Russell Downing has won the 51st edition of the Eddie Soens in 1-2-3 for Endura Racing with Scott Thwaites second and Jonny McEvoy in third.
Related Link: Preview of the race | Previous Winners
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Saturday: March 3–Â With the flat course and the wind not strong enough to help the teams cause any damage, the race came down to a mass gallop of three quarters of the 250 starters. After 100% ME had tried to take control of the race with two laps to go, Endura Racing took over the front of the race with Scott Thwaites the rider being led out.
Russell Downing came down the barriers with his teammates on his wheel and with little threat from anyone else, that was how it stayed, Downing throwing his arms as did Thwaites in second and McEvoy who was almost pipped on the line by the Scott Metaltek rider.
The day started dark and wet and for the first twenty minutes of the race it was looking grim but soon the clouds were blown away and the sun came out. It was still cold though, something that Jonny McEvoy said he could feel in his legs in the sprint finish.
The early stages saw a split from the front group of two riders but with only a three minute lead, the race was always going to come together. Group by group, the scratch group caught those in front of them until there were over 200 riders contesting the win. Endura Racing started to fire riders off the front with Downing getting away with Simon Yates and when that group swelled to a dozen, there was talk of it staying away. It didn’t.
Thwaites and Bibby also had a go at getting away but the level of the racing is such now that nothing was being given any leeway and a bunch kick was in the end how the race was settled. For Endura Racing, the victories keep coming and the team now head for France for a race on Sunday.
THE BIG ALBUM
Post race reactions
Russell Downing: “It was a great team effort out there today. We took control a lap and a half out and I was the commander of the train shouting the orders and we all did brilliant. 100% ME came up on the left down the back straight (Tom Moses) but we didn’t panic. Wilkes (Ian Wilkinson) took it up into the last corner which was a great lead out!”
“It was a matter of me sprinting to lead out Scott (Thwaites) and if he could come off the wheel …. I think I gapped him. I felt really good this week. Last week I came back from Med and Haut Var where I had battered it too much and with the travelling was getting ill. So I nipped it in the bud early, two days off and then had a really good weekend training last weekend and that has continued all week and I have felt really good”.
“I had a bit of work with an oestepath (Simeon Hempsall) and he’s really done some good stuff this week and got everything firing. It’s all there now ready for 2012.”
Asked about the attacks Endura Racing were making in the closing stages, Russell explained “It was really difficult to break it up. I don’t think it was windy enough like it has in the past but there is also this strength in depth now where everybody isn’t riding for themselves. They all know what team work is about so when one of the Endura boys went away, one of the Raleigh or Node4s would chase it to get up there. It is a team sport and everyone knows what they are doing and it’s not easy anymore.”
Julian Winn (Endura Racing director sportif): “The lads rode great today. They rode as a unit today and knew what they had to do. They stuck to the plan and they came up with the goods so no complaints here! They had to take control, that was the key and we’d agreed that with two to go we’d take control and you can only do that enmass. And that’s what they did.”
“They were all communicating, I could hear them as they came past, and when you ride as a team, you can come up with a superb result like that. 1-2-3, perfect.”
“We’re straight down to Folkestone now, five hours. We stop in Calais tonight and then tomorrow we go straight to Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers and the race is at 1pm over 176k on a quite a tough circuit.”
Jonny McEvoy (Endura Racing 3rd) – “It was good today doing the sprint for Scott and it was perfect that we still had three in the train around the last corner. Russell went really quick round it and my legs seemed to be really cold with the rain and I couldn’t open up properly”.
“In the end though, top three is pretty good! We had the strength numbers today despite 100% ME and Raleigh having a go, we got to the front and the lead out went really well. Perfect”.
LIVE PHOTOSÂ
OFFICIAL RESULT
1 Russell Downing Endura Racing E 1:40:57
2 Scott Thwaites Endura Racing E st
3 Jonathan McEvoy Endura Racing E st
4 Marcel Six Metaltek – Scott E st
5 Anthony Gibb Metaltek – Scott 1 st
6 Felix English Rapha Condor Sharp 1 st
7 Tobyn Horton Team Raleigh – GAC E st
8 Dale Appleby Metaltek – Scott E st
9 Tom Barras Metaltek – Scott E st
10 Joseph Kelly 100% ME E st
11 David McGowan Team UK Youth 1 st
12 Matthew Gee BC PM E st
13 Samuel Lowe Hargroves Cycles-Specialized 1J st
14 James Ratcliffe Fred Williams Cycles 2 st
15 Chris Lawless Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2J st
16 Dillon Byrne Vanillabikes.com E st
17 Henry Hunter Teamwallis CHH Racing Team 3J st
18 Ryan Mullen Planet X 1J st
19 Harry Tanfield Teamwallis CHH Racing Team 1J st
20 Jack Anderson Endura Racing E st
21 Richard Walkerdine Wolverhampton Whls 2J st
22 William Penn Team Wheelbase.co.uk MGD 1 st
23 Declan Byrne Cyclepremier Racing Team 1 st
24 Luke Ryan Team Toachim 1 st
25 Simon Wilson Metaltek – Scott E st
26 David Clarke Node 4 Giordana Racing E st
27 Julian Ramsbottom I-Ride.co.uk 3M st
28 Matthew Jones Team Corley Cycles/Blue E st
29 Chris Jennings Rapha Condor Sharp E st
30 Oliver Wood Sportscover Altura RT 2J st
31 Alistair Rutherford Vanillabikes.com E st
32 Chris Sherriffs Team Bglobal 1 st
33 Evan Oliphant Team Raleigh – GAC E st
34 William Thomas Velocity Race Team 3J st
35 ??? st
36 Christopher Latham Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 1J st
37 Shane O’Neill Team Bglobal 1 st
38 Matt Higgins Node 4 Giordana Racing E st
39 Luke Grivell-Mellor Rapha Condor Sharp E st
40 Duncan McLaren Stockport Clarion CC 3 st
41 Duncan Moralee Sportscover Altura RT 1M st
42 James Newey Cadence Sport 1J st
43 ??? st
44 Milan Sihelsky Kuota – Spinergy – GSG 1 st
45 Paul Johnson Wheelguru 3 st
46 Jacob Ragan Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2J st
47 Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing E st
48 Stephen Robinson 3RT 3 st
49 Jeroen Janssen Team Raleigh – GAC E st
50 Michael Rawson Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2 st
51 Jake Womersley Sportscover Altura RT 2J st
52 Tom Armstrong Mountivation Academy 2J st
53 Luc Hall Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2J st
54 Oliver Rossi Rapha Condor Sharp E st
55 George Moore Cyclepremier Racing Team E st
56 James Sampson Node 4 Giordana Racing 1 st
57 Christopher Daddy Squadra RT 1 st
58 Adam Lewis Wolverhampton Whls 2J st
59 Matthew Pilkington Team Bglobal 1 st
60 Richard Binks Clay Cross RT 3M st
61 Ben Greenwood Vanillabikes.com 1 st
62 Keiran Frend Node 4 Giordana Racing 1 st
63 Jess Wieckowski GWR 2 st
64 Richard Moore Squadra RT 2M st
65 Alistair Slater 100% ME 1 st
66 David Micklethwaite 3RT 3 st
67 John Holt Team Tredz 2M st
68 Jacob Scott Planet X 2J st
69 Brennan Townshend Team Raleigh – GAC 1 st
70 Michael Ashurst Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2 st
71 Mike Salkeld Crosstrax 3M st
72 Tom Black Cyclepremier Racing Team 2 st
73 Owain Doull 100% ME E st
74 Matthew Smithson Clay Cross RT 2 st
75 James Gullen Metaltek – Scott 1 st
76 Richard Barnett Stone Whls CC 2M st
77 Hugh Carthy Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2J st
78 Graham Payne R Whitfield Heating & Plumbing RT 2M st
79 Mike Cuming Rapha Condor Sharp E st
80 James Dyson 3RT 3M st
81 Richard Lang Rapha Condor Sharp E st
82 Matthew Bulmer Dirtwheels Cycles 2 @0:18
83 Philip Lavery Node 4 Giordana Racing 1 @0:22
84 Paul Belfield Stone Whls CC 3M @0:31
85 Jason Livesey Dirtwheels Cycles 3M st
86 Darren Biggs Deeside Olympic 4 st
87 Robert Partridge Endura Racing E st
88 George Atkins 100% ME E @0:35
89 Julian Pearson Vanillabikes.com 1 st
90 Andrew Howard Liverpool Century RC 4 st
91 Daniel Stocchero 3RT 4 st
92 Simon Yates 100% ME E @0:50
93 Michael Smith Team Corley Cycles/Blue 1 st
94 Tom Dalton Bill Nickson Cycles RT 3 st
95 James King Mountivation Academy 3J @1:01
96 Hamish Graham ASFRA Racing Team 3 st
97 Luke Beswick Buxton CC/Sett Valley Cycles 3 st
98 Kieran Rees Team Tredz 3J st
99 Christian Braybrooke Velocity Race Team YA st
100 Matthew Gibson Warrington RC YA st
101 Francis Pilkington Bill Nickson Cycles RT 2 st
102 Mark Russell BC PM 4M st
103 Roberto Conte BC PM 4 st
104 Michael Knight Team Hope Factory Racing 3 st
105 Karl Freeman Alpha Road Club 2 st
106 Darren Reynolds Stockport Clarion CC 3 st
107 Thomas Lowe Kingsnorth International Whlrs 3 st
108 Mike Welburn Lichfield City CC 4M st
109 Dan Spashett Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2 st
110 Mark Hammersley Wheelguru 2M st
111 Ashley Proctor Sportscover Altura RT 2J st
112 Daniel Harris Halesowen A & CC 1 st
113 James Rutherford Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2M st
114 Scot Bullivant Rock And Road Cycles 3 st
115 James Knox Mountivation Academy 3J st
116 Matt Limacher Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2 st
117 Harry Grey Vanillabikes.com 1 st
118 Stephen Smith Vita Cycle Team 3 st
119 Michael Collins RST Racing Team 3 st
120 Andrew Horrobin Lune RCC 3M st
121 Stephen Leigh Team Bglobal 2 st
122 Stuart Reid Wheelbase.co.uk E st
124 Matthew Jones New Brighton CC 2 st
125 Ben Dean Team Bglobal 1 st
126 John Wright Wakefield CC 3M st
127 ??? st
128 Samuel Harrison 100% ME E @1:20
129 Jamie Caldwell Cyclepremier Racing Team 1 st
130 Matthew Holmes Team Raleigh – GAC E st
131 Ian Bibby Endura Racing E st
132 Richard Hepworth Cyclepremier Racing Team E st
133 John Rigby Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos 2 st
134 Gareth Owen Team Swift 3 st
135 Ryan Pike High On Bikes RT 3 st
136 James Sparling Team Raleigh – GAC 1 @2:12
137 Sarah Gleave Vortex 2W @4 laps
Points Competition
1 To be confirmed
2 To be confirmed
3 To be confirmed
Ken Matthews Sprint
1 James Ratcliffe Fred Williams Cycles
Category Awards
2nd Cat: James Ratcliffe Fred Williams Cycles
3rd Cat:Â Julian Ramsbottom I-Ride.co.uk
4th Cat:Â Daniel Stocchero 3RT
Junior: Samuel Lowe Hargroves Cycles-Specialized
Youth A: Christian Braybrooke Velocity Race Team
Woman: Sarah Gleave Vortex
Master C+: Julian Ramsbottom I-Ride.co.uk
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