Report – Abergavenny Crit

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NFTO apply the pressure but Graham Briggs of JLT Condor makes two from two this week in the circuit race in Abergavenny on Friday night

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Report – Abergavenny Crit

It was close, very close, but Graham Briggs (below) defied the pressure from NFTO to win the final round of the Elite Circuit Series in Abergavenny on Friday night.

GrahamBriggs_Crit1

Graham Briggs – post race reaction … “When we got to the hairpin on the last lap, I jumped Jonny there and the rest was history. It is where it counts on the last lap and I just timed it right. I followed a few moves but my team did a great job as well. It is great to get two wins in a week and it has been a great week in Wales.”

At the bell lap, Jonny McEvoy of NFTO had a small lead with a very strong group chasing him and whilst he looked good for the victory, there was no stopping Graham Briggs of JLT Condor who clipped off the front of the chasers and caught McEvoy on the road through the town centre to win by several lengths. Steele von Hoff of NFTO held off Chris Lawless (Wiggins) for third.

The race was on fire early on, brutal even, as the riders tried to get away on the small and technical circuit. Chris Lawless (Wiggins) and Alex Paton (Pedal Heaven) were just two of the riders at the front putting a lot of others in the pain cave. The first half of the race was just relentless and series winner Jon Mould (One Pro Cycling) was on a good night in front of home fans and family.

But Briggs, who had led from start to finish in Chepstow was keeping tabs on things whilst NFTO were all over the race in numbers and really wanting the win. Into the final quarter of the race and Australian circuit race champion from NFTO, Steele Von Hoff, had a good go. He’d suffered two mechanicals in Chepstow and a crash in RideLondon and was doing his damndest to change that luck around.

SteelevonHoff_Crit1

Steele Von Hoff (NFTO)

Von Hoff was joined by teammate Jonny McEvoy and Alex Paton before the trio were caught and Mould had a go. All the pressure at the front saw a split in the peloton with around sixteen riders going clear. NFTO had five or six riders in the lead group and the manager Dave Povall said on the team’s live video of the finale, that they were in a good position but added that JLT Condor and Jon Mould (One Pro Cycling) were also in a good place and riding well. Not to mention Chris Lawless who was swapping turns with Philippe Gilbert recently in a race in Belgium.

Two laps to go and McEvoy managed to gap the rest and led with a decent gap at the bell but Briggs wasn’t haven’t any of that and knowing he was outnumbered, he hit them just before the u-turn in the town centre and carried on to catch Jonny on the technical drag up to the finish and carry on to win. McEvoy held on for second and Steele Von Hoff just held off Lawless.

JonnyMcEvoy

Jonny McEvoy, NFTO

Result (Provisional)
1 Graham Briggs JLT Condor 01:04:18 01:04:18
2 Jonathan McEvoy NFTO same time
3 Von Hoff Steele NFTO same time
4 Christopher Lawless Team Wiggins same time
5 Mark Stewart 100% ME 4
6 James Lowsley-Williams NFTO same time
7 Jon Mould One Pro Cycling same time
8 Alex Paton Pedal Heaven RT same time
9 Ian Bibby NFTO same time
10 Ryan Davies SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team 7
11 Zachery May NFTO same time
12 Gruffudd Lewis Pedal Heaven RT same time
13 Rhys Lloyd NFTO same time
14 Evan Oliphant Raleigh GAC same time
15 Gabriel Cullaigh 100% ME same time
16 Rory Townsend Pedal Heaven RT 20
17 Sam Williams One Pro Cycling same time
18 Jake Hales Spirit Bikes Racing Team same time
19 Lloyd Chapman Richardsons-Trek RT 21
20 Sam Lowe Raleigh GAC 22
21 Jake Kelly 100% ME 23
22 Mitchell Webber Pedal Heaven RT 25
23 Michael Thompson Team Wiggins same time
24 William Bjergfelt SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team 27
25 Ben Simmons Team Wiggle 32
26 George Pym Raleigh GAC 36
27 Edward Laverack JLT Condor 38
28 Ian Wilkinson Raleigh GAC 01:00
29 Andrew Hawdon Raleigh GAC 01:05
30 Josh Hunt One Pro Cycling 01:08
31 Tom Baylis One Pro Cycling same time
32 Felix English JLT Condor 01:32
3 laps Stuart Travis-Beames Spirit Bikes Racing Team

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