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Bikeline Tom Simpson Junior RR

Story posted June 20, 2010; by Richard Robotham

Maxgear’s Simon Yates sprints to victory in Bikeline Tom Simpson Junior Road Race

A field of 78 riders took to the start of this National Series race on a course around the village of Harworth, starting and finishing at the Dinnington Road Club's headquarters, the home of the momument to the legendary racer Tom Simpson. The sunny but breezy conditions saw the temperature rise from 16 deg C at the start of the race to 24 deg C at the finish and this was reflected by the ever increasing pace of the race.

Josh Edmundson (Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta) pushed the pace from the start, breaking away on the very first lap and building up a lead of 20 seconds. He was pursued for nearly two laps by six chasing riders but only Conor Dunne (Glendene CC), Jake Barrett (Stirling Bike Club) and Andy Hargroves (Hargoroves Cycles) bridged the gap to the leader.

The leading group increased their lead to 40 seconds with the chasing riders being realed back by the peloton. The riders in the peloton didn't let the leaders get too far ahead though with Joe Kelly (Team Isle of Man) and Simon Yates (Maxgear RT) giving chase, closely followed by Charlie Fawke (Onelife Cycling Develpment Squad), eventually bridging the gap to the leaders on the fourth lap.

The race was now split into three groups with the seven leaders were now only 25 seconds ahead of a chasing group of eight riders with the peloton a further 25 seconds behind them. After the first hour of racing, the riders had covered 28 miles giving an indication of just how high the level is in the junior ranks right now.

With five laps to go, only 17 seconds separated the leading group from the chasers and the gap to the peloton had grown to 59 seconds. It wasn’t long then that the chasing group of eight riders caught the leaders before the main climb of the circuit. This made a large leading bunch of 15 but this wasn’t too last as Simon Yates, Josh Papworth (Cult Racing) and once again Josh Edmundson broke away from the front of the race, fracturing the leading group as they all attempted to stay in touch with the leaders. After half a lap, the three leaders were joined by Matt Bailey (Kuota), Tom Moses (Glendene CC) and Oliver Rossi (BC Eastern Region).

Josh Edmundson kept the pressure on at the head of the break and the six leaders soon became five with the loss of Josh Papworth who dropped back to the chasing group over a minute behind them. By now the peloton were a further 1 minute behind. The five leading riders managed to stay clear of the chasers for the remaining laps but the peloton, which had been nearly two minutes back, brought down that gap dramatically on the last lap.

The peloton caught the chase group but were unable to catch the leaders who fought out the battle for victory up the finishing hill and in a very tight finish, the win went to Simon Yates from Oliver Rossi. Behind the leaders, there was chaos in the peloton when on the approach to the final climb, there was a crash in the peloton which resulted in around twenty riders hitting the deck.

After the race, Yates, winner of his second National Series race this year, said “I am over the moom with the win, It was a hard race, the head wind was quite stong today but once the 5 riders got away we all worked well together and I managed to get the win.”

Result

1. Simon Yates Maxgear RT
2. Oliver Rossi British Cycling Eastern Region
3. Tom Moses Glendene CC
4. Josh Edmundson MotorPoint Marshall Pasta
5. Matt Bailey Kuota
6. Adam Yates Maxgear RT
7. Alistair Stater Bourne Wheelers
8. Robert Crampton Wills Wheels
9. Owain Doull Hargroves Cycles –Trant-Next-Scott-GSI
10. Alex Murison Glendene CC