Report & Result: Perfs Pedal Road Race

Chris Opie takes his brand new Canyon bike to win the Perfs Pedal for the second time in Hampshire

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

Report & Result: Perfs Pedal Road Race

The season opener, the Perfs Pedal road race, organised by VC St Raphael sponsor Mick Waite, was held today on the hills overlooking Portsmouth and won by Chris Opie for the second time, from Junior Road Race Champion Jacob Vaughan with last years winner Rory Townsend in third place.

Above: Jacob Vaughan, Chris Opie and Rory Townsend

Winner Chris Opie talking post race: talking about the final few K, Chris explained that the small front group that had got a gap, sat up and were waiting for Rob Partridge who was coming across to his teammates and it would have been good, says Chris if he’d gone straight past and won it but as it was, it was one of the other riders went first, probably from 500 meters and Rory went after him”.

On the subject of the media making a big deal of the race, Chris explained “if teams and the supporters don’t make a big deal of races like this, who’s going to? It’s the only road race in the country this weekend worth doing so you may as well make a big deal out of it. It’s a big event, a fantastic event on a brilliant circuit.”

“Because the race is so short, you have to go hard from the start but when it’s cold like this, it’s hard to do that so it took a while to get into it and by the time you do, its turned into a slog rather than a race. So the speed comes down and you’re pedalling hard and it’s just uncomfortable”.
“The conditions also were just not windy enough so you could ride hard but it wouldn’t break the peloton. Ideally, we would like to have team time trialled away and only had four others with us but we had seven.”
Chris and his team in a few weeks go back to Holland where he won a race last season and the Cornish rider is looking forward to it.

Report

A field of over 80 riders behind the lead car at the start of the 52nd Perfs Pedal

First time up the 1 in 10 slopes of the North Boarhunt James Lowsley-Williams was giving it some stick to shouts of easy! This pressure split the race and 13 riders including five from Bike Channel Canyon led the race and were never caught – Chris Opie, Rory Townsend, Mitch Webber, Rob Partridge, James Lowsley – Williams , Jack Billyard, Chris McNamara, Louis Rose-Davies, Matthew Clarke, Elliot Porter, Mikey Mottram, Jacob Vaghan (British Junior RR Champion) & Jesse Yates (In-Gear Quickvit-Trainsharp).

The race quickly split in three or more groups and in the second, the riders from Primera Sports/Team Jobs were full gas in the chase.

Pressure from Chris Opie on the fourth time up the same climb saw gaps opening up. On his wheel is Jack Billyard who was the catalyst for the decisive selection. The Dave Rayner funded rider battled illness last year but looked full of riding as he attacked the penultimate time up the climb.

His team had to win it and win they did with Chris Opie getting a clear victory from a first year junior, the Road race Championno less in Jacob Vaughan of VC Londres.

The break with five riders from the new Bike Channel/Canyon team in it but they far from had it their own way.

Last lap approaching and a split in the front group saw James Lowsley-Williams,  Jack Billyard, Chris Opie, Rory Townsend and Jacob Vaughan open a gap. Special mention for Michael Mottram who punctured twice on that final few laps who was in the mix but missed the split.

Other Reactions

Jacob Vaughan: It was a pretty difficult race as Bike Channel started to work me and the Zappi rider over. On one of the down hills, Rory Townsend attacked and the Zappi guy pulled him back with 5k to go. Chris then had us marked and coming into the sprint, the Zappi guy went and then Rory came round him with Chris on his wheel and I just managed to get round Rory”.

“It is really good coming  into the season feeling quite strong because I have Kuurne Brussells Kuurne at the end of the month and it would be good to be in the mix there. I’d love to follow in the footsteps of some one like James (Shaw).

Jacob was on a Boardman Bike and he explained “I won the national champs last year and I was kindly given another Boardmans bike to ride so a massive thanks to them as they have really helped me and its a lovely bike to ride”.

Rory Townsend: “I’m never one to sit so was doing a bit at the front! We had to take the race on, as everyone was expecting us too, so we hit it nice and early on that first lap with Alex Richardson doing a good job on lining it out on the climb and we shook it up from there. At one stage it looked like we had the perfect scenario with me, Chris and Hank up the road but fair play to the young lads, they brought us back. With a  lap to go, I was away alone at almost the same place as last year so I seemed to have the power at the moment.”

Jack is presented with the James Atherton/Richard Phillips Schoelfield Trophy

Jack Billyard “I’m pleased with the ride. Under the circumstances, there is only so much you can do when Bike Channel bring six riders to a race and I’m a lone rider. I split it on the climb around halfway through because  I haven’t got much of a sprint so had to do something”.

“I’m 19, a second year under 23 racing for the Zappis race team and we spend the majority of the season abroad. I’ve come back to for  a short period to  see mum and dad and next I’m out to Spain for a month and then Italy for the rest of the year”.

“It is a nice to get the racing legs going in a race which has a lot of focus on it and is prestigious in its own right, I have to  say the organisation was fantastic, no problems with traffic and its good to be in races like this that have been in the calendar for so long”.

More quotes from local Eamonn Deane
Tim Elverson (DS Bike Channel Canyon): “We raced hard and learnt a lot about the bikes and our team performance. I was very pleased we took the win, but more importantly very pleased as to how this new team pulled together and bonded early days but the future looks like fun.”

Chis McNamara (coach at Trainsharp): “Canyon absolutely nailed it, first time up the climb. We knew it was coming and I’d had a good warm up. I did not have as good a position as I’d hoped and I made it by the skin of my teeth. Jack Billyard was very strong, he really nailed it up the climb with two laps to go, that really split it. I think there was a little bit of panic. We had Mitch Webber and Rob Partidge with us so it was a lose, lose situation.”

The chase for the leaders on the final lap, Chris on the left of the group

Elliot Porter “To be honest, I am a bit disappointed but thats just the way it is. It’s a bit too short for me and I just need more race fitness. We will see how the next few weeks go. I have Severn Bridge and Wally Gimber to come. I should have been in that front group but thats just down to how I raced; it’s hindsight”

Mikey Mottram: “Pleased, yeah, yeah definitely, I had a good ride, not bad. I did not think it would be that hard that early on but it was. There were six or seven of them on the front, there was not much talking, it was full gas. I knew it would be exposed over the top and I was caught about 20/30 riders further back than I should have been, so just had to put in a really big effort to get across.

It was hardest over the top in the crosswinds, it was really grippy up there. Once I got into that group and had a look round at who was there, you knew it would stick. It was definately hard work, just to get across, the hardest I have had to work for six months! I was really happy to get across. I punctured, I made contact with the remains of the break and we chased but the Bike Channel guys (Webber & Partridge) did well to disrupt the chase. It was a good day!”

Louis Rose-Davis (17): “Very pleased, it was good race. I have started the seasion well and it shows what form I have. I had a good feeling but you knever really know. I knew things were going to go down on that first lap and hopefully I’d get in the right position. The road over the top (of the climb) was hard with Bike Channel, smashing on the front. After the break was established, we all worked well together. I saw Bilyard and Opie get away and I tried to follow but caught in no mans land then the break split in two. I tried to go on my own but they had more power.”

Result (Provisional)

1 Chris Opie BIKE Channel Canyon E
2 Jacob Vaughan VC Londres 1J
3 Rory Townsend BIKE Channel Canyon E
4 Jack Billyard Zappi Racing Team 2
5 Robert Partridge BIKE Channel Canyon 1
6 Michael Mottram Morvelo Basso RT 1
7 Mattew Clarke Canyon UK E
8 Louis Rose-Davies Canyon UK 2J
9 Chris McNamara Nunn-Sigma Sport-London RT 1
10 Elliott Porter Neon-Velo Cycling Team 1
11 James Lowsley-Williams BIKE Channel Canyon 1
12 Mitchel Webber BIKE Channel Canyon 1
13 Jesse Yates In Gear-Quickvit-Trainsharp RT 3
14 Fred Wright VC Londres 1J
15 Tom Hargreaves Nunn-Sigma Sport-London RT E
16 Thomas Power Strada-Sport 2
17 Ben Simmons Alé DMT Cipollini UK 1
18 Andy Shackel Team Wiggle 1
19 George Smith VC Equipe-Flix 1
20 Calum Croft Latchem Sunwise Race Team 2
21 Edward Hatfield Primera-TeamJobs 2J
22 Peter Merritt Goma Dakwerken vdb Steenhouwerij 2
23 Tristan Grigalis PMR@Toachin House 2
24 Daniel Nieto TBW Bottecchia Wigmore RT 2
25 Joshua Curtis Lovelo Cinelli RT 2
26 Robert Ormond Morvelo Basso RT 1
27 Chris Snook Nunn-Sigma Sport-London RT 2
28 Gary Chambers Nopinz 3
29 William Fleming VC Venta 2
30 Lewis Winfield VC Londres 2J
31 Warren Jesse Excel Pedal Heaven Academy 2
32 Andrew Williams Cwmcarn Paragon Cycle Club 1
33 Simon McNamara Southdown Bikes-Casco PET 2
34 Harry Veale Cycleworks.co.uk 1
35 James Peckham Sotonia 2
36 Matthew Downie Primera-TeamJobs 2
37 Gary Brind Southdown Bikes-Casco PET 2
38 David Billings Radeon-Bike Science RT 2
39 James Horton VC St. Raphael/Waite Contracts/Hewitt Cycles 3
40 Thomas Key Primera-TeamJobs 2
41 ? – Yellow & black jersey
42 Lee Frost VC Equipe-Flix E
43 ? – Orange, white & blue jersey/Orange overshoes/Orange helmet
44 Will Ranoe Morvelo Basso RT 2
45 ? – Orange jersey/Black helmet/Blue water bottle
46 James Hywel-Davies Latchem Sunwise Race Team 2
47 Chris Carter Newport Shropshire CC 2
48 Daniel Mcquillan Tri UK 1
49 Joseph Clark I-Team CC 2

Best Southern Region
1. Jack Billyard, Zappi
2. James Lowsley-Williams
3. Mitchell Webber, bikechannel/Canyon

James Atherton/Richard Phillips Schoelfield Trophy
1. Jack Billyard, Zappi

… continued after advert

2016_ShuttVeloRapideAdvert

FORMER WINNERS

1964 Tony Mills Ryall / Raxar
1965 Barrie Heath Bournemouth Olympic
1966 Graham Moore Bristol Road Club
1967 Alan Williams Dragon RC
1968 & 69 Not Held
1970 Graham Moore Bristol Road Club
1971 Graham Moore Bristol Road Club
1972 Clive Crossley Bristol Road Club
1973 Derek Witt G S Europa
1974 Bob Woodley Kingston Pheonix
1975 Ian Hallam Beeston Road Club
1976 Dave LeGrys 34th Nomads CC
1977 Clive Oxborrow Brighton Mitre CC
1978 Glenn Longland Antelope RT
1979 Sean Yates Archer RC / Cutty Sark
1980 Tim Stevens 34th Nomads CC
1981 Piers Hewitt VC Europa
1982 Tim Stevens 34th Nomads CC
1983 Tim Harris Willeboro-Van-Peer-Kyoso
1984 Tim Harris Willeboro-Van-Peer-Kyoso
1985 Glenn Longland Antelope RT
1986 Tim Harris Weilersport
1987 Nigel Perry G S Stella / Weilersport / VRV
1988 Mark Markowski Hastings & St Leonards
1989 Race stopped by Police
1990 Simon Bray Invicta-DLB / Phil Corley Cycles
1991 Paul Rogers VC St Raphaël / Waite Contracts
1992 Brian Fleming C C Romford
1993 Richard Wooles CC Abergavenny / Owen Construction
1994 Colin Langley C C Luton
1995 Martin Markowski Velo Club Bayeaux
1996 Brian Fleming Cannon Sports Club / Omega Bio Racer
1997 Justin Clarke Giant – Portland
1998 David Rand PDM Sports – Concorde – WCU
1999 Paul Wilkes VC St Martinus
2000 Justin Hoy Liphook Cycle RT
2001 Julian Winn Welsh Cycling Union Private Member
2002 Barry Elcombe Festival Road Club / Nico lapage
2003 Cancelled due to Flooding
2004 Julian Winn Pinarello RT/Pinarello/Corima
2005 Chris Newton recycling.co.uk/MG Xpower/Litespeed
2006 Jason Williamson Agisko-Dart-Cycling.tv / Xpower
2007 Alex Dowsett 100% ME
2008 James Stewart KFS Special Vehicles / Sunday Bikes
2009 Will Bjergfelt Sports Beans-Willier
2010 cancelled due to poor road conditions
2011 Ben Stockdale Team Quroz
2012 Chris Opie Team UK Youth
2013 Marcin Bialoblocki Team UK Youth
2014 cancelled due to poor road conditions
2015 Yanto Barker ONE Pro Cycling
2016 Rory Townsend Pedal Heaven

AlpsCyclesMidstory

 

Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Cero

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: , ,