|
Location: Douglas, Isle of Man
Event: 3-5 May 2013
Report and Photos: Richard Allen
Jake Kelly (Team Microgaming Isle of Man) was crowned overall winner of the the Sleepwell Hotels Isle of Man Junior Tour after winning Sunday’s third and final stage of the event, which was part of the National Junior Road Race Series.
Stage three was held over six laps of a 15.4km circuit around Ramsey in the north east of the Island on Sunday (May 5) morning, a total distance of 92.6km. The 18-year-old went clear in a five man break with three laps to go, and then was the only one of the escapees who could follow Mark Stewart (Team ASL360) when he attacked on the final climb up Bride Hill - the toughest climb on the circuit.
The two came into the finish on Ramsey Promenade with Kelly taking the sprint to become the first Manxman to win the junior category of the Isle of Man Youth Tour since Team Sky pro Peter Kennaugh in 2007. It was also Kelly’s first win in the British Junior Road Race Series.
The race started with a flurry of early attacks, but none of any significance until Andy Leigh (Velocity/WD 40) went clear up Bride Hill with four laps to go. Kelly followed and they were soon joined by his team mate Leon Mazzone, and Mark Stewart and Gavin Shuttleworth - both from Team ASL360.
Their lead held at around 30s for a lap and hovered around 30s to a minute for the rest of the race. Going into the final lap it was around 40s with one loner chaser - prologue winner Matthew Gibson (Velocity/WD 40) - trying to bridge the gap. But on the final climb of Bride Hill the five were still clear and Stewart and Kelly went away on their own and that’s how it stayed all the way to the finish. Mazzone won the sprint for third ahead of Leigh and Shuttleworth.
After the race Kelly paid tribute to his team mates Mazzone, Jamie Dudley and Nick Corlett who monitored early attacks.
Kelly said: “This is my biggest win so far. It’s my first Junior Series win - it’s good to win on the Island as well. I’d like to ride for Great Britain before the end of this season, so I’ll hopefully get a few more results to help towards that goal. As well as the remaining events in the Junior Series I’m hoping to do some races in Belgium too.”
Selection for Team GB’s World Road Race Championship squad is also one of Kelly’s goals for this year.
Kelly went into the final stage just three seconds behind Olvier Wood (Sportscover/Altura RT) who won yesterday’s second stage. As well as the time he gained on today’s stage Kelly also had a 10s time bonus for winning the stage.
Stage Two
Oliver Wood (Sportscover/Altura RT) won the second stage of the Sleepwell Hotels Isle of Man Junior Tour, part of the British Cycling National Junior Road Race Series, on Saturday.
He crossed the line just over one second ahead of Tristan Robbins (Cardiff JIF), and two seconds clear of third placed Henry Hunter (Teamwallis CHH Racing Team).
The race comprised 11 laps of a hilly course around Peel on the west of the Island. The finish line was at the top of the short but steep Switchback climb and the riders covered a total distance of 102km.
The first significant break happened on the second lap with five leaders and three chasers going clear. By the next lap the escapees had joined forces and the eight man group which formed became the most significant of the race and featured James King (Sportscover/Altura RT), James Shaw (Forme Bikes UK), Harry Franklin (Team DeVere), Stephen Williams (Team Wales), Callum Ferguson (Halesowen A&CC), Jorrit Lind (Sleepwell Hotels/Viking), Nick Corlett (Team Microgaming Isle of Man), and Thomas Bayliss (Mid Devon CC).
Going into the fourth lap they had a lead of 1m 24s and a lap later this had grown to 1m 50s - but it was on the climb to the start/finish line that Corlett began to lose contact.
Now down to seven, the leaders held their advantage and with three laps remaining it peaked at just over two minutes. With three laps left those with stage win and GC ambitions realised that it was now or never if the break was going to get caught.
Jake Kelly (Team Microgaming Isle of Man), who was second in the prologue, led the peloton over the start/finish line with three laps left and had yellow jersey Matthew Gibson (Velocity/WD 40) right on his wheel.
One lap later the gap was down to 64 seconds and heading into the penultimate circuit Tristan Robbins (Cardiff JIF), Andy Leigh (Velocity/WD 40), Kelly and Gibson were all to the fore and driving the peloton which now had the break in its sights. James King was the last of the breakaways to be caught as the race heard the bell at the top of the Switchback with the peloton now lined out up the climb.
It was Wood who had the power on the final ascent to take the win. The GC standings had yet to be confirmed at the time of writing, but Wood is expected to have done enough today to take the yellow jersey going into tomorrow’s final stage. He finished fifth in the prologue - just two seconds behind the winner - and gained 1.4 seconds today plus a 10 second time bonus for winning the stage.
Stage three in the junior category is held over six laps of a 15.4km circuit around Ramsey in the north east of the Island on Sunday (May 5) morning. A total distance of 92.6km.
Prologue - Stage one
Matthew Gibson (Velocity/WD-40) won the Junior Boys race in Friday evening’s prologue time-trial which marked the start of the 10th edition of the Isle of Man Junior Tour, part of the British Cycling National Junior Circuit Race Series.
Gibson was just a fraction of a second ahead of Jake Kelly (Team Microgaming-Isle of Man) after tackling the 1.29km out and back course along Douglas Promenade.
Both clocked 1m 41s - a good time on the exposed course with strong crosswinds causing a few problems for those riding deep section rims. Jacob Scott (Sportscover/Altura RT) was third in 1m 43s and his team-mates Jake Womersley and Oliver Wood finished fourth and fifth respectively and also in the same time.
So the Sportscover/Altura RT squad will have plenty of cards to play in Saturday morning’s second stage on a hilly course around Peel on the west of the Island.
The finish line is at the top of the short but steep Switchback climb and the riders cover 11 laps of the 9.3km circuit, a total distance of 102km. In recent years the Peel stage has usually proved to be decisive in determining the overall winner of the junior category.
Stage three in the junior category is held over six laps of a 15.4km circuit around Ramsey in the north east of the Island on Sunday (May 5) morning. A total distance of 92.6km.
Provisional Results:
Provisional Results:
Stage two:
1 Oliver Wood (Sportscover/Altura RT)
2 Tristan Robbins (Cardiff JIF) @1.402s
3 Henry Hunter (Teamwallis CHH Racing Team) @ 2.816s
4 Joe Evans (Hargroves Cycles RT/Specialized) @ 3.374s
5 Oliver Maxwell (Forme Bikes UK) @ 3.465
6 Jake Womersley (Sportscover/Altura RT) @ 4.553s
7 Jake Kelly (Team Microgaming Isle of Man) @ 4.888s
8 Jack King (Forme Bikes UK) @ 5.397s
9 Alex Hopper (Teamwallis CHH Racing Team) @ 6.067s
10 James King (Sportscover Altura RT) @ 6.141s
Stage one:
1 Matthew Gibson (Velocity-WD40) 1m 41s
2 Jake Kelly (Team IOM Microgaming) 1m 41s
3 Jacob Scott (Sportscover-Altura) 1m 43s
4 Jake Womersley (SPortscover-Altura) 1m 43s
5 Oliver Wood (Sportscover-Altura) 1m 43s
6 Mark Stewart (Team ASL360) 1m 43s
7 Jorrit Lind (Sleepwell Hotels Viking Waterland) 1m 44s
8 James King (Sportscover-Altura) 1m 44s
9 Henry Hunter (Teamwallis CHH) 1m 44s
10 Tristan Robbins (Cardiff JIF) 1m 45s
Full results of the prologue can be seen at www.manxtimingsolutions.com
Please credit www.britishcycling.org.uk and link back if you use any of our race results.
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.
