Merseyside Invitation TT
10-Oct-1997

Dangerfield on the up
By David Taylor, Snowdon Sports Editorial. Pictures by Phil O’Connor

Seven days after losing his BCF time trial title to Graeme Obree, Stuart Dangerfield rebuilt his confidence with victory in Sunday's Merseyside Wheelers' invitation TT

AFTER finishing second to Chris Boardman on three previous occasions, Stuart Dangerfield (Wheelbase CC) made a timely move up to the top spot in Merseyside Wheelers' invitation time trial on Sunday.

And he did it in the grand style. The RTTC national 25-mile champion put behind him the memory of his defeat by Graeme Obree in the BCF Time Trial Championship when he covered two laps of the 14-mile Delamere Forest circuit in Cheshire in 1-05-42.

Only Chris Boardman - who won the 1995 event in 1-04-56 - has gone faster on a course which has hosted 19 editions of the end-of-season classic.

Dangerfield beat runner-up Chris Newton (North Wirral Velo) by 44 seconds, with Jon Clay (Manchester Phoenix) a further 21 seconds off the pace.

Clay's finishing time of 1-06-47 was 32 seconds faster than his time in 1996, when he finished second to Rob Hayles (Team Ambrosia). This time out Hayles could manage only 1-09-53 for eighth place.

Dangerfield took maximum advantage of a generous £1,600 prize list - made possible by sponsorship from solicitors Silverbeck Rymer - by winning both climbs of Overton Hill, as well as being fastest on both laps of the circuit.

Records fell in the women's event, with Maria Lawrence (Team Ambrosia) putting up a best lap of 38-36 and an event record 1-17-27 to take more than three minutes off Anne Plant's 1995 figure.

After their performances in the previous week's BCF time trial, it was clear Dangerfield and Clay were the men to beat, although Hayles was in with a shout after his omnium medal in the European Track Championships.

Others who we're expected to figure included Andy Hornby (Brough Wheelers), fourth in the BCF title race, Jim Gladwell (Edinburgh BC, Richard Prebble (Wembley RC, Matt Belfield (Stone Wheelers), winner of the last round of the RTTC time trial series, Gethin Butler (Norwood Paragon) - and Newton. But once again Dangerfield showed that, when it comes to hilly time trials, he has few equals.

A bright, warm day greeted riders and spectators, and it was the event's youngest rider, 15-year-old Mark Baker (Team Velo Sport), who was first away. He clocked 1-15-48 for 28th place out of the 35 finishers.

GHS '10' winner Stephen Cummings (Birkenhead North End CC) started well, climbing Overton Hill in 3-19 and looking set for a top-20 placing. But his hopes vanished as his frame snapped and put him out of the race. Meanwhile, Hornby was on his way, and a 35-08 first lap showed promise.

Last year's National Hillclimb Championship bronze medal winner, Jim Henderson (Oxford University CC), was the first inside three minutes on Overton, with 2-56, but a first lap 36-29 put him out of the running for a leading place.

World's road race selection Matt Stephens (North Wirral Velo) was seven seconds off Henderson's pace on the climb, but at the end of the 14-mile lap he was 1-38 up on the Oxford man.

Gladwell, the Scottish national champion over three distances, put in an opening 34-54 lap to take a temporary lead on the result board - but the big hitters were still to make their marks.

Off number 30, Dangerfield was now out on the road and quickly signalled his intentions when his Overton Hill time was flashed back to the finish - 2-47, nine seconds faster than Henderson.

Dangerfield roared past the timekeepers by Hatchmere Lake, and his 32-58 put him top of the board with plenty of would-be challengers to come. Clay's was the next time to look for, and his 33-14 put him into second behind Dangerfield. But Newton was still to come. On Overton the Tour de l’Avenir rider had been 14 seconds slower than Dangerfield, with 3-01 but when he completed the 14-mile lap, the gap was down to just one second.

Andy Wilkinson (AdidasSciCon) completed his first lap, but his 34-59 left him 2-01 down on Dangerfield. Prebble was closer to the current top three of Dangerfield, Newton and Clay with his opening 33-30, and Gethin Butler was also a threat with a first leg of 33-18.

Triathlete Belfield's first half was posted as 32-00, which would have been a 19-second beating of Chris Boardman's lap record! Within minutes this had been corrected to 34-00, still good enough to place him in sixth place .

Last-man-off Hayles came through in 34-08 for seventh place at halfway, not looking at his best, and clearly facing an uphill task if he was to repeat his 1996 win.

Stephens had now finished with 1-09-16, his second lap 28 seconds faster than his first, while Gladwell ended his season with 110-06 for 11th place.

Then Dangerfield flashed in, improving his lap time by 14 seconds to 32-44, but falling 25 seconds short of Boardman's lap record. Clay was not far away, but was not able to shift Dangerfield from top spot, and his final 1-0647 gave him third place.

Newton held on to second, but he faded on the final circuit as Dangerfield pulled away to win by 44 seconds. Butler and Prebble made no impression on Dangerfield, their times of 1-07-06 and 1-7-47 leaving them fourth and fifth respectively. Belfield hung on to sixth, finishing in 1-08-24.

A long season was taking its toll on Hayles, who lost a further 3-01 on Dangerfield over the last 14 miles to run out with 1-09-53, equal eighth with Andy Wilkinson.

Dangerfield once again showed he is near to unbeatable when it comes to hilly time trials - something he no doubt hopes will be noted in the BCF's corridors of power.

1. Stuart Dangerfield (Wheelbase) ..... 1 05 42
2. C. Newton (North Wirral Velo) ....... 1 06 26
3. J. Clay (Manchester Phoenix) ........ 1 06 47
4. G. Butler (Norwood Paragon) ........ 1 07 06
5. R. Prebble (Wembley RC)........... 1 07 47
6. M. Belfield (Stone Wh) ............. 1 08 24
7. M. Stephens (North Wirral Velo)...... 1 09 16
8. R. Hayles (Team Ambrosia) ......... 1 09 53
9. A. Wilkinson (Adidas-SciCon) ........ 1 09 53
10. D. Cook (Middridge CRT) ........... 1 09 54
11. J. Gladwell (Edinburgh BC).......... 1 10 06
12. D. Sweeney (Rockingham Forest Wh). .1 10 12
13. A. Hornby (Brough Wh) ............ 1 10 15
14. B. Harwood (North Wirral Velo) ...... 1 10 24
15. J. Ramsbottom (North Wirral Velo).... 1 10 30
16. J. Wainman (Hull Thursday RC) ...... 1 10 47
17. P. West (Adidas-SciCon)............ 1 11 03
18. S. Duff (Johnstone Wh) ............ 1 11 11
19. M. Ford (Team Castelli) ............ 1 11 13
20. W. Moore (Leo RC) ............... 1 11 25

Women: Maria Lawrence (Team Ambrosia).... 1 17 27


What they said

Stuart Dangerfield was left wondering what might have been in the BCF title race. "This should have been the championship," he said. "It is a really testing course, with climbs.

"I felt bad all week after the BCF championship - I put so much effort into that ride. I knew I was under pressure today, because all the potential challengers were off behind me. I went as hard as I could on the first lap, but I found it heavy going. was at a disadvantage because I wasn't getting any time checks on [Jon] Clay or [Chris] Newton."

Overall, Dangerfield is pleased with the way his year has panned out. "It has been one of my best seasons," he said. "I won the Isle of Man mountain time trial and the 25-mile championship, but I still didn't get to the World's, did I?

"It has been a frustrating end of season for me - I should have gone to the Grand Prix des Nations and the World's."

Dangerfield continues his late-season schedule with The Rake Hill-climb this weekend, the Knaresborough Hilly TT and the National Hill-climb.

"Then I'm going to have a go at a local cyclo-crass, before deciding what my targets are going to be for 1998," he added.

Chris Newton, who has spent the season racing in France, returns there next year. "I came home to enjoy myself today," he said, "and it took Stuart Dangerfield to beat me!"


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