2008 News Archive
2007 News Archive
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles for the Tour of Britain
08th August 2007
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles will ride this year’s Tour of Britain, from 9-15 September. It will be the Team’s second major tour of the summer as the UCI registered Professional Continental cycling team are also set to ride the Tour of Ireland at the end of August.
Plowman Craven Evans Cycles join an impressive line up of teams for the Tour of Britain, including three teams who took part in this year’s Tour de France. Agritubel, Team CSC and Barloworld are among 16 teams competing in the 950km race, which starts with a time trial at Crystal Palace in London and finishes seven days later in Glasgow. The route of the race goes through the South of England, Somerset and the west Midlands before crossing into Yorkshire and finishing in Scotland.
"To get a ride in the Tour of Britain has been our aim all year," commented Simon Barnes, team founder and boss of Hertfordshire based Geomatics company Plowman Craven. "The Team have worked hard all season to get the results and prove that we are among the very best in Britain at the moment.
"We've won two British Cycling Premier Calendar events with Simon Gaywood and Tony Gibb. Gordon McCauley has also been up there in every race and all three will be riding the Tour of Britain. They deserve this ride and I’m immensely proud of them and what they’ve achieved."
Mick Bennett, Technical Director for the Tour of Britain emphasised Plowman Craven Evans Cycles that had earned their place
"This year's race will be the best yet, and the teams have been carefully chosen to make the most competitive and exciting race possible. We're looking forward to seven days of close racing, and the teams selected will provide that."
The Plowman Craven Evans Cycles Team have already won three National titles this season, including the National Criterium Championship and the National 25 mile three-up Team Time Trial Championship, as well as two rounds of the British Cycling Premier Calendar road race series; they also lead both the National Team and Individual road race rankings and the National Circuit Series, and have been breaking TT records on courses across the Country.
Tony Gibb, Plowman Craven Evans Cycles' in-form sprinter, said the riders were excited but not overawed by the prospect of riding a multi-stage event alongside some of the top pro teams:
"Riding a major tour has been an aim for the Team since the start of the season, and our results clearly show that in terms of form we’re ready. Obviously a seven day race is a step up from one day events, but we have both the strength in depth and the experience in the squad to make it a success. Recent media reports have commented on our strong team tactics and presence in the peleton. While we may not be among the favourites for the GC you will certainly see the pink and blue train out at the front and in the breaks!"
Bennett’s confidence in the Squad was rewarded when Plowman Craven Evans Cycles chalked up another set of impressive results at the weekend.
On Friday (3 August) Simon Gaywood extended his lead in the National Elite Circuit Series when he won the Abergavenny Criterium. Gaywood and Warrick Spence (Cyclefit-Serotta) got away within a few laps of the hour long circuit race and the rest of the field never saw them again. With the breakaway travelling as fast as the tight circuit would allow, the field of sixty riders was soon reduced to a chasing group of twelve, including Gaywood’s Plowman Craven Evans Cycles team mates Gordon McCauley and Tony Gibb who made sure he held his lead to out sprint Spence for the line. Gaywood and McCauley lie first and second in the National Series, with Gibb, in sixth position, making it three Plowman Craven Evans Cycles riders in the top ten.
The day before (Thursday 2 August) McCauley and Gibb, this time joined by team mate James Millard, finished first, second and third respectively in the Abergavenny 10 mile TT, taking both the individual course record and team prize in the process. McCauley’s time of 19.41 is the latest in a number of new course records he’s set in the last few weeks as he prepares for the World Championships in Stuttgart at the end of September, where he hopes for a top 16 finish for his native New Zealand in order to qualify for the Olympic squad next year.
McCauley’s form was also on show on Sunday (5 August) when he finished third behind Saunier Duval’s David Millar and DFL’S Daniel Lloyd in the British Elite Road Race Championships. Although as a Kiwi his podium place was taken by the fourth placed rider Hamish Haynes, also of DFL, he collects Premier Calendar points since the race was also the Grand Prix of Wales.
After an early break was caught following an impressive chase by the Plowman Craven Evans Cycles squad working with the Recycling Team, Millar and Lloyd got away and quickly gained over a minute on the chasing group. With two laps to go Russell Downing (HealthNet) tried to cross the gap but was caught by McCauley and Haynes, who despite not catching the leaders finished nearly a minute ahead of Downing and the rest of the chasing group.
Despite there being less than 20 finishers from a start sheet of 100, McCauley was full of praise for the standard of racing:
"This goes to show there is a pretty good standard of racing in the UK. Most of us were going toe to toe with the full time Euros and that shows the standard is improving."
McCauley now lies in third place in the overall Premier Calendar Series, only a point behind second placed Robin Sharman of KFS. With one race left in the series McCauley won’t be able to challenge Chris Newton’s (Recycling) lead but second place is a real possibility for the only overseas rider ever to have the series, back in 1999.
Next weekend (12 August) Plowman Craven Evans Cycles travel north for the final round of the Premier Calendar series, the Tour of Pendle at Nelson in Lancashire.
More information: http://www.tourofbritain.com
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More information from Jonathan O’Neil: +44 (0) 7956250837 or click here
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