2008 News Archive
2007 News Archive
Plowman Crave Evans Cycles Take Third and Green and Polka Dot Jerseys in Girvan Three Day
10th April 2007
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles Racing Team added to their Easter track success with another solid team performance in the Girvan Three Day race in Scotland, taking both the green and polka dot jerseys as well as third place in the GC and second in the team competition.
With five previous race winners amongst the 85 riders, as well as all the current contenders for this year's Premier Calendar title including Recycling's Chris Newton fresh from the World Track Championships in Majorca, the race always promised to be exciting.
Day one saw Plowman Craven Evans Cycles consistently driving hard at the head of the race. The Team controlled the early part of the undulating 62 mile opening stage, ensuring no attack managed to gain an advantage and helping team member and 1999 winner Gordon McCauley to take both the King of the Mountains and Sprinters jerseys. When a break of seven did eventually manage to get away after 40 miles it contained two Plowman Craven riders, McCauley and team mate James Millard. With five miles to go the group had an advantage of 40 seconds but in the sprint for the line McCauley was beaten into fourth place, 16 seconds down on winner Newton.
Tony Gibb faired better in the evenings 16.5 mile Victory Park criterium just over fours later in the centre of Girvan, sprinting ahead of a large bunch at the line to take the stage. Plowman Craven Evans Cycles ended the day second in the Team rankings, 4 seconds down on Science in Sport.
Day two saw the longest stage at 108 miles. McCauley promptly increased his lead in the Green Jersey competition when he won the first sprint early in the day, but lost out to Rapha Condor’s Giancarlo Checci in the second. In response, Gordon swiftly launched an attack, and was soon joined by six others including team mate Jason Allen. An aggressive peleton soon caught the breakaway at 29 miles, but McCauley quickly attacked again and got away in another group of five riders eventually gaining almost a minute on the chasers. A small group soon split from the peleton in pursuit, including GC contenders Newton, Science in Sport’s Wilkinson and KFS’s Sharman. Quickly joined by Plowman Craven Evans Cycles’ James Millard, they made a serious effort to close the gap, but Premier Calendar contenders Dean Downing of Rapha Condor and John Tanner of Sportscover-Planet X both missed the move. With half the stage gone, the chasers made it across to the breakaway as the peleton lost yet more time. Millard almost immediately attacked and soon opened a gap with two others, until Wilkinson, Newton and MacCauley caught and passed them with 10 miles to go. Entering the finish circuit, with the rest of the race fragmented over several miles, the three leaders played a game of cat and mouse as they sought the best position for the sprint. Wilkinson beat McCauley by a wheel giving him the 15 second winner’s bonus and the race lead. Gordon ended the day third overall at 15 seconds but kept both the Green and Polka Dot jerseys.
With only 3 seconds separating the overall leader Wilkinson from second placed Newton, Day Three was set to be exciting. The inclusion of five classified climbs, including the twisting two mile ascent of Nick O’Balloch, and three hot spot sprints ensured it was set to be a hard day for the remaining 74 riders.
McCauley started as he meant to go on by securing the first climb of the day at Byne Hill, and on leaving the village of Barr launched his first significant attack but was quickly brought back by the attentive peloton. However it was a marker for things to come and when he kicked again on the narrow roads approaching Nick O’Balloch he soon opened a gap, joined on the lower slopes of the climb by David Clarke riding for the composite Team OANDS. Working well together their lead had grown to 45 seconds by the summit and McCauley tightened his grip on the Polka Dot jersey, by once again taking maximum points.
The pair had soon gained more than 2½ minutes advantage over the main field containing both Newton and Wilkinson, giving McCauley the yellow jersey on the road and offering the prospect of one rider taking all three major classifications in the race.
With 41 miles gone McCauley and Clarke still had over two minutes lead as they began the climb of Hadyard Hill. But the peloton – and Newton’s Recycling Team in particular – began to lift the pace and by the top of the climb they had cut almost a minute from the lead. The lead continued to come down with Newton himself driving at the front of the peloton and by the final hot spot at Victory Park the leaders were almost caught. The frantic pace had fragmented the peloton and when McCauley and Clarke were finally reeled in at just under 58 miles only 11 riders remained in contention for the stage win, among them McCauley,Newton, Wilkinson, Sharman, Dean Downing and John Tanner.
But McCauley was not giving up without a fight and launched attack after attack, managing to gain a lead of 5 seconds at one point, but Newton again closed the gap and with 5 miles to go the leading riders were all together again. As the sprint began, it was the winner of the previous week’s Tour of the Reservoir Dean Downing who got a gap and took the win. Fourth and sixth places in the same time for Newton and Wilkinson respectively meant that their overall GC positions remained unchanged. McCauley finished in the same time group to retain his third place overall, and his aggressive ride also presented Plowman Craven Evans Cycles with second place in the team competition.
Speaking after the race Simon Barnes, Team founder and boss of Herts based geomatics company Plowman Craven, commented:
“This race has seen some really aggressive and committed riding from Plowman Craven Evans Cycles and I’m really proud of them. They’ve demonstrated beyond doubt they can ride stage events and take the race to the competition. This was a hard event with a quality field and we more than held our own. Gordon and James both showed they’re not afraid to attack from a long way out, and Gordon in particular deserves credit for his ride in the final stage and for the fact he kept attacking even after he was caught. It all bodes well for the rest of the season.”
Next weekend’s racing (15th April) is another Premier Calendar event, the 115 mile Archer Grand Prix in Buckinghamshire. On a course renowned for its hills, Plowman Craven Evans Cycles will be keen to demonstrate their climbing skills, not least because Plowman Craven also sponsor the King Chilterns competition for the best climber. You can watch coverage of the race by cycling.tv on British Eurosport on 25th April.
» view full race calender - click here
More information from Jonathan O’Neil: +44 (0) 7956250837 or click here
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