful. My head temperature dropped about 10 degress in a minute giving an evil headache. But we were soon out of it on dry roads a couple of miles later! Roy Chamberlain jumped away and I joined him and we soon had a nice gap as we chased the lead duo. But Hayles and some of the other teams reeled us in a couple of miles down the road. Last but one time up the hill really stretched out the bunch, large gaps opened up but the downhill was a big relief to many.
Back through the finish (and another hail storm!) at the bell I find out it is Wouter who is up the front with the fast Polish guy from Sports Beans! They still have about 40 seconds and Steve gets clear in a solo chase, but the bunch and Hayles (mostly!) want it back together and soon everyone is absorbed with 7 miles to go.
Lots of attacks are tried as we head down the airfield road, but then 2 guys get clear and I jump across. Next we are a group of seven as we turn left for the hill. We have a good gap and drive it along. Do I have another gel for the finish? Can you overdose on gels? I bet the rest of the team expect me to win. No pressure! Some are suffering but we keep it going for the descent and the cars have dropped in behind us. Always a good sign. Simon Brooks jumps with 2 Km to go and gets a gap. I'm playing poker at the back, and sure enough others close him down a bit. Into the last Km and there is a long 300m drag where the cars overtake us again! I look back and the bunch is bearing down on us in the gloom only about 100m behind. Simon is dying on the hill then Grant Bayton gets a gap and its left to me to close him down before the top. Bunch catching up, tailwind finish, 300m to go, so I think go for it. Got a gap, felt good, and kept it going all the way to the line. Felt great to win, we came with a strong team and we made it happen.
Andrew was switched in the sprint along with Wouter who actually came down before the finish line, then he was snatched by the first aid team, eager for some real life experience. He was ok , with some bruises and rash on his right side. He was riding well today, especially after he, Steve and Andrew won a hard team trial the day before.
I'm not sure which is harder, writing these reports or riding the races! For an example on how to write about a race, read "The Rider", by Tim Krabbe. A whole book about a one day race and easily the best book on cycling I have ever read. Every racer should read it.
Dry conditions greeted all the competitors for the 2 lap 50km 3-up team time trial promoted by Antelope RT. Riding for the Sigma team was myself (Andrew), and Steve and Wouter who have both been in hot form against the clock taking time trial victories over the last couple of weeks. With both my companions being somewhat time trial specialists (Wouter finishing 2nd at the BTTC (Espoirs) and Steve 7th overall in the highly prized British best all rounder competition last year) I was always going to be in for a hard day. They also both came geared up on full TT set ups and I put myself at a further bit of a disadvantage beforehand by riding a conventional spoked wheel. Just five minutes in these two had already put me deep into the pain zone! When early into the second lap my tri bars came loose (hanging on by the gear cables), this meant Wouter and Steve had to ride the second lap pretty much as a 2up whilst I hung on behind with my now useless tri bars making myself busy trying not to get them caught in my front wheel.
Despite losing some of the advantage we'd built up over the first lap we held on for a good victory beating some of the quickest teams in the country and narrowly missing out on the course record by about 20 seconds. As I am sure you can gather from my report I can take little credit in this win, and in this kind of form both my companions are sure to go well whenever they race against the clock.
The lead group including Matt Stephens riding the Rutland-Melton Photo: Steve King, courtesy of British Cycling.
First held in 2005 and granted Premier Calendar status by British Cycling, the Rutland-Melton became an instant hit with riders and spectators alike and has now become a UCI International race. Styled on the two classics of 'Tour of Flanders' and 'Paris Roubaix' the 100 mile (160km) course consists of a number of short steep climbs and 'pave' style sections. Although not actually cobbled, these sections of rough road and farm tracks prove to be a tough challenge to all who ride them.
Teams from Slovakia, Scandinavia, The Netherlands, Belgium and Ireland have already signed up to compete in 2008 and with up to 180 starters this will be the largest ever field in Britain outside of either a World Championship or World Cup race. Of course all the major UK teams will also be there battling it out, including our own team Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful.
The race starts at 11am from Oakham town centre on Sunday 27th and finishes in Melton Mowbray at approx 3 pm. The event will once again be filmed by cyclingtv.com and then later televised by British Eurosport. Click here for more information on this exciting race.
"At last a race that I didn’t have to get up early for or stay overnight for! The second round of the Rudy Project Series was local, just North of Melton Mowbray, land of the pork pie!"
"28 miles for the espoirs and seniors, 2 laps of the 14 mile circuit that everyone else did. The course was lumpy with one main drag of a climb, several dips and hollows on the main road broke up your rhythm and made you reach for the gears. In essence a fast course, if the weather was feeling kind. Unfortunately for me it was not feeling kind; in the build up to the event the weather was blowing a cold wind across the course but the sun was out making it feel quite reasonable definitely the weather for oiled legs and short fingered gloves. After my start, and only 5 miles into the race, it started to rain; progressively the rain became colder. Then at 7 miles hail! The rain had soaked me through then it had started hailing as if rain wasn’t enough. At about 9 miles I was getting a little fed up with the weather. Sensing my humour failure the weather pulled out its trump card!! It started to snow! And it was not just a few flakes, it was a blizzard! The snow fell so hard that it actually started to settle on my arms. A catalogue of disasters that not even Lee Evens could match."
"This was most definitely not the weather that you would expect to see bare legs or fingers in and I think my hands would agree with you. The harder I cycled the colder I seemed to feel. I finished the time trial with a sprint, more out of desperation and a desire for the warm HQ than to knock vital seconds off my time."
"Being the first espoir off and, much to my relief, the first espoir finished. I had a long wait in the HQ to see how my time of 1:11:28 would stand up against the tough competition. Which is just as well, as my hands didn’t seem to want to leave the cup of tea they were clasped around. In the end I finished fourth. Annoyingly just 26 seconds off a podium place. All things considered this was a good solid ride this early in the season and something that I can and will improve from when I come into form."
"I would like to thank Sigma Sport triathlete Jon Hotchkiss for letting me borrow his Cevelo P3C, a beautiful bike though I must say that 55 chain ring you have on it almost counts as a third wheel! Thank you very much."
2008 started with a bang with the launch of our new look team and line up, well worthy of the status as being one of the countries premier road race squads. Early season victories from new revelation Andrew Bye in the Hounslow RR and James Williamson in the Fylde RR near Blackpool gave the whole squad a boost as the first Premier Calendar loomed. Unfortunately new star signing Rob Sharman, after drilling the team in our Welsh pre season training camp, experienced health problems only a week into March which have yet to be resolved. As yet we have no firm idea when Rob will be returning to the racing fold but all involved in the team wish him the best in his recovery, as do his many friends in the racing peleton. Neil Swithenbank was also sidelined due to a knee injury and heavy cold.
The first Premier was the Bikeline 2 Day in Mold and was the first time the Premier squad had raced together in anger. I felt strong after putting in some extra long miles over the winter with Mike and James and managed, with the help of some strong team riding, to place 4th on both road stages to claim 6th overall. After a solid time trial ride Andrew Bye placed 12th overall in his first premier with James 21st and just outside the points. It was a solid performance from everyone including DS 'Pennine' Peter Hey who drove our shiny new team vehicle in the convoy with steely confidence.
After his stellar start to the season Andrew was elevated to permanent member of the Premier team in a move that will only strengthen the squad further.
The 39th running of the Girvan 3 Day over Easter saw the team travel to Scotland to battle it out over the rolling Ayrshire hills. However on day one I woke feeling a little feverish and despite starting the stage I retired after only 20 miles, struggling with my breathing. Things then went from bad to worse when we also lost Neil who was suffering in similar way to me. Over the following 3 days the team fought hard but soon Dan and James had to succumb to the illness that was sweeping the team. Even my Dad Des, our guest mechanic, was reduced to lying in bed on the final day, leaving Dan to fill his shoes in the team car.
Solid rides by remaining stalwarts Mike and Alex in freezing conditions meant that Andrew was well placed at the foot of the main climb of the final stage. From that point on Andrew made the split on the climb with all of the hitters and was unlucky not to finish higher than his eventual 7th place on the stage, after relentlessly attacking the lead group on the run in to the finish. It was difficult to accept we had lost four riders in three days but sometimes things just happen that way. We'll dust ourselves down, rest and regroup and be back stronger than ever.
The following weekend a depleted team of Dan, Alex, Mike and Andrew travelled up to Northumberland for the Tour Of The Reservoir Premier Calendar. Andrew again proved his worth with 16th place whilst Alex showed very well with a gutsy ride to finish 35th out of 120 starters. Mike and Dan failed to finish, the Girvan still weighing heavy in their legs.
I write this after spending 10 days off the bike recovering from my chest cold after the Girvan. I thought I was on the road to recovery but with my cough dragging on I finally gave in and have just started on a course of antibiotics. I have just over three weeks to prepare myself for the teams next big objective- The Rutland Melton International Cicle Classic (UCI) on 27th April. Between now and then we ride the Thames Velo RR on 13th April before individual events on 20th April then the classic itself. It should give me plenty of time to get back on track but I may have to ride the race a little more conservatively than last year and save myself for the second half. The final Sigma line up will be announced a week before the event as we are only allowed 6 riders per team. Both James and Neil seem to well on the mend so fingers crossed we will be at as full a strength we can be minus Rob.
After the Cicle Classic we get back into Premier Calendar mode with The Chas Messenger 2 Day and Lincoln GP on consecutive weekends. Keep up to date with our racing exploits by checking the Sigma website as well as the Cycling.tv/ Eurosport coverage of the Premier Calendar. The season is, as I write, only 5 weeks old. We still have 7 Premier Calendars, 2 UCI events plus National Champs and numerous other races to ride our SRAM equipped Specialized SL2 steeds in (which, by the way, are fantastic- probably the most stiffest yet comfortable and responsive ride I have ever had..). Everyone in the team is super motivated and once all our ailments and maladies are put behind us we will once again be a solid force to be reckoned with. I believe the best is still yet to come.. bye for now.
A depleted Sigma Sport team traveled up to County Durham on Sunday to race in the third round of the premier calendar series. A 140km race over a testing circuit known as the Tour of the Reservoir. Many of the team were still feeling the effects of the previous weeks Girvan, with team leader Matt and new signings James and Neil all out with the same bug that struck them down at the 3 day Scottish Premier. The team line up for this race was Dan, Mike, Alex and Andrew.
From the outset the pace was high, and about a third of the field were caught in a split in the first lap. Unfortunately Dan and Mike were both caught on the wrong side of this and despite riding hard to try get themselves back in therace the pace of the main group was such that they couldn't make it back, and eventually after a hard chase, both called it a day and pulled out. Andrew and Alex put in solid performances and will gain good experience from this race, with Andrew gaining a few more premier calendar points with a creditable 16th place. Russell Downing (Pinarello) crossed the line first after pulling back his rival Kirstain House (RCR) with only 50 meters to go, Simon Richardson (PCA) came in just a second later to finsih third.
Andrew comments; "once again the wind direction and positioning in the bunch played a big part in the outcome of this race. Although my legs felt ok today I probably missed out on getting a top ten as I was badly positioned when a large chase group with many of the favorites split from thebunch after about one third of the race covered. On the next lap I attacked going alone, and I was later joined by other riders, and we formed a chase group of 8 at the end of that lap. This group swelled further during the race as riders were dropped from the lead group ahead and as a further few joined from behind. In an uphill sprint finish I placed 4th in the group"
"This is only my third premier calendar race and so I am pleased to have been able to take some points from each of the races so far. They have been good learning experiences in terms of both tactics and also the fitness required to compete against full time professional riders. The support so far from the sponsors and my other team members is terrific. Whilst the team has already had some successes in the premier calendar races so far we have higher ambitions, and so i'm sure everyone in the team is really looking forward is to getting stuck in at the next round of races which will start with the East Midlands International CiCLE Classic (Rutland - Melton) at the end of April. In the meantime I'm sure that everyone in the team will welcome the short break from the action to recuperate fully so that we can all go to the next race with full fitness and confidence."
Held over the Easter holiday weekend of 22nd to 24th March, 'The Girvan' sees a field of up to 120 riders race over 250 miles of scenic Ayrshire and Galloway roads in pursuit of the coveted winner's yellow jersey.
Rob Sharman was unable to start due to an ongoing illness leaving a seven man team line up consisting of team leader Matt Stephens, James Williamson, Andy Bye, Mike Harrison, Neil Swithenbank, Dan Duguid and Alex Wise.
Andrew Bye, Russell Downing and Dean Downing at the finish line of stage 4, Photo by Jane Knox
The race organizers had to put plan B in place for the fourth and final stage due to snow and ice on the summit of the highest climb, the amusingly named Nick o’ the Balloch. The alternative route followed a similar course to stage one adding a few more lumps to keep the stage distance and number of primes virtually the same. The 1st Cat climb of Hadyard hill had been retained from the original route and looked likely to be the decisive point in the outcome of the race.
Despite snow on the higher ground the sky was bright and road surfaces dry, however the icy wind was to make this the coldest stage of the weekend. With James Williamson unable to start after coming down with the same bug that ended Matt Stephen’s race, only three of the seven man Sigma team remained; Andrew Bye, Mike Harrison and Alex Wise.
Retracing the route from stage one the peleton climbed out of Girvan up the 1.5 mile climb of Byne Hill. Riders once again fought for a good position before the race hit the narrow lanes off the descent. As the race snaked its way through the rolling Ayrshire countryside an early three man break set off in pursuit of the first hot spot sprint of the day. With no major threat to GC the break was left gain an advantage of 49 seconds before the teams of Rapha, Pinarello and PCA began working to close the gap.
At the start of the climb of Hadyard Hill the peleton was all together again, but not for long, the climb started steep and with almost three miles to the summit the peleton became fragmented leaving two main groups and many stragglers. The team car passed Alex on the climb, he looked tired but determined, Matt passed him a bottle and gave him some encouragement.
The decsent was technical and riders had to keep there wits about them on the narrow lanes. At the bottom of the descent, confirmation of the riders making up the first group came over race radio. “96” exclaimed Matt, “that’s Andrew!” Our luck had changed; Andrew Bye had got into the lead group with the yellow jersey of Russell Downing. We will let Andrew tell you in his own words how the final part of this exciting stage unfolded:
“Up Hadyard Hill I made the front group of 12 by the summit after making my way through quite a few riders. After the top of the next climb, “The Screws” non GC threats Tom Southam (Halfords), and Liam Holahan (Pearl Izumi RT) and I went on the attack with around 20 miles to go to the finish. However when Kristian House (RCR) who was only a minute down on GC came across I knew I had to try and save something in my legs to get over the last climb of the day as I could feel I was starting to tire and knew that the group behind wouldn't let us get far”.
“Up the last big climb of the race and Evan Oliphant (PCA) ripped it up in the group behind, bringing only himself and the yellow jersey (Russ Downing) across to the front group, but this meant it all came back together on the descent. On the run in with plenty of encouragement from Matt in the team car I tried my luck at getting away despite my legs feeling pretty empty”.
“Unfortunately after making a few attacks I missed the four man stage winning move, however did manage to get away in a two man chasing group with Matt Cronshaw (Kinesis) midway between the front group and the yellow jerseys group. I ran out of gas with 2 miles to go and slowed a lot towards the line being half swamped by the big hitters as they wound it up in the sprint. I did manage to hold them off just about though (with the exception of the super fast finishing Russ Downing) and got my best result at the premiers so far with a 7th place on the stage.”
At the finish line Kristain House took the stage however with the yellow jersey of Russell Downing coming home only 37 seconds down it was enough to ensure that he would win the overall race.
Placings for Team Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportfull:
Placings for Team Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful:
The peleton tackles one of the many technical descents
Having had to pull out of stage 1, team leader Matt Stephens reflects on the events of day one and reports on day two:
"Obviously watching my team mates from the warmth of our Audi A6 wasn't exactly what I had in mind for the race but it did give me the opportunity to view the racing from a different perspective. It's rather strange watching the suffering close up when you feel you want to be there living it yourself and sharing the pain.
My race ended after 20 miles of stage 1 when I punctured, possibly a blessing in disguise because due to a chest cold I was having great difficulty in breathing, especially on the many short climbs that peppered the course. I did take a wheel change but only rode a few miles before calling it a day. I hate packing but knew from experience that riding on with a chest cold could cost me dear and possibly wipe out a couple of months of the season.
Worse was to come for the team when Dan dropped back to assist me and became detached from the strung out peleton- lady luck was having a laugh at our expense. Neil was next to be dropped due to little race form because of illness and then Alex, fighting back after a year out. We were down to 3 in the main bunch. Mike, Andy and James hung on valiantly to the strung out remnants of the peleton until the finish in Girvan where Russ Downing sprinted to victory.
We regrouped for the evening criterium which everyone finished safely before retiring to our base at the Westcliffe Hotel with views of the Irish Sea and the iconic rock known as Ailsa Craig. It was time to resort to plan B for the following stage. We were battered but not broken".
"At the breakfast table prior to stage 3 I bore unwitting witness to a preliminary round of the Ayreshire porridge eating championships and unbeknownst to me Alex wise had pre entered himself. The youth from Rutland managed to scoff an amazing 4 bowls of the stuff, effectively clearing the kitchen of its supply.
The stage itself was another bitterly cold affair with the snow capped mountains forming a cinematic backdrop for the race to be fought against. The profile was more hilly than day one with three cat 3 climbs in this challenging 89 mile course. The race started with a steady tempo lead by the Rapha and Pinarello teams and this meant that the group stayed together for the first 50 miles before the racing began in earnest.
A 21 man group went clear with all the main contenders just prior to the hot spot sprint at Newton Stewart on a drag after the third and final KOM. The pressure was applied at the front in the cross wind and gaps started to appear along the lined out group. Andrew and Mike reacted to this moving up to the front. James was on the back of the bunch, feeling the effects of a bug that has been working its way through the team. On a fast downhill section with around 40 miles to ride, the group split with 21 riders going clear. Unfortunately Sigma got caught out and missed the split with Andrew almost getting across.
Andrew, Mike and James spent the rest of the day in the bunch coming home to finish eight minutes down on the stage winner, Rob Partridge. Alex soldiered on alone and rode 30 miles solo before being caught by a small group of stragglers with 12 miles to go. He finished his longest ever race at 45 minutes but survived to fight another day.
The latest Sigma casualty was James who appeared to have caught the same bug as me. Hopefully tomorrow Andrew, Mike or Alex will pull something out of the bag to salvage the weekend. We won't be letting our heads drop and we have already had a good start to the season. We'll relax, recover and be back as strong as ever- it's a long season and everyone can be proud of their efforts so far".
Andrew Bye, James Williamson and Mike Harrison finished in the main bunch 8 minutes down on the stage winners with Alex Wise finishing 43 minutes down. Dan Duguid retired after 40 miles. James Williamson remains the best placed Sigma Sport rider on GC at 9.04 minutes down on race leader Russell Downing.
The Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful team on the seafront at Girvan, Ayrshire.
The first day’s racing consisted of 2 stages; the first, a road race starting and finishing in Girvan after covering 65 miles of rolling Ayrshire countryside. This was followed by a 15 x 1.1 mile lap criterium race around the park in Girvan.
The weather over Girvan was bright and thankfully dry but with a freezing cold wind that was going to work against the riders at some point on this out and back course. After a half mile neutralised zone the race kicked off with a 1.5 mile climb. The pace was quick, aided by a tail wind and with a prime at the summit followed by a short decent into narrow lanes, teams were keen to get a good position.
Sigma Sport was well positioned near the front having adhered to the advice given by Matt Stephens at that morning’s team meeting. Attacks were plentiful coming from every team and Sigma Sport battled hard to get a rider in every break. The rough roads were causing numerous punctures and team cars were constantly dropping back to service their riders. 20 miles in the race and the Sigma Sport team car was doing the same for their team leader. Unfortunately the puncture was not the only problem for Matt. Despite brave efforts to rejoin the group, a recent illness was taking the better him and Matt wisely chose to retire, saving himself for another day.
Attacks continued throughout the race over the relentless rolling terrain, each one getting reeled in by a persistent peleton. With 8 miles to go the race hit the final climb just outside of Girvan. The bunch started to split, tired riders went out the back but a large group came together at the summit. The run in to Girvan was into a cross/head wind and the main bunch split to peaces with around 20 riders managing to break off the front. This left Andrew and James in the second group but unable close the gap with only a few miles to go to the finish, coming in just 21 seconds down on the race winner, Russell Downing.
Retired: Matt Stephens and Neil Swithenbank
Andrew Bye giving it all he's got on the criterium circuit around Girvan
15 laps or 16 miles around the central park of Girvan was to be to be a fast and furious stage and with just three hours rest from the morning stage it hurt some legs.Six 45 degree bends throughout the course meant that position was vital.
The pace was immediately high with team Plowman Cravan doing their best to control the race with Rahpa and Pinarello. Sigma Sport had James Williamson, Dan Duguid and Mike Harrison at the front. During the later stages of the race with many splits emerging, unfortunately the second man for Sigma Sport on GC, Andrew Bye, was a few wheels back and missed a vital split finishing in the second group. Our new team leader for this event, James Williamson, remained at the front looking strong and holding his position well to finish with the leaders.
The days racing left James Williamson the best placed Sigma Sport rider on GC, only 46 seconds off the leader.
Andrew Bye continued his impressive form this season with victory in Sundays rain-swept 85 mile Hounslow Road Race.
With ten miles to the finish, Bye broke away from the main bunch in a small group – including Plowman Craven’s pre-race favourite Tony Gibb – before launching his own decisive attack.
The win comes at a perfect time for Bye who makes his second appearance for the Premier Calendar team at the Girvan three day over Easter weekend.
“It’s great to beat Plowman Craven who are one of the best teams in the country. This ranks as my best result ever.
“I didn’t even realise that I’d won – two guys had escaped earlier and I wasn’t entirely sure that they’d been caught so thought I was racing for third.
“I’ve had the ideal preparation for Girvan as the weather will probably be terrible there as well but I’m looking forward to riding for the Premier Calendar team again.”
Despite the miserable conditions it turned out to be a bright day for the Sigma Team with Steve Golla, Wouter Sybrandy and Gary Dodd also finishing inside the top 12.
This follows solid performances from the same three riders seven days before at the Jock Wadley Memorial Road Race over a windy 90 miles in Essex.
Dodd led out a sprint to take third place with Sybrandy in ninth and Golla in 14th. Bikeline 2 Day 8/3-9/3 2008 The Premier calendar season kicked off at the weekend with the Bikeline 2 day stage race in North Wales. With Rob Sharman out of action until the Girvan 3 day at Easter, the team was headed up by Matt Stephens in their first proper outing. Matt managed 4th place in both road stages to finish 6th overall with Andrew Bye our next best finisher in 12th place.