Newport Nocturne - National Elite Circuit Series
11-Sep-2005

Chris Newton stands tall as the others fall
Words: Hugh Gladstone for Snowdon Sports Editorial. Pictures: Larry Hickmott

CHRIS NEWTON MANAGED TO STAY UPRIGHT - leaving the thrills and a few too many spills safely behind him - to score a lone victory in a rain-drenched Newport Nocturne in Shropshire on Saturday

EMPLOYING a strategy that kept him away from all the inherent dangers of riding in the bunch in the wet, Chris Newton (Recycling. co.uk-Litespeed) soloed to a fine victory in the Newport Nocturne on Saturday night.

As riders in the bunch fell fly like flies on the technical, rain-soaked circuit, Newton went on the attack after just four laps and stayed away for the remainder of the chaotic race. The world track gold medallist crossed the line after 23 laps of a 1.1-mile towncentre circuit with one and three-quarter minutes to spare over second placed rider Julian Winn (Pinarello RT).

James Taylor (Sports-coaching.com) finished in third place to consolidate his lead in the national Elite Circuit Race Series, which ends at Warwick this Sunday, while junior rider Ben Swift (JE James RT) rode to an excellent fourth.

HUGE CROWDS

Despite the abysmal weather, huge crowds once again turned out for the biennial cycling celebration held under floodlights in this small Shropshire town. The Past Masters criterium showcased the old pros in their varying states of decay before the newly introduced Olympian Challenge pitted Britain's world champions and Olympic heroes against one another in a single lap's time trial.

It was during the latter event that the circuit was topped up with a nice layer of surface water that made cornering on cobbles so much more fun for riders in the main race. Every lap they would have to pass the finish line on the High Street and then descend to the bottom end of the course where a 180-degree turn round the church planted them onto these treacherous stones.

From the first lap onwards there were crashes on this difficult corner. The stretch of cobbles that followed also claimed its victims, with riders tumbling at subtle changes in surface and the chicane, which threw them off the stones and back up the other side of the High Street.

Tom Smith escaped on this section during lap one, intent on stringing the race out for Viner Bikes-Agisko team-mate Ian Holt, winner of the previous round, the Bob Chicken London Grand Prix, and riding here in his home town. Smith led the race for the best part of a lap, leading the field back across the finish line for the first of many intermediate primes.

Winn then went on the attack on the second lap. By this point many riders were already pulling into the pits to claim their permitted lap out following crashes.

The slips and slides quickly fragmented the bunch and it was clear that the best place to be was out front. Winn was joined by Rob Hayles and the pair led onto the fourth lap before Roger Hammond (Discovery Channel), making a rare domestic appearance, closed the gap. Newton then seized the initiative and counterattacked. This was the winning move.

Despite the conditions, Newton was reportedly averaging 28mph on some laps as he drew open a 15-second advantage on the bunch. Hammond was prominent on the front of the chase, which now numbered around 38 riders, while the remainder of the 65-rider field slithered around in fragments behind. Newton's gap was held between 15 and 20 seconds for around five laps before a major crash on lap 10 brought down several of the most prominent chasers. Winn, Taylor and Hammond all hit the deck, with the latter pulling into the pits to withdraw.

"I'm really sorry," the ProTour rider announced over the PA system. "I really wanted to come here and put on a show, but I can't afford to take the risks in these conditions with the World Championships coming up."

FASTER AND FASTER

By the next time check after 11 laps, Newton was half a minute clear, with now just 14 riders left in the chase. The next lap was Newton's fastest of the race as he clocked 2-45 to complete the circuit. From here onwards his margin grew as he benefited from being out on his own, dictating his own speed and line into the corners.

Lap 13 saw Winn and Hayles go clear and form a healthy lead on the rest of the chasers. This move would keep Winn clear right until the finish line, but Hayles wasn't to be so lucky. On lap 14 he slipped on the hairpin, smashing his right leg to the ground. He remounted grimacing and retired to the pits for first aid.

With almost two minutes on the chasers, Newton could take the final lap as carefully as he liked. Having tackled the technical sections he turned into the home straight for one final time. Sitting upright, he celebrated all the way down the High Street, saluting those who'd stuck it out by the roadside to watch through the rain.

Behind, Winn and Adrian Timmis (Pinarello RT) entered the home straight with just a few yards' advantage on their chasers. Winn hit the front and held off the sprint to repeat his second place of two years ago. Timmis, however, couldn't do the same and he had to settle for fifth.

Winner on how he stayed ahead of the pack

NEWTON: "I JUST PULLED AWAY"

"OFF the front was probably the safest place to be," said Chris Newton - probably the only rider in the race not to take a tumble. "It's obviously harder on the straights, but I could take my own line on the corners and go quite fast. I think that's really where I was pulling the time out.

"It's just the way it turned out," Newton added. "I was trying to set up Dean [Downing] for the win by forcing other people to chase. Then I heard that

Roger [Hammond] had pulled out and thought: 'that's one of the driving forces gone'. I put my head down after that and tried a little bit harder for a couple of laps to try and dissuade people from chasing. It worked and I just gradually pulled away from them."

Despite having been involved in a couple of crashes, second-place Julian Winn declared: "It can rain or it can snow for all I care, I'm not really bothered by the weather. It was the same for everybody. I was quite enjoying the cobbles - it made it more interesting."

1. CHRIS NEWTON (RECYCLING. CO.UK-LITESPEED) 25.2 MILES IN 1-00-03
2. J. Winn (Pinarello RT) at 1-45
3. J. Taylor (Sports-coaching.com)
4. B. Swift (JE James RT)
5. A. Timmis (Pinarello RT)
6. E. Oliphant (Recycling.co.ukLitespeed)
7. I. Holt (Viner Bikes)
8. M. Elliott (Pinarello RT)
9. W. Spence (London Dynamo) all same time
10. P Manning (Recycling.co.ukLitespeed) at 1-47
11. F Morini (Italy) at st
12. R. Muir (Viner Bikes) at 1-56
13. at 1 lap: 13, A. Collis (De Rosa RT)
14. S. Gaywood (CC Luton)
15. D. Booth (unatt)
16. C. Siepen (Warrington RC)
17. S. Cope (Pacific RT)
18. R. Partridge (Fuji Bikes UK)
19. T Smith (Viner Bikes)
20. M. Cardellini (Italy)
21. D. Alexander (Ace RT)
22. R. Downing (Recycling. co.uk-Litespeed).

INTER COUNTY COURIERS OLYMPIAN CHALLENGE

1. ANDY TENNANT 1-51-64
2. C. Newton 1-53-10
3. P Manning 1-53-75
4. R. Hayles (Recycling.co.uk-Litespeed) 1-58-12
5. R. Hammond (Discovery Channel) 1-59-48
6. J. Queally (Great Britain) 2-09-87.

DUIGNAN PHELPS PAST MASTERS

1. IAN FAGAN 16.5 MILES IN 50-23
2. Keith Lambert at 27sec
3. Simon Day
4. A. Timmis both st
5. S. Barras at 34sec
6. N. Hoban
7. S. Jones
8. P Thomas
9. L. West at 1-35
10. K. Reynolds at st.



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