Ian ‘superman’ Wilkinson and Scott Thwaites provided the perfect finish for Endura Racing at the end of the Woking round of the Halfords Tour Series when they finished first and second. Results from Women’s event too.
The Photo Album
Event Report (Men’s Race) (from http://www.tourseries.co.uk/)
Ian ‘Superman’ Wilkinson completed his comeback from an early season injury to lead home teammate Scott Thwaites in an Endura Racing 1-2 in Woking, also handing the Scottish squad the team win on the night. Wilkinson turned in an impressive performance, riding across a 30 second gap to join five leaders, who he then outsprinted in the Woking finale.
With teammate and Stoke-on-Trent round winner Thwaites taking second, Jack Bauer picked up ninth from the front of the main field to give Endura Racing their second successive round win in the unique team based Series. Leaders Rapha Condor Sharp picked up second on the night to ensure their advantage slipped to just six points going into the Canary Wharf final round on Thursday 16th June.
The popular Woking round proved to be the most tactical race of The Halfords Tour Series so far, with the big teams all closely marking the moves of their rivals.
When the main move did get away after around half an hour of racing it contained Endura’s Thwaites, Motorpoint’s Johnny McEvoy, Rapha Condor Sharp’s Dean Windsor and Sigma Sport – Specialized’s Simon Richardson.
The quartet smoothly pulled out a gap on the peloton, but behind one rider wasn’t content that he had missed the winning move.
Having already picked up the honours at the first Boardman Bikes Sprint of the evening, Steve Lampier set about riding across the gap, taking a handful of laps to join his teammate Richardson in the front group at their team’s home round.
Steve Lampier is now equal on points in the overall for the Boardman Bikes sprint jersey, a great result for him and his team, Sigma Sport Specialized
Next to try his luck at bridging to the leading five was Wilkinson, with the Endura rider taking around four laps to ride himself across the half a minute gap. Several riders tried to follow Wilkinson, but each were marked by rival teams, as Sigma Sport – Specialized in particular did their best to limit any further riders joining Lampier and Richardson up front.
With five laps to go and pace behind slackening, Ian Bibby leapt clear from the field on the rise towards the finish line, quickly establishing himself in the no-man’s land between the leaders and the peloton. Bibby would close to within 20 seconds of the front six, but ultimately ran out of laps in his chase. Such was the nature of the race however, Motorpoint knew that any advantage on the bunch could be crucial when it came to calculating the team standings.
Rapha’s bad night wasn’t that bad when you consider they only dropped a point and still lead the series by a big margin and they are favourites to win the team award overall in Canary Wharf
Come the final sprint and the Endura Racing pairing of Wilkinson and Thwaites were all over it, the pair comfortably heading their breakaway companions on the drag to the line, with Thwaites raising an arm in celebration as Wilkinson led him home for a perfect team performance.
Behind the rear wheels of the pair came last year’s Woking winner Windsor, with Lampier and McEvoy close behind for fourth and fifth respectively. Richardson crossed the line sixth, the mini-sprint not suiting him at all, with Bibby rolling across the stripe in seventh all by himself.
Dean Downing led in the peloton ahead of Bauer and Tobyn Horton, as Rapha Condor Sharp, Motorpoint and Endura did battle for the crucial team placings.
Endura Racing comfortably took the win, while Motorpoint and Rapha Condor Sharp tied on placings, with Windsor’s third place ahead of McEvoy’s fifth being the tie breaker that put the Series leaders second and last year’s Champions third.
A good home round for Sigma Sport – Specialized saw them come fourth, to cement that position in the overall standings, with Lampier also moving into the joint lead of the Boardman Bikes Sprints competition with Kristian House. With the Rapha Condor Sharp rider not riding at Canary Wharf, Lampier can take the title with just a solitary point, providing other results go his way. Also a winner in Woking was Pendragon Le Col Colnago’s Chris Opie, who picked up a £100 cash prize for an additional sprint prime, donated on the night by an anonymous benefactor.
The mayor of Woking sets the riders free for their hour long race.
Highlights of Round Seven from Woking will be shown on ITV4 at 20.00 on Wednesday 15th June, with a repeat on Thursday 16th June at 10.40
Following a testing month of competition, the ten teams of The Halfords Tour Series will go head-to-head for one final round of the unique team based Series in Canary Wharf on Thursday 16th June at 19.00
Raising the curtain on Round Eight of the 2011 Halfords Tour Series will be the Canary Wharf Corporate Grand Prix at 18.00, seeing eight household corporate names from the world famous business and shopping district, going head-to-head in a ProAm relay.
Superman flew into Woking and blew his rivals away with a scintillating performance.
Reactions: Read what Ian Wilkinson, Scott Thwaites, Jack Bauer and Julian Winn made of Endura’s great night in Woking
Live Photos!
The Halfords Tour Series, Round Seven, Woking, Results
Team Results
1) Endura Racing
2) Rapha Condor Sharp
3) Motorpoint Pro Cycling
4) Sigma Sport – Specialized
5) CyclePremier.com – Metaltek
6) Team UK Youth
7) Twenty3c Orbea
8) Pendragon Le Col Colnago
9) Team Raleigh
10) Wilier GoSelfDrive.com
Individual Results
1) Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing
2) Scott Thwaites Endura Racing
3) Dean Windsor Rapha Condor Sharp
4) Steve Lampier Sigma Sport – Specialized
5) Johnny McEvoy Motorpoint Pro Cycling
6) Simon Richardson Sigma Sport – Specialized
7) Ian Bibby Motorpoint Pro Cycling
8) Dean Downing Rapha Condor Sharp
9) Jack Bauer Endura Racing
10) Tobyn Horton Motorpoint Pro Cycling
Boardman Bikes Sprints winner
Steve Lampier, SIgma Sport Specialized
Team Standings, after Round Seven
1) Rapha Condor Sharp 67pts
2) Endura Racing 61pts
3) Motorpoint Pro Cycling 46pts
4) Sigma Sport – Specialized 42pts
5) Team UK Youth 36pts
6) Team Raleigh 34pts
7) CyclePremier.com – Metaltek 32pts
8) Pendragon Le Col Colnago 29pts
9) Twenty3c Orbea 29pts
10) Wilier GoSelfDrive.com 9pts
Boardman Bikes Sprints standings, after Round Seven
1) Kristian House Rapha Condor Sharp 27pts
2) Steve Lampier Sigma Sport – Specialized 27pts
3) Marcel Six Twenty3c Orbea 18pts
Johnson Health Tech Women’s Grand Prix Round Four, Woking, Results
Individual Results
1) Lucy Garner Motorpoint Pro Cycling
2) Hannah Rich Horizon Fitness RT Prendas Ciclismo
3) Hannah Barnes Motorpoint Pro Cycling
4) Helen Wyman Kona Factory Racing
5) Amy Roberts For Viored Brookvex
6) Penny Rowson Horizon Fitness RT Prendas Ciclismo
7) Sarah Byrne VC St Raphael
8) Harriet Owen Motorpoint Pro Cycling
9) Ella Sadler-Andrews Horizon Fitness RT Prendas Ciclismo
10) Joanne McRae Look Mum No Hands
Team Winner
Motorpoint Pro Cycling
Sprints Winner
Hannah Barnes Motorpoint Pro Cycling
Final Individual Standings, after Round Four
1) Helen Wyman Kona Factory Racing 83pts
2) Lucy Garner Motorpoint Pro Cycling 80pts
3) Hannah Barnes Motorpoint Pro Cycling 72pts
4) Hannah Rich Horizon Fitness RT Prendas Ciclismo 66pts
5) Penny Rownson Horizon Fitness RT Prendas Ciclismo 63pts
6) Rohan Battison For Viored Brookvex 48pts
7) Dani King Horizon Fitness RT Prendas Ciclismo 47pts
8) Sarah Byrne VC St Raphael 47pts
9) Annie Simpson Horizon Fitness RT Prendas Ciclismo 46pts
10) Amy Roberts For Viored Brookvex 42pts
Final Team Standings, after Round Four
1) Horizon Fitness RT Prendas Ciclismo 219pts
2) Motorpoint Pro Cycling 199pts
3) For Viored Brookvex 147pts
4) Condor Cycles 66pts
5) Mule Bar Girls 6pts
6) Inverse Cyclaim Women’s RT 5pts
Final Sprint Standings, after Round Four
1) Hannah Barnes Motorpoint Pro Cycling 24pts
2) Hannah Rich Horizon Fitness RT Prendas Ciclismo 24pts
3) Helen Wyman Kona Factory Racing 18pts
