Press Release – Pearl Izumi Tour Series – Barrow

by | May 15, 2014

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Press Release – Graham Briggs leads Rapha Condor JLT to Pearl Izumi Tour Series lead in Barrow

Graham Briggs took the individual win to help his Rapha Condor JLT team back into the five red and yellow Pearl Izumi jerseys of Series leaders at the BAE Systems Barrow round of the team based Series.

Briggs outsprinted long-time breakaway companion Tom Scully on Barrow’s long final straight for the win, with Scully’s consolation being the team victory on the night for Madison Genesis, complete with model Astute-class submarines from round sponsors BAE Systems.

Second place behind them for Rapha Condor JLT returned them to the Series lead, with erstwhile leaders NFTO Pro Cycling dropping to third overall having come sixth on the night.
NFTO’s Jon Mould keeps the sprints jersey, with Scully winning the evening’s sprints competition, while Brigg’s last lap effort was enough to snatch the Costa Express Fastest Lap away from Adam Blythe at the death, with a 1’22.924.

Briggs and Scully had escaped midway through the race on the 1.1 kilometre Barrow circuit, slowly eking out a lead despite valiant chase attempts from Andy Tennant and Felix English, and Richard Hepworth and Matthew Gibson.

The latter duo’s effort came closest to reeling them in, with Great Britain rider Gibson taking third ahead of Hepworth, just clear of the chasing peloton led home by Blythe, and then Madison Genesis duo Mike Northey and Tobyn Horton to secure the team victory.  With Tennant also in the top 10 it was a comprehensive performance from the team, who had also taken victory in Stoke-on-Trent, to make up for their disappointment in the team time trial event, when spectators had baulked them.

Large crowds had packed the Barrow town centre circuit for the first visit of Britain’s leading team based Series to the Cumbrian town, lining the home straight and filling out all of the corners, on what proved to be a popular, and fast, circuit with an average speed of 42’68kph.

Highlights of the BAE Systems Barrow round will be shown on ITV4 at 8pm on Friday 16th May, with a repeat at 8am on Saturday morning.

Round Three sees The Pearl Izumi Tour Series return to Peterborough after a year’s absence, with the women re-joining the fray for the second Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series event of 2014, on Tuesday 20 May.


The Pearl Izumi Tour Series
Thursday 15 May 2014, Barrow

Round Two Team Result
1) Madison Genesis
2) Rapha Condor JLT
3) Team Raleigh
4) Node4 Velosure
5) Great Britain
6) NFTO Pro Cycling
7) Starley Primal Pro Cycling
8) Metaltek Kuota
9) Pedal Heaven Colbornes

Round Two Individual Result
1) Graham Briggs, GBR, Rapha Condor JLT
2) Tom Scully, NZL, Madison Genesis
3) Matthew Gibson, GBR, Great Britain
4) Richard Hepworth, GBR, Node4 Velosure
5) Adam Blythe, GBR, NFTO Pro Cycling
6) Mike Northey, NZL, Madison Genesis
7) Tobyn Horton, GBR, Madison Genesis
8) Felix English, IRL, Rapha Condor JLT
9) Yanto Barker, GBR, Team Raleigh
10) Andy Tennant, GBR, Madison Genesis

Round Two Costa Express Fastest Lap: Graham Briggs, GBR, Rapha Condor JLT, 1’22.924
Round Two Sprint Winner: Tom Scully, NZL, Madison Genesis

Overall Team Standings, post-Round Two
1) Rapha Condor JLT, 30pts
2) Madison Genesis, 29pts
3) NFTO Pro Cycling, 21pts
4) Team Raleigh, 21pts
5) Node4 Velosure, 19pts
6) Great Britain, 18pts
7) Metaltek Kuota, 13pts
8) Starley Primal Pro Cycling, 10pts
9) Pedal Heaven Colbornes, 6pts

Overall Sprint Standings, post-Round Two
1) Jon Mould, GBR, NFTO Pro Cycling, 18pts
2) Kristian House, GBR, Rapha Condor JLT, 13pts
3) Tom Scully, NZL, Madison Genesis, 10pts

 

 

Pantani: The Accidental Death of a Cyclist Review

by | May 15, 2014

©Bettini

©Bettini

Marco Pantani was like many other cyclists: he loved cycling, he was passionate, fearless and more than anything, he wanted to win. But, he was also like no other cyclist, putting the combination of passion and determination into practice to make him the only winner of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same year, something not even Lance Armstrong attempted. But, on Valentines Day 2004 he was found dead, alone in a hotel room in Italy. Aged 34, Pantani had overdosed on cocaine after a period of depression and addiction.

With his distinctive bandana and gold earrings earning him the nickname of ‘il Pirata’ (the Pirate), Pantani’s aggressive riding as an attacking climber projected him to fame in the 1990s, with 36 professional wins, the Maillot Jaune 6 times and the Maglia Rosa 14 times in his career.

“YOU CAN’T WIN THE TOUR DE FRANCE ON MINERAL WATER”

As we’ve all come to learn, cycling in this era was, what can only be described as, a dirty sport. The Festina Affair of 1998 shone light on the behind-the-scenes activities and the depth a team would go to to make sure they were the best. The following year, Pantani was disqualified from the 1999 Giro d’Italia for a hematocrit reading of 52%, 2% above the upper limit set by the UCI to determine EPO usage, which lead to persistent allegations of doping throughout the rest of his career, leading to his subsequent mental health issues. However, Pantani was never actually found guilty of doping during his living years* and evidence as laid out in the film, suggests that his positive tests were  a result of coup within the governing bodies of the Giro d’Italia in a bid to allow other teams some glory.

“I AM QUITTING CYCLING, IT’S LIKE A MAFIA”

Having recently finished Tyler Hamilton’s ‘The Secret Race’ and part way through David Millar’s ‘Racing Through The Dark‘ (yes, I’m a few years behind!), it’s clear that doping was the blood of the sport for many years. If you wanted to be ‘in’ with the A team and any chance of winning, you had to dope. Bradley Wiggins highlights this, stating “If you were going to survive and if you wanted to win or make a living you had to do what you were told to do.”

Fundamentally, there was a deep psychological want and need to be accepted in the peloton. Joining a pro team at the ripe age of 22 having won the ‘Girobio‘, the amateur version of the Giro d’Italia; I can’t help but think Pantani was coerced into believing that what he (and his team) was doing, was just part of the job. And so, when the public turned on him following doping allegations, calling him a cheat, he could feel nothing but shame. “I’ve been pressured, I’ve been humiliated” he states in a post ban interview. “Today I don’t associate cycling with winning. I associate it with terrible, terrible things that have happened to me and people close to me.” He had been let down.

This film however, isn’t about an exploration of doping in Pantani’s era, but the story of a cyclist. Interviews with his family, close friends and fellow cyclists of the peloton, depict Pantani as a humble man who loved his family and his sport.

“Marco Pantani was not a saint. Even Pantani would probably not have believed that Pantani was a saint.” Ned Boulting

Clean or not, Pantani is still today hailed a hero by many. The King of the Mountains. An intriguing story, The Accidental Death of a Cyclist provides a unique, but sad and tragic insight into a heroic cyclist and the sport of his era.

PANTANI: THE ACCIDENTAL DEATH OF A CYCLIST IN CINEMAS FROM MAY 16TH

*It’s only in 2013 that samples of Pantani’s samples were retested from the 1998 Tour de France and found positive for EPO.

Hayley Davies

Hayley Davies

Writer

Riding since Feb 2011 Hayley is a 30 year old female who loves adventures. If she’s not on one of her many bikes or in the water on a bodyboard/surfboard, then Hayley is probably out looking for something new to keep the adrenaline pumping!
Website: www.hjdonline.co.uk

On-board Cameras In ToC- Watch the Sprint Action Unfold

by | May 13, 2014

[youtube http://youtu.be/F7aH1bn6yUI]

 

Will they – won’t they, the discussion has been ongoing for a while now about the value of using on-bike cameras during road racing. The UCI have been contradicting themselves for a while, and more recently Brian Cookson (UCI President) has hinted that they may be allowed in the future. With the release of this footage there is speculation that the UCI may have acknowledged the merits of filming from within the peloton. There isn’t any clarification yet that I can find, but just the existence of this film suggests that the UCI might roll it out.

The footage is from the Tour of California on stage 1 as John Degenklob and his team sprint for the finish only to be pipped at the post by Mark Cavendish. You can’t deny it’s thrilling to watch – maybe ‘Sprint Cam’ will be coming to a bike race near you soon!

Press Release – Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix

by | May 12, 2014

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PRUDENTIAL RIDELONDON WOMEN’S GRAND PRIX TO BE BROADCAST LIVE ON TV

This year’s Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix criterium race will be broadcast live on BBC television with a 60-minute programme on Saturday 9 August.

The event, part of the Mayor of London’s world-class festival of cycling, will be staged on a 1.3-mile route in and around St James’s Park with the start and finish on The Mall.

“We have worked closely with the BBC to make this happen,” said Hugh Brasher, Prudential RideLondon Event Director. “This is a pivotal year for women’s cycling with the recent first Women’s Tour, La Course in Paris on the last day of the Tour de France and this race in the centre of London.”

Held for the first time in 2013, the inaugural race was won by double Olympic champion Laura Trott (representing Wiggle Honda) in a spectacular sprint finish. Highlights were shown on BBC TV the next day in the coverage of Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, the mass-participation event, and the men’s road race, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic.

The field for the 2014 Prudential RideLondon Women’s Grand Prix will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

Prudential RideLondon comprises four separate events: the Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle, the Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix, the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 and the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic over the weekend of 9-10 August 2014. Find out more at www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk.

Race Report – Women’s Tour 2014 Finale

by | May 11, 2014

 

 

Marianne Vos takes Friends Life Women’s Tour overall victory

Marianne Vos cemented victory in the inaugural Friends Life Women’s Tour by taking her third consecutive stage victory in Bury St Edmunds, out sprinting Giorgia Bronzini and Amy Pieters on Angel Hill.

The ensuing time bonuses ensured Vos finished 30 seconds clear of stage winners Emma Johansson and Rossella Ratto in second and third places, with the latter also claiming the Matrix Fitness Best Young Rider jersey for the highest placed Under-23 rider.

Italian duo Bronzini and Susanna Zorzi, who claimed the week’s overall combativity award, were fourth and fifth overall, with Pieters just edging Lucy Garner and Hannah Barnes in sixth, seventh and eighth places.

Garner also took the Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research Best British Rider jersey, inheriting it on Sunday morning in Harwich after Lizzie Armitstead withdrew through illness and then defending it from Barnes in the final sprint, despite clipping the barriers in the final corners.

For the second day running Lotto Belisol Ladies’ Emma Pooley was in the thick of the action, winning the Combativity Award for her constant attacking on the 108.3 kilometre stage through Tendring and Suffolk.

Loes Gunnewijk, Lauren Hall and Lisa Brennauer joined Pooley, but with no Rabo Liv rider in the font group they were brought back, setting up the final sprint finish of the week into Bury St Edmunds’ Angel Hill, where packed crowds awaited.

For the third day running it was Vos who powered clear, our sprinting Bronzini, with Pieters and Barnes in close attendance behind.

Vos’ consistent run of top three finishes and bonus points saw her claim the YodelDirect Points jersey, while Sharon Laws and Jolanda Neff’s week long battle for the Strava Queen of the Mountains jersey ended in favour of the British rider, three points ahead of her Swiss counterpart.

Optum p/b Kelly Benefit Strategies claimed the overall Team Classification, with American rider Hall their highest finisher in ninth overall.

Highlights of Stage Five are on ITV4 at 9pm on Sunday evening, with a repeat at 8.10am on Monday morning.

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