When Ian woke this morning with a hugely swollen hand and barely able to walk as a result of the crash in Kirkcaldy, we all feared that he would not be able to ride Round two of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series and even if he did, he wouldn't be competitive on
Posted On: 17th May, 2013
When Ian woke this morning with a hugely swollen hand and barely able to walk as a result of the crash in Kirkcaldy, we all feared that he would not be able to ride Round two of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series and even if he did, he wouldn't be competitive on the cobbled technical circuit in the centre of Durham. Fortunately the predicted deluge of rain didn't materialise and the riders lined up in near perfect conditions. A relief to the riders and mechanics alike as the tight cobbled streets of Durham are notorious for causing multiple crashes at the best of times.
The hills, tight corners and poor road surfaces ensured a furious pace in the group for the first few laps as every rider wanted to be at the front.
All the Madison Genesis riders, additionally motivated by the fact the circuit suited them, were looking determined and fought hard to be in the very select front group that materialised after only 10 laps. As the race progressed the attacks came thick and fast from Madison Genesis. Andy Tennant, riding the his best race of the season so far, covered every move making sure Madison Genesis were always in the groups. It was Alex Peters' turn next, he accelerated on the cobbled climb, distancing himself from the front of the group and this seemed to spark the main action of the night.
When Alex was caught, Ian - covered in bandages - counter attacked riding several laps alone in front before last year's winner Kristian House (Rapha JLT) joined him in the lead. They rode well together until Ian dropped his chain on the nasty cobbled descent with 15 km to go. This was enough to give Kristian the advantage to go on and win the individual race. Only three teams had riders in the front group, MGT was one of them so a top three result was assured. Andy, Liam and Ian gave it everything on the last climb up to the line and their combined points earned a second place on the night behind Raleigh, moving Madison Genesis up to third in the overall standings.
"What a fantastic ride by the team tonight. Each and every one of them rode their hearts out to get a good result to make up for Tuesday's misfortune in Kirkcaldy. I felt we were really the protagonists of the race with very strong and gutsy performances from all the riders, which was almost as pleasing as the result itself. We are really looking forward to the second week now!" Team Manager – Roger Hammond
Click here for a full race report
Photos By Andy Jones