Girvan 3-Day (Premier Calendar)
13-Apr-1998
| Brite whitewash Team Brite rubbed in their current superiority in the BCF Premier Calendar by taking first and second places overall and winning every stage of the 31st Girvan three-day race in Scotland GIRVAN - the sunspot of south Ayrshire - was the place to be on a bank holiday weekend when bad weather dominated the headlines elsewhere in Britain. All four stages of the Girvan three-day were run off in brilliant sunshine, although a scything north-westerly wind meant that riders were more likely to be affected by windburn than sunstroke. Team Brite certainly enjoyed its place in the sun. Between them, Jonny Clay, Rob Hayles and Matt Illingworth took all the stages, with Clay and Chris Newton bagging first and second places overall and Illingworth taking two stages. In fact, the only award to elude the Brite boys was the King of the Mountains, which was won by Andy Naylor (Cannons Sports Club). Clay, winner of the previous weekend's Archer Grand Prix, built the foundations for his first ever Girvan victory with a stage win on day one. "I think I rode a good, aggressive race that day," he said. He ended the day with a handy lead over team-mate Chris Newton, and rode the rest of the race safe in the knowledge that, should he falter, Newton was more than capable of taking over the yellow jersey. "I know we get criticised for grabbing everything," Clay added, "but we've worked bloody hard for what we've got. The lads have worked themselves into the ground for me. Chris was covering everything, Rob buried himself early on, and Matt has come on so strong. He's just been wasting himself, but now his talent's sky high." Clay, 34, is enjoying a golden autumn to his career. He has known lean times, however, including those last year, when a collapsed sponsorship deal brought about financial setback. "It's great to be part of a set-up like this, and it's up to the others who are moaning to get themselves equally well organised," he said. "There are plenty of strong riders out there." Runner-up Chris Newton agreed: "We shouldn't be dominating like this," he said. "The others aren't prepared to work together and sacrifice everything for just one man." Newton, who retained his lead in the Premier Calendar, has no regrets about turning his back on a career in France. "I've got to try and make my future secure," he added, "and this is the best opportunity." Scott Gamble (Linda McCartney Foods) - who shared Clay's first-day break - was third overall, while Mark Lovatt (GS Strada-Ambrosia) was fourth and Drew Wilson (Clarke Contracts) flew the flag for Scotland in fifth. The last word is with Brite manager Keith Lambert: "We did this with basically a team of trackies," he pointed out. Which begs the question: what would have happened if the team's other top riders, John Tanner and Chris Walker - both of whom were racing abroad - had been in the starting line-up? Stage 1, Girvan-Girvan, 73.5m The longest stage of the race saw Jonny Clay (Team Brite) score a lone victory while his team-mate Chris Newton snatched second place ahead of an aggressive Scott Gamble (Linda McCartney Foods). It also ended the overall ambitions of most of the field, which was spread over 24 minutes after 73 miles of action-packed racing. Clay's was in the first serious attack of the day, after only three miles. This shaped an eight-man group that was destined to scoop all the top placings on the stage and overall. By the time the leaders had completed two ascents of the Dunure Hill prime - a fast plunge down to the harbour followed by a stiff climb away from the sea at 23 and 41 miles - they had built a lead of 1-15 on a disintegrating bunch. Chris Newton (Brite), Drew Wilson (Scotland-Clarke Contracts) and Scott Gamble (Linda McCartney Foods) battled for the KoM points, while Clay bided his time. Through rolling country north of Girvan, and into the teeth of a strong north-westerly wind, the lead group split and strongmen Clay, Gamble, Simon Bray (PDM Sports-WCU) and Wilson gained a minute on their former companions Newton, Richard Wooles (PDM Sports), Dan Staite (Team Undergear) and Mark Lovatt (Ambrosia). At this point the second quartet on the road started to fight back. Meanwhile, there seemed to be a lack of urgency about the leading quartet. "I knew Chris was coming across with another three, so I was going through but not putting any real effort into it," Clay said. "For some reason, the other three weren't going hard either. I don't really understand why." When the chasers had reduced the gap to 15 seconds, Gamble attacked. "It was a good move and I worked with him straight away," Clay added. "I sensed I was stronger than Scott, and jumped him with about seven miles to go." Clay dropped Gamble and cruised into Girvan 44 seconds clear. The seven chasers came together on the run-in to the line, where Newton took a fiercely contested second spot from the ever-willing Gamble. After a 15-second time bonus had been added to his victory margin, Clay headed for his hotel with a 59second overall advantage over second-placed Newton. 1. Jonny Clay (Team Brite) 73.5m in 2-50-40 Stage 2, Girvan criterium,16.5m Four Team Brite riders in line astern dominated the front of the bunch in the closing laps, entertaining the spectators but making a depressing sight for rival teams. With the temperature plummeting, this was not a night for heroics by the 73 survivors from the opening stage and Brite - defending first and second overall - duly took control. Into the long finishing straight for the last time, Rob Hayles came off Matt Illingworth's wheel to take the criterium for the second year running. But the broadest smile at the finish belonged to Gary Adamson, who had been drafted into the Travelwise team at the last minute. He was the filling in the Brite sandwich, pipping Illingworth for second spot in a photo-finish. Hayles, overall winner in 1997, had salvaged some pride in the short, sharp criterium after losing more than eight minutes in the morning stage. "I just haven't got the mileage and blew up this morning," he said. "But give me a couple of weeks and I should be OK." 1. Rob Hayles (Team Brite) 16.5m in 40-08 Stage 3, Kilmarnock-Girvan, 68m For the first time, it looked as though the Brite stranglehold might be broken, when six riders from rival teams joined forces in a 60-mile breakaway. But the Brite machine swung into action in the second half of the stage and the men in red scored another one-two as Matt Illingworth took the honours from Chris Newton, with Simon Cope (Linda McCartney Foods) in third. Brite did suffer one setback, however - Andy Naylor won all four classified climbs to take the mountains jersey from Newton. It was a just reward for Naylor, who had launched an opportunist attack soon after the deneutralisation flag had dropped. Over the next 15 miles he was joined by his Cannons teammate Andy Lyons, Neil Hoban (Linda McCartney Foods), Richard Moore (Scotland-Clarke Contracts), Martin Ford (Ambrosia) and Dave Williams (Composite). Former winner Williams was the danger man, and at 35 miles - with the break leading by 2-26 - he was race leader on the road. This news provoked a strong reaction from race leader Clay and, after a series of Brite attacks, a 13-man group went clear of the peloton. On the straight, three-mile drag up Grimett Hill the chasers had the breakaways in their sights. Naylor took maximum climber's points, but the escape was almost over and, with three miles to go, the 13 pursuers caught the six leaders. "It would have been better if we could have stayed away, but at least we put the panic on the Brites," Naylor said later. Hoban put in a final effort, but was marked down by Illingworth. Then, in the last mile, Illingworth took a flyer and roared round the Victory Park finishing circuit to take the stage by one second from Newton, while Clay defended his jersey in style by taking fifth place in the 18-man sprint. 1. Matt Illingworth (Team Brite) 68m in 2-36-09 Stage 4, Girvan-Girvan, 72m It was almost a fairy tale ending as yellow jersey Clay brought a small leading group onto the half-mile finishing circuit. He was first into the last left-hander but then eased up, allowing team-mate Matt Illingworth to win his second stage in succession. Scotland's Brian Smith was second at a length, with Clay confirming his overall victory in third place. The stage, which started with a wind-assisted ride down the Ayrshire coast before turning into the hills above Girvan, was dominated by a 40-mile break, driven along by Mark McKay (HarrodsGiant), with Ian Gilkes (GS Strada-Ambrosia) sharing the hard graft. Their escape, which never had more than a minute's lead, was ended when Chris Newton led a small chasing group up to the breakaway riders on the slopes of the 1,500-foot Tairlaw climb. The descent from Tairlaw and fast run-in to Girvan saw a regrouping. The final attack of the race came just after the mile-to-go board, where Clay went clear with a break which just held off the 40strong main group. 1. Matt Illingworth (Team Brite) 2-46-55 FINAL OVERALL 1. Jonny Clay (Team Brite) 8-53-33 Team KoM.- Andy Naylor 24pts; 2, Newton 20; 3, Moore 17. |