Friday, 5th June, 2009
Team Halfords Bikehut squad totally drilled their strategy for round four of the Tour Series tonight (4 June).

The boys-in-orange controlled affairs for much of the second part of this race, ensuring that they always had a presence in the splinter groups that regularly fired off the front.

On the face of it the triangular Peterborough circuit was going to be a fast affair - and less technical than the tight Woking track - giving the riders the opportunity to stretch their legs. However, some narrowing and kinks through the start / finish area served up a night’s racing that was equal to any of the previous three rounds.

The ‘big four’ of Candi TV-Marshalls Pasta, Team Halfords, Madison.co.uk and Rapha-Condor meant business as soon as the flag dropped, with Russ Downing, Ed Clancy and Kristian House touching 40mph as they gained a small lead on the field after 25 minutes of racing. It was great to see the BMC, SportBeans, Sigma, Cyclingbargains, Corley and Endura boys still mixing it at this stage, as this threshold riding began to take its toll. Indeed Endura still had their full complement of five riders nestled in that main group of around 35 riders.

The escapees were joined by another four riders, including round two and three winner Dean Downing, and by the time the final sprint of the night had come and gone the race was back together. At this point Team Halfords took matters in their own hands, and with six laps to go it was the site of an orange train of all five riders at the head of affairs as the sizable Peterborough crowd banged the boards along the start / finish straight. They had obviously been working on team tactics – the name of the game.

With four to go, the other teams obviously had designs on the win as Madison fired Jerone Janssen to the front, and the vigilant Halfords squad watched and waited. One to go and Candi TV’s Russell Downing took team mate Malcolm Elliot with him, as they had the team goal in mind. In a frantic run-in to the narrow finish Downing edged his was to the line, but it was Halfords ‘superman’ Ian Wilkinson who wheelied across the line to the win. Olympic champion Ed Clancy followed team mate home in second, with Russell Downing in third.


Image: Joolze Dymond/www.joolzedymond.com

In what was a great execution of team tactics Halfords and CandiTV were head and shoulders above the rest as they filled the first six positions.

After four races of the 10-round Tour Series Candi TV-Marshalls TV moved back into the overall team leaders’ jerseys, Madison.co.uk moving up to second and Rapha-Condor in third. 

Team Results – Round 4 – Peterborough 04.06.09

1. Team Halfords Bikehut        
               
2. Candi TV – Marshalls Pasta
3. Madison.co.uk                        

4. Rapha – Condor 
            

5. Sigma Sport Cycling Team

6. Team Corley Cycles                        

7. Endura Racing   
8. www.cyclingbargains.com
                       
9. Sports Beans – Wilier                       
10. BMC UK Racing Team


Individual Results – Round 4 – Peterborough 04.06.09
1. Ian Wilkinson TEAM HALFORDS-BIKEHUT
2. Russell Downing CANDI TV – MARSHALLS PASTA
3. Ed Clancy TEAM HALFORDS-BIKEHUT
4. Graham Briggs CANDI TV – MARSHALLS PASTA
5. Malcolm Elliot CANDI TV – MARSHALLS PASTA
6. Rob Hayles TEAM HALFORDS-BIKEHUT
7. Tony Gibb MADISON.CO.UK
8. Dean Downing RAPHA-CONDOR
9. Stephen Adams MADISON.CO.UK
10. Jeroen Janssen MADISON.CO.UK


Team Standings after Round 4
1. Candi TV – Marshalls Pasta 
2. Madison.co.uk                

3. Rapha – Condor
4. Team Halfords Bikehut                           
5. Sigma Sport Cycling Team
6. Sports Beans – Wilier

7. Team Corley Cycles   
8. BMC UK Racing Team        
9. www.cyclingbargains.com
                       
10. Endura Racing


The race now moves north to Blackpool on Tuesday the 9th of June, with round six in Southport on Thursday the 11th. Follow the Tour Series on ITV4 at 7pm on Wednesday’s and Friday. 


The Tour Series is a revolutionary new concept in cycle racing which brings unique and exciting team racing to the streets of the UK.   Unlike any other cycling series in the world The Tour Series is not based on individual athletic performance, but instead on team performance. 10 teams of five highly-tuned professional cyclists will engage in combat against each other to become overall Tour Series champions.  With 50 cyclists racing for the best top three positions over one hour of fast-paced and attacking racing around a 1-1.5km city centre circuit, there are guaranteed to be thrills and spills. 

The Tour Series team line-up contains the UK’s best elite cycling teams and within those teams are some of the greatest road and track racing talent that the UK has produced in the last 20 years.

From Olympians Chris Newton, Rob Hayles and Ed Clancy, to domestic-dominator Russell Downing.  Former national road champ and Giro d’Italia rider Matt Stephens leads the powerful Sigma squad and world silver medallist and former national track champ Tony Gibb leads the Plowman Craven – Madison boys out to engage with the UK’s best.
Round one of The Tour Series kicks off in Milton Keynes on 21st May around a 1-1.5km street circuit with the finals of the series being staged at Southend-on-Sea on 25th June.



Further info on the Tour Series can be found at www.tourseries.co.uk


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The Tour Series and The Tour of Britain are proud to be partnered with the Prostate Cancer Charity.



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Photo credit: Joolze Dymond www.joolzedymond.com

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