2008 News Archive
2007 News Archive
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles lead BCF Elite Circuit Series
23rd May 2007
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles Cycles topped a successful week of circuit racing with a win for Simon Gaywood in the Crawley Town Centre criterium on Sunday (20 May). Gaywood outsprinted Dean Downing of Rapha Condor to reverse the result of the previous weeks Lincoln GP, when Downing narrowly took the win from Plowman Craven Evans Cycles' Gordon McCauley. McCauley took both sprint primes at Crawley.
Gaywood's victory in the first round of the British Cycling Elite Circuit Series is his third for the team this season including the Archer GP, and comes at the end of a week which saw the Plowman Craven Evans Cycles team travel to Belgium to ride the Puivelde Kermesse.
Photo © Gerry McManus & British Cycling | Simon Gaywood wins at Crawley
The distinctive pink and blue Impsport clothing of Plowman Craven Evans Cycles was continually at the front of the 1 hr plus 5 laps race run over a 1 km circuit of Crawley town centre, driving the pace hard and keeping out of trouble as the peleton negotiated a series of very tight corners on the at points narrow and twisting course, where gaps soon began to appear.
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles riders James McCallum, Tony Gibb and Gordon McCauley each made moves off the front, as did Pinarello's Malcolm Elliott and Rob Hayles of KLR, but none gained more than a few seconds advantage. With about a third of the race to go Downing attacked and was quickly caught by Gaywood but the pair only managed to stay away for about half a lap before Tom Barras (Merlin) and Warrick Spence (Cyclefit/Serotta) jumped across to join them. The foursome worked well together to keep their lead, gaining over half a minute advantage at one point, but a determined chase by defending series champion Elliott and Hayles in the last five laps saw the gap reduce dramatically.
With a strong Plowman Craven Evans Cycles team presence in the chasing pack Gaywood was under less pressure than the others in the breakaway who each tried to get away, but Gaywood marked them well. Coming out of the twisting back section of the circuit on the last lap Warrick gained a 10m advantage, but Downing, with Gaywood on his wheel, caught him and went for the line. Gaywood had the better legs on the day and with about 20m to go he squeezed past Downing to take the victory.
"One of my aims for this season was to win a round of the criterium series and I can't ask for better than winning the first!” commented the sports therapist from Leighton Buzzard.
Photo © Gerry McManus & British Cycling | Tom Barras, Simon Gaywood and Dean Downing
"It's really in the first few laps that a race like this formed and you have to be at the front” he continued. “The Plowman Craven Evans Cycles team were brilliant today, keeping the pace high at the front from the start and making it difficult for others to follow and causing gaps in the field. Crawley is a great circuit, but it's very tight in the back section and I've been involved in crashes twice before, so I was determined not to be caught in another today. When the four of us got away the knowledge that my team were in strong numbers behind me took some of the pressure off, but Rob Hayles in particular chased hard and we were lucky to stay away. When we came to the sprint I knew Dean, who's got a great pedigree as a crit rider, would give me a hard run for my money and that Warrick can sprint too, so I put it in the biggest gear I could turn over and managed to get past Dean.
"Winning the Archer earlier in the year has given me so much confidence but afterwards I took it slightly easier before building up to win the Reading Spring RR and coming second to Alex Dowsett in the Ixworth crit. Racing in Belgium earlier this week really opened up my legs and I felt in top form today – I can't wait for the Richmond GP at the weekend."
Earlier in the week Gaywood had been part of a Plowman Craven Evans Cycles, including Gordon McCauley, Jason Allen, Adam Norris, James Millard, and Brian Biggs, which had travelled to Belgium to ride the 100 mile circuit race, the Puivelde Kermesse. The race, which McCauley won in 2002 for ADM Flanders as New Zealand road and time trail champion, was only open to pro teams and the Plowman Craven Evans Cycles squad were up against riders from established continental teams including Chocolate Jaques, Rabobank, Discovery, Unibet, Quickstep and Liquigas. A field of 160 riders rode the flat 100 mile circuit race around the villages of St.Nicholas and Puw at a blistering pace, averaging 27 miles an hour, and the Plowman Craven Evans Cycles riders were pleased to finish in the main pack.
"Just like on the shorter Crawley circuit you can't be at the back of a race like the Puivelde Kermesse," commented Gaywood. "Once you're off the back you have no chance of getting back on. Plowman Craven Evans Cycles weren't under any pressure in Belgium to dictate the race so it was great for us to sit in the pack and soak up the experience, which will be invaluable if we are lucky enough to get a ride in the Tour of Britain. It also meant we were able to recover to ride so well at Crawley."
Next weekend (27th May) Plowman Craven Evans Cycles contest the seventh round of the British Premier Calendar series at the 135 km Richmond GP in Yorkshire. Gordon McCauley is currently lying in fourth place in the competition.
» view full race calender - click here
Results:
1. Simon Gaywood, Plowman Craven/Evans, 1:07:30
2. Dean Downing, Rapha Condor, St
3. Tom Barras, Merlin RT, St
4. Warrick Spence, Cyclefit/Serotta, St
5. Rob Hayles, Team KLR, 2”
6. Malcolm Elliott, Pinarello RT, st
7. Jon Mozley, Merlin RT, st
8. Tony Gibb, Plowman Craven/Evans, st
9. James Taylor, Plowman Craven/Evans, st
10. Matt Holmes, Arctic Shorter RT, st
11. Chris Tune, Sigma Sport RT, st
12. Gordon McCauley, Plowman Craven/Evans, st
13. Ross Muir, Rapha Condor, st
14. Ian Holt, Felt Racing, st
15. Jason Allen, Plowman Craven/Evans, st
16. James Millard, Plowman Craven/Evans, st
17. Justin Hoy, Felt Racing, st
18. Luke Rowe, ReCycling.co.uk, st
19. Simon Ernest, Felt racing, st
20. Dan Duguid, Sigma Sport, st
1st Sprint G. McCauley
2nd Sprint G.McCauley
More information from Jonathan O’Neil: +44 (0) 7956250837 or click here
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