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Report: 2011 Lincoln Grand Prix

Sunday 8 May 2011 | Lincoln | Preview
Round 2 2011 Premier Calendar Series
Report & Images: Andy Whitehouse
Latest Premier League Standings

Video - Scott Thwaites' remarkable last-gasp effort to win the race

Andy Whitehouse's Image Slide Show

Race Result Amended

The Grand Prix Race Committee issued an amended result for the 56th Lincoln Grand Prix on the following Tuesday morning (10 May 2011). They also issued the following statement:

"Zak Dempster of Rapha Condor Sharp finished in 5th place and Liam Holohan of Team Raleigh in 6th place. This is a reversal of the provisional result issued after the event on Sunday. The Committee would like to point out that these positions at the finish line were particularly close and it was only through studying slow motion video footage provided by the Rapha Condor Sharp Team that the finish order of these riders could be determined. The committee always welcomes any evidence regarding the result but asks that this be submitted to the event organiser in the first place rather than being placed in the public arena as a challenge to the result."

Race Report

The 2011 Lincoln GP was a triumph for the new generation of young riders currently coming through in domestic Road Racing, with three of the top four positions going to Under-23 riders. The win - much the biggest of his career to date - went to Endura's young Yorkshireman Scott Thwaites, who headed home a small group of five riders who crossed the line three seconds clear of the man of the season so far, Zak Dempster. Motorpoint's Ian Bibby was second, just ahead of his team-mate Johnn McEvoy, 100% ME's Luke Rowe and Liam Holohan of Raleigh.

Scott Thwaites' victory was perhaps unexpected but it was nonetheless well crafted. Always a favourite event for both riders and fans alike the racing was hard and spectacular and the cobbled climb of Michaelgate proved, as always, the focus of the day's events.

Kristian House(Rapha Condor) led the 160 riders up the cobbles on the first of eleven laps of the 7.8 mile loop before passing under the shadow of the cathederal and heading out through Bailgate and onto the tarmac roads around the city.

With the 2010 winner, Chris Newton having hung up his wheels, and another recent winner Russ Downing making his Grand Tour debut over in Italy, the challenge was laid down to find a new winner of the Roy Alan Hart Memorial Shield. Rapha's Zak Dempster was always going to be a strong contender and was many people's pre-race favourite, after an epic start to the season, including his recent win at Tour Doonhame. Phil Lavery(Team Ireland) was also gunning for the win after losing out to Newton last year.

As expected, it was the big teams of Rapha, Motorpoint, Raleigh and Endura who would be in the mix for much of the day, but the youngsters from 100% ME team benefitting from the inside knowledge of their coach, last year's winner, Chris Newton, showed the quality in depth amongst our younger riders, with Luke Rowe doing Newton proud in crossing the line in fourth place.

With the first lap behind them, it was time for the riders to set up some serious breaks and joining House at the front of the field were Scott Thwaites and Tom Moses (Sigma Sport). Matt Cronshaw (Raleigh) was flying up the cobbled climb, trying to make the jump to the leaders.

By lap five, the same three riders were off the front with Corley Cycles' Matt Higgins now trying to bridge across to them. However, one sensed that it was only a matter of time before the peloton were going to hunt the front runners down, which they duly did.

With four laps to go breaks were starting to happen thick and fast: Rob Partridge made a storming attack and looked so comfortable it briefly looked like the Endura rider could stay away for the remaining laps. However, Rapha Condor were alert to the danger and it looked as though a plan was coming together when Dean Downing headed up a small chase group to reel the attacker in.

Partridge was joined by Richard Wilkinson(Renault Rotor) while the rest of the small groups had been pulled back in along the back section of the course and the two looked to be working well but the cobbles were taking their toll and with two laps to go it was the Motorpoint team that were beginning to show their teeth.

Johnny McEvoy and Ian Bibby started to wind things up in the closing laps. Dave McCann of Team Ireland briefly went for broke on the penultimate lap but his legs couldn't carry him and the last lap saw Ian Bibby, Johnny McEvoy and Zak Dempster go off the front of the small lead group and they were holding their own until the top of Michaelgate, when, from nowhere, Scott Thwaites took the perfect line on the final corner to gain the extra few metres he needed to cross the line and claim the win, leaving the two Motorpoint riders bewildered in second and third.

A happy Scott Thwaites spoke to us after the podium: "My legs weren't as strong as the other lads, they kept going but I kept getting a second wind. It's all about staying at the front in this race and that's what I did well today. I held my position over the climbs so I didn't have to work too hard over the top because that's the bit that saps all your energy and luckily for me I had two really strong team mates in the front group that closed down all the attacks."

Asked about the finish, he said: " I've been practicing my sprinting. I got a good position at the bottom of the hill(Michaelgate) and I found a bit more to cross the line first.At the bottom of the climb my breathing didn't feel too great but my legs felt OK: I was bit tired from the early break but I still had the legs to sprint. Bibby hit the bottom so fast so I thought ‘just hang on and go for second' but I didn't commit to the cobbles too early and stayed in the gutter. It's a bit longer round but it gave me a bit more momentum so I could dive round him for the finish."

Results

1 Scott Thwaites Endura Racing U23 03:21:58
2 Ian Bibby Motorpoint
3 Johnny McEvoy Motorpoint U23
4 Luke Rowe 100% ME U23
5 Zak Dempster Rapha Condor Sharp
6 Liam Holohan Team Raleigh 
7 Robert Partridge Endura Racing 03:22:01
8 Martyn Irvine Team Ireland
9 Yanto Barker Pendragon-Le Col-Colnago 03:22:15
10 Marcel Six Twenty3c-Orbea
11 Rob Sharman Twenty3c-Orbea
12 John Tanner Sportscover Strategic Altura
13 David Clarke Endura Racing
14 Peter Hawkins Team Ireland 03:22:21
15 Tom Moses 100% ME U23
16 Simon Gaywood Team Corley Cycles
17 Jonathan Tiernan-Locke Rapha Condor Sharp
18 Dean Downing Rapha Condor Sharp
19 Joe Perrett Twenty3c-Orbea U23
20 Niklas Gustavsson Team UK Youth U23
21 Mark Christian 100% ME U23
22 Kristian House Rapha Condor Sharp
23 David McCann Team Ireland 03:22:58
24 Andrew Tennant Rapha Condor Sharp
25 James McLaughlin Pendragon-Le Col-Colnago U23
26 Simon Yates 100% ME U23 03:23:49
27 Matt Cronshaw Team Raleigh
28 Frederik Johansson Team UK Youth
29 David McLean Pasta Montegrappa Zheroquadro 03:24:08
30 Simon Richardson Sigma Sport - Specialized
31 David McGowan Team UK Youth
32 Richard Handley Team Raleigh U23
33 Andrew Griffiths Twenty3c-Orbea U23
34 Rafa Rodriguez Segarra Twenty3c-Orbea
35 Pete Williams Motorpoint 03:24:27
36 Gael Le Bellec Team Raleigh
37 Sam Redding GWR Team U23
38 Jonathan Mould 100% ME U23
39 Rob Carter Velo29 Cycling Team
40 Hugh Wilson Willier Goselfdrive.com
41 Adam Yates Maxgear Racing Team U23
42 Chris McNamara Team Corley Cycles
43 Martin Ford Mammoth Lifestyle RT
44 Jon Mozeley Pendragon-Le Col-Colnago
45 Tom Murray Sigma Sport - Specialized
46 Wojciech Szlachta Pasta Montegrappa Zheroquadro
47 Douglas Dewey GWR Team U23
48 S. Adams Sigma Sport - Specialized U23
49 Tom Barras CyclePremier.com-Metaltek
50 Alex Coutts Giant Kenda Racing Team
51 James Moss Endura Racing
52 James Sampson Motorpoint
53 Oliver Beckingsdale Endura MTB Racing
54 Ashley Cox Team Corley Cycles
55 Alistair Rutherford Science in Sport
56 Matt Ullmer Team Qoroz
57 Chris Mark Velo29 Cycling Team
58 Tom Southam Rapha Condor Sharp
59 Daniel Smith Velo29 Cycling Team
60 Adam Norris Vanillabikes.com
61 Ian Wilkinson Endura Racing
62 Anthony Move CC Luton
63 Kevin Dawson Sportscover Strategic Altura
64 Marcin Bialoblocki Motorpoint
65 Kit Gilham Sigma Sport - Specialized
66 Llewellyn Kinch GWR Team U23
67 Mike Cuming Twenty3c-Orbea U23
68 James Sparling Team Raleigh
69 James Stewart Team UK Youth 03:25:40
70 Simon Wilson CyclePremier.com-Metaltek
71 Matt Jones Team Raleigh U23
72 Jeroen Janssen Team Raleigh
73 Magnus Backstedt Team UK Youth
74 Samuel Harrison 100% ME U23
75 Rob Hayles Endura Racing
76 Stuart Reid Herbalife/Wheelbase
77 Andrew Hawdon Herbalife/Wheelbase
78 Richard Wilkinson Renault Rotor Colbert RT

Black Flagged (i.e. pulled out before the finish)
Robert Smail CyclePremier.com-Metaltek
Collin Humphrey Sportscover Strategic Altura
Ian Knight Team Corley Cycles
Chris Coyle Mayo Castlebar Western Edge
Luke Dunbar Team Qoroz U23
Ben Simmons Team Wiggle
Lee Tunnicliffe Planet X Racing Team
Luke Dunbar Team Qoroz U23
Chris Coyle Mayo Castlebar Western Edge
Joe Norledge Velo29 Cycling Team
Ian Knight Team Corley Cycles
Russell Falder Mammoth Lifestyle RT U23
Jack Rees Velo29 Cycling Team U23
Mike Auger Velo Club Norwich
Nick Busst Velo29 Cycling Team

Under 23 Award Sponsored By County Conferences & Events

1 Scott Thwaites Endura Racing U23
2 Johnny McEvoy Motorpoint U23
3 Luke Rowe 100% ME U23

The Brian Cossavella michaelgate trophy sponsored by: university of lincoln
Trophy sponsored by: universal cycle centre

1 Kristian House Rapha Condor Sharp 15
2 Scott Thwaites Endura Racing 9
3 Zak Dempster Rapha Condor Sharp 7
4 Tom Murray Sigma Sport - Specialized 7
5 Robert Partridge Endura Racing 6
6 Ian Bibby Motorpoint 5
7 Johnny McEvoy Motorpoint 3
8 Jonathan Tiernan-Locke Rapha Condor Sharp 3
9 Matt Cronshaw Team Raleigh 3
10 Luke Rowe 100% ME 2
11 Dean Downing Rapha Condor Sharp 2
12 Richard Wilkinson Renault Rotor Colbert RT 2
13 David Clarke Endura Racing 1
14 Jonathan Mould 100% ME 1

British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.