PHOTOS BY LARRY HICKMOTT
Sid Standard Memorial Road Races
April 20, 2008; Nottinghamshire
Report and pictures Larry Hickmott
Last Sunday, on a 5.3 kilometre circuit around Kingston-0n-Soar, David Standard and Beeston Road Club organised two road races in memory of Sid Standard. The events, sponsored by Irwin Mitchell solicitors, saw full fields in both events racing around this picturesque circuit and British Cycling was there to cover the action in both races and we have reports, rider reactions and lots of photos of the racing. To see the photo albums, click a gallery button at the top of the page. Gallery 1 represents the photos from the Women's Team Series race whilst galleries 2 and 3 are from the Junior Men's National Series road race.
Junior Mens Road Race
Last year his brother Peter dominated the Junior National Series -- is Tim set to do the same in 2008? Here he wins the Sid Standard after an awesome ride.
In a race where the attacks started early and never let up, Tim Kennaugh from the Isle of Man was the winner after he attacked the break he was in with a lap to go. The race started gently for a lap as riders warmed up to the task ahead and then a break of five riders including Dan McLay and Joe Perret warmed the race up by dominating the early part of the 14 laps to be covered.
Things started to change however when Erick Rowsell got across to it followed by Tim Kennaugh. They upped the pace and the faces in the break started to change as riders were dropped whilst a chase group of half a dozen including Luke Rowe started to come up to it. Once contact was made between these two groups, it was clear the winner was going to come from it as there wasn't the fire power in the bunch to bring it back.
Paris-Roubaix winner Andy Fenn who was trapped back in the bunch thought differently, and made his move with only three laps to go and he managed to get clear to be joined a little later by the Isle of Man’s Chris Whorral. These two bridged the 40 second gap to the leaders as the front group approached the bell and were unable to stop Tim Kennaugh and Glendene CC rider David Nichols getting away.
It was Tim Kennaugh who bravely attacked as they crossed the finish line with a lap to go and David Nichols was quickly on him. The rest of the break were unable to bring them back and with a late attack insight of the line, Kennaugh showed he has the talent to join the many illustrious talents from the Isle of Man including his brother Peter. The rest of the break meanwhile exploded and riders were spread out over a minute all lost in the final five kilometre lap.
A colourful village is made even more colourful as the first break sets to work early on in the race.
Rider reactions: After the riders had crossed the line, we tracked down the winner Tim Kennaugh who was being congratulated by the others in the break which dominated the second half of the race. We started by asking him to tell us about that final lap. As the break crossed the line to get the bell, Tim simply attacked down the right of the bunch and he was away. It was perhaps a statement about how tired the others were that only one other rider was able to react – David Nichols.
“I’m well pleased with that” he started by saying. “One of the Glendene riders came with me and we worked pretty hard and with a K to go, I attacked again and put my head down.” Asked how it felt in the break which really came together with only five or so laps to go, he replied “it was really hard. I got away early with Erick (Rowsell) and that was dead hard as there was only two of us in the end.”
“Then a group came up to us and I knew we would stay away.” Tim then told us “Road racing really suits me much better than track, especially if it’s a tough race.”
Tim Kennaugh launches his attack as the break goes through the finish area with a lap to go.
Another rider who spent a lot of time away that day was Erick Rowsell. There were some like Dan McLay who were away longer but when ever I saw Erick in the break, he was drilling it and showing the strength that last year saw him win medals in the TT and Road Race championships for Juniors.
Like his World Champion sister Jo, Erick has come a long way quickly in the junior ranks and was surely one of the strongest riders on the day. “It was a really hard day. I got in an early break with various people and we drilled it all day. A few got across to us and I had a bit of a rest at the back then but we were just riding hard all day. Before Andy got across, we were driving it really hard because we thought if he got across, he is going to win the sprint but he got across anyway.”
“Then on the last lap, everyone started jumping around. I knew I had to beat Luke to keep the lead in the overall series so coming up the last drag, I just managed to hold him off and take third place.”
After being away most of the race, Erick Rowsell had enough gas left to win the sprint for third in an effort to hold onto his overall lead in the Junior National Series.
Paris Roubaix winner Andy Fenn finished sixth. It was touch and go and it wasn’t until two laps to go that he finally got away from the bunch and with Chris Whorrall managed to join the break with a huge effort. Stating the obvious when asked how this British race compared to the one in France, he said “There were no cobbles for a start! In Roubaix with GB we were all riding together but here we were trying to rip each others legs off. Here, we were all trying to get the win for ourselves.”
Riding in a plain jersey, I asked why no team for some one who has just won one of the biggest Junior road races there is. “Terry Dolan is supporting me this year as he has for the past few years. We’re having a bit of trouble with the kit.”
On his race, he explained “It was quite difficult getting away and I probably did too much early on. We were all having quite a few digs and when I saw the break go away, I knew that was the one. I was on the limit going across to it and Chris was strong. The pace of the race was up and down all day and that takes it out of you.”
Chris Whorrall gives it everything with Fenn to try and join the break.
Eventual winner Tim Kennaugh looks back to see Nichols joining him as Kennaugh attacks with a lap to go. Behind them, there are a lot of tired legs and foxing going on which gave the duo time to open up a gap the others were never able to quite close....
Nichols holds on for second place with the break only just behind.
Result (provisional)
1. Tim Kennaugh, Isle of Man
2. David Nichols, Glendene CC @5 secs
3. Erick Rowsell, Team Corridori @9 secs
4. Luke Rowe, Rapha Condor @10 secs
5. Alexander King, GWR @12 secs
6. Andrew Fenn, Dolan RT @51 secs
7. Chris Whorral, Isle of Man @53secs
8. Daniel McLay, Leicestershire RC @56 seconds
9. Ben Roach, Rugby Velo @1.10
10. Mike Cumming, Macclesfield Wheelers @2.07
11. Sam Redding, GWR
12. Peter Dibben, GWR
13. Samuel Patrick I-Team Cyclist's Club
14. David Bagdan, Glendene CC
15. Richard Handley, Mac Gear RT
16. Dillion Bryne, ProKit.com
17. Blake Cowley, Go Sports Spex
18. Calum McLean, Rock and Road Cycles
19. Tom Skubala, Dinnington RC
20. William Penn, Mammoth Lifestyle RT
21. Dominic Jelfs, MJS Racing
22. Chris Legg, AW Cycles
23. Joel Davidson, Glendene CC
24. Jack Salt, Leicestershire RC
25. Jamie Caldwell, API
26. Andrew Williams, Cwmcarn Paragon
27. Tom Yeatman, Glendene CC
28. Calum O'Shea, Isle of Man
29. George Atkins, Pearl Izumi PlanetX
30. Lewis Earthrowl-Gould, Ingear Dev
31. Gareth James, Abergavenny CC
32. Tim Rowson, JE James
33. Luke Merrilees, Ingear Dev
34. Joe Perrett, Glendene CC
35. Jack Kirk, Wyre Forest
36. Tom Walker, Torq-Colnago
37. Dean Martin, Velo Ecosse
38. Dane Percival, Cardiff Ajax
39. Simon Thomas
FIRST PHOTOS
Lap 2 and all is quiet which soon changed.
Joe Perrett leads Dan Mclay and the rest of the field on lap three.
Joe Perrett leads one of the early breaks.
A little later, some of the riders from the break are gone and replaced by Erick Rowsell.
Erick was joined by eventual winner Tim Kennaugh with more coming up to them including Luke Rowe.
Andy Fenn, last week a hero in winning Paris Roubaix is trapped in the bunch as a dangerous break is getting away from him.
The winning break two laps from the end.
Andy Fenn manages to get clear.
We will have many more pictures in a gallery tomorrow.
Womens Series Road Race Round 1
The look of relief as Charlotte Blackman crosses the line to win the Womens road race after attacking alone with 3k to go...
Winner of an eventful Womens Team Series race was London rider Charlotte Blackman (Surrey League) who attacked what was left of the main field with three kilometres to go and held on, just, to win the race on her own. Winning the bunch sprint, was former ODP Sprint rider Danni King who has taken her speed to the road and using it well to win bunch sprints.
The racing started at 9.30am under damp, cloudy skies and a cold cold wind blowing across the circuit where daffodils and fields of rape seed gave the side of the road some colour in the grey wintry conditions. The first lap or two were steady but it was soon clear by the steady stream of riders being dropped, that the pace at the front was really on as different teams imposed their will on the race and drilled it at the front.
Afterwards, we spoke to the winner Charlotte Blackman who in her last Women’s Team Series race broke her collarbone and has come back with a vengeance in 2008. In this race, not only did she win the race with a brave attack three kilometres from the finish, Charlotte also made a break for freedom in the early laps but was caught soon after.
A look through the photos, and her face was seen at the front of the race often and talking about the final attack she told us, “I was surprised no-one followed me. I was just really gunning for the line at the end and praying they wouldn’t pull me back. There were some really strong girls in that race and that break was painful!”
Talking about her fall last year, she told us “that seems to be a mystery, how it all happened. It seems to be all right now. I had five weeks off the bike and I had endless trips to an orthopaedic consultant but it seems to be holding up. It hasn’t done too badly today!”
“It was an aggressive race, very hard. Some of the teams are to be commended because they put a lot in with individual riders like Kelly Moore were really strong. I put a dig in on lap two and managed to stay away for a lap. I also had good strong teammates (Surrey League) in the race and seeing them ahead of me really helped me.”
“My aim for the season was to win a road race so I can retire now!”
Danni King wins the bunch sprint for second and is delighted by that.
Result (provisional, liable to change)
1. Charlotte Blackman, Surrey League
2. Danielle King, Twickenham CC @7 seconds
3. Alex Greenfield, Pinarello RT
4. Charlotte Colclough,
5. Kate Calvert, Twickenham CC
6. Sue Osbourne,
7. Sarah Bryne, Pinarello RT
8. Lucy Martin, Impsport Team A
9. Dianne Moss, Team Luciano-Kuota
10. Katie Colclough, Team Halfords Bikehut
11. Kelly Moore, Pinarello
12. ?
13. Tracey Fletcher, Fatbirds CC
14. Helen Clayton, Fatbirds CC
15. Helen Gutteridge, Team Luciano-Kuota
16. Katie Fernehough, Impsport B
17. Rachel Osborn, West Midlands
18. Jeanette Tebbut, Team Luciano-Kuota
19. Alice Monger-Godfrey, Impsport B
20. Eva Sadler-Andrews, Leisure Lakes
FIRST PHOTOS
All together on lap 1 past one of the many picturesque landmarks on the course.
The roads were very wet and there were a few crashes but largely everyone stayed upright.
A Swift team rider tries to go clear during the race.
Pressure on the front early on.
Charlotte Blackman during her early lone attack. Two Twickenham CC riders who rode the race alone after getting dropped and raised their hands together as they crossed the line to celebrate a great achievement.
Team Lucanio drill it on the front...
Corrine Hall and the Twickenham CC girls also drilling it on the front.
RELATED LINKS
More photos of the Women's Team Series Event from Gavin Percy
