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17th CIRCUIT DES PLAGES VENDENNES SERIES
St-Gilles Croix de Vie, 27nd February 2003

GB TEAM FINISH VENDEES SERIES WITH TOP 10 PERFORMANCES

The final event of this year�s Plages Vendennes series saw a return to the largely flat terrain of the Vendee. With three laps of a 43km circuit, followed by a single 11km finishing lap, it was another good workout for the Great Britain mens endurance team riders. Missing on the start line were Bryan Steel, Russell Anderson and Owyn Wallace, all currently suffering from a sore throat which is doing the rounds of the team.

Out on the road in this final race of the series, it was the team�s form riders, Steve Cummings and Kristian House, who were once again putting themselves about to good effect and when a break went after 65km, they were both in it. The break settled down and included 23 riders, who managed to hold the main field at just under a minute for well over an hour, before the invisible elastic snapped and the gap grew to an unassailable 3 minutes.

Heading in to the finish, one of the riders managed to break clear and quickly built up a 15 second advantage. However, Steve Cummings then moved to the front with the aim of bringing things back together and setting up House for the sprint. Steve is in great form at the moment and he made light work of closing the gap quickly. As the finish approached, Kristian House wisely picked the wheel of the rider the team had identified as the biggest threat in a gallop and looked well placed for a top three placing. However, in the melee that comes at the end of many races in a bunch gallop, he lost the vital wheel and was disappointed to finish sixth.

Manager John Herety was nonetheless pleased with House�s efforts and pointed out that getting him into such a position was one of the main aims of the day and that riders can only learn if they have a chance to practice techniques and tactics.

Looking ahead, House faces an interesting and challenging year. Formerly best known for his prowess in road races, he is now aiming at making an impact in the Team Pursuit and other Track endurance events. After his serious leg injury during the winter of 2001-2002, he spent the whole of last season regaining fitness and form and it will be fascinating to watch his progress in 2003 � he�s certainly one to watch.

The team now move on to Sunday�s Circuit de la Vall�e de la Loire and we�ll be bringing you news of the race that evening.

 1. HADDOU Sa�d       France Track 3 h 13'45" 

 6. HOUSE Kristian     Great Britain st
22. CUMMINGS Steve     Great Britain 50" 
30. SOUTHAM Tom        Great Britain st
75. SHARMEN Robin      Nantes 44  st

RIDERS
Bryan Steel
Steve Cummings
Tony Gibb
Kristian House
Russell Anderson
Owyn Wallace
Tom Southam
Tom White
Kieran Page

SUPPORT TEAM
John Herety (Team Manager)
Robyn Taylor (Team Masseur)
Mark Ingham (Team Mechanic)
Rod Ellingworth (Coach)
Gavin King (Physiotherapist)
Nigel Mitchell (Nutrition)

RACE PROGRAM
Feb 20, Givrand-Givrand (VENDENNES SERIES)
Feb 22, La Garnache (VENDENNES SERIES)
Feb 23, St-Jean de Monts (VENDENNES SERIES)
Feb 25, Chantonay (VENDENNES SERIES)
Feb 27, St-Gilles Croix de Vie (VENDENNES SERIES)
March 2, Circuit de la Vall�e de la Loire

� British Cycling 2002/2003