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2010 Blackburn Grand Prix
Story posted July 21, 2010; by Andrew Kennedy | A Elite Circuit Series Event
British Circuit Race Champion, Ed Clancy, has won the latest round of the Elite Circuit Series in Blackburn. Lying in third place overall in the series before the start, Clancy (Motorpoint/Marshals Pasta) was in the action all night and he took the race ahead of Graham Briggs (Rapha Condor Sharp) and his teammate, Dean Downing.
Graham Briggs, Ed Clancy and Dean Downing on the podium with the VIPs.
The Elite event was the final one of the evening and followed the support race won by Wheelbase / Cannondale rider Dave Haygarth. With the weather fine and dry, the riders were looking forward to a great race on this twisty circuit which went through the town centre shopping area and was a mixture of tarmac and cobbles.
Lining up outside the King Georges Hall, all the big hitters in the Circuit Series were on the start line and with the Rapha Condor Sharp team eager for another win in the series after some near misses, it didn’t take long for the action to kick off.
Elite Circuit Race Slideshow
Support Race Slideshow
Proudly wearing the jersey of champion, Ed Clancy was keen to do the jersey justice in front of a big crowd and after a lot of potential moves tried and failed, the Motorpoint rider got himself in a strong looking break packed with Rapha Condor Sharp riders. In there for Rapha were Graham Briggs, Kristian House and Dean Windsor and they were joined by Kuota Road CC Jeft de Bruin and Clancy.
While the riders on the front ducked and dived their way round the circuit where some corners were only a few metres apart, the peloton behind was quickly split asunder as riders struggled to recover from the sprinting in and out of all the corners which at this time were dry and sticky. This type of racing really is cruel on the body and bike and soon separates the fit from the super fit who can handle the continuous sprinting lap after lap.
Good conditions for bike racing at the start as the riders wait for the flag to drop to the floor.
The gap between the break and the bunch was only a handful of seconds at the start but with Motorpoint on the front keeping their eye on counter attacks, the advantage for the leaders started to grow and they soon had a good lead. Then, just like a scene from a disaster movie but with the sound of spinning carbon wheels as the soundtrack, everything went black and the rain simply fell out of the sky. The tight and twisty circuit soon became a skating rink as the rain continued to fall and it wasn’t long before the race came together.
Crashes were taking their toll on the field as much as the pace of the front runners and after more attacks came to nothing, Clancy with his white jersey now covered in muck from the wet roads, was back in a move off the front with Graham Briggs, Dean Downing, Jefte de Bruin and Clancy's teammate, Jonny McEvoy. There was by now only 15 or so laps left of the short circuit and while the likes of Tom Barras (Raleigh) and Pendragon/Le Col Colnago duo, Steve Lampier and Dave Clarke, tried to bring the leaders back, the big losers were Endura with no rider at the front.
Ed Clancy finds himself surrounded by three Rapha riders in the early break lead here by Dean Windsor from Kristian House and Graham Briggs.
The wet course by now favoured the riders out front and it was Clancy pressing on hard at the front who was looking strong but being shadowed closely by Graham Briggs who is back in the series after having been ill. Nothing the Rapha rider tried though was going to deny Clancy who sprinted in at the end to take his first victory wearing the champion’s stripes and very pleased he was as well.
After the race, Clancy was quick to thank his teammates, especially Jonny McEvoy, for their help in his victory on a circuit he really enjoyed racing on.
Darkness suddenly falls upon the race with the rain as James McCallum paces series leader Ian Wilkinson through the gloom.
The Elite Circuit Series will now move on to York on Sunday where Clancy is again on the start sheet. Preview coming soon.
Result
Elite/1/2
1 Ed Clancy Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
2 Graham Briggs Rapha Condor Sharp
3 Dean Downing Rapha Condor Sharp
4 David Clarke Pendragon - le col - Colnago
5 Johnny McEvoy Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
6 Malcolm Elliott Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
7 Peter Williams Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
8 Tom Barras Raleigh
9 Richard Hepworth Cyclepremier.com - Metaltek
10 Jeroen Janssen Kuota - Road C.C.
11 Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing
12 Evan Oliphant Endura Racing
13 Stephen Adams Sigma Sport - Specialized Cycling Team
14 James McCallum Endura Racing
15 Alistair Rutherford Science in Sport
16 James Sampson Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
17 Steve Lampier Pendragon - le col - Colnago
18 Paul Oldham Hope Factory Racing
19 David Lines Endura Racing
20 Tom Last Sigma Sport - Specialized Cycling Team
21 Daniele Santoni MSTina
22 Will Bjergfelt Big Maggies/Wilier/Prendas
23 Andy Tinsley Kuota - Road C.C.
24 Ian Taylor Team Bglobal
25 Martin Woffindin Sportcity Velo
26 Andrew Guy Science in Sport
Sprint 1
1. Kristian House Rapha Condor Sharp
2. Jefte de Bruin Kuota - Road C.C.
3. Ed Clancy Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
4. Graham Briggs Rapha Condor Sharp
Sprint 2
1. Dean Downing Rapha Condor Sharp
2. Ed Clancy Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
3. Jefte de Bruin Kuota - Road C.C.
4. Daniel McLay Hargroves Cycles-Trant - Next - Scott -
Support Race
1. Dave Haygarth Wheelbase / Cannondale
2. James Warren Bill Nickson Cycles
3. Paul Molyneux Bill Nickson Cycles
4. Johnny Ratcliffe Rteam JD Cycles Ilkley
5. Ashley Marshall V.S. Cycles
6. Dan Shoreman Yorkshire Velo
7. Mark Shackleton Ellis Briggs
8. Bill Nickson Bill Nickson Cycles
9. Tom Garwell Ellis Briggs
RELATED LINKS
Round 1: Dumfries Bikefest
Round 2: Otley Town Centre Races
Round 3: Stafford Grand Prix
Round 4: Get Connected Wales Circuit races
Round 5: Colne Grand Prix
