Poor TT result proves costly
for Gareth
Zenith CC Nigel Measom 2 day RR - 29/04/2006 - Leicestershire
Assuming the time trial would be an insignificant factor
in the General Classification, Gareth made the mistake which
cost him a top 10 GC position whilst Andy had an 'off' weekend
he'd rather forget about.
Gareths race diary...
'Stage 1 was about 75 miles and I felt good on Saturday,
the bunch was quite active with many attacks and it was quite
fast but manageable. Andy got into the first move but it was
short lived. A good move went away with Andy Eagers and Julian
Gromett. I got across to a break that was forming at half
distance and it stayed away. We caught Eagers and Gromett
with 15 miles to go and then we got caught by another group
that had moved clear of the bunch with a lap and a half to
go so there were about 30 of us now in the lead. Mike Jones
attacked with 3 miles to go and I got across to him with 1
mile left but we got swallowed up in the gallop. Jones hung
onto the front of the sprint but I didnt and Steven Ward won
and I ended up 14th with a 2 min lead over the bunch. Andy
ended up finishing in the bunch but was complaining he wasnt
feeling well.
We only had an hour from the road race finish to get back
to the HQ, sign on for the TT, find the TT course and get
to the start so it was a bit of a mad dash to get to the start
line for the 2.8 mile TT. I rode my road bike with no TT extras
and lost 40 seconds to the winner and 30 seconds to most of
the other riders in the break earlier I was 20th after the
first day.
Sunday Stage was 80+ miles and Matt Charity attacked in the
first 200 metres and took a group away which stayed away for
35 miles but never got more than 30 secs as Andy organised
a chase. The chase didnt really go to plan as Steven Ward
(in yellow) panicked worked to hard and brought the break
back to early and there was no one in the break who was up
there on GC anyway.
Andy pulled out at half distance as he had been feeling crap
all weekend. Another group containing Eagers went clear at
about 50 miles and I tried jumping across and got a few metres
off the back and ran out of steam and the Eagers group stayed
clear to win. For once I tried to contest the bunch sprint
and it was a bit hairy and couldnt get near the front but
I finished 25th on the stage. It was brilliant when we first
organised the chase as there was about 12 riders working on
the front inc Andy and the whole bunch was just strung out
in one line which lasted for 35 miles. It wasnt that hard,
just difficult to get clear.
I was a bit disappointed to miss the move on Sunday but if
Id taken the TT seriously I could have been about in the top
10 overall'.
Images copyright Roger Martin
Images
from Stage 1 - click here
Images
from Stage 2- click here
Images
from Stage 3 - click here
Andys race diary....
'Following last weekends victory and Gareth's continual run
of form, we were looking to come away from the Zenith 2 day
with at least some results in individual stages, if not a
placing on the overall GC.
The first stage was run on a twisty but predominantly flat
circuit close to Lutterworth.
Early in the race, I managed to join an eight strong breakaway
which quickly established a lead over the main field. It was
at this point I realised that I didn't have particularly good
legs and was struggling to pull my weight within the group.
Knowing that I would have had little chance of gaining a result,
I was somewhat relieved when the bunch eventually reeled us
in, and hoped that Gareth would be part of any subsequent
breakaways.
Sure enough Gareth was to be amongst the winning move of
the day. I policed a number of counter attacks, but generally
sat in the main bunch hoping that my legs would return to
form for the following days 75 mile stage.
Before the day was out, a 2.7 mile rolling time trial had
to be completed.
Whilst warming up for Sundays stage on the Tur-Langton Circuit,
I knew that I again didn't have particularly good legs and
decided that I would do all I could to help Gareth's push
for a top 20 in the General Classification.
Following an early breakaway, which Gareth had missed, I
did what work I could to pull the break back. Eventually,
the race did come back together. Not feeling particularly
good, and unable to make much more of a contribution, I climbed
off at the 40 mile mark'.
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STAGE
1
1 45
Stephen Ward Team Swift Allsports 02:37:48
2 79 Mike Jones Paramount 02:37:48
3 5 Andrew Stuart Ashfield RC 02:37:48
4 49 Matthew Kipling VC Briganti 02:37:48
5 2 Jim Bryan Ace RT 02:37:48
6 50 John Doherty VS Cycles 02:37:48
7 15 Andy Eagers Derby Mercury RC 02:37:48
8 66 Ashley Brown Featherstone RC 02:37:48
9 47 Steve Gibson VC Briganti 02:37:48
10 43 James Fox Team Milton Keynes 02:37:48
11 29 Richard Wood Provate Member 02:37:48
12 75 Nathan Turnbull Leigh Premier 02:37:48
13 33 Llewellyn Byrne Science in Sport 02:37:48
14 8 Gareth Williams Cherry Valley RT 02:37:48
15 20 Phil Valentine GS Surosa 02:37:48
52
7 Andy Hayton Cherry Valley RT 02:40:46
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STAGE
2
1st 60 Alex Wise www.agiskoviner.com
00:06:01
2nd 61 Adrian Bird www.echelon-cycles.co.uk 00:06:02
=3rd 45 Stephen Ward Team Swift Allsports 00:06:04
=3rd 79 Mike Jones Paramount 00:06:04
5th 3 Micheal Broadwith Archer RC 00:06:05
=6th 25 Jason Crombie Merlin Development Squad 00:06:07
=6th 56 Peter Hinchliffe White Knight RC 00:06:07
=8th 47 Steve Gibson VC Briganti 00:06:08
=8th 62 Paul Dring www.echelon-cycles.co.uk 00:06:08
=8th 69 Stef Rick Zenith CC 00:06:08
=8th 70 Stephan Wolfer Zenith CC 00:06:08
12th 48 Rick King VC Briganti 00:06:09
13th 65 Alistair Kay York Cycleworks 00:06:10
=48th 7 Andy Hayton Cherry Valley RT 00:06:38
=60th
8 Gareth Williams Cherry Valley RT 00:06:54
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STAGE
3
1 70 Stephan Wolfer Zenith CC
02:56:06
2 42 Matthew Larner Team Litchfield 02:56:07
3 51 Dieter Droger Wakefield CC 02:56:07
4 15 Andy Eagers Derby Mercury RC 02:56:07
5 23 Simon Day Interbike RT 02:56:07
6 66 Ashley Brown Featherstone RC 02:56:07
7 53 Matthew Jennings Webster Cycling Team 02:56:08
8 47 Steve Gibson VC Briganti 02:56:09
9 48 Rick King VC Briganti 02:57:43
10 78 Paul Cox FSA 02:57:43
11 29 Richard Wood Provate Member 02:57:43
12 27 Jon Mozley Merlin Development Squad 02:57:45
13 35 Tim Lawson Science in Sport 02:57:45
14 54 Luke Marlow Welland Valley Wheelers 02:57:45
15 17 Martin Wheeldon Doncaster Wheelers 02:57:45
16 28 Richard Hepworth Molinos Murca Turistica 02:57:45
17 33 Llewellyn Byrne Science in Sport 02:57:45
18 12 Phil Jones Citihub 02:57:45
19 59 Chris Siepen Wills Wheels CC 02:57:45
20 75 Nathan Turnbull Leigh Premier 02:57:45
21 50 John Doherty VS Cycles 02:57:45
22 24 James Furniss Matlock CC 02:57:45
23 37 Stephen Adams Sherwood CC 02:57:45
24 32 Stuart Heade SBR Sports 02:57:45
25 8 Gareth Williams Cherry Valley RT 02:57:45
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Overall
GC
1 05:40:02 47 Steve Gibson VC
Briganti
2 05:40:07 15 Andy Eagers Derby Mercury RC
3 05:40:30 66 Ashley Brown Featherstone RC
4 05:41:28 45 Stephen Ward Team Swift Allsports
5 05:41:29 79 Mike Jones Paramount
6 05:41:38 3 Micheal Broadwith Arctic RT
7 05:41:45 62 Paul Dring www.echelon-cycles.co.uk
8 05:41:47 50 John Doherty VS Cycles
9 05:41:49 33 Llewellyn Byrne Science in Sport
10 05:41:51 43 James Fox Team Milton Keynes
11 05:41:54 49 Matthew Kipling VC Briganti
12 05:41:56 75 Nathan Turnbull Leigh Premier
13 05:41:57 29 Richard Wood Provate Member
14 05:41:59 2 Jim Bryan Ace RT
15 05:42:10 5 Andrew Stuart Ashfield RC
16 05:42:11 44 Mike Wragg Team Milton Keynes
17 05:42:12 73 Mike Prerrin Ashfield RC
18 05:42:15 64 Ian Holmes York Cycleworks
19 05:42:17 21 Alec Leslie Loughborough Students
20 05:42:22 70 Stephan Wolfer Zenith CC
21 05:42:27 8 Gareth Williams Cherry Valley
RT
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