Preview: The University of Lincoln Grand Prix

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A look ahead to the most prestigious non-UCI road race in Britain, the Lincoln Grand Prix on May 12th

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Free Finish Area Bike Park and a Travel Warning

A new feature at Sunday’s University of Lincoln Grand Prix will be a secure bike park for those attending the event on their bikes. This will be situated in the Castle Square Car Park adjacent to the finish line and will be free of charge. A wristband security system will be in place but cyclists may alsio bring their own locks.

The race Expo area is also being expanded in to the Car Park which has been closed to the public for Saturday evening and all day Sunday.

This will solve the problem of many cyclists trying to push their bikes through the huge crowds in the finish area and we hope will be a welcome addition to the event facilities.

Travel to both the Grand Prix and Saturday’s Sportive may be affected by the Newark and Notts County Show being held at Newark Showground at the weekend. This is notorious for causing long delays at the A1/A46 junction with queues of up to 30 minutes often experienced. Those coming to Lincon on both days should allow extra time for this or avoid this area.

The weather forecast for Sunday shows a bright day with sunny periods and temperatures of 11 to15 degrees with wind from the west.

Latest line up news

The Premier Calendar is set for a ranking change this weekend with the withdrawal of Team UK Youth’s Chris Opie and the inclusion of Team Raleigh’s Evan Olipant in Sunday’s University of Lincoln Grand Prix.

Opie has gone down with a cold and has been withdrawn with his place taken by Guernsey rider Tobyn Horton, who always enjoys a good Lincoln Grand Prix.

The points score after the first event, The Tour of the Reservoir, in the calendar shows Chris Opie leading by 6 points from Evan Oliphant with Peter Hawkins from Team IG Sigmasport in third place 30 points behind Opie.

With points on offer for the first 20 riders to finish ranging from 100 points for the winner down to 2 points for 20th place things could get a real shake up on Sunday with the current top 10 positions all within 100 points.

The University of Lincoln Grand Prix is the second counting event in the British Cycling Premier Calendar of top road races in the country and will be shown on Eurosport on May 18th. The race is also supported by the City of Lincoln Council and is one of the major events taking place in the City.

The finish area with its backdrop of the imposing Lincoln Cathedral and Lincoln Castle is arguably the finest in the country and its route through the City’s uphill tourist areas brings the excitement of top class road racing to the public. A crowd of up to 10,000 can be expected to line the route and the cobbled 1 in 6 climb of Michaelgate is a well known feature of the race held over 13 laps of an eight mile circuit.

The next event in the Premier Calendar series is Beaumont Trophy race to be held in Northumberland on June 30th.

Sunday, May 12th 2013 – Event press release

The 58th Annual Grand Prix takes on a new title this year as The University of Lincoln Grand Prix in recognition of the on-going and much appreciated sponsorship and support from Lincoln’s highly rated higher education establishment.

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I think we can be sure that this man, the Fonz, Russell Downing (centre of pic), four time winner, would be on the start line if it wasn’t for some stupid rule enforced by BC and created by the UCI that prevents riders in Pro teams entering domestic races. That said, a national team would we understand, have got round that rule.

The student population is now over 10,000 and its presence has led to some enormous changes within the City with the Campus area around the City’s Brayford Pool area now a vibrant mix of restaurants and entertainment with consequent changes to the main High Street shopping areas.

The City of Lincoln Council, Jackson Building Centres, Pygott & Crone Estate Agents and The Lindum Group again provide added financial backing with valuable support also coming from Lincolnshire County Council, Impsport, Ellmore Consultancy, Lincoln Business Improvement Group, The Magna Carta Pub and Active Nation at Yarborough Leisure Centre.

A survey carried out last year on the economic impact of the weekend of cycling in and around the City showed a benefit of £430,000 in to the area’s hotels, shops and restaurants, bringing very welcome publicity and commerce to the area.

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Four time winner Russell Downing. The King of Lincoln but in exile because of silly rules made by even sillier people…

The 2013 Grand Prix takes place over 13 laps of its traditional circuit making 102 miles of very exciting racing. All of the country’s leading teams are entered and picking a winner is not an easy task. Last year’s winner Russell Downing is unable to compete due to the illogical UCI rule banning home based riders in UCI registered teams from riding national events.

However watch out for Marcin Bialoblocki (UK Youth) who was second last year and Chris Opie (UK Youth) the winner of the first stage of the Tour of the Reservoir, plus strong man Ian Wilkinson (UK Youth) winner of the Rutland Cicle Classic, all riding for Team UK Youth that looked so strong last weekend.

Rapha Condor’s Kristian House, the 2009 National Champion, loves the Michaelgate climb winning the Brian Cossavella Points Trophy in both 2011 and 2012 before finishing in 3rd place last year.

Reservoir winner Evan Oliphant is down to head up a strong Team Raleigh line up but another interesting name is 2006 National Champion Hamish Haynes now in the Hope Factory Racing team. It is disappointing that 100% ME, the British Cycling Academy team, have chosen to ride abroad instead of supporting the Premier Calendar and an opportunity to enter a Great Britain or England national team has also not come to pass.

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Lets pray for this weather for the Lincoln GP.

But and it’s a big but, there are lots more favourites in there to choose from including a team from the Isle of Man with Jonny Bellis back on form after recovering from a very serious road accident a couple of years ago. The 2014 Commonwealth Games will be in Glasgow and obviously the Isle of Man is keen on preparing a top class and hopefully a medal winning team.

Irish interests are looked after by the Connacht Cycling Team and the Synergy team based in Baku in Azerbaijan will be adding further flavour with a mix of British, Irish, German and Russian riders. The team includes Dan Craven who was 7th in the 2012 race, David Clarke and David McCann who are no strangers to the event but and we will see what Russian rider Krill Pozdnyakov thinks to our cobbled climb.

The Brian Cossavella Michaelgate Trophy provides an added dimension to the race and a tribute to a well known and hard working cycling official and organiser. Michaelgate is by no means an easy climb in the later stages of the race as the lactate starts to build up in the leg muscles but you can be assured of a strong tussle for the points on each lap. In contrast the rapid descent and the right angle bends in the picturesque village of Burton are always a popular vantage point for viewing the race. Once again the village church will be serving refreshments for spectators.

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What a venue for a bike race! Behind the camera is the castle!

The major viewing areas are certainly around the Michaelgate climb and through Castle Square in to Bailgate where the race heads out of the City passing through the Roman Newport Arch. The Castle Square area again has extra events with British Cycling’s WATT bikes providing a means to test physical outputs and compare these to the national squad members.

Alongside this there will be Lincolnshire Sports Partnership’s bike4life stand, the LN6 project to improve cycling facilities in the southern areas of Lincoln, the usual Bits for Bikes area, an adidas eyewear exhibition, Schwalbe Tyres exhibition, MG Cars, a Smoothies stall and the Farmers’ Market serving up some tasty locally produced food with the Ostrich and Venison Burgers now a firm favourite. A new facility this year will be a secure bike park allowing cyclists to park their bike for free.

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Once again there will be events for young riders being organised as part of the BC Go-ride series. The first event will start at 9.30 am prior to the Grand Prix start at 10 am with another two races fitted in between the first two Grand Prix laps. These riders will use a small circuit starting at the Grand Prix finish line and on to Bailgate, Eastgate, Minster Yard and Exchequergate and come come back to the finish line after a couple of laps. These short events will provide some exciting racing for these young riders and great photos with the Lincoln Cathedral as a magnificent backdrop.

Television cameras will again provide pictures to be seen on Eurosport which now shows most of the UK and International races with the Grand Prix scheduled for transmission on Saturday May 18th plus YouTube clips expected on race day. The various Twitter feeds now also provide an on line commentary for those not able to enjoy the excitement fist hand. The event web site www.lincolngrandprix.org.uk will carry up to the minute reports along with the event Facebook and Twitter feeds.

The weekend of May 11th and 12th forms the annual Lincoln Festival of Cycling and starts with Saturday’s third Lincoln Grand Prix Sportive which is sponsored by Santini this year. This popular event for all classes of cyclists takes the strongest riders on a 100 mile loop out of Lincoln and back via the picturesque Lincolnshire Wolds and some tough climbs around Tetford and Ruckland. There are also 75, 55 and 30 mile alternatives for those not quite up to tackling the longest route.

Indications are that the event will attract over 1,000 cyclists to the City this year with all the events bringing the riders to the finish line in Castle Square via the 1 in 6 cobbled Michaelgate climb, a real sting in the tail. This year there will be commenatry in Castle Square welcoming the riders to the finish line. Rider information will be relayed from the bottom of the climb so that announcer Roger Hobby will know the names of the approaching riders. We hope they all enjoy this taste of Lincolnshire and are in the crowd at Sunday’s University of Lincoln Grand Prix.

Big plans are also afoot for the 60th edition of the race in 2015 which could mean a women’s race added next year. More on this shortly.

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1 David Clarke Synergy Baku CP Azerbaijan
2 Dan Craven Synergy Baku CP Azerbaijan
3 Connor McConvey Synergy Baku CP Azerbaijan
4 Kirill Pozdnyakov Synergy Baku CP Azerbaijan
5 Christopher Schweizer Synergy Baku CP Azerbaijan
6 David McCann Synergy Baku CP Azerbaijan

7 Jonny Bellis Team Isle of Man
8 Andrew Roche Team Isle of Man
9 Peter Kennaugh Team Isle of Man
10 Tom Black Team Isle of Man
11 Chris Worral Team Isle of Man
12 Henry Latimer AW Cycles
13 James Wilson AW Cycles
14 Jack Rees Achieve CC
15 Phil Dempsey Aprire Bicycles
16 Jacob Tipper Biketreks Racing Academy
17 James Dunlop Biketreks Racing Academy
18 Michael Ashurst Biketreks Racing Academy

19 Dillon Byrne Champion System/Maxgear/Base
20 Stephen Smith Champion System/Maxgear/Kyklos
21 Dean Parkes Clay Cross Road Team
22 Todd Hotchkiss Clay Cross Road Team
23 Blake Cowley Clay Cross Road Team
24 Conor Ryan Equipe CMI
25 Ashley Martin Equipe CMI
26 Alexander Murison Equipe CMI
27 Matthew Gee Team Corley Cycles
28 Simon Wilson Team Corley Cycles
29 Roy Chamberlain Team Corley Cycles
30 John Whittington Team Diabetes UK
31 Andrew Hargroves Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT
32 George Harper Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT
33 Matthew Higgins Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT
34 Richard Mardle Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT
35 Spare Number
36 Matthew Clarke Halesowen A
37 Andrew Hawdon Herbalife-Leisure Lakes
38 Simon Baxter Herbalife-Leisure Lakes
39 James Sampson Herbalife-Leisure Lakes
40 Martin Ford Herbalife-Leisure Lakes
41 Gary Hand Herbalife-Leisure Lakes
42 Harry Tanfield Herbalife-Leisure Lakes

43 Matthew Williams Team Hope Factory Racing
44 Paul Oldham Team Hope Factory Racing
45 Hamish Haynes Team Hope Factory Racing
46 James Gullen Team Hope Factory Racing
47 Ben Greenwood Team Hope Factory Racing
48 David Collins Team Hope Factory Racing
49 Michael Auger Iceni Velo

50 Peter Williams Team IG – Sigma Sport
51 Wouter Sybrandy Team IG – Sigma Sport
52 Joseph Perrett Team IG – Sigma Sport
53 Ryan Mullen Team IG – Sigma Sport
54 James Moss Team IG – Sigma Sport
55 Matthew Jones Team IG – Sigma Sport
56 Matt Cronshaw Team IG – Sigma Sport

57 Jake Martin Pedal Heaven
58 Chris Sherriffs Team Leapfrog
59 Liam Stones MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
60 David Lines MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
61 Jamie Caldwell MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
62 Declan Byrne MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
63 Magnus Backstedt MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
64 Perry Bowater MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
65 Will Bjergfelt MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling

66 Liam Holohan Madison Genesis
67 Dean Downing Madison Genesis (former winner)
68 Ian Bibby Madison Genesis
69 Brennan Townshend Madison Genesis
70 Andrew Tennant Madison Genesis
71 Chris Snook Madison Genesis
72 Dominic Jelfs Madison Genesis
73 Sebastian Baylis Madison Genesis
74 Kit Gilham Metaltek – Knights of Old RT
75 Dexter Gardias Metaltek – Knights of Old RT
76 Rhys Lloyd Metaltek – Knights of Old RT
77 David McGowan Metaltek – Knights of Old RT
78 Tom Murray Metaltek – Knights of Old RT
79 Gruff Lewis Metaltek – Knights of Old RT
80 Dale Appleby Metaltek – Scott
81 Ben Stockdale Metaltek – Scott
82 Hefin Price NFTO
83 Hugh Wilson NFTO
84 Ewen MacDonald NFTO
85 Samuel Williams NFTO
86 Matt Lee NFTO

87 Shem Rodger Node4 – Giordana Racing
88 Roman Van Uden Node4 – Giordana Racing
89 Dan Barry Node4 – Giordana Racing
90 James Williamson Node4 – Giordana Racing
91 Christian Varley Node4 – Giordana Racing
92 Mike Northey Node4 – Giordana Racing
93 Steven Burke Node4 – Giordana Racing
94 Steve Lampier Node4 – Giordana Racing

95 Peter Murdoch Paisley Velo Race Team
96 Robert McCarthy Pedal Heaven RT
97 Francis Cade Pedal Heaven RT
98 David Creeggan Pedal Heaven RT
99 Dante Carpenter Pedal Heaven RT
100 Tom Stockdale Primal Europe
101 Adam Bright Primal Europe

102 Daniel Storey RST Racing Team

103 Evan Oliphant Team Raleigh
104 Richard Lang Team Raleigh
105 Alexandre Blain Team Raleigh
106 Eric Berthou Team Raleigh
107 Robert Britton Team Raleigh
108 Matt Holmes Team Raleigh
109 Lachlan Norris Team Raleigh
110 Thomas Scully Team Raleigh

111 Elliott Porter Rapha Condor JLT
112 Richard Handley Rapha Condor JLT
113 Kristian House Rapha Condor JLT (former winner)
114 Luke Grivell-Mellor Rapha Condor JLT
115 Michael Cuming Rapha Condor JLT
116 Aaron Buggle Rapha Condor JLT
117 Hugh Carthy Rapha Condor JLT
118 Will Stephenson Rapha Condor JLT

119 George Pym Spin Rotor Primal C-Originals RT
120 Colin Parry Spin Rotor Primal C-Originals RT
121 Sam Redding Spin Rotor Primal C-Originals RT
122 Chris Nicholson Spin Rotor Primal C-Originals RT
123 James Smith Spin Rotor Primal C-Originals RT
124 Antoine Gaudillat Spin Rotor Primal C-Originals RT

125 Jack Waller Spirit Bikes Racing Team
126 Christopher Dredge Spirit Bikes Racing Team
127 Mark Baines Spirit Bikes Racing Team
128 Edward Clemens Spirit Bikes Racing Team

129 Ashley Brown Team Sportscover/Bioracer
130 Ben Ives Team Sportscover/Bioracer
131 Tom Stewart Team Sportscover/Bioracer
132 Richard Meadows Team Sportscover/Bioracer
133 Sam Boast Team Sportscover/Bioracer
134 Joe Moses Team Sportscover/Bioracer

135 Daniel Smith TS Racing Team-Vankru
136 Wojciech Szlachta Twenty3c.co.uk-Focus
137 Rhys Howells Twenty3c.co.uk-Focus
138 Peter Vincent Twenty3c.co.uk-Focus
139 Stephen Adams Twenty3c.co.uk-Focus
140 Oliver Rossi Twenty3c.co.uk-Focus
141 Luke Ryan Twenty3c.co.uk-Focus
142 Owen Lake Twenty3c.co.uk-Focus

143 Yanto Barker Team UK Youth
144 Marcin Bialoblocki Team UK Youth
145 Niklas Gustavsson Team UK Youth
146 Tobyn Horton Team UK Youth
147 Rob Partridge Team UK Youth
148 Ian Wilkinson Team UK Youth
149 Josh Hunt Team UK Youth
150 Greg Mansell Team UK Youth

151 Joe Norledge Velo29-Blackhawk
152 Anthony Moye Velo29-Blackhawk
153 Matthew Kipling Velo29-Blackhawk
154 William Brown Velo29-Blackhawk
155 Robert Adlard Velo29-Blackhawk

156 Alistair Rutherford Wheelbase Altura MGD
157 Alex Bottomley Wheelbase Altura MGD
158 Adam Duggleby Wheelbase Altura MGD
159 Andrew Coupe Wheelbase Altura MGD
160 Tom Barras Wheelbase Altura MGD

191 Patrick Clarke Connacht Cycling Team
192 Nigel Forde Connacht Cycling Team
193 Charles Prendergast Connacht Cycling Team
194 Mike Ryder Connacht Cycling Team
195 Ciaran Clarke Connacht Cycling Team

Reserves
161 Nick Pilborough Spin Rotor Primal C-Originals RT
162 Peter Hawkins Team IG – Sigma Sport
163 Jamie Scott MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
164 Ryan Bevis NFTO
165 Christopher Mark Velo29-Blackhawk
166 Malcolm Dixon Severn RC
167 Giles Drake Herbalife-Leisure Lakes Bikes
168 Daniel Booth Team Hope Factory Racing
169 Lee Allen Beeston RC
170 Ashley Proctor Bike Box Alan/Whiston Velo
171 Carl Dyson Clay Cross Road Team
172 Lee Tunnicliffe Clay Cross Road Team
173 Alastair Hepworth Clay Cross Road Team
174 Luke Dunbar Equipe CMI
175 Sam Ward Dirtwheels Cycles
176 James Baillie Langsett Cycles RT
177 Tom Neale Spalding CC
178 Julian Gromett Squadra RT
179 Tom Timothy Achieve CC
180 Richard Jones Achieve CC
181 Jonathan Shuster Team Corley Cycles
182 Robert Ward Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT
183 James Sharp Team Hope Factory Racing
184 Rob Carter TS Racing Team-Vankru
185 Alex Camier Pedal Heaven RT
186 Dominic Smith Retford & District Wheelers
187 Nicholas Jepson Beeston RC

 

 

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