Thomas, Millar and Hunt Head Championship Line-up
British Cycling National Road Race Championship & Premier Calendar Event
Venue: Abergavenny
Event Date: Sunday, August 5
This weekend sees the re-arranged British Cycling National Men's Road Race Championships taking place in Wales. The original event, due to have taken place around Beverley, a month ago, had to be cancelled due to flooding. The re-arranged championships - on Sunday 5th August - is part of an extensive "Cycling Week" in Abergavenny. The race is also a round of the 2007 Premier Calendar series.
David Millar in action in the recent Tour de france (Image: Steve Hopper)
Amongst the stars expected are Tour de France riders David Millar and Geraint Thomas. Also on the start sheet is sprinter Jeremy Hunt, who has been showing fine form in pro races in Europe in the last few weeks.
David Millar has won three stages of the Tour de France in the past: in 2000 he took the Prologue time trial on his debut and wore the yellow jersey as a result. He added to that with wins in stage 13 in 2002 and stage 19 the next year. He also took a stage of last year's Vuelta a Espana - the Tour of Spain - the second time he has done that. Millar will be familiar with the area - he was runner-up in the prestigious Junior Tour of Wales 13 years ago!
Speaking from France recently, Millar was looking forward to the National Championships, an event he has neve won: "even though it is a bad thing that they were cancelled in June, I'm really quite pleased that it has been moved to Wales. It will be harder and it will suit me more. I really like riding in Wales and I came second in the Junior Tour of Wales. I have fond memories of that. I'm not just going there to make up the numbers, I want to win." Having just completed the Tour de France, Millar will have a week's rest before heading straight to Gwent.
Having Millar on board is a big boost for the event, and organiser Bill Owen said: "To have somebody like David Millar riding the National Championships in Abergavenny can only be good for us. The event is not too far away and we have already had a lot of entries, particularly now that the Grand Prix of Wales, which was the penultimate Premier Calendar race on this year's domestic series, has been given National Championship status."
There is still some hope that Wales' own Geraint Thomas, who has made his debut in this year's Tour de France and is the first Welshman to do the grueling event since Pontypool's Colin Lewis 40 years ago, may also start.
Thanks to Gary Baker of Wales and West News & Sport.
More info on this event later this week!
RIDERS (Elite Men’s National Championships)
1. Hamish Haynes Team DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed
2. Evan Oliphant Team DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed
3. Daniel Fleeman Team DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed
4. Daniel Lloyd Team DFL-Cyclingnews-Litespeed
5. Chris Newton Recycling.co.uk
6. Shaun Snodden Recycling.co.uk
7. Graham Briggs Recycling.co.uk
8. Ryan Bonser Recycling.co.uk
9. Adam Bonser Recycling.co.uk
10. Tom Diggle Recycling.co.uk
11. Simon Holt Recycling.co.uk
12. Matt Rowe Recycling.co.uk
14. Mike Harrison Sigmasport RT-Specialized
15. Matthew Stephens Sigmasport RT-Specialized
16. Daniel Duguid Sigmasport RT-Specialized
17. Tom Kirk Team Corley Cycles/Willen Hospice/Trek
18. Richard Cartland Team Corley Cycles/Willen Hospice/Trek
19. Matthew Higgins Team Corley Cycles/Willen Hospice/Trek
20. Tim Elverson VC Meudon-Excel/Cycle Kingdom/Rd Wheel/Tg
21. John Wager VC Meudon-3D Leisure/Amtec/Carnac/cycle
22. Dave Coulson JE James Racing Team
23. Mark Wordsworth JE James Racing Team
24. Hugh Wilson Team Forza
25. Colin Parry Royal Dean Forest CC
26. Robert Gouch Johns Bikes RT
27. Neil Jones Gateway Racing Team
28. Robbie Powell Gateway Racing Team
29. Robin Sharman K.F.S. Special Vehicles/Sunday Bicycles
30. Dafydd Dylan K.F.S. Special Vehicles/Sunday Bicycles
31. Gary Hand K.F.S. Special Vehicles/Sunday Bicycles
32. Gareth Hewitt K.F.S. Special Vehicles/Sunday Bicycles
33. Greg Roche K.F.S. Special Vehicles/Sunday Bicycles
34. James Stewart K.F.S. Special Vehicles/Sunday Bicycles
35. Mark Perry Bournemouth Arrow CC-Hotel Collingwood
36. Adrian Bird www.echelon-cycles.co.uk-Spiuk
37. Ben Anstie Chippenham Wheelers
38. James Williamson Wills Wheels CC/Tyco
39. Jeremy Ponting Ride Venture
40. Koss Jeroen Kers Ruiter Dakkapellen Wielerteam
41. Dennis Leliveld Ruiter Dakkapellen Wielerteam
42. Patrick Kos Ruiter Dakkapellen Wielerteam
43. Germ v.d. Burg Ruiter Dakkapellen Wielerteam
44. Jody Tesselaar Ruiter Dakkapellen Wielerteam
45. Arno v.d. Zwet Ruiter Dakkapellen Wielerteam
46. Michael Gardener Heroncycles R.T./Heron gate cycles
47. Matthew Kipling Inkland Mts Cyclsport R.T.
48. Grant Leavy Goldtec/Sportsage
49. Tom Barras Merlin Racing Team/Bikelab.co.uk/Pearl Izumi
50. Tom Smith Merlin Racing Team/Bikelab.co.uk/Pearl Izumi
51. Liam Holoham Merlin Racing Team/Bikelab.co.uk/Pearl Izumi
52. Jon Mozley Merlin Racing Team/Bikelab.co.uk/Pearl Izumi
53. Stephen Adams Merlin Racing Team/Bikelab.co.uk/Pearl Izumi
54. Jon-Kris Mason Merlin Racing Team/Bikelab.co.uk/Pearl Izumi
55. Henry Furniss Bike & Run London/Maximuslle
56. Ben Pochee Bike & Run London/Maximuslle
57. Malcolm Elliott Pinarello RT/Rudy Project/Most/Continental
58. Kevin Dawson Pinarello RT/Rudy Project/Most/Continental
59. Andy Roche Pinarello RT/Rudy Project/Most/Continental
60. Lee Davis Pinarello RT/Rudy Project/Most/Continental
61. Andy Collis Pinarello RT/Rudy Project/Most/Continental
62. Alastair Kay York Cycleworks
63. Neil Swithenbank ABC Centreville Manchester
64. Giles Croft Swansea Wheelers
65. Wouter Sybrandy www.agiskoviner.com/Liphook/GoodnessBottle
66. Robert Hayles Team KLR/Parker International
67. Peter Hey West Pennine
68. David Clarke Private Member
69. Grant Bayton GWR Team
70. Ian Sutcliffe Abergavenny RC/Gov.Garage/Bikebase/NickLane
71. Richard SykesPopham GlendeneCC/Bike Trax/Specialized/Bioracer/Max
72. Ben Thompson GlendeneCC/Bike Trax/Specialized/Bioracer/Max
73. Mike Dempster GlendeneCC/Bike Trax/Specialized/Bioracer/Max
74. Tom Last Evans Cycles
75. Kit Gilham Clifton CC/Cycle Heaven
76. Tony Gray Team Quest/The Bike Shop
77. Pete Williams Kinesis UK/Kinesis Bikes
78. James Sampson Kinesis UK/Kinesis Bikes
79. Tom Murray Kinesis UK/Kinesis Bikes
80. Mark Thwaites Kinesis UK/Kinesis Bikes
81. James Taylor Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
82. Simon Gaywood Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
83. James Millard Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
84. Gordon McCauley Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
85. James McCallum Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
86. Frederik Johansson Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
87. Jason Allen Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
88. Brian Biggs Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
89. Adam Norris Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
90. Kevin Barclay Plowman Craven Evans Cycles R.T./Leica
91. Simon Baxter Adept Precision Racing TeamAutoweld Centre
92. Daniel Shand BW Heist Zuiderkempen.BE
93. Danny Axford Arctic Shorter Rockford R.T./Arctic Shorter
94. Peter Bissell Arctic Shorter Rockford R.T./Arctic Shorter
95. Simon Wilson Arctic Shorter Rockford R.T./Arctic Shorter
96. Richard Bradley Arctic Shorter Rockford R.T./Arctic Shorter
97. David Mclean Heron Cyclesport/Herongate/PixelWork/Schwalbe
98. Andy Lyons Heron Cyclesport/Herongate/PixelWork/Schwalbe
99. Dean Shannon Heron Cyclesport/Herongate/PixelWork/Schwalbe
100. Joe Skipper Velo Club Baracchi
101. Adam Biggs US Montuban
102. Andrew Bye Kingston Wheelers/OTM Brand/Evans/Telford Ltd
103. Marcin Bialoblocki Middridge CRT
104. Richard Kent Science in Sport/TrekUse/Club Santa/Look/Cont
105. Matt Cronshaw Science in Sport/TrekUse/Club Santa/Look/Cont
106. Ben Simmons Lifeforce Creation HB/Lifeforce
107. Russell Downing Health net-maxxis
108. Dean Downing Rapha Condor RT/Rapha Clothing/Condor Cycles
109. Alex Higham Rapha Condor RT/Rapha Clothing/Condor Cycles
110. Ross Muir Rapha Condor RT/Rapha Clothing/Condor Cycles
111. Ben Price Rapha Condor RT/Rapha Clothing/Condor Cycles
112. Matt Talbot Rapha Condor RT/Rapha Clothing/Condor Cycles
113. Richard Wilkinson Rapha Condor RT/Rapha Clothing/Condor Cycles
114. Alex Coutts Babes Only Villapark Lingemeer Flanders
115. Jeremy Hunt Unibet
116. David Millar Saunier Duval-Prodir
117. Neal Craig Forza Cycles
118. Russ White Forza Cycles
119. David Bees Forza Cycles
120. Mark Lovatt Sportscover/Plannet X/Controlled Speed Eng.
121. James Moss Inkland MTS
122. Simon Richardson Trek
123. Geraint Thomas Barloworld
124. Martin Ford BC PM
Note: Inclusion of Foreign Riders in the Championship Event: With the cancellation of the original National Title event, a new event had to be identified which both suited the International Calendar and which was up and running. It would have been impractical for a brand new promotion of this magnitude to be established at this late stage.
The only event which suited the situation is the Grand Prix of Wales. The promoter of this event, Bill Owen, had already accepted entries from riders who would not qualify for the National Title. A decision was therefore made to incorporate the National Championship within this Premier Calendar Race rather than change the status of the Grand Prix of Wales.