2008 News Archive
2007 News Archive
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles Take Third In Rochdale
5th July 2007
Simon Gaywood of Plowman Craven Evans Cycles won a bunch sprint to claim third place in the latest round of the British Cycling Elite Circuit Race Series in Rochdale on Wednesday night (4 July), behind winner Chris Newton (Recycling) and Russell Downing (HealthNet).
The Rochdale GP is the fifth round of the 11 event series, and features a 1.2 km closed circuit around the centre of Rochdale, including a steep climb and long sweeping descent, roundabout and a 75 metre dash for the line.
Photo © Larry Hickmott & British Cycling
Gaywood outsprints the bunch to take third
The one hour plus five laps race featured many of the best British circuit racers, including National Criterium Champion and Plowman Craven Evans Cycles rider James McCallum, former World Champion Newton and double Olympic medallist and current circuit series leader Rob Hayles.
Chris Newton gave a masterclass in circuit racing, leading an early break of half a dozen riders on the steep climb, which included National Champion McCallum, Downing and Ian Wilkinson (SiS/Trek). Newton continued to attack the small lead group each time it tackled the climb and eventually only Downing was able to stay with him.
The pair never looked in any danger as the pack swept up the remnants of the break, and they soon established a lead of almost a minute. The Recycling squad attempted to control the race and protect their leader up the road, but with three laps to go Plowman Craven Evans Cycles riders took control of the bunch to set up their best placed rider in the series Simon Gaywood
On the final lap Newton once again used the hill to his advantage, attacking Downing and leading all the way to the line to claim the win by four seconds. A minute later Gaywood’s Plowman Craven Evans Cycles team mates gave him a text book lead out, and despite a slip on the final wet bend, he had the better of Wilkinson in the gallop for the line.
Speaking after the race, Gaywood, who won the first round of the series in Crawley, commented:
Recycling rode a great race today – Chris gave a masterclass in circuit racing to take the win and his team rode well in the bunch - for youngsters they are awesome riders who protected the race and did what they needed to do. We tried our hardest to get some boys up the road but once we knew we weren’t going to catch the pair out in front, it was really about trying to get myself up there for third and help my series standing, and without my Plowman Craven Evans Cycles team mates I couldn’t have done that. Gordon (McCauley), JT (James Taylor), Gibby (Tony Gibb), Jimmy Mac (McCallum) and the rest of the guys all worked really hard for me and gave me a great a lead out.
"Because this course is so tight, if you get organised quick enough you can lead it out with a lap to go once you get into the right formation, which
Photo © Larry Hickmott & British Cycling
Podium place for Plowman Craven Evans Cycles our team did. The rest of the bunch found it hard to get round us as we had a good strong line out and kept the pace high. Wilkinson tried on the last descent but I managed to hold him off and then it was just a few hundred meters and a couple of corners to go and I just went for it. The back wheel skipped out a little bit on the last corner but I managed to keep it all together. Hopefully that will put me back up there in the series.
"The hill on this course is pretty nasty and as Chris demonstrated it can decide the race. I didn’t ride many of the northern crits last year but now I’m with Plowman Craven Evans Cycles I’m going to the entire series and seeing a few new circuits and this one is bloody hard with that hill. I think Guildford is probably the nastiest circuit but this is a close second!"
Simon travels to Guildford next week (11 July) and, although not part of the National Circuit Series this year, the race is sure to be hard fought with Plowman Craven Evans Cycles again going there in strength. Before that Gaywood and team mate James Millard head to Belgium for a few days racing, while Tony Gibb, Adam Norris, Brian Biggs and Gordon McCauley tackle the Bec CC individual 10 mile time trial near Crawley, where McCauley hopes to build on recent TT successes by setting a new course record.
» view full race calender - click here
More information from Jonathan O’Neil: +44 (0) 7956250837 or click here
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