Tour Doon Hame Event Info | 2012 Premier Calendar Event Info
Location: Aston Hotel, Bankend Road, Dumfries
Event: 8 and 9 April 2012
Report: Snowdon Sports/Andrew Kennedy | Images: Andrew Kennedy
2012 Premier Calendar Road Race Series Home | Provisional start list
Short Stage Highlights videos: Stage One | Stage Two | Stage Three
FULL RACE VIDEO REPORT - 18 minutes of the weekend's highlights
STAGE 3 REPORT
Jonny McEvoy has won the Tour Doon Hame after taking victory in the third and final stage with a late solo attack towards the end of the final 107-mile run in to Annan on Easter Monday.
The 22-year-old from St Helens was one of four Endura men in a break of 11 riders which spent much of the day out in front. McEvoy’s victory meant he overhauled team-mate and yellow jersey holder Erick Rowsell in the general classification, and with Scott Thwaites taking second on the stage and third overall it was a 1-2-3 for Endura Racing in the final general classification.
Thwaites also won the points category overall, while another Endura Racing men, Alex Wetterhall, was named King of the Mountains.
The break of 13 riders went early in the afternoon, and on narrow roads which made it hard for the bunch to gather pace they established a lead of more than four minutes as they headed over the rough mountains. With the leaders dropping to 11 riders there was no let-up in the pace, and with four riders in the lead break – Erick Rowsell, Scott Thwaites, Rob Partridge and Jonny McEvoy – Endura Racing countered every move that their rivals made.
The break worked well together until the closing few miles when the gap to the bunch dropped dramatically. The Raleigh-GAC duo of Russell Hampton and Bernard Sulzberger worked hard to break free on a number of occasions, but were reeled in each time.
Then, with four miles to the finish, McEvoy attacked and Sulzberger took his wheel, the pair gaining three seconds on the rest of the break. Wouter Sybrandy chased and pulled them back, only for McEvoy to attack again and he quickly got a gap of around five seconds which looked ominous.
Raleigh chased hard but Rowsell countered to pull them back, and McEvoy was left to break off. With a mile to go he was 14 seconds in front, and he took a comfortable win with his team-mate Scott Thwaites second and Sulzberger (Raleigh-GAC) third.
Their stage three performance capped a great weekend for Endura Racing. They dominated the opening day, winning both stages and having riders wearing the yellow, green and polka-dot jerseys. Surrey’s Erick Rowsell won the opening stage and held on to the yellow jersey through the second stage crit. His team-mate Scott Thwaites, from Yorkshire, finished fifth in the opening stage and took several sprints as well as the overall win in stage two to clinch the green jersey of points winner.
What they said
“I was just going for the stage victory today,” said overall race winner and stage three victor Jonny McEvoy. “I’m a bit surprised to take yellow and the overall.
“I’m sorry to Erick that I’ve taken the jersey off him, but at Endura we ride as a team and so the important thing is that we’ve kept yellow. Also today, with my solo win we managed to take the top three places overall and also won all the jerseys on offer. It’s been a cold and wet weekend in Scotland but I’ve loved every minute of it. I did well in this race last year and it was a big target for me, so it’s a job well done.”
“We’ve had a fantastic few days and today that just carried on,” said Erick Rowsell, second overall and stage one winner. “We won the stage, I lost the yellow jersey, but it went to a team made. I wouldn’t have wanted it to go to anyone else but Jonny.
“It’s been perfect for Endura. We got the top three overall, we won all the jerseys and we’ve totally dominated. We had enough riders in the break today to cover everything. Scott was there for the sprints, Jonny and Rob were there for solo attacks and I was there to look after the yellow jersey. Although I’ve lost the yellow jersey I still had a great weekend in Scotland. The weather could’ve been better but the racing was hard and we’ve cleaned up so I’m very happy.”
Link: Endura's Report from the weekend
Stage 3 Results (Full Results)
Stage three:
1 Jonny McEvoy (Endura Racing) 4:23:39
2 Scott Thwaites (Endura Racing) @ 26sec
3 Bernard Sulzberger (Raleigh-GAC) @ same time
4 Mike Northey (Node 4-Giordana)
5 Russell Hampton (Raleigh-GAC)
6 Erick Rowsell (Endura Racing)
7 Steve Lampier (IG Sigma Sport)
8 Robert Partridge (Endura Racing)
9 Richard Handley (Rapha Condor-Sharp)
10 Wouter Sybrandy (IG Sigma Sport)
King of the Mountains:
1 Alex Weterhall 28 pts
2 Mike Northey 17
3 Bernard Sulzberger 16
Hot Spot Sprints:
1 Scott Thwaites 11pts
2 Erick Rowsell 6
3 Mike Northey 5
Final Overall:
1 Jonny McEvoy (Endura Racing) 8:11:37
2 Erick Rowsell (Endura Racing) @ 8sec
3 Scott Thwaites (Endura Racing) @ 13sec
4 Richard Handley (Rapha Condor-Sharp) @ 18sec
5 Mike Northey (Node 4 Giordana) @ 19sec
6 Bernard Sulzberger (Raleigh-GAC) @ 31sec
7 Wouter Sybrandy (IG Sigma Sport) @ 41sec
8 Steve Lampier (IG Sigma Sport) @ same time
9 Robert Partridge (Endura Racing)
10 Russell Hampton (Raleigh-GAC)
STAGE 2 REPORT
Scott Thwaites continued Endura Racing’s domination of the Tour Doon Hame with a commanding performance in stage two, a 16.5-mile criterium around the wet and slippery streets of Girvan on Sunday afternoon.
STAGE 2 SLIDESHOW
Thwaites took several of the intermediate sprints and added the stage win to boost his position in the general classification, but also took the green jersey of points leader.
Early attacks failed to stick, and that was the routine throughout with Endura reacting to anything that moved and kept the pace high so that several riders dropped off the back of the bunch.
It the sprint, Thwaites held off Chris Opie (UK Youth), while Daniel Holloway (Team Raleigh) took third.
What they said
Stage two winner Scott Thwaites: “The plan all along in this criterium was for the team to work for me and Jonny McEvoy as the sprinters. I’m really pleased it worked out. I went for all the intermediate sprints to get the time bonuses. During the first stage today I tried to get maximum points and cover all the options. I’ve ridden myself into this position. The team is riding perfectly and we are sending a message out that we are here to win”.
British Cycling asked if the intention in the Endura camp was to take every prize on offer or are they going to give the others a look in?
“We are riding to win and it’s good for our team to be on the podium in all the winners jerseys, domination is good, but we know anything can happen in a stage race and we have a long race ahead of us tomorrow”
Endura Racing Team Manager Julian Winn added: “This is all going to plan. We’re very confident that we’ve got the best team here, but anything can happen tomorrow. It’s a very long stage and we’ve got to keep working hard to dominate this race.
“I’m delighted that we’ve got the yellow jersey but it’s a team effort, and we are riding for the team, not for the individual riders.”
Stage 2 Results (Full Results)
Stage two:
1 Scott Thwaites (Endura Racing) 39:40
2 Chris Opie (UK Youth)
3 Daniel Holloway (Raleigh GAC)
4 Jonathan McEvoy (Endura Racing)
5 Erick Rowsell (Endura Racing)
6 Dean Downing (Rapha Condor-Sharp)
7 Bernard Sulzberger (Raleigh GAC)
8 Matt Cronshaw (Node 4-Giordana)
9 Tom Barras (Metaltek-Scott)
10 Richard Lang (Rapha Condor-Sharp)
Overall (after stage two):
1 Erick Rowsell 3:47:40
2 Mike Northey @ 11sec
3 Richard Handley @ 12sec
4 Scott Thwaites @ 14sec
5 Chris Opie @ 21sec
6 Bernard Sulzberger @ 27sec
7 Jonathan McEvoy @ 29sec
8 Matt Cronshaw
9 Ben Grenda (Rapha Condor-Sharp)
10 Marcin Bialoblocki (Node 4-Giordana) all @ same time
STAGE 1 REPORT
Endura Racing’s Erick Rowsell drew first blood in the Tour Doon Hame with a sprint victory at the end of stage one of the second round of the Premier Calendar Series in Scotland.
STAGE 1 SLIDESHOW
Rowsell took the win at the end of the 80-mile opening stage from Castle Douglas to Girvan, ahead of Richard Handley (Rapha Condor-Sharp) and Mike Northey (Node 4 Giordana).
Coming into Girvan, the race completed a lap of the town before finishing, and confident Rowsell led out the sprint from 150 metres out and took the win with enough time to straighten his jersey and raise his arms aloft. The trio were the sole survivors of a near race-long break which started off being 13-strong. But the hills and primes along the route steadily whittled the leaders down.
Seven riders looked set to survive to the finish, but with two Endura riders and two Node 4 riders in there and only one Rapha Condor rider, the Rapha men in black drove the bunch hard to catch them as the finish drew closer. But the final three refused to be caught, and managed to hold off the bunch. Heading into the finish it was Rowsell who had the legs to take the win, while the bunch come home around 20 seconds behind the leaders.
Rowsell will wear the leaders’ yellow jersey going into the afternoon’s 16.5-mile criterium around the streets of Girvan. He also leads the points category, while his team-mate at Endura Racing, Alex Wetterall leads the King of the Mountains.
What they said
“It has been a hard race all day, the terrain and roads were extremely difficult, said stage one winner Erick Rowsell. “But the harder the conditions the better it suits me.
“I got into the initial break that went away in the first five kilometres, and there were three Endura riders, me, Alex Wetterall and Dean Windsor. We had good numbers and good options in that break, which was the key.
“We went for everything, we cleaned up in the primes and sprints, we went for the mountain classification and got that, and I went for the first time bonus and I got that too. Alex went for the second time bonus and the climbs, and we covered all the moves.
“I’m comfortable in yellow, it’s a new experience for me at senior level. I’m confident that we’ve got the ability and the best team behind me, so Endura will be defending this yellow jersey.”
Stage 1 Results (Full Results
Stage one:
1 Erick Rowsell (Endura Racing) 3:08:14
2 Richard Handley (Rapha Condor-Sharp)
3 Mike Northey (Node 4-Giordana) @ same time
4 Rico Rogers (Node 4-Giordana) @ 15sec
5 Scott Thwaites (Endura Racing)
6 Ian Wilkinson (Endura Racing)
7 Chris Opie (UK Youth)
8 Marcel Six (Metaltek-Scott)
9 Jonathan McEvoy (Endura Racing)
10 Ian Bibby (Endura Racing)
Overall (after stage one):
1 Erick Rowsell 3:08:00
2 Mike Northey @ 7sec
3 Richard Handley @ 8sec
4 Alex Wetterhall (Endura Racing) @ 26sec
5 Rico Rogers @ 29sec
6 Scott Thwaites
7 Ian Wilkinson
8 Chris Opie
9 Marcel Six
10 Jonathan McEvoy
British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.
