Tanner eats ‘em!
By Kenny Pryde. Pictures by Rob Lampard

A Premier Calendar race growing in stature, the best field for a British race this year and an ideal form guide to the Thwaites Grand Prix, the Land's Classic served up a corker in the Yorkshire Wolds at the weekend

GIVEN the lesson in racing that John Tanner (Gill Airways-Peugeot) dished out on stage two of the Land's Classic, no one on the race begrudged him his final success, although it was so close-run that manager Keith Lambert couldn't have scripted it better if he had tried. Instead, on a final stage that really was poker on wheels with added anaerobic thrills, Tanner came through, cool as a cucumber. A stunning time trial by Chris Newton of North Wirral Velo opened the race and identified the likely contenders, but they could only watch on Saturday afternoon as Tanner rode away from everyone to take the leader's jersey and stage. With Mark Walsham, Neil Hoban and Rob Holden backing him, you wouldn't have found many people betting against the man from Doncaster taking the overall, although, in the end, it was far closer than anyone could have predicted.

The final stage, a merry dance over the East Yorkshire Wolds, saw the three strongest teams in the race dicing with disaster - or at least disappointment - trying to second guess each other as their winning strategies changed to suit the fluctuating time gaps. It was an intriguing race which did all the riders proud.

Stage one: 3.3TT

THERE have been some Mickey Mouse UK stage race prologues in recent years, but thankfully this wasn't one of them. A 3.3-mile blast on main roads past Beverley race course and down the York road was a reasonable test of the 120-man field and none of the favourites disappointed, with Chris Newton coming through to add another yellow jersey to his small but growing collection.

It may not have been a track rider's course, with headwinds and a couple of draggy climbs on the route, but the first three riders were all trackies, with another track specialist Matt Illingworth in seventh providing evidence that Manchester velodrome is having some effect.

The truth is though that Newton and Team Ambrosia's top man Rob Hayles were head and shoulders above the rest of the field, with plenty of fancied riders bunched into the 7-35 time gap.

There were a couple of scares and unpleasant surprises. Hayles and his merry men decided, boys being boys, to have a bit of a laugh at team manager Simon Day's expense. Shortly before the start, Day took a call on his mobile phone from a ‘distressed’ Hayles to tell him he was stuck in traffic and was going to miss his start - what was he going to do?

Day approached the organiser and timekeeper to arrange a different start time, which he succeeded in doing. Imagine the surprise - and the gales of side-splitting laughter - when Hayles turned up ready to go at his correct time. Oh how we laughed! Imagine then the increased jollity, mainly from opposing teams, when Hayles' name was missing from the finish board, lost in the confusion. Now that was funny.

Matt Postle of Team Energy, generally acknowledged to have been tearing the legs off people the previous week in the Welwyn Hatfield, had somehow managed to record an 8-30 which the Welshman steadfastly refused to be upset by, stating with the authority of a man who knows that, `it was a minute out'. And it was.

The winners, on all counts, were North Wirral Velo, with Newton in yellow, Paul Manning in fifth and Julian Ramsbottom in sixth, although Optimum Performance weren't too far away either with Kevin Dawson `up there', along with the inevitable Wayne Randle, Paul Curran and Ray Eden in the first l l riders.

The best Gill Airways rider was, of course, John Tanner, although he still lost 29 seconds to Newton in the space of 3.3 miles which, in a race which has been won and lost on time bonuses, came as an unpleasant surprise to Tanner.

Two young men who did themselves no harm in such a short space of time were newly-minted espoir Phil West of Middridge CRT, sometime training partner of Newton and Curran, junior multi-champion on the track and a rider who has shown himself a lot more on the road this season to some effect, and fellow espoir Danny Axford (Team Energy). ‘Westie’ - slimmer, leaner, fitter but still no lightweight - was ironically compensated with the King of the Hills jersey after his third place, while former Peter Buckley series winner Axford has clearly put last year's illness-blighted season behind him and was given the best young rider's jersey for his 7-26.

Round one had gone to North Wirral Velo and Chris Newton, a man who seems to have a love-hate relationship with yellow jerseys. He wins them, wears them once, then decides the colour doesn't suit him and passes it on to some other rider rather sharpish. So, radiant as he looked, did Land's Classic yellow suit him?

1. Chris Newton (North Wirral Velo) ....... 7 02
2. Rob Hayles (Team Ambrosia)........... 7 04
3. Phil West (Middridge CRT)............. 7 11
4. Kevin Dawson (Optimum Performance RT) 7 15
5. Paul Manning (North Wirral Velo)........ 7 16
6. Julian Ramsbottom (North Wirral Velo) ... 7 16
7. Wayne Randle (Optimum Performance RT) 7 18
8. Matt Illingworth (Essex Division) ........ 7 19
9. Paul Curran (Optimum Performance RT) , . 7 20
10. Gary Thomas (Team Ambrosia) ......... 7 20
11. Ray Eden (Optimum Performance)....... 7 21
12. Jonny Clay (Team Orange) ............. 7 21
13. Danny Axford (Team Energy) ........... 7 26
14. Matt Postle (Team Energy) ............. 7 31
15. Pete Longbottom (North Wirral Velo) ..... 7 32
16. John Tanner (Gill Air)................. 7 32
17. Simon Howes (Team Energy) ........... 7 33
18. Simon Bray (Team Energy) ............ 7 33
19. Brett Harwood (East Midlands Centre) .... 7 34
20. Dave Williams (Team Ambrosia)......... 7 37
21. Matt Stephens (North Wirral Velo) ....... 7 37

Stage two: Beverley- Beverley 73m

`WHY did I attack? I thought we were going to get caught. So I went, I thought I could go just as hard on my own as with them and I wasn't too confident in the sprint, it's always tricky with three.'

As ever, a straightforward explanation from Gill Air's John Tanner, a graduate of the no frills school of road racing, never one to complicate life with unnecessary extra syllables when one or two will do. But Tanner took that decision towards the end of a stimulating 73 miles of racing around Beverley, Driffield and Lund after a busy day for the race convoy.

The excitement started early - and almost finished early. In fact, the race nearly didn't get any further than five miles (plus the 3.3mile time trial) which would have guaranteed Newton a yellow jersey for keeps, but wouldn't have satisfied many people. Humberside or East Yorks or whatever it is calling itself this month, is flat, near the North Sea and, when the wind blows, it has a dramatic effect on road racing.

On stage two, crosswinds which justified the tag `savage', mad speeds, a close and disturbing familiarity with both gutters and a lecture from chief commissaire Ritchie Haynes at the behest of the police were all on the afternoon's agenda.

As sure as fish are sold in Hull, the crosswinds were going to play a big part in the race and as soon as the field hit the crosswinds on the main road to Driffield it was clear that something had to give or go. Either someone was going to hell, heaven or hospital having met a car head-on, or the police were going to intervene in a positive way. So, after five miles of frightening gutter-to-gutter riding, they stopped the race and explained that either the riders stopped crossing double white lines or the race was off.

After a short debate on hospital care, the stupidity of car drivers and the meaning of a rolling road closure system, a rather subdued bunch rolled away again. There was one positive result from the stoppage - the riders who had been dropped in the opening miles got back on again. Everyone got the message and the three police motorbikes got on with slowing the traffic in their rolling closed road strategy that thankfully calmed everyone down. The next time the race was on the same stretch of road the field had been cut in half by the racing, so the effect was less dramatic. It wasn't good for anyone's nerves though.

The race finally turned left out of the crosswind and into a headwind which dissuaded much action until 18 miles when a nine-man move went clear for seven miles. Although, amongst others, it contained Newton, Tanner, Scotland's Gary Patterson, Hayles, Optimum duo Randle and Curran, plus CC Giro's Keith Reynolds, they never got more than a minute and suddenly it fell apart.

A momentary truce, then it was back into the crosswinds before going off the main road into the lanes heading for the only hill prime of the day. Here Team Energy's Simon Bray attacked, followed by John Evans of Wales who was chased by Tanner and Drew Wilson of Optimum Performance.

Was it a coincidence that the most serious move of the race had gone clear as the route went into the narrowest lanes so far encountered? Apparently yes, but there was nothing left to chance when the quartet got down to business 45 miles into the stage. There were lots of red flags at the tops of hills and more gravel on the roads than had been seen all day which made it an ideal location for an attack to escape from even the best-drilled team. At the top of the only prime of the day - Nunburnholm Wold - a decent crowd saw Tanner easily take the points ahead of Bray and Wilson, while Evans slipped back to be swallowed by the bunch which was now almost a minute down.

Up to that point the racing had been stop-start. With 20 miles to the finish it was go go go. The wind, which had been hindering the riders most of the day, was now behind them and the speeds generated saw lots of bodies spat out the back.

Seeing as Team Ambrosia had missed the move and, thanks to bonuses, had Hayles as yellow jersey in waiting, they put two men in the front to aid the entire North Wirral team who were chasing furiously back to Beverley on the same crosswind-afflicted stretch of road. With the wind blowing hard over the riders' right shoulders the race was in a long line with the men at the back coming perilously close to cyclocross practise as they searched for a bit of shelter, riding not so much in the gutter as on the grass.

With speeds of between 35 and 40 miles per hour, the chase looked to be bearing fruit, although Ambrosia manager Day had to remind his men that they were meant to be assisting the chase rather than just observing at close quarters. With three miles to go Tanner decided he had had enough and was gone, with Wilson towing national champion Bray along in his slipstream.

`You keep riding, I'll be happy with third,' was Bray's disappointing reply to Wilson's request for assistance. `I've got a bit of a reputation for being a bit canny,' said Bray explaining his crystal cranks reputation. `But when I am stuffed, like today, no one believes you. That was all it was, I was knackered. Really.' Truly. Honest. Cross my heart and... well, maybe not.

The closer the bunch got to the trio of escapees, the more energetic its chasing efforts got and, when the leaders were in sight, it looked certain they would be caught but somehow, even with Julian 'Rambo' Ramsbottom doing monster turns inside the final mile, all three stayed clear, with Tanner taking the stage, Wilson second and Bray as good as his word. On the line it was too close to call for the yellow jersey. It wasn't going to be Newton's, but did Tanner have enough to take it?

A five-second bonus at the top of the hill prime, a two-second intermediate sprint bonus, 10 seconds on the line for the stage and - the crux - how many on the bunch? 17. Three seconds more than he needed. Sweet.

1. John Tanner (Gill Airways-Peugeot) 73 miles in 2-49-30
2. D. Wilson (Optimum Performance RT) at 14sec
3. S. Bray (Team Energy) at 16sec
4. R. Hayles (Ambrosia) at 17sec
5. C. Newton (North Wirral Velo)
6. M. Walsham (Gill Airways)

Stage three: BeverleyBeverley 83m

HEROICALLY calm after the finish line, face still coated in flecks of mud, John Tanner wasn't sure if he had won the overall classification of the Land's Classic two-day or not. Manager Keith Lambert was happy to inform him that not only had he won, but his team-mate Neil Hoban had scooped the final stage to boot. About 50 miles earlier you would have got long odds on that state of affairs on a stage where fortunes rose and fell with every dip and rise in the roads.

No matter which way up you viewed the situation it didn't look good for overnight race leader Tanner and Gill Air. A 20-man leading group which contained Julian Ramsbottom and Matt Stephens of North Wirral Velo (18 seconds and 39 seconds down on Tanner respectively), Matt Illingworth (21 seconds in arrears), Simon Bray and Matt Postle (29 and 33 seconds down) was over the hills and far, far away, three minutes up the road being followed by a lethargic and still too-big bunch. Sure, there were still 50 miles to go, but the roads of the East Riding weren't conducive to a big chase and there were so many bodies sitting on in both big groups no one was prepared to commit themselves.

Team Energy and North Wirral could be content, Gill Air, with Neil Hoban in the front weren't and Team Ambrosia had Gary Thomas up there. Neither rider was seriously in contention overall and neither was sure of lasting the six climbs and high winds over 83 miles of racing.

So, in fantasy cycling league, what do you do if you are manager of Gill Air, Team Ambrosia or North Wirral Velo? Well, in the fantasy world you play a canny waiting game, a bit of poker and trust someone else - or some other bodies will help bail you out. The only trouble was, both Keith Lambert and Simon Day were relying on each other's riders to do just that. John Herety, in the North Wirral car, at least knew that his riders had themselves to look to and could get on with it.

There was another factor in the race. For all that Optimum Performance had lost Wayne Randle (lost in post-Saturday night action, missing, presumed still alive somewhere in Yorkshire) and Ray Eden to a bizarre, apparently self-inflicted, crash at mile three which took him out the race, there was still Paul Curran, Drew Wilson, Kevin Dawson and Gary Speight in the main `chasing' group, while Mark Lovatt was sitting, one could say prettily, with the leaders.

Curran, three-time winner of this event, knew what was at stake and mentioned to Tanner that he was going to `have a go' on the second prime hill of the day, Fimber, 37 miles in. Sure enough, on the exposed and draggy climb, Curran jumped and - lo and behold - had Tanner and Jonny Clay (Team Orange) on his wheel. Chris Newton jumped on and Rob Hayles, second overall, made it in extremis.

It was the move that set the race alight and, although no fewer than 16 riders made it across on the descent into the Vale of York, this was an altogether more manageable group. All of a sudden the race was on again, and was if not wide open then less of a lost cause than it had first appeared only a few miles previously.

Halfway through the stage and the gap between the Tanner group and the leaders, drilling along thanks to Stephens and Ramsbottom, had been three minutes. Now it was under two. The dead wood in the front group was Ramsbottom and Stephens lead the string on the final stage starting to fall off and this seemed to give the chasers a bit of hope, for all that they still couldn't see their quarry.

Come the monstrous climb of Garrowby, hideously steep and cruelly exposed, the break was clearly in sight and had been reduced to seven. Ramsbottom, Stephens, Hoban, Lovatt, Bray, Jeff Wright (North East RT) and Thomas were still being driven by the North Wirral duo with help from king of the mountains Bray and Wright. Thomas was yoyoing and Hoban, naturally, was sitting on.

There was a Spinergy wheel on offer at the top of Garrowby and, since he had won one the previous day, Hoban fancied a pair, and started to sprint only to have his front wheel collapse. Wright took the prime and the wheel while Hoban took a wheel change.

If the hills, wind and pace had taken their toll on the leaders, the Tanner group was shedding bodies with regularity too, with Hayles, under-23 leader Phil West and Welshman Carwyn Nott all sliding off the back of the chasing group on Garrowby. They got back on again on the fast descent down to Pocklington, but if Tanner had waved bye-bye to Hayles for good the race would surely have been over.

As it was, with Hayles still in with a chance of an overall win, Ambrosia had to try to get the race back together for Hayles to win the gallop and the 15-second time bonus that went with it. Tanner, on the other hand, had to play a cannier game. Ideally he wanted the break to stay away, for Hoban to win the stage and take the bonus without giving away more than a handful of seconds to Ramsbottom who could also score a 10 or five second time bonus for second or third on the stage.

For its part, North Wirral needed the time bonus and a few seconds of a gap back to Tanner for an overall win. It was very finely balanced as the race left the hills of the Wolds behind and got back on to the main road towards the finish in Beverley.

Once on wider roads, the Tanner group could see the leaders who were starting to look a bit ragged. Sadly - perhaps crucially - for the leaders the motorbike commissaire who had been supplying time checks suffered a rear wheel puncture and had to quit the race at a vital stage in the game.

Suddenly, with Ramsbottom suffering, Stephens launched himself off the front with five miles to go. Hoban joined him and sat on as, from the Tanner group, Gary Speight pre-empted Curran's plan for a last three-mile flyer, leapfrogging across to Stephens and Hoban. `I couldn't believe it when Gary came up to me. I looked round and saw that they were nearly on us,' explained Stephens. `I thought we still had a bit of a gap because the only time checks I had been getting were from the team car and near the end of course they stopped.'

With Stephens caught by Hoban, Bray and Lovatt, Ramsbottom slipping back to the chasers and Speight lining himself up for a stage, the North Wirral game was up. Simon Bray led it out, Hoban came round him and Lovatt took second ahead of Speight.

For Ambrosia, their game-plan folded in front of their eyes, so close, yet in the end it might as well have been minutes rather than metres which separated Hayles from a race-winning bonus. They missed out on the bonuses and watched powerlessly as Tanner led the charge for the line, ensuring that there was no foxing to allow the break any chance of chipping away at his overall lead. Mission accomplished. Although he didn't know it at the time.

1. Neil Hoban (Gill Air-Peugeot) 83 miles in 3-21-20
2. M. Lovatt (Optimum Performance RT)
3. G. Speight (Optimum Performance RT)
4. M. Stephens (North Wirral Velo)
5. G. Thomas (Ambrosia) all same time
6. P. Curran (Optimum Performance RT) at 9sec

FINAL OVERALL

1. John Tanner (Gill AirwaysPeugeot) 6-18-14
2. R. Hayles (Ambrosia) at 4sec
3. C. Newton (North Wirral Velo) at 5sec
4. P. West (Middridge CRT) at 11sec
5. J. Ramsbottom (North Wirral Velo) at 18sec
6. S. Bray (Team Energy) at 20sec
7. M. Illingworth (Essex) at 21sec
8. P. Curran (Optimum Performance RT) at 22sec
9. J. Clay (Team Orange) at 23sec
10. N. Hoban (Gill Air) at 24sec

Team.- North Wirral Velo-Kodak Prints.