Preview: Sheffield Grand Prix

This Wednesday sees the final round of the Elite Circuit Series at a new event in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, a breeding ground for so many world class cyclists

The Tour de France may have been won and the Olympics yet to begin, but there is one more big domestic race which will attract the country’s best male and female riders, the Sheffield Grand Prix. The Wednesday evening will see two races, the 2012 Women’s National Circuit Race Championships at 7pm over approximately 45 minutes for Elite/1/2/3 & Junior category riders and the men’s race will then follow at 8.30pm with the usual Elite Circuit Series of around an hour of racing.

Riders will travel anticlockwise around the course and on leaving the start will travel down Pinstone Street, left onto Furnival Gate down to the roundabout and sweep left on Arundel Gate. Riders will turn left at the Crucible Theatre and make their way up Norfolk Street. From here riders will ride on the cobbled section turning right onto Surrey Street before completing 1 full lap.

The two races both have a lot of quality and while the women’s race only has 37 riders entered, it does have the Johnson Health Tech Series winner Annie Simpson (Matrix Fitness Prendas) riding as is the Junior World Champion Lucy Garner who has many a win to her name in these type of races. Defending champion Hannah Barnes is down to ride as is a rider on the come back this year, Jo Tindley (VC St Raphael/Waite Contracts). Eileen Roe from Scotland has won a top level crit this year and so is a possible winner and the girls from Scott Epic have all year been at sharp end of races, winning their fare share like the Team Series one last weekend at Nazeby.

Will we see this in Sheffield – the rainbow stripes of Lucy Garner winning arms aloft just like Cav in Paris?

In the men’s race, the quality goes even deeper. The race has one of the biggest entries of any Elite Circuit Series race including the series winner and ‘local’ Graham Briggs. ‘Brigga’ as he is called on Twitter, scored more twice as many points as the next rider in the Circuit Series with Sheffield still to go. He will though face stiff opposition and after Raleigh was beaten in Beverley on Friday evening, the challenge is certainly going to be a very tough one. The Downing brothers are, like Briggs, both from South Yorkshire and Dean said at the start of the year, if he won one race and it was Sheffield, he’d be happy.

After a difficult year with health problems which have been taken care of by a sponsor of the race and Dean’s team, that sponsor being Claremont Hospital, Dean Downing has been getting ever better recently, form and health wise and will be a possible winner. As will his brother Russell Downing of Endura Racing. “”I can remember Friday nights in Sheffield when the racing was the entertainment and we’d wave some silly flags. I can remember watching Malcolm Elliott, Chris Walker and all the boys and there were some good pros who come to the races.”

“With the continental teams here there was a great atmostpshere so to have a crit like that when I’m one of the favourites is going to be nice. Both Dean and me are from the area, Blythy and Swifty and some good pros and we’ve had the Tour of Britain come to Sheffield, I remember getting third there so to have an evening crit it will be a great atmosphere.”

Dean Downing on the attack in Woking during the Halfords Tour Series.

Asked about the course, Russell explained “I know where it is and I think it will be hard to ride with a few cobbles in there, bit of paving and some fast roads. I think I’ll got a cruise over and have a look! After the hard eight days I’ve had, and a hard weekend ahead, I think I might rest up!”

There is quite a range of abilities in the start sheet but as with all British races these days, there is so much quality and that no one rider is expected to dominate. Racing clever as well as hard will be important as will teamwork. Russell Downing’s Endura Racing don’t have the strong numbers they did in the Premier Calendar and Tour Series events but the three of them (Downing, Ian Bibby and Ian Wilkinson) as well as the bronze medallist from the MTB Nationals, Oli Beckingsale, will be a tough combo.

Marcel Six has been consistently in the top ten and who knows, a little luck may see him on the podium. Node 4 have two potenial winners in Rico Rogers and Matt Cronshaw while Raleigh GAC have the strongest team in the race and some local lads who have not been far off the sharp end will be RST/Trigon Bikes trio of Tom Stewart, Daniel Storey and Matthew Sumpton. With no major Elite events in August for the men after BC cancelled the final Premier Calendar race, Sheffield is probably the final major race prior to the Newport Nocturne in September. It promises to be a great race.

Endura racing’s Russell Downing full gas in Beverley last Friday.

BAXI WOMENS National Circuit Race Championships
(also sponsored by Onimpex Bioracer)

Warm up From 6:40pm > Race Start 7.00pm
1. Laura Massey Abergavenny Road Club 2nd
2. Tamina Oliver Abergavenny Road Club 2nd
3. Nicola Moore Active/CPCycles RT 3rd
4. Lauren Brown Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2nd
5. Nicola Soden Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 3rd
6. Nicola Juniper Eagle RC 2nd
7. Joanne McRae Look Mum No Hands 2nd
8. Sarah Reynolds Matrix Fitness – Prendas 2nd
9. Penny Rowson Matrix Fitness – Prendas 1st
10. Annabel Simpson Matrix Fitness – Prendas 2nd
11. Hannah Walker Matrix Fitness – Prendas Elite
12. Jessie Walker Matrix Fitness – Prendas 2nd
13. Eve Dixon Maxgear RT 2nd
14. Alice Barnes Twenty3C-Orbea 2nd
15. Louise Mahe Mulebar Girl 2nd
16. Lucy Garner Node 4 Giordana Womens Team 1st
17. Corrine Hall Node 4 Giordana Womens Team 1st
18. Sarah King Node 4 Giordana Womens Team 3rd
19. Harriet Owen Node 4 Giordana Womens Team Elite
20. Hannah Shenton Node 4 Giordana Womens Team 3rd
21. Nikola Butler Pedalsport Cycling Club 2nd
22. Zoe Armstrong Scott Contessa Epic 3rd
23. Elinor Barker Scott Contessa Epic 1st
24. Emily Kay Scott Contessa Epic 2nd
25. Amy Roberts Scott Contessa Epic 1st
26. Karen Poole Squadra Donne – Shutt VR/Bikefood 2nd
27. Adela Carter Team Hope Factory Racing 3rd
28. Lyndsey Glazier Team Hope Factory Racing 2nd
29. Nicole Walters Team Hope Factory Racing 2nd
30. Hannah Barnes Team Ibis Cycles Elite
31. Kayleigh Brogan Team Ibis Cycles 2nd
32. Eileen Roe Team Ibis Cycles 2nd
33. Stephanie May Team Quest – The Bike Shop 2nd
34. Eleanor Jones VC St Raphael 2nd
35. Joanna Tindley VC St Raphael 2nd
36. Adel Tyson-Bloor VC St Raphael 1st
37. Laura Murray Velocity 44 Stirling 2nd

The Claremont Hospital Sheffield Grand Prix
(Warm up From 8:05pm > Race Start 8:30pm)

1 Ashley Marshall Aire Valley Racing Team 2nd
2 Will Bjergfelt Cycle Premier – Kovert Elite
3 George Tansley Cycle Premier – Kovert 1st
4 Oliver Beckingsale Endura MTB Racing Elite
5 Ian Bibby Endura Racing Elite
6 Russell Downing Endura Racing Elite
7 Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing Elite
8 Dave Starkey Fred Williams Cycles 2nd
9 Kit Gilham Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes.com Elite
10 Alastair Kay Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes.com 1st
11 Jamie Shirlaw Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes.com 1st
12 Jamie Burgan Langsett Cycles RT 1st
13 Danny Lowthorpe Langsett Cycles RT 2nd
14 Dan Whelan Maxgear RT 2nd
15 Tom Barras Metaltek – Scott Elite
16 James Gullen Metaltek – Scott Elite
17 Andrew Hastings Metaltek – Scott Elite
18 Marcel Six Metaltek – Scott Elite
19 Simon Wilson Metaltek – Scott Elite
20 David Clarke Node4 – Giordana Racing Elite
21 Matt Cronshaw Node4 – Giordana Racing Elite
22 Matt Higgins Node4 – Giordana Racing Elite
23 Mike Northey Node4 – Giordana Racing Elite
24 Rico Rogers Node4 – Giordana Racing Elite
25 Pete Williams Node4 – Giordana Racing Elite
26 Jacob Scott Planet X 2nd
27 Dean Downing Rapha Condor Sharp Elite
28 Felix English Rapha Condor Sharp 1st
29 Ben Grenda Rapha Condor Sharp Elite
30 Luke Grivell-Mellor Rapha Condor Sharp 1st
31 Richard Handley Rapha Condor Sharp Elite
32 Richard Lang Rapha Condor Sharp Elite
33 James McCallum Rapha Condor Sharp Elite
34 Oliver Rossi Rapha Condor Sharp Elite
35 Thomas Stewart RST Racing Team 1st
36 Daniel Storey RST Racing Team 1st
37 Matthew Sumpton RST Racing Team 1st
38 Simon Maudsley RVO Racing 2nd
39 James Allen Sheffrec CC 2nd
40 Mark Baines Spirit Racing Team 1st
41 Edward Clemens Spirit Racing Team 2nd
42 Adam Duggleby Sportscover Altura RT Elite
43 Ashley Proctor Sportscover Altura RT 2nd
44 Jake Womersley Sportscover Altura RT 2nd
45 Oliver Wood Sportscover Altura RT 2nd
46 Tom Fitzpatrick Strada-Sport 1st
47 Jamie Newall Team Corley Cycles/Blue 2nd
48 Liam Stones Team Corley Cycles/Blue 1st
49 James Millard Team Corley Cycles/Blue 2nd
50 Dan Booth Team Hope Factory Racing 2nd
51 Jack Clarkson Team Hope Factory Racing 2nd
52 David Collins Team Hope Factory Racing 1st
53 Jordan Hargreaves Team Hope Factory Racing 2nd
54 Paul Oldham Team Hope Factory Racing 1st
55 James Thompson Team Hope Factory Racing 2nd
56 Matthew Williams Team Hope Factory Racing 1st
57 Simon Gaywood Team IG – Sigma Sport 1st
58 Andrew Griffiths Team IG – Sigma Sport Elite
59 Jake Hales Team IG – Sigma Sport Elite
60 Tom Last Team IG – Sigma Sport 1st
61 Tom Murray Team IG – Sigma Sport Elite
62 Simon Richardson Team IG – Sigma Sport Elite
63 Graham Briggs Team Raleigh – GAC Elite
64 Jeroen Janssen Team Raleigh – GAC Elite
65 Daniel Holloway Team Raleigh – GAC Elite
66 Matthew Holmes Team Raleigh – GAC Elite
67 Simon Holt Team Raleigh – GAC Elite
68 Tobyn Horton Team Raleigh – GAC Elite
69 Evan Oliphant Team Raleigh – GAC Elite
70 Bernie Sulzberger Team Raleigh – GAC Elite
71 Karl Freeman Team Wheelguru 2nd
72 Harry Tanfield Teamwallis CHH Racing Team 1st
73 Jacob Tipper Teamwallis CHH Racing Team Elite
74 Ben Greenwood Vanillabikes.com Elite
75 Ben Ives We Love Mountains Racing Team 1st
76 Alex Mitchell We Love Mountains Racing Team 2nd
77 Lewis Craven Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale 2nd
78 Steven Clarke WHEELBASE.co.uk/MGD 2nd
79 Liam Glen WHEELBASE.co.uk/MGD 2nd
80 Tony Greenhalgh WHEELBASE.co.uk/MGD 2nd
81 William Penn WHEELBASE.co.uk/MGD 1st
82 Jack Pullar WHEELBASE.co.uk/MGD 1st
83 Stuart Reid WHEELBASE.co.uk/MGD Elite
84 Grahame Sumner WHEELBASE.co.uk/MGD Elite
85 Hugo Robinson XRT – Elmy Cycles 2nd
86 Joseph White Unattached 2nd