Location: Totnes, Devon
Event: 4-5 May 2013
Report: Snowdon Sports
Richard Handley (Rapha Condor JLT) secured overall victory in the Totnes-Vire Two-Day stage race in Devon, holding off a clutch of rivals from Team UK Youth to take the win.
The 22-year-old from Warrington in Cheshire, who won the Clayton Velo Spring Classic earlier in the season, secured his first big win of 2013 thanks to finishing second in both the opening time trial prologue and the final stage of the race, as well as fourth on stage two.
The race was run off in conditions that were a world away from the 2012 event, with a dry but overcast Saturday giving way to a sunny Sunday with just a light breeze, but it didn’t stop the hills proving difficult for some.
Overall, Handley was victorious by ten seconds, while the next three riders in the final GC were all members of the in-form Team UK Youth).
Stage one saw UK Youth’s Marcin Bialoblocki take victory in the time trial by eight seconds ahead of Handley, who took the leaders yellow jersey on stage two where he was fourth, while Bialoblocki was 14 seconds down in fifth place.
And in the third stage, Handley and Bialoblocki were stuck together in second and third, each being two seconds behind stage winner James Williamson (Node 4 Giordana).
Rob Partridge took second spot overall having finished in the top ten of each stage and having a best placing of second in stage two.
What they said
“I was a bit surprised with my performance in the prologue,” said Handley. “I didn’t think it would be my kind of thing, but second was pretty good.
“Then in stage two I was just looking for the time bonuses as well as obviously getting up the road. I managed to get a couple of bonuses over Marcin which made it pretty tight on GC, and then I just had to hold it in the final stage.
“There was a break which went off early on that took some of the early time bonuses, but I fancied my chances on the hills and managed to do enough.
“I knew Marcin and Rob Partridge were both pretty close to me, and Node 4 had riders up there who were within 30 seconds, and they were attacking in numbers.
“We had a couple of young riders in there who did really well to support me, whereas some of the other teams had strength in numbers, so I’m pleased we managed to get the overall win.”
Results:
Final GC:
1 Richard Handley (Rapha Condor JLT) 5:43:39
2 Rob Partridge (Team UK Youth) @ 10sec
3 Marcin Bialoblocki (Team UK Youth) @ 17sec
4 Chris Opie (Team UK Youth) @ 34sec
5 Will Stephenson (Rapha Condor JLT) @ 38sec
6 Daniel Barry (Node 4 Giordana) @ 40sec
7 Josh Hunt (Team UK Youth) @ 43sec
8 Liam Stones (MG Maxifuel) @ 48sec
9 James Williamson (Node 4 Giordana) @ 52sec
10 Conor Ryan (Equipe CMI) @ 1:04
Stage one TT:
1 Marcin Bialoblocki (Team UK Youth) 6:06
2 Richard Handley (Rapha Condor JLT) 6:14
3 Tom Bustard (Herbalife-Leisure Lakes) 6:17
=4 Michael Cuming (Rapha Condor JLT) 6:23
=4 Chris Opie (Team UK Youth) 6:23
=4 Rob Partridge (Team UK Youth) 6:23
7 Daniel Barry (Node 4 Giordana) 6:25
8 Will Stephenson (Rapha Condor JLT) 6:25
9 Tobyn Horton (Team UK Youth) 6:25
10 Liam Stones (MG Maxifuel) 6:27
Stage two:
1 Alex Peters (Madison Genesis) 2:32:58
2 Rob Partridge (Team UK Youth)
3 Steve Lampier (Node 4 Giordana)
4 Richard Handley (Rapha Condor JLT) all @ same time
5 Will Stephenson (Rapha Condor JLT) @ 14sec
6 Josh Hunt (Team UK Youth)
7 Marcin Bialoblocki (Team UK Youth) @ 14sec
8 Daniel Barry (Node 4 Giordana)
9 Will Bjergfelt (MG Maxifuel)
10 Aaron Buggle (Rapha Condor JLT)
Stage three:
1 James Williamson (Node 4 Giordana) 3:04:38
2 Richard Handley (Rapha Condor JLT) @ 2sec
3 Marcin Bialoblocki (Team UK Youth)
4 Alex Peters (Madison Genesis) @ 4sec
5 Liam Stones (MG Maxifuel)
6 Daniel Barry (Node 4 Giordana)
7 Will Stephenson (Rapha Condor JLT)
8 Josh Hunt (Team UK Youth)
9 Chris Opie (Team UK Youth)
10 Rob Partridge (Team UK Youth) all @ same time
Please credit www.britishcycling.org.uk and link back if you use any of our race results.
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.
