2008 News Archive
2007 News Archive
Herne Hill Heroes
7th April 2007
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles Racing Team gave double world track champion and Cofidis star Bradley Wiggins a run for his money at the Good Friday International track meeting at London's Herne Hill this weekend. Plowman Craven riders Tony Gibb and Jason Allen both defeated Wiggins in a day of exciting racing in glorious sunshine in front of 3,500 spectators.
Jason Allen, riding in the black and silver kit of his native New Zealand, won the prestige Golden Wheels Scratch race in an impressive and confident display of sprinting. Part of a five man breakaway formed half way through the 40 lap race, Jason and team mate Tony Gibb worked together to catch and out sprint Wiggins after he went for the win with just over a lap to go. Alex Dowsett, a strong rival of Plowman Craven on the road this season, took second with Gibb third and Wiggins fourth. Plowman Craven's James Taylor took seventh place.
Gibb and Allen had also both beaten Wiggins earlier in the day. Tony won the Ed Taylor points race by a clear margin of 6 points over Germany’s Stefan Steinweg, after and early attack gave him maximum points in the opening laps. Although eventually caught by a bunch driven hard by Wiggins, strong team riding by Plowman Craven ensured that Tony took the win, with team mate James Taylor also beating Wiggins to take third. Jason Allen gave another demonstration of his finishing line sprint when he beat Wiggins into third place to win the 4 Lap Dash.
The world champion got his revenge over both Gibb and Allen however, beating Tony in the Elimination race and winning the 10 Minute pursuit with an impressive and confident ride, defeating Jason, Dowsett and former pro Sean Yates in just over 5 minutes.
Before rushing to the airport to catch a flight to Scotland for the Girvan Premier Calendar stage race, Allen commented:
“Winning the Golden Wheels means a lot to me, and to beat a clearly in-form Bradley Wiggins in the process only adds to the satisfaction. I wasn’t too happy with my form during the Manchester World Cup in February but today’s results are more like it.”
Simon Barnes, Team founder and boss of the Herts based Geomatics company Plowman Craven, also expressed satisfaction at the day’s results:
“Although our main emphasis this season is on the road, it’s fantastic that the guys are doing so well on the track. And just like on the road it is our team work that is paying dividends; to regularly see four or five Plowman Craven riders in a train getting a sprinter into poll position is not only rewarding for me as a team manager, it must be exciting for the crowd and also challenging for the competition. Tony and Jason both did well today, but the support they received from James Taylor, James McCallum and Simon Gaywood was fantastic – those guys buried themselves at the front time and time again, making today’s wins real team victories.”
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles enjoyed more track success the following day at the Portsmouth Easter Track Meeting (7 April), when James MacCallum, Simon Gaywood and James Taylor respectively took first, second and third in the Omnium. The trio had more success in the Kingsbury Cup Scratch Race with a win for Taylor, second for Gaywood and fourth for MacCallum, giving Taylor the overall lead in the National Track Endurance League series.
This weekend Plowman Craven Evans Cycles also head north of the border to ride the Girvan stage race in Scotland, where the benefits of a strong and well-drilled squad will again come into their own during three tough days of riding.
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More information from Jonathan O’Neil: +44 (0) 7956250837 or click here
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