Team News – Tipper & Townsend at CiCLE

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Jacob Tipper and Rory Townsend are set to come in to the Pedal Heaven squad for the Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic on Sunday

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Team News – Tipper & Townsend at CiCLE

Jacob Tipper and Rory Townsend are set to come in to the Pedal Heaven squad for the Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic on Sunday (11am).

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Above: Townsend winning the Perfs Pedal in 2016

The duo have yet to race at domestic cycling’s top table this term, having missed the Chorley Grand Prix, Manx International and Tour of the Reservoir.

However, they have recorded impressive victories for the team at National B level, with Townsend underlining his form with Les Ingman Memorial Road Race glory last weekend.

Directeur sportif Tim Elverson is confident the two men will take the step up in their stride after a focused training regime. And he reckons the superb result at the Tour of the Reservoir last weekend, which culminated in Joe Fry taking the overall title, will only help the transition.

Elverson said: ‘I am confident we have got a good team but there are so many extra challenges, whether they are mechanical or tactical. We have riders who have gone well there before, like Ian Wilkinson, Harry Tanfield and Alex Paton. And people will be looking to those guys again”.

‘But I am bringing in two riders who haven’t even done a big race yet this season. They have been training specifically for this. Along with Rory, we haven’t seen Tipper yet. But we are coming into the time of year when those boys are going to do a lot of races.”

“It is a little bit of a juggle for us because we don’t have the budget to send them off to various training camps but that is part of the game. It isn’t easy to come in and race one race from cold, I’m well aware of that. But those two have been very specifically training, so I am optimistic it will work very well”.

‘I have not had the same eight at any race yet but it is hard not to come in and feel ready to go with how the mood in the team is right now.’

Townsend and Tipper both competed in the race last year. And along with the likes of double winner Wilkinson, Tanfield, Paton and Fry, they have all the attributes to go well on Sunday.… (… continued after advert)

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Experience, strength and skill will be crucial in the race, which features a unique blend of wide roads around Rutland Water and narrow farm tracks more reminiscent of those found in the Spring Classics in northern France and Belgium.

Elverson added: ‘The riders need to be physically capable. It takes a different type of rider because you have to be able to ride over the terrain as well. You have to be very good technically and it is no accident the same riders are near the front year after year.’

Tanfield was third last season, while Wilkinson was fifth as Steele von Hoff took the victory from runner-up Chris Opie.  Jake Womersley, Pullar and Lloyd Chapman have been named as reserves for the 179km contest, which begins in Oakham at 11am.

TEAM
Ian Wilkinson (double winner), Joe Fry (Tour of Reservoir winner), Rory Towsend, Jacob Tipperm Alex paton & Harry Tanfield

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