The last round of the Elite Spring Cup Road series saw Madison Genesis in the Cathedral Town of Lincoln.
The last round of the Elite Spring Cup Road series saw Madison Genesis in the Cathedral Town of Lincoln. For the first time in many years the race moved away from the traditional 14 laps of an eight mile city centre based circuit. Instead, the 2014 edition headed off in to the Lincolnshire countryside and completed two laps of a 30 mile loop before heading back into the city for eight of the traditional laps which, once again included the famous steep cobbled ascent of Michaelgate.
Despite the driving rain and the blustery conditions the team were highly motivated for one of the more popular races on the UK calendar. In such poor conditions getting off to a good start is imperative, but the very small twisting roads of the new opening laps made this one even more crucial.
With each of the numerous crashes, the entire road was blocked causing the unwary to spend a lot of energy getting back to the head of the race. An errant dog caused the biggest issue for the team when it ran in front of the peloton causing a huge crash involving Tom Stewart. By the time we got to the scene, Tom had clawed his way out of the ditch and remounted but his bloodied face told the story of how hard he had hit the ground. Not giving up, he chased back only to find the race in front had split. 19 riders had gone clear with Madison Genesis represented by Mike Northey, Liam Holohan and Tom Scully.
With the latter not feeling his best, it was going to be up to Mike and Liam. On the opening lap up the Michaelgate climb the attacks began in earnest and the front group split once again, Mike making the front group whilst Liam and Tom policed the second group.
This front group would never be given too much lead but managed to stay clear of the chasers to the finish. Tom Moses wasn't content with the wait for a sprint and attacked with two laps to go, riding alone until the bottom of the final ascent of Michaelgate where he was eventually caught by previous escapees. Mike took the initiative and opened up the frantic sprint on the cobbled climb to the finish only being passed in the last burst to the line by Yanto Barker.
Team Manager – Roger Hammond
"Today was chaotic in the beginning with crashes, punctures and groups losing contact due to the inclement weather so it was good to see the team sticking together and working hard to stay ahead of the trouble.
Unfortunately, Tom was taken out by a dog but once again that team spirit shone through with him fighting to re-join the race and help out his teammates. Mike finished the job off after a tough day in the saddle by riding with strength and intelligence.
That wasn't an easy day today and I'm really proud of how the guys never gave up and fought to the end. With the added distance today the challenges were extrapolated so it was really good to see the team up to the task in hand."
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