2008 Junior Tour of Wales
August 23 -25
Report and photos by Larry Hickmott
Eventual winner overall, and winner of the stage 1 Time Trial, Erick Rowsell, is presented with the yellow jersey by the mayor before the start of stage 2. He lost it on stage 2 but had it back after stage 3 and held it to the end. He now prepares to go to the European Track Championships in Poland.
Photo Albums: Top of the page are Gallery buttons for the albums from stages 2, 3 (x2), and 4.
The Junior Tour of Wales Cycle Race, part of British Cycling's National Series for Juniors, is taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend comprising of 5 stages over three days. Based around the town of Nantyglo, the race travels through the Counties of Gwent, Dyfed and Powys and through the spectacular scenery of the Brecon Beacons.
The five stages are made up of a prologue time trial, three road race stages and a circuit race with the final stage takes in the breathtaking climb of Tumble Mountain – a 5 mile climb of a 10 % gradient. Previous winners have included David Millar, Charlie Wegelius, and Geraint Thomas. Last year's winner, Jonathon McEvoy is this year competing for Great Britain in the Tour of Britain.
RACE REPORT
The 2008 Junior Tour of Wales has been won by British Cycling Junior Road Race Champion Erick Rowsell of Team Corridori. One of only a few riders in the race without team support, Erick rode a smart consistent race to take the race overall by ensuring he was present in the important breaks on the final few stages.
Erik, who will be travelling to the European Track Championships with his sister Joanna Rowsell (World Team Pursuit Champion, Women) began the race by winning the 7.2 kilometer time trial. Kitted out with his time trial bike and a disc wheel, he put eight seconds into Joe Perrett of the Glendene CC over the lumpy course. “There was a lot of uphill so it was debatable whether I used the road bike or the TT bike but I went for the Time Trial bike and it was faster.”
Erick then missed the break on stage 2 which finished at the top of picturesque Llangynidr Mountain. This was won by Norwegian rider Kent Aadnoy who just managed to hold off a charge by Sandy King who was second. After the stage Erick explained to British Cycling “I was in the yellow jersey so was quite marked during the race. A break went away early on and as soon as I jumped, everyone jumped with me. I had two options, chase it on the flat and get to it before the climb when everyone would attack me on the climb or try and get it back once we were on the climb.”
“It was quite a flat stage until the finish so I decided to wait for the mountain but when we got to the climb, they had two and half minutes at the bottom and I closed it to around 50 seconds at the finish. I caught most of the break except for a few of the riders.”
Winner of stage 2, Kent Aadnoy of Norway alone up the mountain top finish a few seconds ahead of Sandy King.
Erick dropped to second place overall after that stage but having ridden the race before, he knew there was still a long way to go and was pleased to swap the yellow for the British Champion’s jersey and let the Norwegians have the responsibility of controlling the race.
On stage 3, it was a circuit race around a course that went up hill and then down hill with lots of twists and turns on a course covered in water in places and plenty of what I think is called Belgian toothpaste! The riders certainly looked like they had been in a classic by the end as the pictures in the gallery will show. We spoke to third placed rider on the stage, Isle of Man’s Mark Christian, about how the race evolved.
“Tim (Kennaugh) was away and he had a strong rider with him from Norway and when the rest of the field reacted to that, I kept my head down and followed the wheels and just by the nature of the course, there were gaps opening everywhere.”
Breaks start to form on lap 2 of the racer proper with this one led by Joe Perret.
Eliot Letaer, Johan Fredrik and Mark Christian on the podium after stage 3.
“The race split and we got up to Tim and I carried it on then and we pulled a small group away. Then Andy Fenn, Erick and another rider came up to us. Once it was established, everyone worked pretty well and it went from there really. The race split on the final lap down the hill and I heard the crash with Tim happening just behind.”
Asked how important the race is, he replied “it is prestigious and the last one of the season so everyone is out for a good ride”.
Stage 4
With the yellow jersey finishing well down, Erick Rowsell was back in yellow for stage 4. After the hour long race that morning, a two hour stage was ahead of them in the afternoon on the roads around Abergavenny. The first section was downhill before the riders took in a few laps of the course used for local time trials before returning to the finish at Brynmawr after a five mile climb. Winner of the stage was Dan McLay who got himself in a break that went early and with the top three overall in it, they had the firepower to stay away which it did to the tune of three minutes.
East Midlands rider Dan, who is still an under 16 and already a Junior national champion on the track from the week before in Newport, explained to us how his race went. “At first, everyone was riding in the break really hard and we opened up a big gap. Then I noticed people were starting to miss turns and sitting at the back so I thought, I’m nowhere on GC, I’ll join them and save my legs for the finish. I knew when the Avia rider attacked (in the closing stages), they would have to ride tempo and I would be able to hang on over the hill and do my best in the sprint.”
Despite a five mile climb up to the finish, the break remained pretty much intact and Dan Mclay wins from Joe Perret and Jack Kirk.
“On the climb, he explained “it was just a really long drag and because we had been away all day, there was not a lot of playing about on the climb and that played into my hands being a sprinter. I’m really pleased with the stage win because I didn’t really expect it, to get round on all these hills so well and surprised myself.”
That left the final stage on the Monday which took in the infamous Tumble climb and that was won by Thomas Optebeeck of the Avia team, one of two from the same team to get away and win the stage by almost thirty seconds. Race leader Erick Rowsell lost more than two minutes on the leaders but importantly the rider closest to him on overall was behind him on the stage and the other danger man, Joe Perrett was contained enough to give Rowsell a race victory.
Erick went into the Tour of Wales in second place in the British Cycling National Junior Road Race series 4 points behind Luke Rowe but the Rapha Condor rider was unable to compete due to illness and this victory gave Erick the win in the series. He will now apply to join the Great Britain Cycling team’s Olympic Academy. His sister Joanna is already a member of the Women’s academy and the Rowsell family is certainly pleased at how well both of them have managed to make it in the tough sport of cycling, especially with London 2012 Games only four years away and the family being from London.
More Photos
Sandy King heads for second place with Tosh Vandersande on his wheel who was third on stage 2.
Stage 3: The circuit race has a rolling start.
Tim Kennaugh leads the break a few laps from the end. Kennaugh crashed in the last 3k on the final bend.
Stage 3, bell lap and one of the Belgian riders, Eliot Letaer attacks.
But it was Johan Fredrik who won stage 3 from Eliot Letaer.
Stage 4 on the Abergavenny bypass and the attacks are fired off on the mainly downhil flat section.
Eventual stage 4 winner Dan McLay, still under 16, leads the break which included the top three on the overall.
The Isle of Man riders though missed the break and Chris Whorral leads Mark Christian and Tim Kennaugh as they chase the break.
Top three on stage 4.
STAGES
Saturday 23rd August, STAGE 1 – Time Trial. 6 miles (10km)
1. Erick Rowsell Team Corridori 12:20
2. Joe Perrett Glendene/Bike Trax A 12:28
3. Tim Kennaugh Isle of Man 12:34
4. Sam Harrison Wales 12:37
5. Mark Christian Isle of Man 12:38
6. Johan Fredrik Ziesler Nymark Cycling Team (Norway) 12:39
7. Marius Hafsas Nymark Cycling Team (Norway) 12:43
8. Kent Aadnoy Nymark Cycling Team (Norway) 12:43
9. George Atkins Pearl Izumi-PlanetX-High 5 12:51
10. Eliot Letaer Avia Cycling Team (Belgium) 12:54
11. Sam Redding GWR Team/Scott Wilson/Giant 12:55
12. Tom Walker Torq Colnago 13:00
13. David Nichols Glendene/Bike Trax A 13:01
14. Guillaume Vankeirsbulck Avia Cycling Team (Belgium) 13:03
15. Thomas Optebeeck Avia Cycling Team (Belgium) 13:08
16. Alexander King GWR Team/Scott Wilson/Giant 13:09
17. Andrew Fenn Dolan RT 13:10
18. Andrew Williams Wales 13:13
19. Tosh Vandersande Avia Cycling Team (Belgium) 13:15
20. Scott Thwaitesby Yorkshire 13:15
Saturday 23rd August, STAGE 2 – Road Race. 50 miles.
1. Kent Aadnoy NCC 2:00:39
2. Alexander King GWR 2:00:57
3. Tosh Vandersande AVI 2:00:57
4. Dominic Schils LOT 2:01:18
5. Nathan Edmonson GDA 2:01:31
6. Erick Rowsell COR 2:01:32
7. Andrew Williams WAL 2:01:38
8. Eliot Letaer AVI 2:01:39
9. Thomas Optebeeck AVI 2:01:41
10. George Atkins PEI 2:01:42
11. Andrew Fenn DOL 2:01:42
12. Tim Kennaugh IOM 2:01:44
13. Johan Fredri Ziesler NCC 2:01:46
14. Marius Hafsas NCC 2:01:51
15. Mark Christian IOM 2:01:54
16. Joe Perrett GDA 2:01:54
17. Sam Harrison WAL 2:02:16
18. David Nichols GDA 2:02:21
19. Sam Redding GWR 2:02:30
20. Ben Dunn EMI 2:02:36
Sunday, August 24th, STAGE 3 – Circuit Race, Bryn Bach Park 24 miles.
1 Johan Fredrik
2. Eliot Letaer
3. Mark Christian
4. Andrew Fenn
5. Erick Rowsell
6. Will Jansen
7. Tim Kennaugh
8. Joshua Edmonson
9. Tosh Vandersane
10. Sam Harrison
Sunday August 24th, STAGE 4 Road Race
1. Dan McLay EMI 1:54:32
2. Joe Perrett GDA 1:54:33
3. Jack Kirk WMI 1:54:35
4. Johan Fredrik Ziesler NCC 1:54:36
5. Erick Rowsell COR 1:54:36
6. Jason White BIM 1:54:44
7. Alexander King GWR 1:54:46
8. Sam Redding GWR 1:55:08
9. Guillaume Vankeirsbulck AVI 1:56:17
10. Eliot Letaer AVI 1:56:41
11. Dean Martin SCO 1:56:41
12. George Atkins PEI 1:56:41
13. Tosh Vandersande AVI 1:56:41
14. Thomas Optebeeck AVI 1:56:41
15. Marius Hafsas NCC 1:56:41
16. Toby Meadows LOT 1:56:41
17. Thomas Moses YOT 1:56:41
18. Ben Dunn EMI 1:56:41
19. Michael Cuming MAC 1:56:41
20. Andrew Williams WAL 1:56:41
Overall
1. Erick Rowsell
Monday August 25th, STAGE 5– Road Race. 62 miles( 100km)
(finishes on the Tumble climb)
1. Thomas Optebeeck AVI 2:33:59
2. Tosh Vandersande AVI 2:33:59
3. Mark Christian IOM 2:34:27
4. George Atkins PEI 2:34:38
5. Joe Perrett GDA 2:34:46
6. Sam Harrison WAL 2:34:49
7. Guillaume Vankeirsbulck AVI 2:35:08
8. Erick Rowsell COR 2:35:11
9. Andrew Williams WAL 2:35:11
10. Johan Fredrik Ziesler NCC 2:35:11
11. Michael Cuming MAC 2:35:15
12. Scott Thwaitesby YOT 2:35:15
13. Jon Mould WAL 2:35:15
14. Richard Handley MAX 2:35:15
15. Ben Dunn EMI 2:35:15
16. Tim Kennaugh IOM 2:35:18
17. Sam Redding GWR 2:35:18
18. Joel Davidson GDA 2:35:24
19. Jack Kirk WMI 2:35:24
20. Alexander King GWR 2:35:24
FINAL OVERALL
1. Erick Rowsell COR 7:45:56
2. Johan Fredr Ziesler NCC 7:46:04
3. Joe Perrett GDA 7:46:49
4. Tosh Vandersande AVI 7:47:24
5. Alexander King GWR 7:47:38
6. Tim Kennaugh IOM 7:48:36
7. Thomas Optebeeck AVI 7:48:46
8. Mark Christian IOM 7:48:49
9. Eliot Letaer AVI 7:49:06
10. Sam Redding GWR 7:49:09
11. George Atkins PEI 7:49:10
12. Sam Harrison WAL 7:49:30
13. Jack Kirk WMI 7:49:59
14. Marius Hafsas NCC 7:50:05
15. Andrew Williams WAL 7:50:11
16. Andrew Fenn DOL 7:50:25
17. Guillaume Vankeirsbulck AVI 7:50:51
18. Nathan Edmonson GDA 7:51:08
19. Dan McLay EMI 7:51:09
20. Kent Aadnoy NCC
KING OF THE MOUNTAINS
1. Mark Christian IOM
2. Tosh Vandersande AVI
3. Joe Perrett GDA
4. Erick Rowsell COR
5. Dominic Schils LOT
6. Kent Aadnoy NCC
POINTS
1. Mark Christian IOM
2. Eliot Letaer AVI
3. Erick Rowsell COR
4. Tosh Vandersande AVI
5. Jack Hales BCC
6. Joshua Edmonson GDB
TEAMS
1. Avia Cycling Team (Belgium)
2. Nymark Cycling Team (Norway)
3. Glendene/Bike Trax A
4. Isle of Man
5. Wales
6. East Midlands
7. Lotto Olympia Team Interbike
8. Yorkshire
9. West Midlands
10. Scotland
11. Bikinmotion CC
12. BC Central Division
13. Bristol Development
14. Torq Colnago
15. Evesham Whs.
For Gallery pictures, click the link below
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