European Road Championships
HooGlede (Belgium); By Larry Hickmott
Day 1 Time Trials (Gold for Perrett) | Day 2 Time Trials | Day 1 Road Races (Katie's Silver) |
Video: Click here for a video of the Junior Men's RR
DAY 4: July 5, 2009
Under 23 Men’s Road Race
The final race of the week long competition in West Flanders (Belgium) ended with a home victory when a rider in Adam Blythe’s team, Kris Boeckmans of Belgium won the bunch kick up the long hill into HooGlede.
Whilst the Great Britain team had many of their riders still in that group, one of their main hopes left at the end, Adam Blythe, was unable to reproduce the finish that has brought him many a podium finish this year in Europe. The race began with a long loop out of Oostende which took in the famous climb of the Kemmelberg and a break of 11 riders dominated this section and was still away when the race reached HooGelde for the final four finishing circuits.
By then however, the Great Britain team’s big hope Peter Kennaugh was already out thanks to a wayward rider at the back of the bunch taking him out and then to add insult to injury, he punctured and with no team following cars allowed, the Isle of Man rider had to retire and have his abrasions tended to by the team’s carers.
This left the rest of the Great Britain team to go for the medals and with two laps to go, two of the team’s key riders, Jonny McEvoy was near the head of the chasing group behind what was left of the fragmenting break and Adam Blythe was only a few places behind him.
The speed by now was very high and just holding position in the group was causing many a rider difficulty but GB still had nearly all their riders in the group with Andy Tennant and Alex Dowsett still in there fighting.
As the riders approached the finishing circuits, a break of 11 was away.
With a lap to go, it was a lone Russian, all that was left from the early break, that lead the race but the Belgium team were already in control of the peloton which was now lined out and splitting and Adam Blythe was still in there about a dozen places back with the rest of the GB riders also in the lead group. The only question was whether at the speed the race was going at in the narrow lanes around HooGlede the GB riders could get together for the finish.
That answer was soon answered as the bunch came screaming up the town’s high street and leading the way was the Belgian Kris Boeckmans who finished the championships on a high for his team by taking the final Gold medal on offer. Adam Blythe came 27th in the bunch gallop to be the leading British rider.
After the finish, the British riders rode down to the British pit and there, I managed to catch up with a few of them.
The Italian's control the peloton with 52k to go.
Alex Dowsett in the bunch over the cobbles.
Peter Kennaugh: “I was going well out there and riding really conservatively and everything was going smoothly. I stayed up the front for the Kemmelberg and hit the left hander into it in third place and went over the top in about 5th. After that I was going with a few moves and once I realised that a lot of riders were getting back on, I sat up and had a look around and made sure everyone from GB was around. I told Jonny McEvoy and Mark McNally to cover moves and went to the back to have a Go bar and see where Andy (Tennant) was because I hadn’t seen him.”
“Then, next thing you know, this guy rode in front of me and took my front wheel out and I crashed. I changed my front wheel (it was buckled) and sorted the rear wheel and got going again and then punctured before I got back to the bunch and the spares car was in front of me and there was no spares vehicle behind me. That was race over. It is a bit silly how they didn’t allow team cars and also didn’t provide adequate neutral service.”
A Russian riders tries to go it alone but was caught on the final lap of the finishing circuit.
The Belgian riders were very active on the finishing circuit.
Andy Tennant (finished in the lead group): “This was very different to what I have been doing, racing over 180k off the back of doing hour long crits so there was a big difference and you could notice that towards the end. Now I’ll have a few days off and get back into doing some steady rides and get some form for the Tour of Britain. The form is good for an hour but for four hours, it was hard work.”
“The Kemmelberg was alright. I wasn’t suffering too much up there. There was a crash on the Montenberg just before which I got caught up in so I had a bit of chase after that and then got on and hit the Kemmelberg and was passing people. It wasn’t as hard as I imagined but not easy by any means.”
Andy Tennant.
Jonny McEvoy: “The race today was a wearing down process when it was on for ten minutes and then off all race. It was about getting to the front for the climbs which we did well and again staying at the front on the circuit, kicking out of all the corners which helped keep you up there. After losing Pete early on, me and Adam got together near the end and with a K to go, Adam said he’d move me up but by then it was too late.”
“I didn’t really have the legs to win or get top 5 but I felt okay. We just got together too late at the end. This race was totally different to the Italian races we have been doing.”
On whether the other teams were panicking when the break got away and stayed away until just over a lap to go, Jonny replied “I don’t think it was panic because Max had said the circuit was really exposed to the wind for a small group and so the gap never got too big and then it came back under the pressure of the Belgians.”
Jonny McEvoy and Adam Blythe in the thick of the action with two laps to go.
Mark McNally in the lead group with two laps to go.
A lap to go and the Belgian team lead the peloton
Team manager, Helen Mortimer gets a bottle to Mark McNally in a very active feedzone in the hot weather.
Result
1. Kris Boeckmans (Schilde) 175 km/3u59:07 (gem 43,912 km/u)
2. Jaroslaw Marycz (Pol)
3. Sacha Modolo (Ita)
27. Adam Blythe (GBr);
31. Jonathan McAvoy (Gbr)
70. Alex Dowsett (GBr);
82. Andrew Tennant (GBr)
Junior Womens European Road Race Championship
Laura Trott finishes 11th in her first major international road race championship for Junior Women.
Great Britain’s Laura Trott was the leading British rider in the Junior Women’s Road Race from Ostend to HooGlede over a distance of 68 kilometres. The first year Junior, Trott, was 11th after a crash in the final 500 metres held up the GB sprint train as riders around them came to grief on the sharp bends before the finish.
The day began with a 7am breakfast for the five British riders before they and the staff left for Ostend at 8am. Once there, the riders were able to relax and it was good to see them put their nerves aside and relax and joke as the clock counted down to the 10am start.
After signing on and a gear check, the riders assembled in a pen before country by country they were given the go ahead to line up on the start line. Then, at 10am, the young women started the 40 kilometre race to the town of HooGlede where they would start two laps of the 12 kilometre circuit.
It was in the finishing town of HooGlede that I saw them first as they came through the finish area with all the British riders in the lead group. It was the same with a lap to go and with a sprint finish looking likely, the GB riders started to get together to work for Laura Trott, the team’s fastest finisher.
Sadly for them, the crashes, and there were quite a few ruined their chances of a medal finish as the Italian team lined up their rider to take the victory. It was a shame that the other Italians celebrating the victory caused even more crashes before and after the finish line, one of which took out Sarah Reynolds who was able to pick herself up and ride back to the team pit with the rest of the girls.
Another Gold for the Italians
Post race reactions
Laura Trott: “That was so hard!” she said afterwards. “You would think that 40k in a straight line would be easy but it was hard to get to the front and then people would swamp you. Even though there was no a break, they were pushing on and it was so much faster than the British races. Coming into the finish, all five of us got caught behind the crash and by the time we got back on, our lead out was messed up. We were all nicely lined out ready for the lead out and then that was it.”
“I have raced loads in Belgium and today was do or die, I have trained all year for this and if I was going to crash, I may as well have crashed trying. This race was more argy bargy that a normal Belgium race because there was lots more at stake.”
Corrine Hall: “The controlled bit of the race was fine and then as soon as it started, it was manic. It was really hard to move up and then you’d get to the front and you’d soon find yourself at the back again. Coming into the finish area, it was easier than I thought but then I got caught behind a crash on the cobbles on the second to last lap and I had to work really hard to get back up before there was another crash and I lost a little time.”
A lap to go and Ella is at the front of the peloton with the rest of the Brits in the group battling for position to get a sprint train going.
Result
1. Elana Cecchini, Ita 1.34.46
2. Laura Van der Kamp, Holland
3. Pauline Ferrand-Revot, France,
11. Laura Trott, Gbr @ 6 secs
28. Ella Sadler-Andrews, Gbr
38. Sarah Reynolds, Grb
43. Jess Booth, Gbr
53. Corrine Hall, Gbr
82 finishers
Photos
A celebrating Italian crashes and brings down four riders including Sarah Reynolds
Left: Steve 'topper' Taylor getting some air into the wheels while right, Luc de WIlde, in between telling funny stories hands out the race food
Team coach for the Junior Women, Robin Sharman gives the girls a pre-race talk.
Before the race -- gear check. Pictured is Corrine Hall.
Lucky charms -- One of the country's top Junior women Laura Trott with her original mitts (9 years old!) as she focuses on her race before the start.
The riders roll out from Ostende
Jess Booth and Laura Trott with two laps to go
Sarah Reynolds
Steve Taylor changes a wheel before the race begins
