Behind The Scenes At The Dorset Tour

Zoom Gordo at the Dorset Tour

Behind every great race there is a great bunch of people who give their free time to help the event run smoothly. This is for you guys. And gals.

As always, Mark and Don put in a stupendous amount of effort. So much that I didn’t manage to get a single picture of Mark standing still, while Don was barely at the HQ long enough to be photographed.

Come Saturday, the race convoy was hugely enthused at the prospect of several more hours of riding in clothing still soggy from yesterday’s efforts.

The 100 rider field, plus damp kit bags.

And all these 100 riders, plus helpers, plus officials and marshals have to be fed. Amani and Lyn tended to their every whim.

This, incidentally, is the amount of sugar, tea and coca cola that the 100 rider field got through in 3 days.

As the advert goes, ‘Hi, I’m Kris, lets hope that we don’t meet.’ He’s the guy that scrapes you off the road and bandages you up when you hit the deck. Obviously, if you’re in a small village hall for 3 days, chances are you will meet him so the statement doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny but hey. Apparently, he’s quite a good baritone.

The winner and the previous years winner plus long suffering helper (I was going to say brolly dolly but thought better) looking down the hill wondering where the rest of the field have got to.

Sam (left) also had the prospect of a long drive back to his station and a night shift as a fireman to look forward to before tomorrow’s stage.

This picture just has ‘ow’ written all over it.

Revo Racing said they’d beat me up if I didn’t take their picture.

This is Keith, whom I’m sure you all know by now. He used to ride motorcycle trials at a very high level, so 2 1/2 hrs riding a bike in the rain was probably a bit wussy in comparison. Although, as he pointed out ‘but I had an engine then’.

I didn’t catch this guy’s name but his face just summed up the whole day.

If a picture says 1000 words, then there’s another 1000 words on the DT over at Gordo’s World of Zoom, easily south Dorset’s most popular whimsical cycle-sport based blog.

WXCRL Dorset Tour Stage 4 23/08/2010

Stage 4
Lawrence of Arabia Circuit

Dorset came alive on Monday morning after one of the wettest August nights in years. There was standing water around most of the course which was added to by a small shower just before the off, but as the race got going so did the rain. The main drag to Weymouth was being shaken by the gravel Lorries and even the British Army came out to play at the Tank training area of Bovington camp.

The riders rolled away from the HQ under a dark skies and a small shower. The yellow jersey holder Sam Gardner had his three team mates around him trying to protect what they had. I was a very nervy first lap with loads of attacks but nothing was sticking. At one point Jack Cousins (Wills Wheels) slipped of the front and started to make headway but on lap two he came back to the bunch as Cannondale were very much in control. Several attacks on laps three and four came to nothing, and it was all down to the sprint finish.

At the bottom of the climb leading to the finish it seemed like the whole bunch could have taken the stage win. But as the road went upwards it was Tim Allen (Cyclesport Pygott &Crone) that crossed the line just ahead of Matthew Theobalds (CS Grupetto) and Shane Pope (Swindon RC).

Stage 4 Result
1st Tim Allen Cyclesport Pygott &Crone 2:20:15
2nd Matthew Theobalds CS Grupetto @st
3rd Shane Pope Swindon RC @st

Other places to be sorted once video has been viewed, but the bunch all finished together.

General Classification Day 3
1st Sam Gardner Cannondale Racing 8:06:52
2nd Crispin Doyle Swindon RC @34secs
3rd Adam Bright Revo Racing @58secs
4th Andy Rivett VC St Raphael @1min:4secs
5th Eamonn Deane Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers @1min: 13secs
1st Green Jersey Sam Gardner
1st U/23 Jersey Tom Stockdale

report and photos by Graham Robins. There are literally thousands more pics at www.grahamrobins.net. And if you liked that then don’t miss the Cove Road Race open to E/1/2/3s and also running out of Wool in a fortnight’s time.

WXCRL Dorset Tour Stage 3 22/08/10

Stage 3, Lulworth Castle Circuit

Sunday 22nd August

Over a gruelling two and a half hours around the Lulworth castle circuit, Sam Gardener of Cannondale Racing won from an eight man breakaway, with Andy Rivett (VC St Raphael), also in the breakaway, moving into the overall lead, with overnight leader Eamonn Deane (Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers) dropping down the order despite some serious chasing.

Anyone hoping for an end to the miserable weather was disappointed, as Sunday dawned with the rain pouring even heavier than the day before. With a 124km stage, climbing the 5km climb to Lulworth camp a total of eight times, whatever happened today was going to be epic and the heavy rain, if nothing else, was going to make it a memorable experience.

Despite this, spirits were high before the start. Race leader Eamonn Deane was realistic about his chances of holding on to the yellow jersey, having considered it all along as something of a poisoned chalice. Many were eyeing him, and the challenging conditions, and forming a plan while those who had decided to stay at a nearby campsite were just trying to get warm after a not particularly comfortable night. Meanwhile, previous day’s casualty Stephen Bale of Reading CC had pulled out of the race. After having his elbow and hip stitched up after a nasty fall the day before, there had been some banter about him riding swathed in bandages, Tour de France style, but common sense about the likely unpleasant effects of getting an fresh wound soaked in road grime prevailed.

As the race got underway at 10.30 am, the rain started in earnest, shifting from ‘hard’ to ‘very hard’ and the field, neutralized to the start line at the top of the hill, took off to a flying start around the slippery 10 mile circuit. From the gun, Adam Bright of Revo Racing, Joe Harris of Reading CC and Paul Tucker of Team VR attacked, pulling out a small gap on the downhill plunge to the Weld pub. They were soon pulled back.

“The first lap was mental.” Said Greg Shrosbree of MeridaUK, who was riding very aggressively in the opening laps.

A little too aggressively at some points, as he and another rider headed the bunch into the downhill, off camber, first corner for the second time at full whack. While the lead rider out braked himself, making use of a ‘berm’ on the outside of the corner to get back on the tarmac, Greg held a slide that Kenny Roberts would have been proud of.

“I think all that riding a mountain bike paid off there.” He laughed afterwards. “I don’t think I’d have held it if I hadn’t have had that experience.”

Come the third lap, both the rain and the pace slackened. Revo racing were on the front of the race trying their best to control things. At the back, riders were dropping off. A separate group had established themselves, a few minutes back forming an ‘autobus’ to get themselves to the end of the race. In between were several riders fighting to stay with the front group. Amongst them was David Crowley (jointly of Port Talbot Wheelers and Team VR), dropped on the fourth climb and going flat out down the hill, trying to get back on.

“I’d just caught site of the bunch ahead of me.” He said.

He tipped into the first corner and promptly lost the back end, which slid round a full 180 degrees before dumping him on the floor. For this effort, he suffered a bashed knee and wrist and pulled out of the race shortly afterwards.

Up front, another breakaway formed in the shape of Wayne Crombie of East London Velo, Richard Oram of Revo Racing and Sam Gardener of Cannondale Racing. They pulled out a big gap up the hill but found themselves shut down within a lap by the efforts of bunch engine Ben Jacobs (London Dynamo) amongst others. With two laps to go, the field settled down again, the rain got harder and then Andy Rivett (VC St Raphael) went on the attack.

“I had slowed down a little so I went for it.” He said and those who were paying attention and still had the legs went with him.

“I went after Andy Rivett.” Said Andrew Boyd, who had joined Revo Racing for the event. “He pinged up the road when it went quiet and I went after him with [clubmate] Adam Bright and six or seven other guys.”

Amongst those other guys was previous year’s winner Crispin Doyle of Swindon RC.

“With a few laps to go it felt like the enthusiasm was going out of some people.” He said. “And with the conditions, it made sense to be at the front of the race rather the back. So when the break went away I thought ‘I’ll have some of that’ and went across and it turned out to be a good choice.”

Also in the break were Jack Steven of East London Velo, Matthew Theobalds of CS Grupetto, Euan Adams of Red Kite and professional tri athlete Sam Gardener of Cannondale racing. They worked hard for the remaining distance, pulling out a gap that spelt the end of Eamonn Deane’s tenure as race leader.

“I didn’t have the legs from the start.” Said the Jubilee rider afterwards. “I was just pleased to still be in there and when I saw Andy go I knew it was the wheel to go with but didn’t have the legs to be out there. The rest of the field left it to me to chase but you can understand that. I had [clubmate] Richard Horton to help and he rode really well and really helped me where he could but ultimately, everything happened as I expected. Not that I’m too disappointed.”

Perhaps symbolically, his leader’s yellow jersey – brand new on that morning – was in a state when he finished. Richard Horton (Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers) spent some time trying to fight across along with Greg Shrosbree (MeridaUK) but both ended back in the bunch. After some hard attacking in the early laps, Greg blew up and dropped a few minutes behind on the final lap.

Up front, the eight man breakaway held a truce to the bottom of the climb, where Crispin Doyle (Swindon RC).

“I looked behind and saw most of the break had sat up, but then Sam Gardener came across and I thought ‘oh well’. Still, it was a good ride and he deserved it.”

Sam Gardener of Cannondale Racing held the advantage to the line, with Crispin Doyle second and earning himself enough points for a first cat licence. Micheal Leech of Team Tor 2000 came third, with local boy Andrew Boyd of Revo Racing fourth. Behind him came his clubmate Adam Bright with Jack Steven of East London Velo sixth. Seventh came Andy Rivett (VC St Raphael), winner of yesterday’s stage and now considered most likely to be overall leader as soon as the GC has been worked out. Eighth was Euan Adams of Red Kite.

After some furious chasing on the final lap, the main field had closed the gap down considerably. They were led home by Micheal Leech of Team Tor 2000 while, a further 10 minutes back, the third group crossed the line at the tail of the race. After over two and a half hours of racing in torrential conditions, with grime-caked faces and kits reduced to the same colour of sludgy grey and over a course that is not particularly easy at the best of times, every rider could feel proud of themselves. The adverse weather may have made this one of the most memorable stages of all the Dorset Tours. And, even better, there’s another one tomorrow.

Full results and overall standings here. When they’re finished. Which shouldn’t be long.

WXCRL Dorset Tour Stage 2 21/08/10

By two in the afternoon, the rain had slackened a little – now an intermittent drizzle, blown eastwards by a strong wind. Decisions were made as to the amount of waterproofs that were to be worn in what was not actually a cold day (its still August, remember?). Meanwhile, the motorbike marshals grimaced at the idea of an afternoon spent in damp leather and the flag marshals got their waterproofs on.

Blown along the A352, the race got underway to a jumpy start. Breaks were attempted but, at the first turn onto Worgret Heath the tailwind turned into a cross wind and any breakaway’s job became a lot harder. The smart money was on sitting in the bunch and attacking at the end of the race but the field had better ideas. Ben Jacobs of London Dynamo was notable in his aggressive riding, attacking numerous times. At one point he had worked a 1 minute gap with his co-escapees Nicholas Hutchinson (Cyclesport Pygott & Crone) and Sam Gardener (Cannondale) but they were slowly reeled back in over the course of the fifth lap. Further back in the bunch, a combination of the wind, the pace and the road conditions had whittled down the 95 strong bunch to a much more manageable amount. An early crash had a similar effect – a rider slipping on a white line and bringing a few others down, most notably Stephen Bale of Reading CC. He suffered a nasty bit of gravel rash on his elbow, bad enough to warrant a trip to Dorchester Hospital to have it cleaned up. Other riders suffered scrapes and bruises but nothing as serious.

Tom Stockdale (Team Qoroz) had taken the first prime, then Gruef Lewis of Ystwyth CC the next two before suffering a puncture. He was not the first rider to do so, and benefited from the neutral service provided by Performance cycles, changing wheels and chasing the bunch for the remainder of the race.

With the bunch having reeled in the breakaway, there was a ceasefire till the start of the sixth and final lap. Crossing the line for the penultimate time, Andy Rivett of Velo Club St Raphael attacked (add joke about being ‘on the rivet’ here, I’m sure he’s heard it before). Eamon Deane of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers – winner of the TLI event on this exact same course a week ago – went with him.

“I’d been keeping out of trouble really, and I knew that the only place to attack was on the finish line, just after the sprint. So I gave it a dig, didn’t really think anything off it and then noticed I’d got quite a gap. I saw someone coming across and saw it was Eamon so I waited for him and then we went at it really hard, simple as that. It was a hard lap that last lap, we just nailed it.”

“Andy was the animator.” Eamon Deane added. “I knew he was a threat so I thought I’d have a go. I was surprised they let us go but I was doing what I could but he was doing the lion’s share so he deserved it.”

Up the final climb the bunch tried their hardest to close the gap but the two leaders held about a minute’s gap over them. Andy Rivett won with Eamon Deane second, both wondering about where they were in the overall standings.

“I’m not sure if I’d want the yellow jersey or not.” Eamon Deane joked afterwards while, hinting at the awful lot of hard work required to defend it.

Back in the main bunch, Darren Cainey of East London Velo headed the sprint home, ahead of previous year’s winner Crispin Doyle of Swindon RC. Full results should be appearing here, probably sometime in the early hours of the morning when the whole exhaustive process of sorting out everyone’s overall standings has been completed. Remember: don’t go organizing stage races if you like your early nights.

Stage two comes tomorrow, climbing Dorset’s answer to the Col de Tourmalet from Wool to Lulworth Camp. Hopefully the rain might have rained itself out by then. Not to mention the low clouds. Fingers Crossed.

WXCRL Dorset Tour 21-08-10, Stage 1

Last year, the Dorset Tour was held on about the only dry weekend in a washout summer. This year it seems more or less the opposite, as Saturday’s first stage got under way 45 minutes late and several kilometers shorter due to low cloud reducing visibility at the top of the opening hill climb.

The course had been scheduled to run across the heath for 5 km before taking a sharp left up Whiteways hill. However officials at the top – a giddy 170 meters above sea level – could not see the numbers of passing riders and it was decided that, if that was the case, then passing motorists would not be able to see riders either on the climb or making their way down the hill afterwards and so the finish was moved to the bottom of the climb. Rider’s opinions were split between those who were annoyed that they didn’t get to make their mark on the climb and those that were happy not to get obliterated by the other group.

“I’d saved myself for the big climb.” Said Greg Shroosbree of MeridaUK, who had managed to miss news of the course being shortened. “Then just as I got to it, there was the finish line. I’d been hoping to set a good time on the hill to set myself up for the race.”

“Obviously, the race had to go ahead.” Organiser Mark Standhaft said of the decision. “Some of us thought that it could have been run as scheduled but others disagreed and so we had to reach a decision that suited everybody and we moved the finish line down the hill and delayed the start by 45 minutes. I’m just happy that, despite all of this, nobody missed their start time!”

And so, the field of 95 riders set off of what was now a shorter and considerably flatter course into a strong side wind and the heaviest rain of the day. Tom Stockdale of Team Qoroz set the fastest time of 9m 02, ahead of Nicholas Hutchings of CS Grupetto (9m 04), Martin Williamson of London Dynamo (9m 11) and Richard Oram of Revo Racing (9m 16). A full list of results can be found here on the Entryweb website.

It was definitely not a morning to be wearing a skinsuit and the bedraggled field made their way back to the HQ to check they had enough sets of cycling kit to last the next three days and prepare themselves for the afternoon’s race.

WXCRL Dorset Tour Preview

Well at first there didn’t seem to be much point bigging up the Dorset Tour, after we were swamped with entries. The original entry list filled quickly and then we went on bended knee to the powers that be to ask for an extension to run 100 riders, making this the biggest race in the country after the Tour of Britain. And they say road racing is on the wane…

However, there are no solutions just new problems, ours being that with such a gimungous field we need an equally large number of marshals. Just to confirm that in bold type  WE NEED MARSHALS! The race is run over 3 days (21-22-23rd August) and if you can make any of those days then that would be great. Get in touch (before we get in touch with you) or just turn up on the day and wait to get pressganged.  You get Wessex League points, free tea and cake and a flag to wave. You also get a nice day out in the country and the warm glow that comes from helping others.

Meanwhile, the rest of you – the 100 of you who have got your names down for this event – may want to know what you’ve let yourselves in for. Three days of hauling yourselves up and down Dorset’s famous jurassic coast is what, over the primordial rocks, hewn hundereds of millions of years ago into a form that is just perfect for racing bicylces over.

Day one (Saturday August 21st) kicks off bright and early at 9 am with a 7.3 km time trial, starting on flat heathland a few miles from the HQ in Wool. A couple of miles in, there is a sharp left turn onto Whiteways hill, a narrow and steep climb up a patch of ground used during the week by the army as a firing range. Note the blown up tanks beside the road. This climb starts off fairly shallow but steepens to a ‘crisis point’ then levels off with a false flat for about another 500 meters. The finish is downhill and be warned, if you are intent on getting a good position overall is important to give everything on theis climb, After this, riders have a few hours to get their breath back at the HQ at d’Urberville Hall in Wool (we’d give directions but Wool really isn’t big enough to get yourself lost in). Refreshments will be laid on and the second stage will get under way at 1.30pm, in the shape of a 106km stage around Worgret heath. This is a triangular course running eastwards along the A352 Wareham-Wool road, then turning sharp left up a gentle but long climb past the gliding club and then left and downhill past the Bovington tank museum and Monkey World (which, incidentally, are fantastic places to dump the family if you’ve manage to wrangle this race as part of a week in the country). A map is here. After six circuits, the race will conclude at the top of the hill. Then you are free to do as you please until tomorrow morning.

At 10.30am on the Sunday, stage three begins with 120km around the legendary Lulworth Castle circuit. Coming out of Wool, the road climbs to Lulworth Camp (the road continues to Lulworth Cove, which is todays hot tip for keeping the family amused), a full seven km of climbing to the summit of the second highest climb in the whole of Dorset (saying it like that makes it sound impressive). Then, following Newtonian physics, what goes up must come down and the road drops down into East Lulworth, through some tight little bends (please be careful, there’s a hundred of you) and then back on to the same rolling heathland that you crossed yesterday. This circuit is ridden seven times, with the finish at the top of the climb. A full map is here.

This then just leaves the final stage on Monday, kicking off again at 10.30am and riding for 95km around the Lawrence of Arabia circuit. Named after Lawrence of Arabia who used to live around here. This winds five times around the Winfrith nuclear power station (where we really don’t recommend you take the kids for a day out), heading out of Wool and neutralised until the turning in to Bovington Army base. The road heads over twisting, rolling roads towards Tincleton, then turns left down towards Moreton, briefly along the Moreton kermis course and then continuing down towards Wool. As mentioned, the roads are tight and twisty so last ditch breakaways are encouraged.

And, after five laps that’ll be it bar the tea and prize giving.

Did we mention that we REALLY need marshals?

See you there.

100 field size granted for WXCRL Dorset Tour

The 2010 edition of the WXCRL Dorset Tour held on 21st/22nd/23rd August has been granted a special 100 rider limit, 20 more than the normally allotted 80!

This is great news which hopefully means I won’t be turning anyone away, although I’ve had 5 entries since I updated Entryweb this morning and over 20 this week alone, so it’s by no means a certainty everyone will get a ride at this rate!

So if you haven’t already entered or you’re still persuading that last teammate places are now available so enter online now to avoid disappointment!

It promises to be another exciting event with two pervious winners having already pre-entered, Julian Bray (Dulwich Paragon) in 2006 and last years winner Crispin Doyle (Swindon RC).

This years edition, as always, sees riders travelling down from all over the country to participate, which is great to see and enables our regular WXCRL riders to match themselves against different faces on their terrain…

As made clear on Entryweb’s DT10 Event Page I do expect all riders to be WXCRL 2010 members even if it’s your only WXCRL race of the season. Normally we charge an additional £5 per race to non-members but you’re getting 4 races in one event, therefore we do want to see all DT10 entrants as WXCRL members.

Join the WXCRL online on Entryweb.

It’s also worth remembering non-members cannot claim WXCRL points and therefore prizes in our season long competition. We are hoping to get some prizes just for the Dorset Tour whether you’re a member or not but our focus, as always, is to support the league and our league riders over and above any individual event.

Did you also know points will be allocated to you if you provide a marshal or driver (partner, mum, dad etc). Last year we had quite a few riders topping up their WXCRL points in this way.

If I receive more than 100 entries I’ll accept 5 more reserves, which will be automatically handled by Entryweb.

If required any rider selection will be based upon our league rules, which means 1st priority goes to WXCRL members in affiliated clubs 2nd priority will go to WXCRL members who are not in affiliated clubs and 3rd priority will be to non-league members although in the case of the Dorset Tour, as I’ve mentioned above, we will be expecting all riders to be WXCRL members.

Why are we asking every DT10 rider to join league even if it’s your only WXCRL race of the year? Well, the Dorset Tour – our flagship and biggest event – is just 1 of 22 full or counting events we promote this season. Help comes from local riders, clubs and friends and your league membership is a contribution towards a stronger and more successful racing scene in the Wessex region – which is what we all want, puts you on the same “membership” level as our regular local riders and of course puts you in the running for the ultimate prize of WXCRL 2010 champion!

1 year ago we had no racing (or very little, especially BC road races) so we’ve come a long way and shown the format works as seen other parts of the UK.

See all stage maps and Map my Ride 3D fly-by video links in our events list page.

Keep an eye out for more Dorset Tour info soon…

Mark Standhaft

WXCRL Dorset Tour 2009 Stage Four

It was a case of tired heads and aching limbs all round for Monday’s fourth stage of the Tour of Dorset. Riders, organisers, even the long suffering, bottle carrying, supporting cast feeling the strain. Meanwhile, the real world had gone back to work: specifically the tank regiment at the nearby army base and the gravel trucks pounding up the Weymouth-Tolpuddle road.

Stage four, 96km around the ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ circuit, passed TE Lawrence’s cottage five times, starting on the same road used in Saturday’s road stage but in the opposite direction. Then, heading west through forestry land, the course followed part of the route of the popular local kermis series at Moreton, before heading along the twisty back road to Wool.

Though not quite as epic as Sunday’s stage, their was ample opportunity for some last-ditch breakaways, that many of the 10 ten placed riders were shy of exploiting. Daniel Arblaster and Jamie Howard , of Guernsey Velo and Exeter Wheelers tried early on, before yet another attack from Richard Eastham of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers. “I was going for the combativity prize.” He Said. “Then I remembered they didn’t have one.”

There were, however, primes each lap, fought over by Arblaster and Roland Tilley of Ride Team, while Swindon Road Club put in some mammoth efforts to control the race. Domestiques Shane Pope and Andy Duff fought hard for their captain Crispin Doyle, keeping the bunch together to the end after two hours and fifteen minutes. A late breakaway just held on to first place up clouds hill to the finish line – Murdo Jamieson of East London Velo winning by a small margin, with Tim Allen of Velo Club Lincoln leading the bunch ahead of Peter Johnston of Tor 2000, Barry Cewett of Bournemouth Arrow and Andrew Carnall of Agiskoviner making up the top five. Full results are here (stage 4 pdf).

The overall went to Crispin Doyle, after some serious defensive riding since Saturday afternoon’s breakaway, retaining his hard won minute to the end. Behind the same people, more or less, had been fighting over the top ten since the prologue, with Jamie Howard of Exeter Wheelers second and Daniel Arblaster third and first junior. Full results also here (scroll to the bottom), as are the results for the points competition – also won by Crispin Doyle, who returns to Swindon with a sack full of Santini jerseys curtosey of race sponsor Prendas Ciclismo. Our thanks go to them, as well as co sponsors Performance Cycles, Bike Food, Fitness First and Yves Bertelin. Further thanks go to the organisers, the marshals, the armada of motorcycle riders who worked wonders to keep the race moving so efficiently, the lead car drivers, the service car drivers, the first aiders, the caterers and to you, the competitors.

“We were particularly pleased with this race.” Said Mark Standhaft. “We had a good turn out, good weather and everybody seemed to enjoy themselves, which is the important thing, really. It’s been one of the best that we’ve done.”

Finally, a word about the race’s own lantern rouge who, despite being the oldest rider in the race by quite some degree, and despite being in his first year of racing and despite lacking a climber’s build, plugged away and finished every stage, ending up in 51st place and by no means the last rider on the leader board. He says he’ll be back next year with a vengeance, which we hope goes for the rest of you.

*All photos Graham Robins. Many more are available at www.grahamrobins.net

WXCRL Dorset Tour 2009 Stage Three

Day two and stage three of the Dorset Tour began at the slightly more reasonable hour of ten o’clock in the morning, with a 123km race around Lulworth Castle. A little more photogenic than yesterday’s, the course featured a 5km climb from the village of Wool to Lulworth army camp, ascending 120m with two sharp kick-ups and two false flats – the summit of the hill being a good 500m after the finish line. From the ‘summit’, the road plummeted back down through some sweeping bends before tightening into East Lulworth. Then there was another 6km over rolling heathland, following the route of yesterday’s time trial in the opposite direction, before a narrow, unadopted, road took the riders back into Wool and to the bottom of the climb.

Race leader Crispin Doyle of Swindon Road Club was cagey about his chances, despite a third in the hillclimb and a breakaway win in yesterday’s road stage giving him a lead of over a minute. “I’ve not ridden this course before so I’m just going to see how it goes.” He said, before the field made their first, neutralised, climb of the hill.

Unleashed at the top, several chancers jumped immediately. A following wind across the heath was almost asking for a breakaway attempt but none made it stick, until local rider Richard Eastham of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers took off on the third lap. “In the twisty lane at the bottom of the course, I noticed that everyone seemed to sit up and start chatting.” He said. “So I attacked and, within a couple of corners I was out of sight of the bunch.”

A lap later, he had pulled out a lead of 1m 30, at which point the race leaders began to claw him back. “I was lucky to have a couple of club mates to help me out.” Said Doyle. “It was a case of stopping the breaks from getting more than a minute up.” By lap 5, two hours into the race, the bunch was back together again, only for Eastham to make another attempt, taking Nick Watson of Hardly Athletic and James Stout of Swarmi/Bailey Bikes with him. However, Doyle and Roland Tilley of Ride Team among others, drew them back and by the start of the final lap, race had regrouped again with the pace kept high to frighten off any more breakaways. 

After over 3 1/2 hours of racing, the riders made their eighth and final ascent, with Daniel Arblaster of Guernsey Velo Development Squad blasting out of the pack at the final kick-up. “It was who dares wins.” He said. “Everyone was looking at each other all the way up the hill so I thought I might as well go for it.” He did and crossed the line 3 seconds clear. Second was Philip Peters of i-Team.co.uk, third Arblaster’s club mate Matthew Osborn with Jamie Howard of Exeter Wheelers fourth and Roland Tilley of Ride Team fifth. Another six seconds back came the bunch, led by Thomas Knowlton of Sotonia Cycle Club and containing Crispin Doyle, lead intact after some hard work by him and the Swindon Road Club. “There were a lot of races going on.” He said. “For the stage and for the overall. It was just a case of keeping an eye on the right people.”

Overall, the leader board remains very similar, although the exact details have not been released at the time of going to press. Please bear in mind that the organisers were up till the early hours of the morning sorting out the standings of each of the 68 riders, as well as working out primes and sprint bonuses. A PDF of the full rundown should be appearing here some time before tomorrow’s, final, stage.

WXCRL Dorset Tour 2009 Stage Two

With a few hours rest after the time trial, stage two got under way at 1.30 in the after noon, by which time the day, though still overcast and very humid, had got considerably hotter. Rain that had threatened early on was long gone as the field rolled out onto Stokeford circuit for the first, 106km road stage. The course took the shape of an isosceles triangle, running six times around Worgret Heath on straight and gently rolling roads with the finish after over a kilometer of gentle climbing.

This was where numerous breakaways were attempted, with riders giving it a go on each lap. The first few were unsuccessful, being brought back within the same lap but, by lap 3, five riders had got a thirty second gap on the bunch: Mike Smith of Lotto Olympia Team Interbike, Dave Barnes of East London Velo, Jamie Howard of Exeter Wheelers and Shane Pope and Crispin Doyle of Swindon Road Club worked well together to increase their lead.

A lap later, the same group had pulled out 1 minute 28 seconds, with the chasing bunch lacking cohesion. “Only few of us seemed to be chasing.” Said Simon Mears of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers. “We had them in sight at one point but then just let them go again.” It seemed that, with many eyeing their position on general classification, it was all too tempting to sit in and save their strength for tomorrow’s, much hillier, stage.

Others had different ideas, notably Deacon Cutterham of the Army Cycle Union: “The bunch were a bit jumpy and, when the break went away I thought I’d be a lot better off out there than in here so I thought I’d better get after them.” In the course of a lap, he bridged the, still over one minute, gap to leading group to five riders. “I hadn’t done that well in the time trial.” He explained. “So I thought I’d better make the time back up.”

Come the last lap, Cutterham attacked along with Crispin Doyle, dropping the remaining three riders. They crossed the line together, though with a two minute difference on GC, 36 seconds ahead of David Barnes of East London Velo. Shane Pope came in with Mike Smith and Jamie Howard of Exeter Wheelers in fourth, fifth and sixth and with the bunch closing in fast.

In the overall standings , Crispin Doyle has done very well for himself, with third in the morning time trial followed by a stage win. Similarly, Jamie Howard can allow himself a pat on the back for good work. Full results (should be) here, more photos here and with tomorrow’s 123km route climbing eight times up the hill between Wool and Lulworth Camp, the race is only just beginning.