2008 News Archive
2007 News Archive
Winning Weekend for Plowman Craven
5th March 2007
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles Race Team completed a busy schedule of three races this weekend with two wins, two third places, a fourth and fifth place. The impressive results add to Plowman Craven’s consistent start to the season, with three wins and two thirds in their first five races. Only Great Britain Olympic hopefuls from the 100% ME, British Cycling squad have beaten them to date.
In sunny but windy conditions at the famous Aintree Race Course in Liverpool on Saturday, the Plowman Craven train dominated the early stages of the Eddie Soens Memorial Race. By the final few laps of the race, three times winner Tony Gibb and Commonwealth games medallist Gordon McCauley formed half of a four man decisive break with Ian Stannard and Alex Dowsett from 100% ME. With 500m to go Stannard attacked, and in a tightly contested sprint for second Gibb narrowly lost out to Dowsett.
Gibb’s fortunes were reversed the following day when he won the Wally Gimber Dulwich Primavera road race in Kent for the second year running, beating Rapha Condor’s Dean Downing in a fiercely contested sprint for the line. Ridden in a continual downpour, Plowman Craven’s James Millard used his time trialling skills and experience of Belgian weather to make an early attack, but by the end of lap three Gibb was joined by team mate James McCullam and Downing in the decisive break. Gibb and Downing challenged each other all the way to the line, with Gibb taking the win by the narrowest of margins. McCullam took third and Millard fifth.
Sunday’s success for Plowman Craven was repeated when Gordon McCauley won the Seven Bridge road race in Gloucester. Also contested in heavy wind and rain, by the second lap nine riders, including McCauley were away, with a small group that included Plowman Craven’s Freddie Johanssen giving chase. By the last lap only Rob Sharman of KFS could stay with McCauley, but he was no match for the Kiwi’s sprint and McCauley easily took his second win of the season.
Simon Barnes, Team founder and boss of the Herts based Geomatics company Plowman Craven, expressed satisfaction at the weekend’s results:
“The season has got off to an excellent start for us. Three wins and two thirds in five races is a level of consistency unmatched by other squads. To win two races in the same day in different parts of the Country shows the strength in depth we have in the Team, and the fact that so far only Great Britain Olympic hopefuls have beaten us highlights that we will be a force to be reckoned with this year.”
Next weekend the Team return to Liverpool to contest the Bike Line Two Day Premier calendar stage race.
» view full race calender - click here
More information from Jonathan O’Neil: +44 (0) 7956250837 or click here
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