Tour Series: 6 Down, 6 to Go

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The 2013 Tour Series is at the halfway point and we look at who’s hot so far in the series where there is a battle royal between Team UK Youth and Team Raleigh

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The Tour Series is first and foremost a Team Competition where the top team will get the big prize and the final podium celebration in Ipswich on June 14. After six events and six to go (two in Ipswich), the series is being led by UK Youth who have a substantial lead over their nearest rivals.

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In the race to be that team who gets the big prize, UK Youth (above) lead Raleigh by seven points but had it not been for some bad luck to the Raleigh riders with crashes and injury, perhaps that deficit would be a lot smaller. There certainly isn’t much between them, not as much as the seven points suggests there might be.

UK Youth though have proved time and time again to be the master of getting their top three riders near the front when they cross that finish line and look the most likely to succeed based on their success in the last four rounds. In Colchester, in a head to head with Raleigh, Jon Mould first got the better of Richard Lang and then Tobyn Horton got the better of Tom Scully and Yanto Barker beat Tom Moses.

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Better days for Team Raleigh who won the first two rounds and showed that have the firepower to win the series …

It really is that tight man on man and as this is bike racing, anything can happen!

We have in the past for example seen a dominant team lose that edge in the latter rounds, either because they have a dip in form or the other teams finally find their crit legs. That latter point is certainly an important one. These crits are brutal. The one round that brought this home to me more than any other was Colchester last Thursday which was on a really tough course.

Buried in a small dip in the barriers to get the pictures, I was astounded at the speed the riders raced uphill lap after lap. It was scarily fast when they are inches away from you! The racing in this series is two or three levels higher than your average Elite chipper and it shows when the riders finish and the look on the rider’s faces tells the story. They are quite simply in boxes from the intensity of the effort.

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Kristian House recovers from the effort at Colchester

Is the series over?
No, not by a long way. It only takes one bad round and a team can lose a handful of points if they don’t have three riders high up that result sheet which is why UK Youth were quick to point out on Thursday there is no complacency in their camp because things can change quickly.

With the series heading for the hilly round of Redditch in Worcestershire, there are three or four teams in the hunt for the trophy. UK Youth lead Raleigh by 7 points, with Madison Genesis quietly holding position a point back in third and Rapha Condor JLT in fourth, four points behind Madison.

The series certainly appears to be between at least the first three teams especially while Rapha successfully chase individual wins to see where that leaves them with the team competition.

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Kirkcaldy, and round 1 with Raleigh on top … 

Who are the star riders so far…
When it comes to riders in the series, two riders stand out, Ed Clancy and Yanto Barker (UK Youth). Both have two wins a piece and have teammates (Kristian House & Jon Mould) with a win a piece. So the men in black and UK Youth are certainly the dominant team in the race to be the first over the line and get the hands in the air.

That said, look at the results and one rider, a very familiar one with the Tour Series, has five top tens from six rounds – Dean Downing. No surprise and a victory for the Rotherham rider is surely on the cards. But look at the first six podiums and another name rises to the top – Tobyn Horton of leading team UK Youth.

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Dean Downing very consistent but hungry for that win or two

He’s had three top three finishes since he was brought in to the series in round 2 and is one rider who is also looking like a good chance for a victory.

Coming up in the Tour Series
To come in this year’s series are six more rounds and none harder than the next one, Redditch. It’s hilly and will see the field well split by the end if the pressure is applied on the climb. Then it’s a pan flat Canary Wharf before a slightly challenging Woking and two new circuits, Alysham and Ipswich which like Woking won’t be as hard as Durham or Redditch.

The Aylsham round is round the village, technical in places but flat with a slight drag to the line and that could be another bunch kick. Ipswich on the other hand is technical in one spot by the pits, but with two long straights, a quick downhill and a short drag just after pits into a pedestrianised zone, it will suit the crit rider.

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Tobyn Horton has really got it together with UK Youth and his form blistering.

Who will win individually in the coming rounds is anybody’s guess as so many riders are showing good form. Last years winner Niklas Gustavsson perhaps or Kristian House may add another to his collection. Tobyn Horton has been one of the riders of the series so far and he’s knocking on the door as well as is Dean Downing. Ed Clancy returns but I expect the likes of Carnary Wharf, Woking and the final two rounds to be more suitable to the double Olympic champion than Redditch.

Colchester was quite telling in Jon Mould (UK Youth) showed just how much he has in the tank and he’s another who at Redditch or Woking may well come up with the goods. The individual winner is always difficult to predict because it can simply come down to who is the ‘lucky’ one to get in a break that is allowed to go and then has the legs to beat his rivals.

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Ed Clancy (above) hasn’t finished with the Tour Series and he may become the most successful rider ever in the series if he carries on winning the way he has this year.

Fatigue will be an issue with riders. That is one thing that UK Youth seem to have managed well with manager Dave Povall and coach Steve Benton combining with Yanto Barker and team boss Nigel Mansell to discuss when riders are to be rested. Talking to the UK Youth team manager, his riders will be rested as the series continues for another two weeks leaving them with a ‘fresh’ line up for each race.

Question is, do other teams have the strength in depth to do the same?

Golden Jersey Competition
The other competition that is now between three riders is the IG Sprints one. The current leaders are Kristian House and Alex Blain (Raleigh, below) but the Frenchman is injured and whilst he is expected to be back next week, the top three riders are so close, it’s a tough call to see who will triumph in that competition.

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It may well be left to Tom ‘the Scud’ Scully of Raleigh to lead that challenge. He went head to head with Kristian House in Colchester and both got the better of each other on the night showing how closely matched they are. If anything, Scully is perhaps the quickest and the favourite to get the better of House whilst Blain has showed in two rounds his strength and speed.

Raleigh could of course decide to ignore the sprint comp but that would put them in danger of not getting on the podium at all in Ipswich if they fail to overhaul UK Youth in the team comp. Raleigh certainly have the firepower to win races and were all over the one in Colchester but simply came up against a marginally better team in UK Youth on the night. The series is that close!

Here are some stats on the series so far:

Team Winners
Raleigh 2 (Kirkcaldy & Durham)
UK Youth 4 (Stoke, Aberystwyth, Torquay and Colchester)

Individual Winners
Yanto Barker (UK Youth): 2 (Kirkcaldy & Stoke)
Ed Clancy (Rapha Condor JLT): 2 (Aberystwyth & Torquay)
Kristian House (Rapha Condor JLT):: 1 (Durham)
Jon Mould (UK Youth): 1 (Colchester)

Top Podium (top 3) finishes
Tobyn Horton 3
Yanto Barker 2
Ed Clancy 2
Dean Downing 2
Roman van Uden 2
Kristian House 1
Tom Scully 1
Jon Mould 1
Chris Opie 1
Mike Northey 1
Alex Blain 1
Liam Stones 1
Richard Lang 1

IG Sprint winners each round overall
Kirkcaldy: Mike Northey
Durham: Kristian House
Stoke: Tom Scully
Abersywyth: Alexandre Blain
Torquay: Alexandre Blain
Colchester: Richard Lang

Top 10 Finishes
1. Dean Downing 5
2. Tobyn Horton 4
2. Tom Scully 4
4. Ed Clancy 3
4. Yanto Barker 3
4. Kristian House xxx3
4. Felix English 3
4. Alex Blain 3
4. Chris Opie 3
4. Andy Tennant 3
11.James McCallum 2
11.Alex Peters 2
11.Richard Lang 2
11.Roman van Uden 2
11.Ian Wilkinson 2
11.Jon Mould 2
11.Niklas Gustavsson 2
18. Mike Northey 1
18. Evan Oliphant 1
18. Lachlan Norris 1
18. Ian Bibby 1
18. Steve Lampier 1
18. Richard Handley 1
18. Dale Appleby 1
18. Liam Holohan 1
18. Liam Stones 1
18. Will Berjgfelt 1
18. Tom Moses 1
18. Richard Hepworth 1

RESULTS SO FAR

Kirkcaldy 
1. Yanto Barker Team UK Youth
2. Thomas Scully Team Raleigh
3. Mike Northey Node4 – Giordana Racing
4. Felix English Rapha Condor JLT
5. Richard Lang Team Raleigh
6. Alexandre Blain Team Raleigh
7. Dean Downing Madison Genesis
8. Chris Opie Team UK Youth
9. James McCallum Rapha Condor JLT
10. Alex Peters Madison Genesis
11. Dan Barry Node4 – Giordana Racing
12. Edward Clancy MBE Rapha Condor JLT
13. Andrew Tennant Madison Genesis
14. Marcin Bialoblocki Team UK Youth
15. Roman Van Uden Node4 – Giordana Racing
16. Kristian House Rapha Condor JLT
17. Matt Cronshaw Team IG – Sigma Sport
18. David McGowan Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci
19. Dale Appleby Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci
20. Tom Murray Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci…

Durham
1 Kristian House Rapha Condor JLT
2 Tobyn Horton Team UK Youth
3 Roman Van Uden Node4 – Giordana
4 Andy Tennant Madison Genesis
5 Tom Scully Team Raleigh
6 Evan Oliphant Team Raleigh
7 Lachlan Norris Team Raleigh
8 Ian Bibby Madison Genesis
9 Steve Lampier Node4 – Giordana
10 Richard Handley Rapha Condor JLT
11 Ben Greenwood Team Hope Factory Racing
12 Niklas Gustavsson Team UK Youth
13 Paul Oldham Team Hope Factory Racing
14 Liam Holohan Madison Genesis
15 Josh Hunt Team UK Youth
16 Mike Northey Node4 – Giordana
17 Will Bjergfelt MG Maxifuel Pro Cycling
18 Shem Rodger Node4 – Giordana
19 Peter Williams Team IG Sigma Sport
20 Alex Peters Madison Genesis

Stoke
1. Yanto Barker Team UK Youth
2. Dean Downing Madison Genesis
3. Tobyn Horton Team UK Youth
4. Andrew Tennant Madison Genesis
5. Kristian House Rapha Condor JLT
6. Felix English Rapha Condor JLT
7. Ian Wilkinson Team UK Youth
8. Dale Appleby Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci
9. James McCallum Rapha Condor JLT
10. Edward Clancy MBE Rapha Condor JLT
11. Gruffudd Lewis Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci
12. Eric Berthou Team Raleigh
13. Liam Holohan Madison Genesis
14. Richard Hepworth Node4 – Giordana Racing
15. Ian Bibby Madison Genesis
16. Chris Opie Team UK Youth
17. Ben Stockdale Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci
18. Lachlan Norris Team Raleigh
19. Alex Peters Madison Genesis
20. David McGowan Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci

Aberystwyth
1. Edward Clancy MBE Rapha Condor JLT
2. Chris Opie Team UK Youth (UCI Team)
3. Alexandre Blain Team Raleigh
4. Andrew Tennant Madison Genesis
5. Kristian House Rapha Condor JLT
6. Dean Downing Madison Genesis
7. Jonathan Mould Team UK Youth (UCI Team)
8. Niklas Gustavsson Team UK Youth (UCI Team)
9. Tobyn Horton Team UK Youth (UCI Team)
10. Liam Holohan Madison Genesis
11. Dale Appleby Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci…
12. Eric Berthou Team Raleigh
13. Thomas Scully Team Raleigh
14. Alex Peters Madison Genesis
15. Matt Cronshaw Team IG – Sigma Sport
16. Gruffudd Lewis Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci…
17. William Bjergfelt MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
18. Richard Hepworth Node4 – Giordana Racing
19. Jake Hales Team IG – Sigma Sport
20. David McGowan Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci…

Torquay
1. Edward Clancy MBE Rapha Condor JLT
2. Dean Downing Madison Genesis
3. Liam Stones MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
4. Chris Opie Team UK Youth
5. Ian Wilkinson Team UK Youth
6. Felix English Rapha Condor JLT
7. Alex Peters Madison Genesis
8. Thomas Scully Team Raleigh
9. Alexandre Blain Team Raleigh
10. William Bjergfelt MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
11. Niklas Gustavsson Team UK Youth
12. Mike Northey Node4 – Giordana Racing
13. Roman Van Uden Node4 – Giordana Racing
14. Dale Appleby Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci
15. James McCallum Rapha Condor JLT
16. Gruffudd Lewis Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci
17. Adam Martin Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci
18. David Lines MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
19. Richard Lang Team Raleigh
20. Jack Pullar Madison Genesis

Colchester
1. Jonathan Mould Team UK Youth
2. Richard Lang Team Raleigh
3. Roman Van Uden Node4 – Giordana Racing
4. Tobyn Horton Team UK Youth
5. Thomas Scully Team Raleigh
6. Yanto Barker Team UK Youth
7. Thomas Moses Team Raleigh
8. Niklas Gustavsson Team UK Youth
9. Dean Downing Madison Genesis
10. Richard Hepworth Node4 – Giordana Racing
11. Dan Barry Node4 – Giordana Racing
12. Liam Holohan Madison Genesis
13. Kristian House Rapha Condor JLT
14. Liam Stones MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling
15. Ben Stockdale Metaltek – Knights of Old Raci
16. James McCallum Rapha Condor JLT
17. Steve Lampier Node4 – Giordana Racing
18. Jack Pullar Madison Genesis
19. Lachlan Norris Team Raleigh
20. Felix English Rapha Condor JLT

 

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