Lillywhite ends Brite reign
By Keith Bingham. Photos by Rob Lampard

After winning every Premier Calendar race thus far, Team Brite finally lost out to Harrods in a surprise climax to the tough Lincoln GP on Sunday

IT had to happen: sooner or later Team Brite's tremendous run of victories - standing at eight consecutive Premier Calendar wins - had to end. Ironically, it was Chris Newton, the man who gave Brite their first victory in the GP Essex in March, who ended their imperious reign when he fell in this, the ninth Premier Calendar event.

Newton's misfortune to slip on the greasy cobbles on the 13th ascent of the steep Michaelgate climb, only 300 yards from the finish line, left the way clear for his breakaway partner Chris Lillywhite to seize his chance to give Harrods their first major win of the season.

It was pure luck that saw Lillywhite start the race, but he had pulled out of the Tour of Slovenia last Monday, after only one day, for personal reasons. Thus he became available to ride the Lincoln, and for a man who began the season late due to injury, this victory was particularly sweet.

"Obviously I was very, very lucky," said Lillywhite, a broad grin spreading across his grit-spattered face. But you need some luck, and I've had my share of bad luck, I can tell you."

Newton picked himself up unhurt to finish second at seven seconds.

Matt Beckett (Northern Foilings) escaped the chasers to take third place at 43 seconds, ahead of Joe Bayfield (Harrods) - by far the strongest man on the day - winning all but one of the 13 climbs up Michaelgate to take the King of Castle title.

Mishaps on Michaelgate

As predicted, the difficult 1-in-6 cobbled ascent of Michaelgate decided the outcome. Always a tough man's race, the Lincoln is also the most technical, and mastering the climb up through the historical city centre has always been the key to victory.

Early on, with four Brite men in the 12-man break which dominated the race, everything pointed to another win for the men in red. The rest of the field had already been intimidated before the start of the race by the arrival in a helicopter of three of the four Team Brite big shots, carrying the spoils of victory from that . morning's raid on the RTTC 10-mile title race in which they took gold, silver and bronze, plus fourth place and the team title. This time, though, things didn't work out quite so smoothly for the Brite boys.

Rob Hayles, the new `10' champion, didn't fly to Lincoln with his victorious team-mates. To the relief of the championship promoters, who thought all the medal winners were about to take off before the ceremony, he stayed to receive his gold medal and those for all of his team-mates as well.

So it was eight Team Brite men who lined up for the Lincoln, four of whom were soon in action off the front. The second ascent of Michaelgate did the damage, and here 12 men soared clear. They were: Harrods team-mates Lillywhite and Bayfield, Team Brite's Newton, last year's winner John Tanner, Chris Walker and Matt Illingworth, Gary Adamson (Travelwise), Julian Winn (Welsh CU) - who had also been in a short break on the first lap - Brian Smith (Clarke Contracts), Julian Lowe (Cherry Valley), Matt Beckett (Northern Foilings) and Mark Wordsworth (Dinnington RC), a new name for World Performance Plan road manager John Herety to conjure with.

For all their undoubted strength, the day's double act proved too much for Team Brite's time trialling kings. Colin Sturgess, fourth in the RTTC '10' championship, was the first to be dropped from the bunch after only 12 miles, and he subsequently packed with a knee injury from the morning's TT title race.

Others to follow suit were Matt Illingworth, who pulled up with seven laps to go, and Jonny Clay, who was also riding in the bunch and pulled out a lap later.

Attention now focused on the 12-man leading group, which was trimmed first to seven men and then to two, when Newton and Lillywhite took off to settle the race between themselves.

As a result of Bayfield's aggression it was the Michaelgate climb which took five men out over a number of laps. Here, Bayfield often found himself clear over the summit, but never with a partner to make a run for it. Illingworth had been the first man in the break to be dropped, followed by Lowe on the eighth ascent, Wordsworth on the ninth, and both Adamson and Walker side by side on the 10th.

The rain was chucking it down and the seven remaining leaders were now 2-19 ahead of the nearest chasers, all of whom were going nowhere fast. At last a truly competitive group had emerged, comprising, in the red corner, two Brites - Newton and Tanner - and in the green corner, the two Harrods riders Lillywhite and Bayfield, and three lively individuals in the form of Smith, Winn and Beckett, all keenly observing the goings on. And there was a lot going on as this lively trio took a brief advantage as they raced across the high bridge in the direction of Burton village, with two laps to go.

They regrouped on the 50mphplus descent through the village. As they turned left onto the A57, direction Lincoln and the imposing towers of the cathedral on the hill four miles away, Newton rocketed clear but was quickly reeled in.

Tanner burst clear a mile or two later, on the short climb past St George's Hospital, but they were altogether for the penultimate climb of Michaelgate as Newton led them onto the cobbles.

Duo move clear

Over the top and out of the city for the last time, Smith attacked and Bayfield countered as the group had become decidedly jumpy. A crucial move came at the sharp left turn onto the A57, as Lillywhite and Newton gained 30 yards. Winn chased, but to no avail. The duo now had five seconds on the chasers and Winn attacked again but was pulled back by Bayfield and Tanner. Beckett, quiet for a while, seized his chance as the race turned left into Long Leys Road, but this move was countered too. With this the life went out of the group, and Newton and Lillywhite's lead shot up to 36 seconds as the road lifted into the Lincoln outskirts for the last time. Lillywhite led into Hungate, a short road leading to the cobbled climb, but it was on the wet, slippery cobbles that Newton swept past.

Then came the unexpected: Newton was halfway up the first stretch of cobbles and in a commanding lead when he shot a glance back at Lillywhite. In a trice his front wheel slipped, and with a clatter Newton was down. Lillywhite adeptly avoided the body and the bike ahead of him, and seized the initiative and the glory.

The race was organised by VC Lincoln and supported by Lincoln City Council. From a field of 100 entrants there were 20 finishers and 24 non-starters, the most notable of whom was Rob Hayles (Team Brite), winner of the RTTC '10' championship that same morning.

1. Chris Lillywhite (Harrods) 102m in 4-04-41
2. C. Newton (Team Brite) at 7sec
3. M. Beckett (Northern Foilings) at 43sec
4. J. Bayfield (Harrods) at 49sec
5. J. Winn (Welsh CU) at st
6. B. Smith (Clarke Contracts) at 55sec
7. J. Tanner (Team Brite) at 1-15
8. B. Steel (Team Brite) at 3-27
9. S. Bray (Welsh CU) at 3-31
10. R. Moore (Clarke Contracts) at 3-34
11. G. Adamson (Travelwise) at 3-51
12. J. Ramsbottom (Harrods) at 3-55
13. D. Staite (Team Undergear) at 4-0
14. D. Rand (Welsh CU) at 4-04
15. D. Oakley (West Drayton MBC) at 4-14
16. M. Ford (Ambrosia) at 4-31
17. R. Downing (Team Brite) at 4-38
18. M. Stephens (Harrods) at 5-16
19. G. Peterson (Clarke Contracts) at 9-16
20. M. Wordsworth (Dinnington RC) at 10-04

King of the Castle.- Joe Bayfield (Harrods).

What they said

Chris Lillywhite, Lincoln GP victor: "This is my first big win of the year, after a 'chipper'. To be honest, I've raced only eight days this year. If I'm riding the Prutour it's not nearly enough. Slovenia would have been ideal for me, really - a nice seven-day race.

"I didn't start training until February due to an operation on my shoulder. I'm always a slow starter, anyway, and never come up with anything bit until about mid-season."

Lillywhite described his battle with Newton: "Newton was drawing away from me. He had it in the bag, to be honest. I was spent. The lad is so strong. He just lost his wheel and fell off on he cobbles about halfway up. Luckily I wasn't on his wheel or I would probably have come down myself. I just picked my way through him and his bike!"

Harrods team manager Sid Barras commented: "It was bad luck for Newton, but good luck for Chris and Harrods. It was good to have Chris back from Slovenia, he's the captain. Today's result is a relief that Brite's winning run has ended."

A rueful Chris Newton smiled and shrugged at the rotten luck that cost him the race. "It was just one of those things. I had it and then... I don't know. I hit something and the front wheel went and that was it. Pissed off, totally, but..."

Newton recalled the final miles of what ought to have been another run for victory: "Joe Bayfield was stomping up the climb. No one could touch him so we knew we had to isolate him. Me and John [Tanner] took it in turns to bring him back."

It was Lillywhite who broke clear first, with Newton quick to join him. "We worked together and then Lillywhite cracked at the start of the climb. I pulled away, was going away, and then". Newton left the sentence unfinished and continued rubbing his wet head with a towel.

Matt Beckett, third, was the quiet man in the final miles, biding his time.

"The pace was alright in that break, until the last two laps when there was a lot of jumping. So I played poker. Let them get on with it," he explained, grinning.

"The Harrods boys would attack and the Brites kept answering. So I let Julian [Winn] and Brian [Smith] do a lot of the chasing. I kicked myself when the two of them [Newton and Lillywhite] had gone. Then, on the climb, I just went hell for leather. I looked around and Joe wasn't there any more, so I got third. That's the way it goes. We're getting there."

Many thought Joe Bayfield man of the race, with his powerful riding to take the King of Castle prize and an eventual fourth place. That was a better result than last year, when he was fourth. "I won all but one climb," he said happily. "I was surprised at how much time I putting into the other riders because I wasn't going flat out up the climb. A couple of times I did try hard and got a good gap, but the others managed to claw their way back up. Then, when there was just two Brite riders, we knew that just possibly we might be able to win because I was going very well and Chris was feeling quite good as well.

"So, with only two of them left, we had them covered. OK, so we were a little bit lucky - that's the way it goes. With three laps to go, Chris Walker and John Tanner were trying to get me away with Newton. But Smith and Winn always managed to drag us back.

I was happy to try because I was confident I could beat Newton on the last climb. I can't complain. We got first and the King of the Castle. I’m glad it was our team which broke the Brite domination. If you're strong enough you can sit down and pedal that cobbled hill. If you get out of the saddle you get bounced all over the place.

"Since last weekend the form has come on and hopefully I can carry it through to the Prutour. Maybe I can get a placing there. That would be good."