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There may have been a new venue for the Pearl Izumi Tour Series in Stevenage and a one-off later start time for a twilight event, but there were familiar names atop the podium in both the men and women's events with respective Series leaders JLT Condor presented by Mavic and Drops Cycling taking a win a piece.
Not content with taking the all-important team wins on the night, both squads also took the individual wins too. Alice Barnes followed in the wheeltracks of her elder sister Hannah with a race win in the Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series to lead a sweep of the top positions for her team, while it was Jon Mould again in the Pearl Izumi Tour Series – his fifth win of the 2016 Series – but this time coming from a bunch sprint. Mould had started the Series with five wins to his name, three behind teammate and Olympic champion Ed Clancy, but now with two races remaining sits on ten career victories after his wins in Motherwell, Redditch, Aberystwyth, Durham and now Stevenage. Behind Mould it was NFTO's Johnny McEvoy, swiftly followed across the line by JLT Condor riders Graham Briggs and Chris Lawless, and the all-important fourth rider being Ed Clancy in eighth. That gave JLT Condor their sixth win of the Series, their 25th ever, ahead of Pedal Heaven and Madison Genesis. Thus while the men in black, who since Round One on the Isle of Man have been the men in red and white, continue to Croydon and Portsmouth with a ten point advantage, behind just five points separates the teams in second, third and fourth, with Pedal Heaven now one point ahead of Team Raleigh GAC for the podium spot. With a large number of points on offer at both remaining rounds, the women's Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series remains open, with Drops Cycling's 1-2-3 helping them to a maximum score, but both defending champions Podium Ambition and Ford Ecoboost within striking range, should they enjoy a similarly good evening. The foundations for Drops Cycling clean sweep of the top positions came in the form of a dominant performance by Alice Barnes, who as in the London Nocturne at the weekend single-handedly dismantled the field after half distance, to win alone by over a minute. Behind was a large 30 rider group on the fast, flat Stevenage circuit, and it was two more Drops riders who sprinted clear with Rebecca Durrell and Laura Massey in second and third, repeating the trio's 1-2-3 of the Lincoln Grand Prix, albeit on a very different type of course. Behind Matrix Fitness' Harriet Owen took fourth, ahead of Grace Garner and Emily Kay, who will both represent Great Britain in the Aviva Women's Tour. In the women's points competition, Nikki Juniper took the lead, benefting from the absence of leader Annasley Park who was sidelined to recover from her Stoke-on-Trent crash with one eye on her place in next week's Aviva Women's Tour. With two rounds to go, Juniper, Park and Barnes are split by just five points, with twenty available. For full results and standings from the Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series, please click here. The men's event saw a fast and frantic race from the flag drop, with the ensuing steady whittling down of the field ensuring few riders ever built much of a lead, and ultimately only 22 finished on the leading lap after 53 circuits. Chris Lawless won all three Chain Reaction Cycles Sprints on the night, but was closely marked by jersey wearer Rory Towsend, so the JLT Condor rider could only trim the lead to eight points, with the competition now looking to be decided between the duo. Lawless did however pick up the Brother Fastest Lap, with a 1:09.808 effort. In the second event of the Southern Guest team competition, Richardsons Trek made it two wins from two, ahead of Catford CC Equipe Banks, with two more events to go in Croydon and Portsmouth. For results and standings from the men's Pearl Izumi Tour Series please click here. Highlights of the Stevenage event are shown on ITV4 at 2000 on Tuesday 7 June, with a repeat the following morning at 1045. The programmes from every round of the 2016 Pearl Izumi Tour Series are available on demand via the ITV Hub catch-up service. The penultimate rounds of the men and women's competitions take place on Tuesday evening in Croydon with the Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series event starting at 1830 and the elite men's race at 2000. |
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