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Lewis Balyckyi Leads National Junior RR Series

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Story posted April 20, 2010; by Larry Hickmott
| Report from Round 1 (Cadence RR) | Report from Round 2 (Somerset RR )

After two rounds of the British Cycling Junior Road Race series, Team Wallis - CHH rider Lewis Balyckyi leads after two second places in rounds one and two. He leads the series from Tom Moses and Simon Yates, winners of the first two rounds.

Talking to British Cycling after the second round in Somerset, Lewis (above) says “The series is going really well and I didn’t expect to be leading it. I’m really chuffed to be in this position and I hope this helps get me on the radar of the Olympic Development and Academy coaches and bigger teams too.”

After finishing second in round 1 (Cadence RR), Lewis had a real good go at getting that win in Somerset but it wasn’t to be as he explained. “I think it was about 3k out, I thought to myself, ‘go for it now’. I knew Simon (Yates) had a good kick on him and so has Sam (Harrison), so I thought I have to get away. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out the way I planned but I’m chuffed to bits with second because during the week I was feeling a bit tired.”

“I was chuffed to get away in the break today and when the time check came in and we had two and half minutes, riders started to sit up and mess about to save themselves. There were a few of us though trying to keep it away and Sam (Harrison) kept saying, it’s coming down, it’s coming down, we need to keep working.”

“Sam did a hell of a lot of work in the break. On the High Ham climb, he went for it full gas and I was grimacing just trying to stay on his wheel. After that it was dead tactical and everyone was just one-twoing each other all the way to the finish. It was ridiculously hard. I got gapped at one point and was giving it 100 per cent just to get on the wheel.”

Slideshow -- over a 100 photos from the Somerset Junior Road Race

Sam Harrison moves up the table
One of the biggest movers in the overall table for the Junior Road Race Series was Welsh rider Sam Harrison. He finished the first round in 15th place and is now in 6th place overall after third in the Somerset road race. Harrison was clearly climbing well in the Somerset Road Race and said afterwards “yes, I was feeling pretty good on the climbs. I thought I’d get on the front, keep a nice tempo and if you’re on the front, you can choose the best rhythm as well.”

“I did that up the climb every time and then the last time up the climb, they were starting to sit on so I thought I’d give it a big effort with about 20k to go. I got away and then both the Yates brothers (Simon and Adam) and Lewis got across to me and then it was a like a bitch fight”.

“There is a left hand turn with about five k to go and Yatesy gapped me round there and Lewis was already up the road. From there in it was like we were just ten metres apart and it was a massive drag race to the finish.”

Sam also paid the penalty for over exuberance on the High Ham climb. “That last climb was horrible! I attacked at the bottom on the big ring and got about 10 metres up it and went straight to my smallest gear and parked up. We were one-twoing each other all the way up there. That last 10k was hard.”

Overall, Sam says he was fairly pleased. “I’m a bit disappointed not to get the win but fair play to Yatesy and Lewis, they were stronger on the day. This was completely different to the Cadence race, a lot harder. The last five K I had nothing left at all. It was good race.”

“I just want to get a win now and get that winning feeling back.”

Tom Moses fights back
One rider who has felt the thrill of winning this year, Tom Moses, looked dead and buried three quarters of the way through the Somerset race. Tom went into it leading the Junior National Series after his victory in the Cadence RR. He was honest enough to admit though that he’d messed up at the Somerset RR.

“I missed the first break which was pretty crucial as that was where the winner came from. I was stuck in the main bunch and was trying to get away all the time but everywhere I went, the whole bunch just followed me.”

Moses on the right launching an attack before one of the climbs in the Somerset RR.

“I couldn’t get away even though I was trying and trying. I did the second lap pretty much on my own with two others and then we got brought back. Then I got away with Dan (McLay) and I was struggling at times behind Dan. He was going really well but when we had got to the front group, it had already split.”

“I sat in it for a while and then on the last King of the Mountains climb I just rode it hard from the bottom and rode away from everyone. Then it was just me, Dan, Chris Nicholson and Matt Holmes and we were riding hard for the finish when on the second to last climb, I attacked”.

“I did my best to stay away because I probably wouldn’t have had the legs against Dan in the sprint. I was just trying to get as higher a place as possible to keep my overall position in the series. I thought my race was over at halfway with everyone up the road.”

Tom though is equal second with Simon Yates on 100 points and these two are only four points behind Lewis Balyckyi with the next race, the Isle of Man ‘Youth’ Tour for Juniors and Youth riders the next event in the series.

Video Interview -- Somerset Junior Road Race winner, Simon Yates
In second place in the series, equal with Tom Moses, is winner of the latest round in the series, Simon Yates. British Cycling spoke to Simon after his victory in Somerset. 

Series Overall (click for the full table)
1. Lewis Balyckyi, Teamwallis CHH Racing Team    104
2. Tom Moses, Glendene A & CC    100
   Simon Yates, Maxgear RT    100
4. Adam Yates, Maxgear RT    68
5. Chris Nicholson, Team Manx Telecom    54
6. Sam Harrison, Planet X Road CC    52
7. Matthew Holmes, Teamwallis CHH Racing Team    47
8. Daniel McLay, Hargroves Cycles/Trant/Next/Scott/GSI    38
9. George Moore, CC Giro       35
10. Conor Dunne, Glendene A & CC    33

Forthcoming Races
1. 21 March, Cadence Junior Road Race, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
2. 18 April, Somerset Junior Road Race, Somerton, Somerset
3. 30 April-2 May, Isle of Man Junior Tour, Isle of Man
4. 20 June, Tom Simpson National Junior Grand Prix, Harworth, South Yorkshire
5. 26 June, CC Giro Circuit Races, Curborough, Staffordshire
6. 25 July, Bath RC Junior Road Race, Stewkley, Buckinghamshire
7. 28-30 August, Junior Tour of Wales, Nantyglo, South Wales