With just Aylsham and Ipswich remaining in the 2013 Pearl Izumi Tour Series, nearly everything was still to play for. After a very strong series Team UK Youth could mathematically still be overhauled for the win, however the more realistic fight was going
Posted On: 17th June, 2013
With just Aylsham and Ipswich remaining in the 2013 Pearl Izumi Tour Series, nearly everything was still to play for. After a very strong series Team UK Youth could mathematically still be overhauled for the win, however the more realistic fight was going to be between the second and fifth positions in the overall standings. With only a handful of points separating these teams each round was going to be contested strongly.
Round 10 : Aylsham
Aylsham, a small market town in Norfolk was host to the penultimate round. With the start of the race fast approaching, so did the torrential rain. For the first time this year it looked as though one of the most crucial races of the series was going to test the riders further with inclement weather. The preceding women’s race was decimated due to the tight town centre circuit and the rain soaked roads but luck was on the side of the men’s race. During the brief interval between the races the rain stopped and the sun even appeared for a brief spell, just enough to dry the racing line.
As soon as the start line was crossed the racing began in earnest with attack after attack whittling down the size of the main group. Madison Genesis were on fire with at least one rider in the break and a second policing the front of the main bunch, text book team tactics everytime. Eventually the elastic snapped after a blistering attack by a rejuvenated Dean Downing. Keen to regain his title as the holder of the most individual wins in the tour series, Dean pressed on with what was arguably the strongest five man breakaway of the series. For a moment it was looking really good when the one of the faster finishers Chris Opie and Kristian House were distanced, but tactics amongst the remaining three in the front saw the two work well together and fight back into contention with just two laps to go. In the sprint to the line Dean managed to snatch another podium finish for Madison Genesis. The team result was going to depend on the rest of the team in the main bunch so when Liam Holohan finished eighth and Alex Peters following closely in ninth, ensuring second place on the night we were ecstatic to see we had closed the gap on Raleigh in the overall standings.
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Round 11 : Ipswich
The final round in Ipswich consisted of two races, with both rewarding the full amount of points towards the series, they were extremely important. The first race was a rather short team time trial, just two laps of the 1.2 kilometre town centre circuit, so fractions of a second were going to be crucial. With the finishing time taken on the fifth rider across the line it was imperative to look after the each other throughout the ride. Madison Genesis, setting off in glorious sunshine recorded the fifth best time which was good enough to leapfrog Team Raleigh into second place overall in the series with just one race remaining. It was still exceptionally close at the top of the table though and Rapha Condor JLT were only two points behind Madison Genesis.
The tension has been building throughout the series with the nerves very apparent this evening. The Madison Genesis boys set about their preparations in the setting sunlight with a greater concentration than ever before, there was just one job to be done: preserve second place overall.
Their focus was apparent as soon as the start was given with Ian and Dean both aggressive early on but it was young Alex Peters who eventually went clear with a couple others. Looking extremely strong Alex worked well with his two breakaway companions and they steadily rode clear from the rapidly depleting main group.
Liam rode his trademark race, making it as hard for himself as possible by starting near the back but slowly working his way to the front just in time to join the counter attack that eventually bridged the gap to Alex’s group. This formed a very strong eight man group that Liam (intent on leaving everything on the road) attacked from immediately and set about building a substantial lead before the remainder of the group got together and worked to catch him in the last 10 minutes of racing.
The counter attack didn’t take long to appear, Tom Skully was allowed to ride away as tactics for the overall points took hold. Team Raleigh had lost so many points in the earlier time trial that their challenge for the overall had evaporated and therefore didn’t represent a threat to the rest of the breakaway. The rest of the group remained intact and Alex (showing a great deal of maturity under pressure) was narrowly out-sprinted by Olympic champion Ed Clancy for second place. Liam despite the extremely hard race finished eighth whilst the third counting rider for the team, Ian Bibby finished in 13th place. It was enough to finish the series in a fantastic second place overall in the team’s first year!
"The entire series has been fiercely contested, culminating in the last two rounds being extremely tense and very stressful! With the overall standings being so close there was never a moment to sit back and relax which threw up numerous challenges. There were some fantastic individual performances from the team but what pleased me the most, was the way the riders and the staff really took everything on together with the final result being testament to that. For Madison Genesis to finish second in such a team based series in our first 6 months of existence is very satisfying to say the least." Team manager – Roger Hammond
"To do so well in the Tour Series in our team's debut season is something I had not dared to contemplate. We set out with a clear strategy for the Madison Genesis team and so far this is working out well for the team and our supportive sponsors who share in our vision." Madison CEO – Dominic Langan
Click here for a full race report
Photos by Andy Jones