Gaywood Wins Round 1 of Elite Circuit Series

 

Sunday, 20th of May, 2007, Crawley Town Centre
Report and pictures by Belinda Sinclair

Further pictures by Gerry McManus (www.gerrymcmanus.co.uk)

 

 

Simon Gaywood grabs his second National Series win of the year as he wins the opening round of the National Elite Circuit Series. Photo by Gerry McManus.

 

Report (from Belinda Sinclair)

The sun made a welcome return to West Sussex today, and shone favourably on Simon Gaywood of  Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles RT, who was victorious in round 1 of the British Cycling Elite Circuit Series, beating Lincoln Grand Prix winner Dean Downing (Rapha Condor Elite).

 

The Town Centre course of just under a kilometre, boasted some very tight corners that required some pretty special bike handling skills, and finished on a fast, open slightly downhill stretch right in the centre of the town. And there was plenty to watch on the well marshalled closed circuit, with junior and youth races starting at 5.15pm preceding the main race, scheduled for 7.45hrs.

 

Note: More pictures can be seen in the galleries - click a gallery button at the top of the page. 

 

 

Elite Circuit Series Race

 

Tom Barras, former Elite Circuit Series winner Simon Gaywood and Dean Downing.

 

With the Elite race running fifteen minutes late, spectator levels dropped substantially as people wandered away but when the race finally got going, the distinctive pink of  Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles RT was evident, punctuated by the black of Rapha Condor.

 

Again, the race started at a furious pace which was maintained throughout, with Dean Downing, Malcolm Elliott, Simon Gaywood and Gordon McCaulay sharing much of the work at the front, with a tight peloton not far behind.

 

An early crash nearly spelt disaster when second cat rider Darren Barclay (Arctic Shorter RT) hit a small piece of plastic that had blown into the road as he rounded the ninety degree corner from The Broadway into The Boulevard, and came off. Fortunately, he cleared the circuit in time to let the rapidly approaching race leaders through, and avoid further mishap.

 

With the front riders shaving the kerbstones at virtually every turn, several gaps appeared  at various stages in the race. An early break of forty seconds was maintained for several laps, then knocked back to thirty, and then ten.

 

In the last few laps, the front riders were almost caught and it was anybody’s guess which of the main contenders would take the line. Even as they entered the top of the home straight on the final lap, the gap had all but closed, and a sprint for the line became obvious.  Yet it was unclear who would get there first -- would the break be swamped or would they hold on? 

 

It was the latter and with about twenty metres to go, Simon Gaywood made his move on the left, edging in front of Dean Downing and took the victory for Plowman Craven Evans RT.

 

Reactions (courtesy of Belinda Sinclair)

Dean Downing (Rapha Condor Elite):
“All the boys worked hard, it was good team effort and they got the win in the end. I worked really hard, but I think I jumped  bit too early but in the end I didn’t have the legs tonight. Simon is having a great season and he’s working hard, and it was a great ride by him. He deserved it”.

Colin Docker (Event Commentator): “There was some good fast racing out there this afternoon. It’s a very tight course with some tight corners and there are always going to be tumbles. But I thought that the 2/3 race was excellent – a real spectacle with a big field, the U16 race was good, and the U14s was a cracker. But I think that it is a shame that more parents don’t hang around longer after their child’s race for some of the senior races because that’s where their children are going to learn – by watching the riders and how they ride."

 

"As far as the elite race, well, that too was worth watching. Plowman Craven Evans are very dominant in British racing right now, but even so, they only had one man in the four man break (Gaywood) and he won fair and square. It was nice to see him win – Simon is very motivated right now, very strong., and he’s working hard. It was a fantastic ride and a great sprint. I did think that Warrick Spence might jump across at the end, but when they came down the straight for the last time, it was obvious that it was going to be between Simon and Deano.”

Peter Marrins (spectator from Worthing): “This has been an excellent afternoon. I only started riding about a year ago and to be able to come to something like this – and for free -  and watch some of the top riders riding the same streets that I could ride, is quite inspiring. If you watch them, you see how they share the work out, and how they take the corners and that, but they’re not too full of themselves. They’re just ordinary blokes and I think that’s quite important because if they come across as too removed – say like footballers – then it’s hard to relate to them. It’s nice to see the kids and the younger riders out there too – you can see how keen they are just by watching their faces. I’ve had a great time  - I didn’t really know what to expect, but I’ll definitely be going to more races from now on.”

 

More Reactions (thanks to Gerry McManus )
“I am quite shocked to be honest with you,” said Simon Gaywood: “The team’s been great and I have been training really hard. After I won the Premier Calendar event it has given me so much confidence and one of my aims this year was to win one of the rounds of the criterium series. Now I have won the first round and I can’t ask for more than that. I know Warrick (Spence) can sprint but I knew Dean would give me a hard run for my money and I put it in the biggest gear I could turn over. I got a bit nervous when he started to squeeze me across the right hand side of the road in the finish but he was kind on me and I just managed to get round him.”

 

“In the last few laps Dean took a couple of flyers up the road and Tom (Barras) and Warrick tried too,” continued the sports therapist from Leighton Buzzard: “I just had to mark them as best I could. I thought it was all three of them against me at one stage. It was good that I had the legs to mark them and still have it for the gallop at the end.”

A delighted Tom Barras said afterwards “I have had three wins for the team so far and I am pleased that I was able to make the podium on the bigger stage against some of the best riders in the country,” said Barras: “I have been racing in Belgium for six years and this is my first year back. With two laps to go the bunch nearly caught us and I had to make a big effort and that tired me for the sprint. But we would have been caught otherwise. I would rather be third than ninth.”

Dean Downing “We rode pretty hard in the break,” said Downing: “I think I went a bit too early in the sprint and Simon got round me. Warrick goes so fast round corners and he put 10m into us when he went round the twisty section on the back of the circuit. I got a pretty good run at him round the last corner but then Simon was on my wheel. He rode a good race."

Malcolm Elliott (defending series champion) “When that move went it looked like it was going to stick,” said Elliott: “I was surprised that we brought them back so close as I had pretty much given up on it. Rob Hayles was clearly the strongest man on this race and he put in some big efforts chasing but we were stifled by numbers of the Plowman Craven team really.”

 

“I have not been feeling too well lately and I can’t be disappointed with sixth really,” continued Elliott: “When the break started coming back so quickly in the semi-darkness, I looked up and thought we must be catching lapped riders. I was getting glimpse of them going round corners and I was trying to establish if it was the break or not. For them to be so close, we could have easily caught them. In the last few laps it was all or nothing. If had just had a bit more ‘all’ and a little less of ‘nothing’ we could have made up those handful of seconds.”

 

Photos by Gerry McManus

 

 

 

 

Photos by Belinda Sinclair

 

Dean Downing leads Tony Gibb...

 

Malcolm Elliott opens up a gap on Tom Smith.

 

 

 

Youth Racing
An event for the under 8’s, under 10’s and under 12’s was followed by the under 14’s event, which was eventually won by Jonathan Dibben of I – Team UK. Jim Lewes (Lea Valley CC) led the race for several laps before eventually being caught by the I-team rider.

 

The under 16’s race set an unfortunate precedent with the first crash of the afternoon. A pedal caught on the sharp left hand turn into Bank Lane from The Boulevard, sent one rider careering into the kerb, just missing a wall before landing in a bruised and undignified heap. But after some rapid first aid and a dust down by nearby medics, he got back on and rejoined the race.

 

Support races

 

Left: Victory for young Toby Meadows and 3rd for James Jackson.

 

The field for the second and third cat  race and junior event was substantial, with ninety riders lining up for the start, and it was a high pressured race from the off.  By the start of the second lap, four leaders had broken clear and created a gap of about two hundred metres, turning the corner out of the finishing straight before the chasing group even entered it.

 

And the fast pace continued even after the leaders were caught, with most of the peloton riding in a bunch, with lone riders being dropped from the back on each lap. Louise Mahe (Cycles Dauphin) rode a strong race behind the main group, eventually crossing the line as first lady, with a tired looking Dani King (I-Team UK) taking second lady.

 

But it was inevitable that with the number of riders, combined with the pace and the short, tight course, a few more tumbles would be the result. A number of crashes, particularly in the latter stages, meant that the start of the elite race was delayed whilst medical teams repaired various riders in situ, with several being sent to hospital during the afternoon.

 

Reactions
Toby Meadows (Glendene/ Bike Trax): “It was a good race, quite hard, the bunch was strong but working with a team helped. Kristian Downs went off and we caught him, then Steven Griffiths attacked from the front but we caught him too. I waited for that to settle down and then counter attacked myself, and it went well from there. The hardest bit was at the top along the straight as the wind is in your face. Sprinting up there time after time is hard, and that was definitely the worst bit”

 

Second cat rider George Brent of Addiscombe CC said : “ It was an excellent race – really fast – but so many people were coming off round me that I fully expected to be next. I’m delighted that I managed to stay on and finish!”

 

Chris Whorral cross the line in 2nd place.

 

Results 2007

 

E/1/2
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

 

Category 2/3  Race
1. Toby Meadows, Glendene CC
2. Chris Whorral, Manx Road Club
3. James Jackson, PCA Cuclos Uno
4. Gavin Ryan, London Dynamo
5. Andrew Griffiths, Glendene CC
6. Dane Percival, Cardiff Ajax
7., ,
8. Steven Griffiths, Glendene CC
9., ,
10. Brian Curtis, Team Corridori
11. Philip Jones, CitiHub
12. James Wakelin, Evans RT
13. Kevin Davey, Norwood Paragon
14., ,
15. Paul Mace, High Wycombe CC
16. Luff Vaughn, De Ver Cycles
17. Thorsten Klassen, Kingston Whls
18. Tom Burke, CitiHub
19. Colin McDermot, Festival RC
20. John Powell, Velo Club Ingear
21. Simon Whitten, Bikemagic.com
22. Mike Bisson, DH Cyclesport
23. Stewart Martin, Kingston Whls
24., ,
25., ,
26. Stewart Jardine, 21st Century Airports
27. Phil Bendall, Kent Cycles RC
28. James King, In Gear Development Squad
29. Kevin Sparks, Brighton Mitre
30. Craig Stevens, PCA Ciclos Uno
31. Louise Mahe, Cycles Dauphin
1st Girl – Louise Mahe  Cycles Dauphin

 

Under 16’s
1. Chris Whorrall, Manx Road Club
2. Daniel McClay, Leicestershire RC
3. Peter Dibben, I – Team.co.uk
4. Alexander King, Twickenham CC
5. Rhys Matcham, Brooks Cycles
6. Dominic Schils, Interbike RT
7. Joe Perrett, Glendene CC
8. Corrine Hall, VC Londres
9.,
10. Jake Hales, Interbike RT
11., ,
12. Mark Baxter, Private Member
13. Samuel Fry, Interbike RT
14. Felix English, Team Kintour
15. Alex Tinsley, Wyre Forest CC
16. Sam Harrison, Cwmcam Paragon
17. Chris Legg, Palmer Park Velo
18. Tom Lowe, Merlin RT
19. Richard Forrest, CC Cardiff
20., ,
21. Tom Wieckowski, Halesowen CC
22. Imogen Cain, Preston Park Youth CC
23. Becky Gosling, In Gear Development Squad
24. James McCarron, In Gear Development Squad

 

Under 14’s
1. Jonathan Dibben, I-Team.co.uk
2. Jim Lewis, Lea Valley Youth CC
3. Oliver Rossi,
4. Hugo Humphreys,
5. Stephen Bradbury, Palmer Park Velo
6. Harriot ?, ?
7. Sam Lowe, Merlin RT
8. Jess Wiekowski, Halesowen CC
9. Hannah Manly, Cardiff Ajax
10. Nick Smith, VC Jubilee
11. Tom Jamieson, In Gear Development Squad
12. Brock Duncomb-Rogers, Preston Park Youth CC

Under 12’s
1. Jamil Gaida, Palmer Park Velo
2. Daniel Maslin, Hillingdon Slipstreamers
3. Emily Barnes, Palmer Park Velo

 

Under 10’s
1. Joseph Fry, Welwyn Whls
2. Amy Barnes, VC Jubilee
3. Hannah Kane, Southend Whls

 

Under 8’s
1. Matthew Duffin, AD Cycles
2. Stanley Earthrowl-Gould, In Gear Development Squad
3. Cedric Klassen, Kingston Whls