The Grand Prix of Wales is one of the older Premier calendar races and with the inclusion of the Tumble Mountain (almost 400 meters altitude gain), it is also one of the most feared.
Posted On: 16th July, 2013
The Grand Prix of Wales is one of the older Premier calendar races and with the inclusion of the Tumble Mountain (almost 400 meters altitude gain), it is also one of the most feared. With the climb being negotiated after just 60 kilometers of the 162 kilometer race, the climb itself is a place to lose the race rather than win it however you have to survive it.
The fantastic sun shining on the spectators in Abergavenny proved to be a difficulty that the riders would have to cope with, with temperatures up into the thirties re-hydration was paramount but not an easy task with such fast racing.
The first hour of racing was extremely quick. With so many riders afraid of the infamous Tumble climb there were a huge number of riders trying to make the early breakaway, all with the common theme: start the climb with a head start on the pure climbers.
With three riders from the team in the select group of 17, we were in a strong position on the run back into Abergavenny, where the race would negotiate 10 laps of a six kilometer – predominantly flat - finishing circuit. It was on the fourth lap Alex suffered from searing cramp, an indication that the high temperatures and fast racing was taking its toll. The front group split and reformed numerous times over the last remaining laps with Ian and Liam doing all they could to follow the right moves. In the end a group of three went clear with two laps to go, Liam chased hard to keep the team in contention but a very strong performance from Steve Lampier and Mark Northy from Node 4 Giordana ensured the small group shared the major prizes.
Ian finished a fine 9th place with Liam following in 14th.
"That was a very tough event today the heat just exaggerated what was already one of the hardest races on the British calendar. I’m really pleased with how the whole team rode today, I think we deserved a better result than we actually achieved as all the riders took their tasks onboard and worked hard, but that is racing I suppose. Hopefully a bit more luck over the next couple of weeks and the big results will return." Team manager – Roger Hammond
Click here for a full race report
Photos by Andy Jones