by Chris Maher | Sep 7, 2015
Images ©CyclingShorts.cc/ wwwchrismaher.co.uk
Czech National champion Petr Vakoc produced the ride of his life to hold off the peloton after a thrilling solo attack into Colne to take Stage Two of the Aviva Tour of Britain.
The economics student measured his effort well on the Pendle roads to take victory on Colne’s High Street by seven-seconds from Juan Jose Lobato, with former race winner Edvald Boasson Hagen a further two seconds back in third, as the finishing drag took its toll on the 45-rider chasing group.
Vakoc was well rewarded for his monumental effort, taking over the leader’s Aviva Yellow Jersey and earning a rapturous reception from the Colne locals who have a soft spot for individuals who don’t quit no matter how tough the going gets. This is after all the birthplace of Wallace Hartley, the leader of the band who famously ‘played on’ when the Titanic sank.
Just 23 and a fast emerging talent, plus a Gold medallist at the World Student Games, Vakoc took off with about 16-kilometres to go when an eight man break started to run out of steam and disintegrate on the rolling Lancashire roads.
The peloton gave chase with Lotto Soudal trying to manufacture a sprint opportunity for Andre Greipel but on tough and sometimes narrow roads they struggled to get on terms. Vakoc never seemed to pull ahead decisively but nor did the bunch every quite get on terms. It was classic hare and hound stuff and this time the hare won.
As he came into Colne, about 15 seconds to the good, the only thing that could derail the Czech Road Race Champion was a gruelling final kilometre drag but although you could see the pain and effort he seemed to get strong as he negotiated the ascent to win in style.
Juan Jose Lobato of Movistar chased him home seven second back with Edvald Boasson Hagen a further two seconds adrift, with the same order at the top of the Aviva General Classification.
Lobato’s second placed moved him into the lead of the Chain Reaction Cycles Points competition while Owain Doull of Team WIGGINS again rode well to take seventh place on the road and the Premier Inn Best British Rider lead.
Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc caught up with Petr Vakoc after taking the yellow jersey on stage 2 of the Aviva Tour of Britain 2015.
“It is a beautiful day and a big success for me, probably the biggest win of my career,” said Vakoc. “I didn’t really expect a ride like this morning but I woke up with good sensations. Normally I am not so good when there is a very hard start to a stage but today I felt good.
“Our tactics were to get in a break as it didn’t seem like it was going to be a sprint day. I managed to get in the eight main eight man break with 50-kilometres to go and we worked quite well but we weren’t going fast enough and the bunch was catching us so I tried my luck.
“I thought somebody would come with me but the next moment I was alone. There was a long way to go but I felt good and decided to press hard. It was a tough finish but that suited me well. I kept a little back and in the final 500m I imagined I was in a bunch sprit and rode like that. I was very tired at the end but it was worth it.”
Vakoc has suspended his studies for an Economics degree because his professional racing career has taken off so dramatically recently and he decided it was too much to combine the two.
His form this year had been impressive with a win in the Czech National Championships and a Bronze medal in the in the inaugural European Games road race, then recently overall victory in his national Tour. Last year, his first with Etixx Quick-Step, he recorded a stage win at the Tour of Poland and took time off from the professional peloton to win both the Road Race and Time Trial at the World University Championships at Jelenia Gora, also in Poland.
In the YodelDirect Sprint competition Peter Williams of ONE Pro Cycling Cycling reaped the benefit of aggressively getting in the early break and securing enough points to move one ahead of Pim Ligthart with erstwhile leader Conor Dunne a further point back.
It was the second day that Williams, who lives locally at Skipton and trains on the roads of the Ribble Valley and Pendle, animated the early break, at one point gaining over four minutes and briefly being joined at the head of the race by Alex Dowsett. For his efforts Williams, who won the YodelDirect Sprints Jersey in 2012, was also rewarded with the day’s Rouleur Combativity Award.
“I know the road and went out on the course last week and it’s a bit of an advantage,” said Williams afterwards. “You know where the tricky bits and dodgy corners are. It was always going to be a hard grippy day. I wasn’t looking for the jersey really, I was just trying to get in a good break but by doing that you can put yourself in contention.”
In the SKODA King of the Mountains classification it was another local rider, Preston’s Ian Bibby, who was the star of the day, leading the race over the first two climbs of the day – Nick o’Pendle and Bleara Moor – but it was Madison Genesis rider Tom Stewart who pulled on the jersey, after adding to his points haul from Stage One.
For full results and standings from Stage Two, please click here.
Stage Three sees the longest stage of the race so far at 216-kilometres, starting in Cumbria at Cockermouth at 10.15, before crossing the border north into Scotland, heading through Dumfries and Galloway and the Scottish Borders, before the finish at Floors Castle on the outskirts of Kelso.
The Aviva Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their door step.
by Chris Maher | Sep 7, 2015
Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc caught up with Petr Vakoc after taking the yellow jersey on stage 2 of the Aviva Tour of Britain 2015.
Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc caught up with Petr Vakoc after taking the yellow jersey on stage 2 of the Aviva Tour of Britain 2015.
by Chris Maher | Sep 6, 2015
All images ©CyclingShorts.cc / www.chrismaher.co.uk
Team Sky’s versatile Italian sprinter Elia Viviani timed his late challenge perfectly to inch past big guns Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel to win a nail biting opening stage of the Aviva Tour of Britain in Wrexham.
The sprint is about seconds, you wait a second and you lose.
Victory in Stage One puts Viviani into the race leader’s Aviva Yellow Jersey, with a four second lead, thanks to time bonuses, over Cavendish.
The win is Viviani’s second Aviva Tour of Britain stage win, and also the second occasion that he has won the opening stage of the race, having claimed victory at Drumlanrig Castle in 2013.
On a twisting, technical finish in Wrexham town centre the Etixx Quick-Step team caught the day’s breakaway inside the final two kilometres, setting things up perfectly for Cavendish who started his sprint with some conviction at about 200-metres out.
The big danger at that stage seemed to be old rival Greipel who had tracked Cavendish and opened up his own attack to the right of the road as they swept around the final bend at pace about 100-metres from the finish.
Cavendish had quickly glanced over his right shoulder, saw Greipel’s familiar red shirt and anticipated the German’s attack but at that precise moment Viviani roared through on the blindside to win by scarcely and inch.
The Italian rider wasn’t sure if he had won or not but Cavendish, a veteran of scores of close finishes, knew instantly that he had lost, thumping his handlebar in frustration.
Viviani’s performance was Team Sky’s just reward for an outstanding team performance aimed specifically at giving the Italian a sporting shot against two of the great modern day speed merchants.
After a strong four man break went early in the day it was Sky who took control of the chase with Andy Fenn burying himself for the cause along with timely contributions from his teammates and Etixx Quick-Step and Lotto Soudal.
Elia Viviani of Team Sky wins stage 1 of the Aviva Tour of Britain in a final sprint against Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel. Elia talks to CyclingShorts.cc and the assembled media after the race.
“It was difficult to control the break but we worked all day for that finish,” said Viviani who is already a stage winner at the Giro and Eneco Tour this season. “Andy Fenn did some fantastic work he was so strong today, I think he is in very good condition. Ben Swift also took some perfect decisions, deciding when we work, when to close the gap.
“With 100-metres to go I was thinking it was too late but Greipel came in between the middle of me and Cav. Then Cav went in the middle of the road I saw a little space on the left and I sprinted hard. It was very close. I didn’t know if I had won but when Cav shouted “oh no” that’s when I understood. The sprint is about seconds, you wait a second and you lose.”
Second placed Cavendish, the Premier Inn Best British Rider, was gracious in defeat: “I was I was super nervous actually because the guys who were staying round this way re-conned it yesterday and said it was sketchy. The last sharp left-hander it was a bit technical, the wind was blowing down through the buildings there, in the last straight, and I knew I had to lay off Mark Renshaw. It was going to be uphill, it was going to be a slog, and actually when I kicked off Mark I kicked really well.
“The line was just not coming quick enough. I looked over, could sense Greipel there and I think I sensed too much of Greipel. If I’d kept the left hand shut maybe I would have got it, but I was too concerned with the right and Elia came through on the line. Actually I’m pretty happy. I’m super happy with the team but obviously it’s disappointing not to win.
“This is the best race to prepare for the Worlds; it’s hard, it’s heavy roads, long stages. People come here to prepare for the worlds now. And I just hope Mick and the organisers keep it like this, and don’t make it crazy, stupid hard. I like to race in front of the home fans. And I do like to win but unfortunately that didn’t happen today.”
The sprint drama at the end of the day came after one of the most determined of breaks featuring some familiar names from Britain’s top domestic teams who between them drove it all the way into Wrexham where they were only caught by the charging peloton with just over one kilometre to go.
Kristian House of JLT Condor presented by Mavic, Tom Stewart of Madison Genesis and Peter Williams of ONE Pro Cycling usually manage to leave their imprint on the Aviva Tour of Britain and on this occasion were joined by Conor Dunne of An Post Chain Reaction.
Together they comprised the almost perfect break riding strongly as a quartet for the best part of 170-kilometres from Anglesey, over the Menai Bridge and through Snowdonia and the six counties of North Wales, at one stage running up a nine-minute lead.
The experienced House jumped to jump away on the final climb to take the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey while Dunne mopped up enough sprint points to earn the YodelDirect Sprint jerseys
Kristian House takes the King of the Mountains Jersey at the end of Stage one of the 2015 Aviva Tour of Britain. Kristian talks to Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc and the assembled press after the stage.
“We worked well and although I couldn’t recall all of the climbs from our recce but I did remember the final one which is why I hit out when I did and took a long one,” says House who won the SKODA King of the Mountains jersey overall in 2012 is riding his tenth Aviva Tour of Britain.
“When the break went back up from a minute to 1-minute 24 with 10km to go for a minute we thought this might actually work – funnily enough we were going through a town called Hope at the time! In my head though it was always going to come back.
“This race has always been important to the domestic teams. Going back to my first start in 2005, it was more important to us than the bigger teams. That’s levelled out now – people look at it is preparation for the worlds. This is our worlds, this and the national championships; we can show on home turf what we’re capable of.”
ONE Pro Cycling’s Peter Williams earned himself the Rouleur Combativity Award for Stage One, while the opening day victory helped Viviani also take the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey.
For full results and standings, please click here.
Stage Two on Monday 7 September sees the race head to the Lancashire hills, racing from Ribble Valley to Pendle over 160-kilometres of undulating roads between Clitheroe and Colne. The stage starts from the centre of Clitheroe at 11:15am, with live coverage on ITV4 from 1pm. You can find a video preview of the Stage Two route here.
by Chris Maher | Sep 6, 2015
Kristian House takes the King of the Mountains Jersey at the end of Stage one of the 2015 Aviva Tour of Britain. Kristian talks to Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc and the assembled press after the stage.
Kristian House takes the King of the Mountains Jersey at the end of Stage one of the 2015 Aviva Tour of Britain. Kristian talks to Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc and the assembled press after the stage.
by Chris Maher | Sep 6, 2015
Elia Viviani of Team Sky wins stage 1 of the Aviva Tour of Britain in a final sprint against Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel. Elia talks to CyclingShorts.cc and the assembled media after the race.
Elia Viviani of Team Sky wins stage 1 of the Aviva Tour of Britain in a final sprint against Mark Cavendish and Andre Greipel.
Elia talks to CyclingShorts.cc and the assembled media after the race.
by Chris Maher | Aug 17, 2015
SATURDAY AFTERNOON SESSION:
Great Britain’s Matthew Gibson set the quickest qualifying time in the 4000m Individual Pursuit setting a time of 4.23.212 holding a perfect line around the boards of Derby Arena. His closest competitor Owain Doull will ride in the finals later in the day.
Event 1 Individual Pursuit – Qualifying Men
- Matt Gibson 04.23.212
- Owain Doull 04.25.420
- Germain Burton 04.25.664
- Dion Beukeboom 04.26.345
- Andrew Tennant 04.28.841
- Julien Morice 04.29.653
- Aleksandr Lisouski 04.32.144
- Jan-Willem Van Schip 04.33.110
- Jake Kelly 04.36.610
- Steven Burke 04.36.610
- Fintan Ryan 04.44.052
- Dennis Wauch 04.44.679
- Ivan Kovalev 04.45.562
- Mark Downey 04.46.751
- Roy Pieters 04.51.377
Event 2 Sprint Qualification Time Trial Men
- Lewis Oliva 10.067
- Callum Skinner 10.088
- Quentin Lafague 10.108
- Jason Kenny 10.109
- Francois Pervis 10.188
- Hugo Haak 10.327
- Philip Hindes 10.343
- Christos Volikakis 10.345
- Matthew Crampton 10.419
- Eoin Mullen 10.423
- Zafeiros Volikakis 10.508
- Matt Rotherham 10.530
- Jose Moreno Sanchez10.633
Event 3 Sprint Qualification Time Trial Women
- Katy Marchant 11.163
- Jessica Varnish 11.276
- Dannielle Khan 11.286
- Victoria Williamson 11.333
- Tania Calvo 11.465
- Rebecca James 11.617
- Yesna Rijkhoff 11.644
- Olivia Montauban 11.662
- Sandie Clair 11.744
- Laurine Van Riessen 11.831
- Nicky Degrendele 11.942
- Shanaze Reade 12.043
The first Women’s Omnium event a forty lap Scratch Race, saw the first thirty laps run at a steady pace staying all together. With no one willing to commit early on the pace didn’t lift until around ten laps remaining.
As the race intensified, Ciara Horne attacked off the front of the pack with three laps to go, but faded in the final few hundred meters as the battle for the overall title began to take shape.
The crowd, already whipped up into a frenzy by Horne, we delighted to see Laura Trott cross the line first, with Jolien D’Hoore second and Laurie Berthon third in the bunch sprint.
A good start to Laura Trott’s Omnium campaign, but her biggest rivals were still looming within striking distance. The next event in this session will be the 3000m IP.
Event 4 The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – 10Km Scratch Race Women
- TROTT, Laura GBR
- D’HOORE, Jolien BEL
- BERTHON, Laurie FRA
- JEULAND, Pascale FRA
- KAY, Emily GBR
- WOJTYRA, Malgorzata POL
- OLABERRIA, Leire ESP
- ARCHIBALD, Katie GBR
- NELSON, Emily GBR
- STEEL, Elizabeth NZL
- BOYLAN, Lydia IRL
- HORNE, Ciara GBR
- REYBOULD, Rebecca GBR
- LLOYD, Manon GBR
Event 5 Sprint – First Round Men
Oliva, Skinner, Lafargue, Kenny, Volikakis (C) & Hindes progress through.
Event 6 Sprint – First Round Women
Marchant, Varnish, Khan, Williamson, Calvo & Rijkhoff progress through.
The first Men’s Omnium event a sixty lap Scratch Race couldn’t have been any different to that of the Women’s event. An energetic start with small attacks from the start including Chris Latham whom managed a spell out-front.
It wasn’t long before a six man break got free to take a lap, with Clancy & Cavendish making the move. Seeing the danger, De Ketele and two others joined the front of the race also gaining a lap.
De Ketele and Lisouski manage to gain another lap on the field in the chaos as the race drew to it’s conclusion, with Dibben going for a long solo victory to cross the line first.
Clancy turned up the heat to take the bunch sprint for second placement, but both Brits were down a lap on De Ketele & Lisouski who lead the Men’s Omnium going into round two, the 4000m IP.
Event 7 The Sir Brailsford Omnium – Scratch Race Men
- DE KETELE, Kenny BEL
- LISOUSKI, Aleksandr BLR
- DIBBEN, Jonathan GBR -1
- CLANCY , Ed GBR -1
- STEWART, Mark GBR -1
- ELLORIAGA, Unai ESP -1
- THOMAS, Benjamin FRA -1
- EEFTING, Roy NED -1
- WOOD, Oliver GBR -1
- RODRIGUES, Gideoni BRA -1
- CAVENDISH, Mark GBR -1
- KNEISKY, Morgan FRA -1
- DE PAUW, Moreno BEL -1
- VELDT, Tim NED -1
- KOVALEV, Ivan RUS -1
- RYAN, Fintan IRL -2
- WAUCH, Tobias AUT -2
- DOWNEY, Mark IRL -2
- MATZNER, Stefan AUT -2
- LATHAM, Christopher GBR -2
- MASTALLER, Stefan AUT -2
- DOULL, Owain GBR DNF
Event 8 The Sir Brailsford Omnium – 3000m Individual Pursuit Women
- Jolien D’Hoore 03.36.130
- Laura Trott 03.38.769
- Katie Archibald 03.41.177
- Pascale Jeuland 03.44.607
- Ciara Horne 03.44.628
- Emily Kay 03.45.217
- Leire Olaberria 03.47.647
- Lydia Boyland 03.48.749
- Emily Nelson 03.48.935
- Manon Lloyd 03.49.707
- Laurie Berthon 03.50.325
- Malgorzata Wojtyra 03.51.420
- Elizabeth Steele 03.57.303
- Rebecca Raybould 03.59.550
Event 9 Sprint – Quarter Final Men
Oliva, Skinner, Hindes & Kenny progress through.
Event 10 Sprint – Quarter Final Women
Marchant, Varnish, Rijkhoff & Calvo progress through.
Event 11 The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – 4000m Individual Pursuit Men
- Chris Latham 04.26.073
- Mark Cavendish 04.26.822
- Jon Dibben 04.27.335
- Ed Clancy 04.29.208
- Mark Stewart 04.29.502
- Kenny de Ketele 04.30.886
- Gideoni Rodrigues 04.32.437
- Aleksandr Lisouki 04.34.138
- Unai Elloriaga 04.34.258
- Oli Wood 04.35.182
- Benjamin Thomas 04.35.755
- Tim Veldt 04.35.971
- Morgan Kniesky 04.36.161
- Moreno de Pauw 04.40.976
- Roy Eefing 04.41.085
- Ivan Kovalev 04.41.916
SATURDAY EVENING SESSION:
Doors open at 18:00. Racing from 19:00 to 22:00.
Event 12 Sprint – 5-8th Finals Men
Volikakis, Haak, Lafargue & Pervis
Event 13 Sprint – 5-8th Finals Women
Williamson, Khan, Clair & Montauban.
Event 14 The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Elimination Women
- TROTT, Laura GBR
- D’HOORE, Jolien BEL
- ARCHIBALD, Katie GBR
- JEULAND, Pascale FRA
- KAY, Emily GBR
- NELSON, Emily GBR
- OLABERRIA, Leire ESP
- BERTHON, Laurie FRA
- WOJTYRA, Malgorzata POL
- STEEL, Elizabeth NZL
- BOYLAN, Lydia IRL
- REYBOULD, Rebecca GBR
- LLOYD, Manon GBR
- HORNE, Ciara GBR
Event 15 Sprint – Semi Final (Match A) Men
Lewis Oliva beat Jason Kenny in the semis. Callum Skinner beat Philip Hindes in a three round tie breaker to join Oliva.
Event 16 Sprint – Semi Final (Match A) Women
Katy Marchant beat Tania Calvo in the semis. Jessica Varnish beat Yesna Rijkhoff to join Marchant.
Event 17 Individual Pursuit – Finals Men
Matthew Gibson continued his impressive qualifying performance to win the 4000 Individual Pursuit, passing Owain Doull in the closing stages of the race. Germain Burton squeezed a marginal win over Netherland’s Dion Beukeboom for third place.
Event 20 The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Elimination Men
A fast start in the final Omnium Session from the day came to a halt as a collision on the home straight neutralized the race. The race then re-started and it wasn’t long before the pace intensified. Another crash, once again neutralized the race involving the same rider Rodrigues, this time with Jon Dibben.
With Omnium leader De Ketele finding himself out of contention early on, second place man Lisouski went out soon after.
With four Brits left to battle the top slots, Cavendish found himself on the Cote Azure and relegated from the remainder of the race. Ed Clancy went on the win the second round, with Chris Latham second and Benjamin Thomas of France third.
Event 23 Madison Time Trial Men
- Great Britain’s Steven Burke & Owain Doull set the quickest time 0.55.240 in the Revolution Madison Time Trial, getting to close to the sub 55s Revolution record.
- 100% ME 0.56.774
- Austria 0.58.514
- France 0.59.434
- Belarus 1.00.316
- Ireland 1.02.181
- Belgium 1.21.760
Event 29 Revolution Longest Lap Men
- Matthew Gibson
- Morgan Kniesky
- Thomas Benjamin
- Alekandr Lisouki
- Ivan Kovalev
- Roy Eefing
Event 30 Sprint – Final Men
Lewis Oliva beat Callum Skinner to clinch the Sprint Title. Jason Kenny beat Philip Hindes.
Event 31 Sprint – Final Women
Katy Marchant beat Jessica Varnish to take the Sprint Title. Tania Calvo beat Yesna Rijkhoff over three heats.
SUNDAY AFTERNOOON SESSION:
The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Time Trial Women
- Trott, Laura
- D’Hoore, Jolien
- Berthon, Laurie
- Boylan, Lydia
- Olaberria, Leire
- Wojtyra, Malgorzata
- Archibald, Katie
- Jeuland, Pascale
The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Time Trial Men
- Clancy, Ed
- Latham, Chris
- Eefting, Roy
- Veldt, Tim
- Cavendish, Mark
- Dibben, Jon
- De Pauw, Moreno
- De Ketele, Kenny
- Wood, Oliver
- Kneisky, Morgan
Keirin – First Round Men
Volikakis, Olivia, Crampton, Kenny, Hindes & Haak go through from round one.
Keirin – First Round Women
Khan, Marchant, Calvo, Clair, Van Riessen & Montauban go through from round one.
The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Flying Lap Women
- Trott, Laura
- D’Hoore, Jolien
- Berthon, Laurie
- Jeuland, Pascale
- Archibald, Katie
- Wojtyra, Malgorzata
- Boylan, Lydia
- Olaberria, Leire
- Nelson, Emily
- Kay, Emily
The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Flying Lap Men
- Clancy, Ed
- Eefting, Roy
- Cavendish, Mark
- Veldt, Tim
- Dibben, Jon
- De Pauw,Moreno
- Latham, Chris
- De Ketele,Kenny
- Thomas, Benjamin
- Elloriaga, Unai
The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Points Race Women
- TROTT, Laura GBR
- D’HOORE, Jolien BEL
- JEULAND, Pascale FRA
- ARCHIBALD, Katie GBR
- BERTHON, Laurie FRA
- KAY, Emily GBR
- OLABERRIA, Leire ESP
- BOYLAN, Lydia IRL
- WOJTYRA, Malgorzata POL
- NELSON, Emily GBR
- REYBOULD, Rebecca GBR
- LLOYD, Manon GBR
- STEEL Elizabeth NZL
The Sir Dave Brailsford Omnium – Points Race Men
- Clancy, Ed
- Cavendish, Mark
- Latham, Chris
- Dibben, Jon
- Thomas, Benjamin
- De Ketele,Kenny
- Stewart, Mark
- Elloriaga, Unai
- Veldt, Tim
- Lisouski, Aleksandr
Keirin – Final Men
- Kenny, Jason GBR
- Olivia, Lewis GBR
- Volikakis, Christos GRE
- Crampton, Matt GBR
- Haak, Hugo NED
- Hindes, Philip GBR
Keirin – Final Women
- Marchant, Katy GBR
- Clair, Sandie FRA
- Khan, Dannielle GBR
- Calvo, Tania ESP
- Van Riessen, Laurine NED
- Montauban, Olivia FRA GBR
Madison Men
- Great Britain – Bradley Wiggins / Mark Cavendish
- Belgium – Kenny De Ketele / Moreno De Pauw
- 100%ME – Chris Latham / Mark Stewart
- ODP – Germain Burton / Mathew Gibson
- WattBike – Roy Pieters / Stefan Matzner
- France – Morgan Kneisky / Benjamin Thomas
The next round of Revolution will be Race 53.
Special Thanks to www.facepartnership.com
Official Website www.cyclingrevolution.com
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