“Ate that bunny on main climb of day! Went down a treat!”
It’s texts like that which make it all worthwhile – mission accomplished; Dan Fleeman’s Easter bunnies delivered.
Vik, Dave and Ivan all ‘passed’ on the Tour DoonHame gig; that left it down to Jimmy Leslie and I.
The Saturday night crit around Victory Park used to be the traditional pilgrimage – now it’s Easter Monday.
It was chilly at 08:00 when we jumped in the Audi to head south; but nice and mild by the time we were ‘Doon Hame.’
Some riders were not having the best of luck; Finlay Young hit the deck yesterday in the neutralised zone and ended up in hospital – through no fault of his own.
It’s a hard sport.
Dan Fleeman (Raleigh) was sporting his new stubbled Mod look and looking forward to a day of trying to defend Matt Cronshaw’s yellow jersey – no easy task with Rapha’s flying Aussie, Zak Dempster just two seconds back.
Dan’s personal aspirations for the race disappeared on Saturday when he punctured six times.
We delivered his bunnies and headed off in search of riders to pester.
British 25 mile record holder Dave McCann (Giant) is just back from the Philippines and hadn’t enjoyed Saturday’s freezing conditions.
No wonder, he’s super skinny.
We had to have a word with Rapha ‘Man in Black,’ James McCallum; ‘the last time you spoke to us, you told us that John Herety had banned stubble!’
‘But he’s no’ here!’ chortled our James.
Team mate and man of the moment with wins in the Dengie Marshes and Rutland – Aussie, Zak Dempster was causing us sartorial concerns over the limited amount of flesh on display between his sock tops and shorts.
‘Not in our day,’ we lamented in harmony, shaking our heads.
Steve Skuse’s 20 Three C boys looked to have good morale with Marcel Six up in the top ten – but he’d finish an eventual 15th on final GC.
Big Magnus Backstedt (Team UK Youth) didn’t look too far from the shape that took him to that Giro TTT win a year or two ago, with Garmin – the green intermediate sprints jersey he was wearing would stay on his back at the finish.
It was nice to see former New Zealand champion, Jack Bauer (Endura); looking lean and mean in his mountains polka dots – he’d also retain his jersey until the end in addition to securing 3rd overall.
Start time and we headed up to Wether Hill at 48 miles.
Six clear, including Big Magnus and Sigma’s Wouter Sybrandy was ‘maillot jaune virtuelle.’
A minute passed and there was Evan Oliphant, trying to get across.
What puzzled us a little was that leading the pursuit of the Endura man was – Endura.
It transpired that his team weren’t impressed with Evan’s attacking at the foot of the climb when he saw Zak Dempster puncture.
Dempster had nabbed the first intermediate sprint of the day, taken the three second bonus and would have been leader on the road if the break wasn’t up the road.
But the fact is that the break was up the road and Sybrandy was leader on the road.
The bunch was well strung out, with faces which became progressively more distorted the further down the line you went.
And that was our only look at the race before the finish.
The sun was baking Castle Douglas as the leaders rounded the last left hander.
But we couldn’t agree with the commentator’s assessment that whoever was first round that bend would win – there was a good 500 metres to the line.
Johny McEvoy from Phil Griffiths’ very professional Motorpoint team was the fastest; Matt Cronshaw couldn’t get in the top three to grab any bonus seconds so it was Dempster who won the GC with Cronshaw second and Bauer third.
Time to pester more riders – VeloVeritas regular Tobyn Horton had a bad Saturday but was happy to be part of McEvoy’s victory.
The Channel Islander is staying in York but finding the negative style of UK races a little hard to get used after the cut and thrust of Belgium.
Endura’s Alex Wetherall (eventual 10th on GC) is another man who’s easy to talk to.
He started the season well, in the Tour of San Luis in Argentina but has had a bit of sickness.
The form is on the way back though and next up – after a week at home in Sweden – is a four stage, three day stage race in Poland.
As we agree, there aren’t many easy races in Poland.
We made Robert Hassan (Endura Pedal Power) the best Scot, in 19th spot with Alex Coutts (Giant) in 21st position on the same time.
There’ll be a Scot on the podium in 2012, I’m sure of it.
See you Doon Hame, a year, today.
Tour DoonHame Final Classification
1 6 Zak Dempster Rapha – Condor E 09:58:52
2 35 Matt Cronshaw Team Raleigh E at 00:01
3 14 Jack Bauer Endura Racing E at 00:12
4 16 Ian Bibby Motorpoint E at 00:13
5 40 Yanto Barker Pendragon – LeCol E at 00:16
6 29 Steve Lampier Sigma Specialized E st
7 49 Matt Higgins Corley Cycles 1 st
8 25 Simon Richardson Sigma Specialized E at 00:21
9 20 Marcin Bialoblocki Motorpoint E at 01:06
10 11 Alex Wetterhall Endura Racing E at 01:08
11 17 Johnny McEvoy Motorpoint E at 01:09
12 39 Liam Holohan Team Raleigh 1 st
13 30 Wouter Sybrandy Sigma Specialized E st
14 13 Maarten de Jonge Endura Racing E at 01:10
15 58 Marcel Six Twenty3c – Orbea E at 01:11
16 48 Simon Gaywood Corley Cycles E st
17 102 David McLean Pasta Montegrappa E st
18 21 Will Bjergfelt Motorpoint E st
19 92 Robert Hassan Endura Pedal Power 1 st
20 51 Ashley Cox Corley Cycles E st
21 141 Alex Coutts Giant Kenda Felt E st
22 32 Gael LeBellec Team Raleigh E st
23 33 Matt Jones Team Raleigh E st
24 18 Pete Williams Motorpoint E at 01:26
25 10 Evan Oliphant Endura Racing E at 01:27
26 60 Rafa Rodriguez Twenty3c – Orbea 1 at 01:29
27 5 Graham Briggs Rapha – Condor E st
28 108 Jack Adams Forme Sanlamere E st
29 42 Jon Mozeley Pendragon – LeCol 1 st
30 65 Dale Appleby CyclePremier.com E st
31 68 Richard Hepworth CyclePremier.com E st
32 19 James Sampson Motorpoint E st
33 110 Dexter Gardias Forme Sanlamere 1 st
34 61 Andrew Griffiths Twenty3c – Orbea 1 st
35 36 Richard Handley Team Raleigh E st
36 27 Tom Last Sigma Specialized 1 at 01:57
37 80 J. Lowsley-Williams Team UK Youth 2 at 02:24
38 1 Dean Downing Rapha – Condor E at 02:30
39 26 James Williamson Sigma Specialized 1 at 02:31
40 77 Magnus Backstedt Team UK Youth E at 02:36
41 76 Collin Humphrey Sportscover 1 st
42 38 James Sparling Team Raleigh E at 02:39
43 66 Simon Wilson CyclePremier.com E at 02:41
44 67 Tom Barras CyclePremier.com E at 02:46
45 37 Matt Kipling Team Raleigh E at 02:49
46 4 James McCallum Rapha – Condor E st
47 24 Tom Murray Sigma Specialized E at 05:00
48 143 Richard Mardle Giant Kenda Felt 1 at 07:06
49 43 Chris Opie Pendragon – LeCol E at 07:37
50 113 Paul Londors Anglo Scottish 1 at 07:38
51 75 Duncan Moralee Sportscover 2 at 07:40
52 52 Chris McNamara Corley Cycles E at 07:43
53 31 Kit Gilham Sigma Specialized E at 07:59
54 104 Wojciech Szlachta Pasta Montegrappa E at 08:05
55 97 Robin Wilkins Velo Ecosse 1 at 08:23
56 8 Calum Wilkinson Endura Racing E at 08:38
57 129 James Gullen Teamwallis CHH E at 08:50
58 12 Jack Anderson Endura Racing E at 09:00
59 74 Kevin Dawson Sportscover E at 09:03
60 78 James Stewart Team UK Youth E at 09:27
61 83 Gruff Lewis Team UK Youth 2 at 09:55
62 95 Scott McCrossan Endura Pedal Power 2 at 09:57
63 44 James McLaughlin Pendragon – LeCol 2 st
64 56 Andy Lyons Twenty3c – Orbea E st
65 81 David McGowan Team UK Youth 1 at 11:05
66 112 Alistair Rutherford Anglo Scottish E at 11:58
67 126 Peter Murdoch Second Helpings 2 at 12:06
68 7 Ben Greenwood Rapha – Condor E at 12:16
69 142 Dave Henderson Giant Kenda Felt 1 at 14:38
70 22 Tobyn Horton Motorpoint E at 15:06
71 28 Steve Adams Sigma Specialized 1 at 16:11
72 86 Alan Thomson Glasgow Couriers 2 st
73 109 Will Fox Forme Sanlamere E st
74 54 Jake Hales Corley Cycles 1 at 17:30
75 71 Ashley Brown Sportscover 1 at 18:32
76 57 Kristian Downs Twenty3c – Orbea 1 at 23:11
77 69 Robert Smail CyclePremier.com 1 at 24:13:00
78 55 Michael Smith Corley Cycles 2 at 27:49:00
79 45 Richard Meadows Pendragon – LeCol 1 at 28:31:00
80 106 Alexander Ray Pasta Montegrappa E at 29:33:00
81 72 John Tanner Sportscover E at 32:21:00
82 73 Jake Tanner Sportscover 1 st
83 135 Jack Cousins Teamwallis CHH 1 at 33:19:00
84 98 Eddie Addis Velo Ecosse 2 at 40:49:00
85 130 Jacob Tipper Teamwallis CHH 1 at 40:58:00
86 124 Craig Adams Second Helpings 2 at 42:37:00
87 62 Mike Cuming Twenty3c – Orbea E at 43:59:00
88 107 Rob Orr Forme Sanlamere 2 at 45:27:00
89 87 Jamie Kennedy Glasgow Couriers 2 at 45:52:00
90 118 Felix English Anglo Scottish E at 46:13:00
91 96 Liam Cowie Endura Pedal Power 2 at 53:08:00
92 94 Jordan Stokes Endura Pedal Power 2 at 01:11:24
93 117 Tim Lawson Anglo Scottish 1 at 01:32:08
Eliminated
53 James Millard Corley Cycles
100 Lewis Oliphant Velo Ecosse
111 Adam Rayner Forme Sanlamere
115 Wayne Coombs Anglo Scottish
120 Alistair McNicol Second Helpings
123 Richard Small Second Helpings
125 James McPake Second Helpings
134 Julian Pearson Teamwallis CHH
NonFinishers
2 Tom Southam Rapha – Condor
3 Dan Craven Rapha – Condor
15 Rob Hayles Endura Racing
23 Mark Thwaites Motorpoint
41 Jake Martin Pendragon – LeCol
47 Darren Moore Pendragon – LeCol
46 Peter Johnston Pendragon – LeCol
50 Richard Cartland Corley Cycles
59 Gunnar Gronlund Twenty3c – Orbea
63 Joe Perrett Twenty3c – Orbea
79 Niklas Gustavsson Team UK Youth
64 Ross Creber CyclePremier.com
82 Filip Rudenstam Team UK Youth
84 Steven Burke Team UK Youth
85 Jim Cusick Glasgow Couriers
88 Keith Laird Glasgow Couriers
89 Barry Crumlish Glasgow Couriers
91 Gary Hand Endura Pedal Power
93 Dougie Young Endura Pedal Power
99 Finlay Young Velo Ecosse
101 Tom Fernie Velo Ecosse
103 Daniele Santoni Pasta Montegrappa
105 Rowan Dever Pasta Montegrappa
114 Junior Heffernan Anglo Scottish
116 David Murdoch Anglo Scottish
119 Anthony Moye Anglo Scottish
121 Ian Brown Second Helpings
127 Gordon Murdoch Second Helpings
128 Robert Crampton Teamwallis CHH
131 Calum Nicholson Teamwallis CHH
132 Jade Wilmot Teamwallis CHH
133 Daniel Davies Teamwallis CHH
137 Jack Pullar Vanillabikes.com
138 Harry Grey Vanillabikes.com
139 Martin Attwood Vanillabikes.com
140 David McCann Giant Kenda Felt
144 John Wager Giant Kenda Felt
Disqualified
9 Scott Thwaites Endura Racing
34 Dan Fleeman Team Raleigh
90 David Lines Endura Pedal Power
Thanks to the Tour DoonHame site for the result.
