Thwaites the winner, but Rapha Condor Sharp steamroller continues

Scott Thwaites takes the individual honours for Endura Racing, but men in black make it five from five

Scott Thwaites became the first non-Rapha Condor Sharp individual winner of the 2011 Halfords Tour Series in Stoke-on-Trent last night, but it wasn't enough to prevent the Series leaders taking their fifth team win of the season to tighten their grip on the Series. 

Rapha Condor Sharp now have a nine point lead at the top of the standings with three events to go, in Oldham, Woking and the Grand Finale at Canary Wharf. 

The Halfords Tour Series leaders placed Dean Downing second and Graham Briggs third, but Thwaites proved too strong on the run to the line, although with Dean Windsor also in the top ten, this was enough for win number five of 2011.

Although held on a tough circuit, The Halfords Tour Series' third visit to Stoke-on-Trent was run off at a frantic pace, with several riders and Series Technical Director Mick Bennett commenting that it was the fastest ever Tour Series race they had seen.

Certainly that seemed the case from a spectators standpoint, as lap after lap the peloton would appear strung out around the 1.2 kilometre circuit, with attacks flourishing briefly, before diminishing just as rapidly.

While entertaining for the large crowd gathering at the finish area outside the Potteries Shopping Centre, it was tough for the riders, with a number of retirements including Malcolm Elliott and Marcel Six, wearing the Boardman Bikes Sprints jersey but still feeling the effects of his Colchester crash.

Numerous small attacks came and went, with Pendragon Le Col Colnago's Cornishman Chris Opie one notable attackee, as he stayed away for some time, claiming the evening's second Boardman Bikes Sprints competition.

In not only his Halfords Tour Series debut, but also his first racing appearance in the UK, Paul Voss, formerly of UCI ProTour team Milram, put in a stunning performance for Endura Racing, coming close to a fairytale win.

The German rider was among a group who went clear in the closing stages of the race, then going it alone for a thrilling finale in which Voss looked set for a solo win.As Rapha Condor Sharp's Windsor tried in vain to chase him down, Voss entered the final lap with an advantage of a few hundred metres on the main field.

Teammates Thwaites and Ian Wilkinson kept pace on the front of the chasing pack, trying not to catch their colleague but at the same time trying to maintain position for the all-important finish.The fast moving group though caught Voss on the bottom corner of the circuit, with the Endura Racing blowing up on the drag up towards the pits and the finish, eventually coming home 34^th.

This left Thwaites on the front, and using his knowledge of the circuit from 2010 when he was runner-up, the Yorkshire rider jumped at the last corner, sprinting clear in the 55kph dash for the line through Hanley.

With his head down all the way up the drag, the Endura Rider just made it, as a wall of chasing riders surged between the barriers like a raging torrent looking for release.

While individual victory sweetened the evening for Endura Racing, Ian Wilkinson's seventh and Rob Partridge's 27^th place meant the team result was disappointing, and instead of closing the gap to Rapha Condor Sharp it in fact grew.

Reigning Halfords Tour Series Champions Motorpoint picked up their best result of the 2011 season with second, helped by Ian Bibby's fourth place finish.There was also an excellent result for CyclePremier.com Metaltek, who took third on the evening as Dale Appleby and Jason White placed fifth and sixth.

The result leaves Rapha Condor Sharp and Endura Racing clear at the top, but behind a fierce battle for the final top three spot is underway as Sigma Sport - Specialized and Motorpoint remain neck-and-neck on 29 points, with positions five to nine in the table separated by just four points.

While the 2011 title looks to at last be heading to the men in black after two seasons of disappointment, there's still all to play for in the table as The Halfords Tour Series nears the finishing stretch.

Highlights of Round Five from Stoke-on-Trent will be shown on ITV4 at 20.00 on Wednesday 8^th June, with a repeat on Thursday 9^th June at 11.00

Round Six of The Halfords Tour Series takes place in Oldham on Thursday 9^th June, alongside the third round of the Johnson Health Tech Women's Grand Prix Series.

Round Five, Stoke-on-Trent, Results

Team Results   1) Rapha Condor Sharp, 2) Motorpoint Pro Cycling, 3)CyclePremier.com Metaltek, 4) Endura Racing, 5) Team UK Youth, 6)Sigma Sport - Specialized, 7) Twenty3c Orbea, 8) Team Raleigh, 9)Pendragon Le Col Colnago, 10) Wilier GoSelfDrive.com 

Individual Results 1) Scott Thwaites Endura Racing, 2) Dean Downing Rapha Condor Sharp, 3) Graham Briggs Rapha Condor Sharp, 4) Ian BibbyMotorpoint Pro Cycling, 5) Dale Appleby CyclePremier.com Metaltek, 6) Jason White CyclePremier.com Metaltek, 7) Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing, 8) Dean Windsor Rapha Condor Sharp, 9) Tom MurraySigma Sport - Specialized, 10) Jonny McEvoy Motorpoint Pro Cycling, 

Team Standings, after Round Five: 1) Rapha Condor Sharp 50pts, 2) Endura Racing 41pts, 3) Motorpoint Pro Cycling 29pts, 4) Sigma Sport - Specialized 29pts, 5)Team UK Youth 26pts, 6) Team Raleigh 25pts, 7)Pendragon Le Col Colnago 23pts, 8) Twenty3c Orbea 23pts, 9)CyclePremier.com Metaltek 22pts, 10) Wilier GoSelfDrive.com7pts

Boardman Bikes Sprints standings, after Round Five: 1)Kristian HouseRapha Condor Sharp 27pts, 2) Marcel Six Twenty3c Orbea 18pts, 3) Jeroen Janssen Team Raleigh 14pts, 

For more information on The Halfords Tour Series, please visit: www.tourseries.co.uk. Follow The Halfords Tour Series on Facebook and Twitter www.twitter.com/TourSeries  

The Halfords Tour Series is proud to be partnered with The Prostate Cancer Charity.For your chance to ride a Prostate Cancer Charity Tour Ride, replicating a stage of The Tour of Britain, please visit www.tourride.co.uk

 King crowned again in Stoke-on-Trent

Twelve months on from victory in the Horizon Fitness GP, Dani King wins again in The Potteries

Dani King repeated her victory of twelve months previously, to take the honours in Round Two of the new-for-2011 Johnson Health Tech Women's Grand Prix Series, while a second successive second place elevates Helen Wyman into the lead of the standings.

King once again won alone in Stoke-on-Trent, some distance ahead of Wyman, with Hannah Rich narrowly pipping Horizon Fitness RT teammate Joanna Rowsell on the line for third place, as the Stoke-on-Trent took victory on home roads to also move into the lead of the team competition.

Having been comprehensively beaten by Motorpoint in the opening round of the Series at Peterborough, Horizon Fitness were keen to make amends in their home city, with their quintet of riders highly visible throughout the race and making all of the key moves.

Also prominent throughout was Wyman, taking second behind Rich at the first sprint, before being the most persistent chaser of lone leader King for much of the second half of the race.Crossing the line second, Wyman's reward was the Johnson Health Tech leader's jersey, having finished as runner-up in both Peterborough and Stoke-on-Trent, to move her seven points clear of erstwhile leader Hannah Barnes.

Barnes also lost charge of the sprints jersey to Rich, while Motorpoint slip to second in the standings, nine points behind the Horizon Fitness team.

Best placed Motorpoint rider on the night was Lucy Garner, taking sixth in the bunch sprint, one place behind Hannah Leyland of the VC St Raphael team.Rounding out the top ten was Corrine Hall, For Viored Brookvex duo Amy Roberts and Rohan Battison and Condor Cycles' Estelle Rogers.

 

Highlights of the second round of the Johnson Health Tech Women's Grand Prix Series will be shown as a part of The Halfords Tour Series highlights on ITV4 at 20.00 on Wednesday 8^th June, with a repeat on Thursday 9^th June at 11.00

 

Round Three of the Johnson Health Tech Women's Grand Prix Series takes place in Oldham on Thursday 9^th June at 17.00, with Woking host the Grand Finale to the four-round Series on Tuesday 14^th June.