Colin Lewis Cycle Chat June 2011

Cycle Chat 25.06.11

Spoke to Simon (CLC Proprietor)(see photo) after his first Iron Man last Sunday and he sounded disappointed with his result after not being able to keep down water after the swim. So I checked out their website the next day to get the result and as there were 1650 starters thought I would start at 1000 to narrow down the result. No Joy. Searched from the beginning and found he had completed in 5 hrs 40 mins in 170 place!!

Well done Simon!! Whether he was any good in the shop the next day was a different matter but he soon recovered from the 1.2 miles swim, the 56 mile bike followed by the 13.1 mile run!!

I reckon a great result seeing there were many strong international competitors in the event.

The 2011 National Road Race Championships are to be held in Northumberland on a tough circuit around Stamfordham, North West of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne.

A cracking field includes virtually all the European-based pros, with a very strong line up of Team Sky riders heading the list. The Sky team completely dominated the 2010 Championships, with Geraint Thomas and Pete Kennaugh contesting the final sprint, with Thomas coming out on top.

Jeremy Hunt put in a great race last year being with Geraint in the lead for the last laps but had to give way to Geraint.

All our 3 boys from the area Jeremy, Yanto Barker and Jon Locke are competing as well as Jeremy's brother Josh.

By the way following on from last week's Cycle Chat about Jeremy's injury. He is now much better and the problem goes back to an injury sustained back in March in the classics after an accident which resulted in muscle damage.

Get ready for the Tour de France from Saturday 2 July - Sunday 24 July. As anticipated Jeremy has not made the draw as all efforts will be on Bradley Wiggins for a podium.

Ben Swift will make his debut as one of three British riders in the Team Sky line-up for the event.

Highly rated Ben, 23, from Rotherham, will join Welshman Geraint Thomas as Sky aim to make Bradley Wiggins the team leader the first Brit to make the podium in Paris.

Bradley showed his form by winning the Critérium du Dauphine earlier in June, backed by the same line-up, with the exception of Ben Swift.

Ben already has Grand Tour experience in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana, having begun his professional career in 2009 with Katusha, and has won five races this year.

He began the 2011 season with two stage victories at the Tour Down Under and then sprinted to wins at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, Tour de Romandie and the Tour of California, including a spell in the race leader's gold jersey.

The team will ride in green kit, rather than their usual blue.

Until next week,

Bob.

Cycle Chat 18.06.11

Simon Aske (our shop owner) has a first this week end with a triathlon. He has trained hard particularly with his swimming to enable him to do freestyle for a continual time.

His strong point of course will be the cycling which he is very pleased is the biggest part of the triathlon.

The event he has entered is the Ironman at Wimbleball Resevoir near Dulverton on Exeter.

He will be there in the unmistakable Colin Lewis Cycles Van so if you see him give a "Hi" and encourage him on his way.

Asked whether this is just a one off he replied that it was as the training had been tough and taken a lot of his spare time. We will see??!!

Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procyling) claimed the biggest victory of his road-racing career by fending off several late attacks to win the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné.

For the second day in succession the Team Sky star was able to deal with anything his rivals could throw at him as he powered up to the summit of the Montée de la Toussuire.

The 31-year-old rarely looked troubled on the category-one ascent and remained in an elite group of 13 riders as they passed under the flamme rouge.

When Joaquim Rodríguez (Katusha) made his second-consecutive stage-winning move inside the final 500m, Bradley simply pedalled on and crossed the line with his arms aloft in 10th position which ensured he took his triumph with a one minute and 26 second advantage over Cadel Evans (BMC).

The result capped off a fantastic performance from the team and ensured Bradley will go into the Tour de France next month with his confidence sky high.

This probably puts the dampers on Jeremy Hunt (Sky Procyling) opportunity to get a spot in the Tour de France this year as after Bradley's great win Sky's efforts will be invested into Bradley for a podium finish meaning the team will be selecting climbers rather than sprinters.

Jeremy is at the moment receiving treatment for an injury which the symptoms occur when he is cycling with his legs seizing up.

After their early round dominance wore off, Rapha Condor Sharp finally did enough to clinch their much sought after Halfords Tour Series title at Canary Wharf in the final round of the 2011 Series. The final result was:-

1) Rapha Condor Sharp 75pts
2) Endura Racing 70pts
3) Motorpoint Pro Cycling 56pts
9) Pendragon Le Col Colnago 31pts

Until next week,
Bob.

Cycle Chat 11.06.11

Congratulations to our former shop employee Jon Locke on his terrific race last Sunday. This is Jon's best win in the UK. He had some great wins when he was riding in France at the start of his career before he took time out for University.

Jon did well coming back from an ankle injury he received in the first of the Tour Series where it was thought to be broken.

Jon stepped up into Rapha Condor Sharp's rapidly expanding 2011 winners club with a powerful win at the Ryedale Grand Prix, the latest round of the Premier Calendar.

Jon's first ever Premier Calendar win came at the end of a dry windy day in Yorkshire, when he bettered the rest of a six rider group that fought out the win on the long uphill drag into the grounds of Duncombe House.

Speaking on Rapha website Jon said:-

"It's good to finally get a Premier under the belt. I've won plenty of National B races in the last few years, but I had always missed out in the Prems. My focus is more on the international stage racing we do, but it's good to get some recognition on a national scale. It was a long hard days racing, that is the kind of thing that suits me perfectly".

The six riders had escaped from a larger 21-man break that had dominated the day's proceedings. The group formed inside the first quarter of the race when a 13-man chase containing Jon and Dan Craven joined the early move of eight riders that included Casey Munro and Ben Greenwood.

With four riders in the front, Rapha Condor Sharp could be content with the move staying clear. It soon became apparent, as the gap crept up to over three minutes, that it would be a different rider who would be going for the win for the men in black.

And it was Jon who shouldered responsibility for the team, moving clear with the five other riders inside the last thirty miles to after a succession of attacks over the courses frequent undulations by Dan Craven had softened up a majority of the break.

While the team looks to improve on their remarkable win tally in the Tour Series this Tuesday, Jon and the rest of the road squad will head to the Ronde de L'Oise in France.

Scott Thwaites became the first non-Rapha Condor Sharp individual winner in the 2011 Halfords Tour Series as he powered to an impressive win in Stoke-on-Trent. However, 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.

Bradley Wiggins (Sky Procycling) has a 1 minute lead over Cadel Evans (BMC Racing Team) in the Critérium du Dauphiné. Geraint Thomas (Sky Procycling) is doing a great job in 6th some 2mins down.

Until next week,

Bob.

Cycle Chat 04.06.11

We welcome a new worker in the shop this week at Colin Lewis Cycles. He is Rob Moore who prowess is in serving the Triathlon community.

Rob has been a member of the Exeter Triathlon Club for 8 years and presently also Chairperson for the club.

He has competed in sport for 30 years, this including at National level in Cross Country Skiing whilst serving in the Royal Marines, and 25 years in Triathlon.

Rob has also represented the UK at several World Championships including Skiing, Duathlon, Triathlon and Mountain Biking.

He actively coaches at the Monday sea swims or can be found at the Monday/Thursday Middlemoor swimming sessions, also coaching at the Friday track sessions.

Rob also undertakes personal coaching within individual one to one specific programmes in Cycling & Triathlon for those wishing to work towards a goal with the assistance of a personalised session plan, this incorporating personal tuition and training sessions.

In 2009 Rob was awarded the title of Leigh Day & Co. British Triathlon Coach Of The Year. The coaches were nominated from all the regions and Wales and Scotland and were put forward to a national panel and they judged Rob as the worthy winner of the title - National Coach of the Year. That means he is the best in Britain.

Welcome aboard Rob. We know our customers will benefit from your wealth of experience.

It was "The Big Shoot Out" at Totnes last Bank Holiday Monday in the Totnes Town Centre Criteriums between father and son Simon v Jonathan proprietor of Colin Lewis Cycles and son.

There was no challenge from the boy who pulled out leaving father with the honours after having a good strong race. The day will come!!

Spain's Alberto Contador has won the Giro d'Italia for the second time, finishing six minutes and 10 seconds ahead of Italy's Michele Scarponi.

Britain's David Millar won the final stage in Milan for his Garmin team.

In this year's race Alberto captured two stage wins and held the leader's jersey for 13 days on his way to a victory which owed much to his excellent performance in the mountains.

Top Brit was 87th Peter Kennaugh (Sky Procycling) followed by David Millar in 100th and Russell Downing (Sky Procycling) 140th.

A win for Dean Downing in Colchester made it four out of four for the seemingly invincible Rapha Condor Sharp team, who now lead the overall team standings with 40 points, six points ahead of Endura Racing. Graham Briggs for Rapha had won the third event at Peterborough on Tuesday.

Yanto Barker (Pendragon Le Col Colnago) was 4th putting his team into 5th position in the Team Standings.

Jeremy Hunt (Sky Procycling) got a 6th in Thursday's stage of the Tour of Luxemburg.

Team Sky produced a storming display on the first stage and claimed four of the top six positions.

The squad pitched in to help bring the day's breakaway back inside the final four kilometres and then hit the front with a vengeance as the action neared its conclusion.

It was Katusha's Galimzyanov who kicked on for a slender triumph, Greg Henderson and Davide Appollonio claimed the remaining two spots on the podium, while Mathew Hayman and Jeremy Hunt also clung on for fourth and sixth places respectively.

Until next week,

Bob.

Colin Lewis Cycles Limited, 17 Dartmouth Road, Paignton, TQ4 5AD. Telephone: 01803 553095. Registered company number: 4095543.