News
WEEK BEGINNING APRIL 18th 2005
- Welsh National Team to the Ruban Granitier Breton
- After making their presence felt in the prestigious Rubens Granitier Breton last season, the Welsh National Team have accepted a return invite to the event which starts on Monday 25th April. This years team will be led by Olympian Julian Winn who has high hopes for the overall classification, being supported by Jamie Norfolk, Paul Sheppard, French based David Crowley, Yanto Barker and Rob Partridge. Norfolk and Partridge return to the event having competed last year where Partridge impressed in his first season of competition as an Espoir. Further details on the event can be found HERE (External Link)
- Cooke Sprints to Victory in Women's Fleche Wallonne
- Nicole Cooke made it two major victories in a week as she won Fleche Allonne for the second time. This year, Nicole approached the infamous climb of the Mur de Huy in a substantial group of 30, but hit the front in her characteristic style to mix with the leaders on the run in to the finish, ultimately snatching the sprint from team mates Oenone Wood and Judith Ardnt ( Equipe N�rnberger Versicherung). The win lifts Nicole to third in the World Cup standings, despite it not being one of her aims for 2005. Full details of how the event unfolded can be found HERE (External Link)
- Cooke Wins GP Wallonie
- Nicole Cooke out sprinted two Australian rivals to take the GP Wallonie.- her third race win of the season. The race was 8 laps of a fairly flat 11k circuit and despite plenty of attacks finished in a bunch sprint. The 90km circuit around Dottignies was covered in 2 hours 7 minutes and 32 seconds at an average speed of 42.15 kph, with Katie Brown (Team Australia) 2nd and Oenone Wood (Nurnberger) 3rd. "It was just a case of sitting in today and then getting the sprint right," said Nicole."I took Wood's wheel when she hit the front and then came round her in the final 100m, so obviously I'm very happy."Nicole's next race is the Fleche Wallone Race on Wednesday, round five of the World Cup Series. See more information on Nicoles upcoming calendar HERE (External Link)
- James Podium at National Debut
- One of Wales Talent Team's latest selections made a remarkable start to her National career by claiming second in the opening round of this years National Mountain Bike Series at Newham Park, Plymouth. Rebecca James excelled in the adverse conditions, hanging on to leader and National Juvenile Girls Champion Rebecca Johnson, putting her downhill ability to good use on the tricky descents to finish just 18 seconds behind Thompson. Fellow Talent rider Sion O'Boyle finished an excellent seventh in the Youth Male category ahead of Gareth James in eleventh - persevering despite considerable mechanical problems. Anthony O'Boyle narrowly missed the top ten in the Junior men's, riding into eleventh while Jamie Norfolk (Giant) and Jon Pugh (Merida UK) flew the flag in the Elite men's category, finishing twelfth and fifthteenth respectively. Pugh's performance proved all the more remarkable given he is contesting only the second year of his short racing career. Full results from the event can be found HERE (External Link)
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