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."
|