2010 May | Wheelbase UK Ltd | Mountain Bikes | Road Bikes

May 24, 2010

NW RR Championships - solid day for HerbaLife/WHEELBASE.co.uk

Filed under: Team HerbaLife/WHEELBASE.co.uk — WHEELBASE.co.uk @ 10:08 PM

North West Regional Road Race Championships
Lazonby, Sunday 23 May 2010
Report and images courtesy of Larry Hickmott, British Cycling

After a race where the circuit and heat did a lot of damage to the peloton over the 93 hilly miles, Ian Wilkinson (Endrua Racing) outsprinted an inform Neil Swithenbank (GS Surosa) to win the North West Regional Road Race Championship in Cumbria.

Ian Wilkinson sprints for all he's worth to win the NW Regional RR Championship ahead of Neil Swithenbank.

Like a lot of the country, Cumbria (near Penrith) was bathed in hot sunshine when the riders in the three events being held on the 10 mile circuit around Lazonby lined up on top of the hill outside the village to start their races. First away were the Elites followed by the Juniors and then the category 3-4 riders.   The Elite championship was being held over nine laps of the 10 mile circuit and despite the heat, the pace was high from the start but the first lap passed without a significant break gaining any long lasting freedom. A lap later though and six riders were clear, Ian Wilkinson (Endura) , Neil Swithenbank (GS Surosa), Peter Smith (Raleigh), Richard Handley (Raleigh), Tim Lawson (Science in Sport) and Andy Guy (Science in Sport) but with fresh legs in the peloton, even that break with such strength didn’t stay away.

Jack Puller, HerbaLife/WHEELBASE.co.uk after lap 1 and the race is all together but not for long.

With the race back together, more riders tried including Neil Swithenbank, Joshua Hunt (Mid Devon CC) and the very experienced David Williams (Kuota/GSG/Spinergy) and from that came a much bigger split as the leading group numbered well over a dozen riders with the peloton behind split into two groups.   There was a scare for Ian Wilkinson though as he punctured his front tyre but his erstwhile manager Rob Hayles was close by and he gave up his bling front wheel for Wilkinson to carry on his challenge. The favourites were all in the lead group which stayed together for a number of laps before the likes of Wilkinson and Swithenbank started to apply the pressure knowing the group was too big for their liking.

Through the feedzone with a few laps to go and the splits were appearing all over the place and with two laps to go, the group was no more than around eight riders but more pain was to come for those struggling as Wilkinson and Swithenbank piled on the pressure on the far side of the circuit. At the bell at Lazonby, Wilkinson and Swithenbank were clear of six riders with Richard Handley and Matt Stephens chasing their quarry for all they were worth.

It wasn’t enough and the race victory was a right ding dong battle between Wilkinson and Swithenbank. Not once, not twice but three times the Endura rider tried to shift Swithenbank from his back wheel but the former GB Under 23 rider was having none of it and the win was going to be decided in a long uphill, headwind sprint.  After a cat and mouse pre-amble to the sprint, Wilkinson opened it up 200 metres out and his well known sprint was more than enough to gift him the title from Swithenbank who did one hell of a ride to push Wilkinson like he did. In the sprint for third, Richard Handley got his front wheel across the line first ahead of a tired and disappointed Matt Stephens who said he felt awful in the heat. Stephens was not alone with many feeling that the first hot race of the year took the rider’s bodies by surprise but one rider smiling in pain was the winner Ian Wilkinson.

ELITE/1/2/
1 Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing
2 Neil Swithenbank GS Surosa
3 Richard Handley Team Raleigh
4 Matthew Stephens Sigma Sport - Specialized CT
5 Andy Coupe Team Wallis CHH RT
6 Joshua Hunt Mid Devon CC
7 Alistair Rutherford ScienceInSport.com
8 Gary Adamson ScienceInSport.com
9 Peter Smith Team Raleigh
10 Tom Black Team Manx Telecom
11 Andy Guy ScienceInSport.com
12 Richard Bott Herbalife / Wheelbase
13 James Gullen Team Wallis CHH
14 Jason Christie Endura Racing
15 Stephen Leigh Team Bglobal
16 Dean Hitchings Maxgear RT
17 Jimmy Froggatt Wills Wheels CC
18 Jeff Vernon Birkenhead North End CC
19 Harry Grey Birkenhead North End CC
20 Andrew Hawdon Herbalife / Wheelbase
21 Craig Battersby Team Bglobal
22 Stephen Stoneman FP Mailing
23 Stuart Henry Herbalife / Wheelbase

Jonny Knox, HerbaLife/WHEELBASE.co.uk coming home in 4th in the Juniors

JUNIORS
1 Robert Crampton Wills Wheels CC
2 Jack Cousins Wills Wheels CC
3 Matthew Holmes Team Wallis CHH
4 Jonny Knox Herbalife / Wheelbase
5 Laurence Brooking Herbalife / Wheelbase
6 Lewis Balyckyi Team Wallis CHH
7 Christopher Sherriffs Team Wallis CHH
8 Sean Hughes Liverpool Century
9 Jack Penrice Sportcity Velo
10 Liam Brenan New Brighton CC
11 Martin Woffindin Sportcity Velo
12 Mike Gregg Team Probikekit.com

May 15, 2010

Gravel and Road Bikes - Giro D’Italia: Stage 7 The Strade Bianche

Filed under: Latest News — WHEELBASE.co.uk @ 8:05 PM

WHO SAYS YOU CAN’T RIDE ROAD BIKES ON GRAVEL? Giro D’Italia - The Strade Bianche

May 15, Stage 7: Carrara - Montalcino 222km
Including the infamous Strade Bianche
Report courtesy of Road.cc
Images courtesy of CyclingNews.com

Cadel Evans of BMC Racing proved stronger than Astana’s Alexandre Vinokourov and Lampre-Farnese Vini’s Damiano Cunego (Bike: Wilier Cento Uno Superleggera) this afternoon in the run-in to the finish line in Montalcino of Stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia on a day when a heavy downpour caused chaotic conditions on the road in scenes more reminiscent of a Flanders Classic than a Grand Tour.

The words strade bianche may translate into English as white roads - the gravel gleams brilliantly under the summer sun - but there was no evidence of that today as the deluge turned them into a brown quagmire and blew the race apart, splitting the riders into small groups in the closing 30 kilomnetres, and if any riders had been expecting an easy day in the saddle ahead of tomorrow’s summit finish on Monte Terminillo, the weather put paid to that.

Register for our very own Le Tour de Staveley and get to ride the UK’s own Strade Bianche here in the Lake District. A 2km sweeping gravel climb at the southern end of Lake Windermere, with amazing views up the Lake and towards the Northern fells.

Cadel Evans, BMC Wins Giro d' Italia Stage 7

Still, with maglia rosa Vincenzo Nibali (bike: Cannondale Super Six) suffering after crashing into a ditch with several other riders on a descent 33 kilometres out and having to help pace team leader Ivan Basso (bike: Cannondale Super Six) who was caught up in the same incident, Vinokourov had the consolation of getting back into the race leader’s jersey that he had worn for 24 hours prior to Stage 4’s team time trial.

Hard day in the saddle for the Liquigas lads - Ivan Basso

Evans’ victory, plus the time bonus that came with it, saw him climb back up to second overall, while Britain’s David Millar, crossing the line just over a minute behind the winner at the end of 222 kilometres and more than five hours of punishing riding after the stage had got underway in Carrara this morning, rises to third.

This year’s route honours some of the great names of cycling’s past, and following Thursday’s Stage 4, which commmemorated Fausto Coppi with a finish in his home town of Novi Ligure, today’s stage paid tribute to the Campionissimo’s great rival, Gino Bartali, taking in his home roads including two sections of the fabled strade bianche, Tuscany’s answer to Flanders’ cobbles.

Among the big losers was Cervelo TestTeam’s Carlos Sastre, the highest placed finisher in last year’s Giro competing this time around - the Spaniard was elevated to third place after Danilo di Luca’s disqualification - who lost nearly five and a half minutes to Vinokourov and is seven minutes behind the Kazakh overall, and who now looks likely to have to content himself with targeting a stage win
rather than the general classification.

Team Sky's Micheal Barry with the Pinarello Dogma on the Strade Bianche

The first Team Sky rider home was the Italian Dario Cioni (bike: Pinarello Dogma), who finished 24th, a second shy of three minutes behind Evans. Cioni is also the hghest-placed rider from tbe British outfit in the overall standings, occupying 25th place, more than seven minutes behind Vinokourov. Team-mate Bradley Wiggins (bike: Pinarello Dogma) occupies next place, but is nearly nine minutes off the overall lead.

Stage 7 (Carrara-Montalcino, 222km):
1 EVANS Cadel BMC 5:13:37
2 CUNEGO Damiano LAM 0:02
3 VINOKOUROV Alexandre AST 0:02
4 PINOTTI Marco THR 0:06
5 ARROYO David GCE 0:12
6 GARZELLI Stefano ASA 0:27
7 GADRET John ALM 0:29
8 SCARPONI Michele AND 1:01
9 SARMIENTO Cayetano ASA 1:07
10 BAKELANDTS Jan OLO 1:10
11 MILLAR David GRM 1:11
12 ROHREGGER Thomas MRM 1:13

May 10, 2010

Fred Whitton 2010 - Jebb,WHEELBASE.co.uk sets another fast one!

Filed under: Latest News, Team Wheelbase — WHEELBASE.co.uk @ 3:07 PM

Fred Whitton Challenge 2010
Sunday 9 May 2010

Official Fred Whitton Challenge website

Photography kindly provided by Dave Powell, Gatefoot Gallery

Click here to view Photo Gallery - more to follow

Click here for more photographs from the Kirkstone Inn

On Sunday a record capacity field of 1,200 road cyclists took part in the infamous Fred Whitton Challenge. The gruelling 112 mile course tackles the climbs of Kirkstone, Honister, Newlands, Whinlatter, Hardknott & Wrynose pass.

WHEELBASE.co.uk riders stream over Kirkstone Pass, the first of many climbs. Photo: Dave Powell

Riders who anticipate quick course times are encourage to leave later from a staggered start in Coniston and one of the first large bunches to go were the riders from West Cumbrian cycling club Honister 92 and they set a great early pace, around 30 minutes later the riders from Staveley based cycle super store WHEELBASE.co.uk/Cannondale rolled out with their lead rider Rob Jebb joined by riders from Keswick Mountain Bikes.

WHEELBASE.co.uk Riders Nic Smith and Ian Palmer head through Keswick on their way to Honistor - where the work really starts.Photo: Dave Powell

Strong early morning breezes and cold temperatures meant conditions were not ideal for setting fast times but overall cooler temperatures later on and a tail wind down the A66 towards Keswick helped four riders achieve sub 6 hour times. Course record holder Rob Jebb, WHEELBASE.co.uk/Cannondale made his trademark sprint on the ascent of Honister and jumped the group he’d ridden with since Coniston, Simon Jackson (High Wycombe CC) and Andy Peace (Crosstax) bridged the gap to Jebb and they rapidly rode the rest of the course with Jebb finally dropping both riders on Hardknott Pass and coming home in 5hr 47min, slightly off his course record of 5hr 40min.

Rob Jebb, WHEELBASE.co.uk/Cannondale sets the fastest time for the Fred Whitton Challenge of 5hr 47mins. Slight off his course record of 5hr 40min. Photo: Dave Powell

The Fred Whitton Challenge is classed as the UK’s toughest road cycling sportive attracts avid cyclists from across the UK with the event selling out in a matter of hours. The Challenge is run in memory of local cycling legend Fred Whitton and last year raised a record £60,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, Marie Curie Cancer Care, The Dave Rayner Fund, the Air Ambulance service and Mountain Rescue.

Rob Jebb, WHEELBASE.co.uk rode his 2010 Cannondale SuperSix, Dura Ace 7900 equiped with Hollowgram SI Chainset, Ceramic bearings and Mavic Ksyrium SL Wheelset. Jebb also used the new Ultegra 6700 cassette 12-28.

The WHEELBASE.co.uk/Cannondale team had 8 riders in the Fred Whitton and would like to thank Hargreaves Garages, Kendal for supplying support vehicles to help them deliver 48 bottles to the team!

Fred Whitton Challenge times - WHEELBASE.co.uk/Cannondale riders:

Rob Jebb Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale 5hr 47min
Steven Clarke Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale 6hr 10min
Ian Plamer Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale 6hr 10min
Nic Smith Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale 6hr 10min
Joe Richards Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale 6hr 23min
Matt Martindale Wheelbase.co.uk/Cannondale 6hr 27min
Mike Toyn Wheelbase.co.uk Cannondale 6hr 36min
Stuart Wilson Wheelbase.co.uk Cannondale 6hr 46min
Darry Dixon Wheelbase.co.uk Cannondale 7hr 28min
Paul Troughton Wheelbase.co.uk Cannondale 7hr 59min
Dan Jenkins Wheelbase.co.uk Cannondale 7hr 59min
Ray Morris Wheelbase.co.uk Cannondale 8hr 05min
Mike Arnold Wheelbase.co.uk Cannondale 8hr 20min

Team HerbaLife/WHEELBASE.co.uk - Lincoln GP

Each year the Fred Whitton Challenge clashes with the Lincoln Grand Prix, which is classed as the UK’s number one Premier Calendar road racing event. The race runs with 11 passes of an 8-mile circuit around Lincoln city centre, including a notorious cobbled climb and is extremely popular with spectators.

Previous Fred Whitton record holder (5hr 45min) Stuart Reid headed to the Lincoln GP with the rest of the HerbaLife/WHEELBASE.co.uk team and finished well at the front of the second peloton on the road along with teammates Andrew Hawdon and Jack Pullar. This year’s race was very fast paced with an average speed of 28mph.