2008 Bikeline Two Day
March 8/9, 2008 (Hope (Wales)
A British Cycling Premier Calendar Event
Day 2, Sunday, March 9
Stage 3,
Final overall podium, Dale Appleby (3rd), Dean Downing (1st) and Evan Oliphant (3rd).
Dean Downing of Rapha Condor/Recycling has won the 2008 Bikeline Two Day after finishing second on stage 3 today. Downing finished ahead overall of Evan Oliphant of Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles and Dale Appleby also of the Rapha Condor team. Winner of stage 3 was stage 1 winner, Ian Wilkinson of SiS/Trek.
Today's stage was the main course for the race, 138 kilometres of windy, undulating and twisty roads ending in a long climb that proved decisive in breaking the field up. The race started with an attack as soon as the Welsh flag had been dropped as Neil Coleman of PCA went clear and a small group went clear. They did not get far however and after a regrouping where PCA took control the bunch, one of their riders, Simon Gaywood, attacked hard and quickly opened up a gap.
Gaywood was then joined by half a dozen more riders including Grant Bayton, Russell Downing, David Clarke, Dave Collins, Tom Murray and Alex Higham (and others). This break was to then dominate the race for the next three quarters of the race. Behind them, the riders of the Rapha Condor/Recycling.co.uk team took control of the chase.
It suited the men in black to control the break and even when the break came close to being caught, the pace of the chase seemed to die off and the break regained their minutes lead. From the back of the motorbike, I was sure whether the legs of the break were tiring or those of the Rapha riders but the answer came as they finished the circuits around Denbeigh.
Very quickly the lead of the break evaporated and the race came together as they hit the narrow roads before the main climb of the race. Once on the climb, Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (Mid Devon CC) attacked and he was joined by former winner Simon Richardson of Plowman Craven. These two were joined by a third rider but that was not enough and what was left of the peloton joined them with less than 20k to go.
In the run in to the finish, attacks from the likes of Evan Oliphant came quickly but it was stage 1 winner Ian Wilkinson who timed the run best and he won the stage from overall winner Dean Downing.
Rider Reactions
The pace goes up as leader Dean Downing takes his turn at the front of the chase.
Dean Downing (Rapha Condor/Recycling.co.uk) Straight after the stage, the overall winner said of his victory “It’s brilliant and fantastic to win this race. What can I say about the men in black today. Everybody worked beautifully and kept the gap pegged at 40 seconds. We had a plan from the off and it worked well, almost perfectly”.
On teammate Kristian House, he says “I have never seen someone sit on the front so long on his own, probably about 3k out from the climb and he was the man. He did an awesome turn to the bottom of the climb and then people were attacking a lot. PCA were bringing it to us which is good, it keeps the racing going.”
About the climb where the race split, he says “It was an easier climb than last year but last year it was a different kind of effort. This year I had seven motorbikes (teammates) in front of me for the stage. We tried to split it in the tailwind section and managed to line it out and when I got to the climb, my legs were aching from riding hard yesterday but I managed to stay top five.”
“PCA were throwing men at the front and Tom Southam (Halfords Bikehut) was having a good go. I managed to get over the top and there was probably a good 20 seconds to Simon Richardson’s group but I still had Dale Appleby and Rob Partridge in the front group and you can’t ask for any better engines than that.”
About the time he hit the front and chased the early break himself, he explained “we kept the gap pegged at about 40 or 50 seconds and then we decided to drill it because we had heard after the roundabout there was a small lane which there was but it was further up than we thought. The plan was to go on the front and catch the break before the small lane because we knew it was narrow.”
“So I did a bit on the front – I can’t not to. It’s a great feeling to be carried along the road while I was wearing the jersey for the team.”
Finally, Deano says “I got a text message off Chris Newton which was a good luck to us and that he’s doing alright so I want to thank him for the message which spurred us all on and hope he is recovering well. It is good for the team that for Chris, we won this race he won last year.”
John Herety: (Rapha Condor/Recycling.co.uk team manager): “We were going to ride on the front from the start and not wait for any little group to go. We had slightly too many riders in the lead group but at one point, we lifted the pace and could see we could bring it back so we left them out there for the whole race.”
“The strategy was to hit them hard on the last lap of the circuit. We thought it went into the narrow lane immediately after the circuits so there was a small technical error on our part there as we wanted to smash it down the narrow lane so we could string it out before the climb. We lost a few of our riders down there but the rest were strong enough to control it and to be honest we were never in danger.”
About the young guys, he says “last year we taught them how to race and on occasions at the Premier Calendars this year, they will have the opportunity to join the senior riders because they already know what to do and are a year stronger. And at other events they go to, they are expected to go away and win races so when they are not with the senior team, they need to learn the skills necessary to win bike races. It’s all about how to teach these riders correctly continental style. I think over the past three years that has started to happen.”
“By way of example, two of the young riders, Luke Rowe and Graham Briggs finished 1-2 in the Jock Wadley in Essex today.”
On the racing now in the Premier Calendar, he explained “I am also really pleased to see the number of teams that have got it together like Sports Beans, Corley Cycles and others. The scene is pretty healthy. I know we have lost a few Premier Calendar races which is unfortunate but I think generally the series is stronger, the teams are stronger and I’m really pleased for cycling in the UK.
Stage win number 2 for Ian Wilkinson of Science in Sport/Trek while Dean Downing is happy with the overall win.
Ian Wilkinson (stage winner for Science in Sport/Trek): Always good for a quotable quote, the double stage winner of this years Bikeline Two Day started by saying “quite a win for this team of tradesmen – bricklayer’s kitchen fitters, part time people! No, that was quite a tough stage. Rapha made it easier for me rather as I didn’t have to jump about and try to get in breaks. I was able to keep cool and when we got to the hill in pretty good condition, I got across but there were too many people that wanted to hold it together.”
“It looked like Russell was going to go for a long one, and I went after him and looked behind and they were all on my wheel so I let him go. Then I turned around and my man here (teammate) did a blinding little dummy attack and everyone went after him and that freed me up.”
“I was waiting and waiting because every year I come in there and I get it wrong so I waited and waited and then at 200 metres I went down the inside and done Russ (Russell Downing) and that is a good scalp because he is a cracking bike rider. Dean won it overall but I’m happy with two stages, the race of truth yesterday and today we won the queen stage. We’re not one of the big three teams but we’ll keep on trying to pick a few off. He’s now looking forward to the Girvan where the team will be strengthened with some mountain bike riders.”
This is the territory for Tom Southam and he too had a go at driving the race along up the climb.
Tom Southam: (Team Halfords Bikehut) Freshly arrived from Australia with his true blue wife is a former British Road Race Championship silver medallist in Tom Southam from Cornwall. Tom has returned to England for the season with his Australian wife and this was his first Premier Calendar race of the season after the Eddie Soens recently.
Talking about the Bikeline Two Day before stage 3, he explained “I didn’t go that full gas in the Time Trial. I just rode it really to open the lungs. In the afternoon I felt better. Since arriving I have been suffering with the cold and not feeling like I wasn’t getting any blood flow in my muscles. Sarah put some of the hottest embrocation they had on my legs and they felt better.”
“I got into that breakaway (stage 2) I thought was good but it didn’t quite have the right combination and then when the second break went, I was in a small chase group with Russell Downing and a couple of others but there wasn’t quite enough commitment to close the gap on the break. It’s good and bad being an individual. I am quite happy to race like that but it is more opportunistic racing where as teams like Rapha or Plowman Craven can kind of assure themselves a result in races like this.”
“I am still hit and miss – I get in one break and it doesn’t happen that day. I can’t be in them all.”
Russell Downing: “It was hard out there. We put Rapha under pressure and the break was going well. We got it up to near on a minute and then my bottle cage started to fall off and that knackered things. I got an allen key to tighten it but it wasn’t enough and the top bolt came off and I didn’t want it to go into the chain ring.”
“I got back on at the bottom of the climb and managed to stick on the back up the climb and that took the legs from under me. I attacked with a K to go, got the gap and looked back and they were all coming at me as we turned left. So I led the sprint out and got third. It’s the first race of the year and I only came back from Majorca on Tuesday and that is still in the legs.”
“We (team Pinarello) all worked well together here and there was Tom (Murray) and me in the move which was good for the team. I don’t think there will be any wars this year but I think with teams like ours and the others its going to be brilliant. It’s going to be exciting and I am happy to be back in England.”
Bad luck for Russell Downing as his bottle cage comes loose and he has to stop while in the break.
Evan Oliphant (Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles): “That was a good start to the season for me. The plan was to get some boys up the road and make the Rapha chase on the front. Hopefully then we’d be able to isolate Dean but at the end they still had had Appleby up there. I had a few goes on the run in but there was still too many there. I had to get eight seconds so had to attack. Tom Barras and Simon Richardson were also attacking about four or five miles out and Appleby and that were having to chase.”
“We’re going for the Premier series and the next one is the Girvan, home country so that will be good and then there is also the British Road Race championships and if we get into it, the Tour of Britain.”
Simon Richardson (Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles): Jonathon went first and I went across to him and we tried to make it stick. The hill felt a lot shorter this year. I think because the race was so well controlled meant it wasn’t as decisive as it could have been. I am not at 100 per cent form but then you don’t want to be pinging on March the 9th but its coming so I am pleased with what was there to day.”
Stage 3
1. Ian Wilkinson, Science in Sport/Trek
2. Dean Downing, Rapha Condor/Recycling.co.uk
3. Russell Downing, Pinarello
4. Matt Stephens, Sigmasport
5. Dale Appleby, Rapha Condor/Recycling.co.uk
6. Gary Hand, Pedal
7. Tom Smith, Aw Cycles
8. Matthew Higgins, Corely Cycles
9. Evan Oliphant, Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles
10. Marc Perry, Sports Beans
Final Overall
1. Dean Downing, Rapha Condor/Recycling.co.uk
2. Evan Oliphant, Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles
3. Dale Appleby, Rapha Condor/Recycling.co.uk
4. Rob Partridge, Rapha Condor/Recycling.co.uk
5. Matthew Higgins, Corley Cycles
6. Matt Stephens, Sigma Sport
7. Ian Wilkinson, Science in Sport/Trek
8. Simon Richardson, Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles
9. Russell Downing, Pinarello
Tom Barras, Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles
STAGE PHOTOS
Our thanks to John Greatorex for carrying our photographer Larry Hickmott around the race and enabling us to bring you unrivalled coverage of the action.
All very relaxed at the start.
Neil Coleman takes off soon after the flag has been dropped.
The lead of the first break was never very much.
Simon Gaywood launches himself off the front early on in the race to create the break the dominated the stage.
Gaywood and Alex Higham lead the break on the Denbeigh circuit.
The Rapha Condor/Recycling team dominate the front of the race as they contain the lead of the break up the road.
Simon Holt takes a bottle during the chase of the break.
Time is up for the break as the bunch closes it down.
Into the narrow lanes that helped the race avoid the roadworks in Ruthin, and Kristian House drives the race along to the foot of the climb.
One of the riders in the For Sale jerseys -- Dave Clarke was the other -- highlights he is looking for a sponsor as he races ahead of the bunch at the foot of the climb.
As one rider is caught, Mark Lovatt has a dig.
Jonathan Tiernan-Locke attacks at the bottom section of the climb.
Matthew Higgins from Team Corley Cycles drives the bunch along which is splitting as the race goes upwards.
The three leaders including Matt Cronshaw and Simon Richardson try to build a lead up to hold off the bunch.
10k to go and the bunch or what is left of it, look at each other.
Stage podium, Russell Downing (3rd), Ian Wilkinson (1st) and Dean Downing (2nd).
FULL RESULTS
STAGE 3
1. Ian Wilkinson SIS 3:03:04 3:03:04
2. Dean Downing REC " "
3. Russ Downing PIN " "
4. Matthew Stephens SIG " "
5. Dale Appleby REC " "
6. Gary Hand PED " "
7. Tom Smith AWC " "
8. Matthew Higgins COR " "
9. Evan Oliphant PCA " "
10. Marc Perry SBN " "
11. Dieter Droger SPO " "
12. Jonathan Tiernan-Loc MID " "
13. Matt Cronshaw KIN " "
14. Marcin Bialoblocki SBN " "
15. Tom Last KIN " "
16. Alastair Kay YOR " "
17. Kit Gilham KIN " "
18. Tom Barras PCA " "
19. Tom Southam HAL " "
20. James Sampson KIN " "
21. Rob Partridge REC " "
22. Simon Richardson PCA " "
23. James Williamson SIG " "
24. Richard Kent SIS " "
25. Andrew Bye SIG " "
26. Philip Graves BCF " "
27. Richard Hepworth WAK 3:04:55 @ 01:51
28. Andrew Roche IOM " "
29. Wayne Coombs VCM " "
30. Scott Macrae PED " "
31. Mark Wordsworth COR " "
32. David Clarke LAC " "
33. Rob Enslin AWC " "
34. Malcolm Elliott PIN " "
35. Matt Clinton KFS " "
36. Owain Lovell ASH " "
37. Daniel Drake LAN " "
38. Martin Freeman COR " "
39. Peter Williams PIN " "
40. Lee Davis PIN " "
41. Ben Luckwell SBN " "
42. Daniel Duguid SIG " "
43. Dave Coulson SBN " "
44. Paul Coats PED " "
45. Mike Harrison SIG " "
46. Mark Lovatt PLX " "
47. Kristian House REC " "
48. Simon Holt REC @ 02:35
49. Ben Stockdale MJS @ 02:37
50. Daniel Smith LAC " "
51. Matthew Robinson ATC " "
52. Simon Wilson ARC " "
53. Simon Baxter MTS " "
54. Simon Gaywood PCA " "
55. Dean Robson AJC " "
56. James Millard PCA " "
57. Matt Melville AWC " "
58. Robert Orr LAC " "
59. Gareth Hewitt KFS " "
60. Tom Murray PIN " "
61. Matthew Kipling PIN " "
62. Andy Eagers DER " "
63. Gary Murdoch PED " "
64. Josh James KIN " "
65. Richard Cartland COR " "
66. Neil Coleman PCA @ 04:12
67. Ashley Brown SPO " "
68. Stephen Lloyd DEE " "
69. Paul Rennie DOO " "
70. Nigel Haigh SPO " "
71. Graeme Hatcher IOM "
72. Richard Wilkinson SIS 3:08:28 @ 05:24
73. Alex Higham PCA " "
74. Tom Martin COR " "
75. Jimmy Frogatt WIL 3:08:36 @ 05:32
76. Alex Wise SIG 3:08:54 @ 05:50
77. Philip Holwell RUT 3:11:35 @ 08:31
78. Ryan Bonser REC 3:11:47 @ 08:43
79. Dave Collins SIS " "
80. Grant Bayton SBN " "
81. Stephen Rudkin FPM " "
82. Ben Price PIN " "
83. James Rutherford SIS 3:17:43 @ 14:39
84. Adam Bonser REC " "
85. Alex Peterson AWC 3:19:47 @ 16:43
86. Robert Dooley IOM 3:20:48 @ 17:44
87. Mark Hammersley WIL " "
88. Kevin Barclay PED " "
89. Warren Flynn IOM " "
90. Tom Diggle REC 3:27:32 @ 24:28
DNS 19 Freddy Johansson PIN
DNS 49 Kevin Dawson GSS
DNS 56 Jack Pullar KIN
DNS 94 Leigh Cowell KUO
DNF 76 Stuart McManus GLA
PRIMES
LAP 1 Dave Collins SIS
LAP 3 Russ Downing PIN
FINAL OVERALL
1. Dean Downing Rapha-Condor Recycli 4:22:11 4:22:11
2. Evan Oliphant Plowman Craven RT 4:22:19 @ :08
3. Dale Appleby Rapha-Condor Recycli 4:22:25 @ :14
4. Rob Partridge Rapha-Condor Recycli 4:22:28 @ :17
5. Matthew Higgins Team Corley Cycles 4:22:32 @ :21
6. Matthew Stephens Sigmasport 4:22:35 @ :24
7. Ian Wilkinson ScienceInSport-Trek 4:22:44 @ :33
8. Simon Richardson Plowman Craven RT 4:22:47 @ :36
9. Russ Downing Pinarello RT 4:22:48 @ :37
10. Tom Barras Plowman Craven RT " "
11. Matt Cronshaw Kinesis UK 4:22:55 @ :44
12. Andrew Bye Sigmasport 4:22:57 @ :46
13. James Sampson Kinesis UK 4:22:58 @ :47
14. Jonathan Tiernan-Locke Mid Devon CC " "
15. Gary Hand Pedalpower.org.uk 4:22:59 @ :48
16. Kit Gilham Kinesis UK " "
17. Marcin Bialoblocki Sports Beans-Wilier " "
18. Tom Last Kinesis UK 4:23:02 @ :51
19. Tom Southam Team Halfords Bikehu " "
20. Dieter Droger Sportscover " "
21. James Williamson Sigmasport 4:23:08 @ :57
22. Marc Perry Sports Beans-Wilier 4:23:11 @ 01:00
23. Philip Graves BC Private Member 4:23:13 @ 01:02
24. Tom Smith AW Cycles.co.uk 4:23:18 @ 01:07
25. Alastair Kay York Cycleworks 4:23:20 @ 01:09
26. Richard Kent ScienceInSport-Trek 4:24:15 @ 02:04
27. Kristian House Rapha-Condor Recycli 4:24:46 @ 02:35
28. Martin Freeman Team Corley Cycles 4:24:48 @ 02:37
29. Malcolm Elliott Pinarello RT 4:24:52 @ 02:41
30. Lee Davis Pinarello RT " "
31. Scott Macrae Pedalpower.org.uk 4:24:54 @ 02:43
32. Rob Enslin AW Cycles.co.uk 4:24:57 @ 02:46
33. Peter Williams Pinarello RT 4:24:58 @ 02:47
34. Andrew Roche Team Isle of Man 4:25:00 @ 02:49
35. Ben Luckwell Sports Beans-Wilier 4:25:01 @ 02:50
36. David Clarke Team Lacuna 4:25:02 @ 02:51
37. Mark Wordsworth Team Corley Cycles 4:25:03 @ 02:52
38. Richard Hepworth Wakefield CC " "
39. Paul Coats Pedalpower.org.uk 4:25:04 @ 02:53
40. Simon Gaywood Plowman Craven RT 4:25:28 @ 03:17
41. Simon Holt Rapha-Condor Recycli 4:25:38 @ 03:27
42. Ben Stockdale MJS Racing 4:25:40 @ 03:29
43. James Millard Plowman Craven RT 4:25:42 @ 03:31
44. Tom Murray Pinarello RT 4:25:43 @ 03:32
45. Gary Murdoch Pedalpower.org.uk 4:25:45 @ 03:34
46. Simon Wilson Arctic-Premier RT 4:25:46 @ 03:35
47. Daniel Smith Team Lacuna 4:25:47 @ 03:36
48. Matt Clinton KFS Speial Vehicles 4:26:11 @ 04:00
49. Daniel Duguid Sigmasport 4:26:22 @ 04:11
50. Dave Coulson Sports Beans-Wilier 4:26:23 @ 04:12
51. Mark Lovatt Planet X RT 4:26:26 @ 04:15
52. Wayne Coombs VC Montpellier 4:26:31 @ 04:20
53. Mike Harrison Sigmasport 4:26:35 @ 04:24
54. Owain Lovell Ashfield RC 4:26:36 @ 04:25
55. Daniel Drake Lancashire RC " "
56. Josh James Kinesis UK 4:27:02 @ 04:51
57. Ashley Brown Sportscover 4:27:09 @ 04:58
58. Robert Orr Team Lacuna 4:27:10 @ 04:59
59. Matthew Robinson All Terrain Cycles 4:27:11 @ 05:00
60. Simon Baxter MTS Inkland 4:27:14 @ 05:03
61. Neil Coleman Plowman Craven RT 4:27:17 @ 05:06
62. Richard Cartland Team Corley Cycles " "
63. Matthew Kipling Pinarello RT 4:27:18 @ 05:07
64. Gareth Hewitt KFS Speial Vehicles 4:27:19 @ 05:08
65. Andy Eagers Derby Mercury 4:27:27 @ 05:16
66. Nigel Haigh Sportscover 4:27:31 @ 05:20
67. Paul Rennie Dooleys Cycling RT 4:27:33 @ 05:22
68. Alex Higham Plowman Craven RT 4:29:48 @ 07:37
69. Richard Wilkinson ScienceInSport-Trek 4:30:00 @ 07:49
70. Tom Martin Team Corley Cycles 4:30:04 @ 07:53
71. Alex Wise Sigmasport 4:30:22 @ 08:11
72. Ryan Bonser Rapha-Condor Recycli 4:31:38 @ 09:27
73. Dave Collins ScienceInSport-Tr
