Cycling Reports

O’Loughlin first in Archer International GP

David O’Loughlin (Ofoto – Lombardi - IRL) out-sprinted John Tanner (Life Repair RT - GB) and Chris Newton (Corima -GB) to win the Archer GP in Buckinghamshire, UK on Sunday 30th March.

The 24-year-old from County Mayo took the first win for Ireland in the event since double Olympian Phil Cassidy won in 1988. His ride over 118-miles in the rolling Chiltern countryside is even more significant considering Newton is the current World Points Race champion and Tanner is defending champion of the Premier series after a decisive win in 2002.

Mark Lovatt (Life Repair RT – GB) had begun the sunny morning in aggressive style by attacking on the very first lap. The bunch were keeping the talented rider within reach and his one minute lead with temporary companion Jeffrey Capper (Sigma Sport) closed down to thirty seconds as the peleton stirred on the first ascent out of the village of Great Missenden.

So began a day of strong breaks that didn’t achieve a time gap over one and a half minutes. O’Loughlin was content in watching groups slipping off the front in the knowledge that each time the danger was minimal with big names still in the bunch.

After 90-miles, a lead group of twelve was established including Tanner, O’Loughlin and ex-professional Malcolm Elliott (Pinarello-Assos RT). Ten miles later Tanner put on the pressure on the long main road drag up to Woodrow taking O’Loughlin and Elliott along for a minor spell of freedom before being reeled in by four others including Newton and Lovatt.

With the whole race now in overdrive approaching 100 miles of racing. The bunch was blown to pieces and lagging behind at three minutes.

Back on the frontline Tanner accelerated again to form the racing winning break with Newton and O’Loughlin and they set about building a time gap that tired legs couldn’t breach. Lovatt patrolled the bunch from the front and there were no takers when he swung over to relinquish that role.

First Tanner attacked on the Penn St climb and then Newton hit the gas pedal on the final climb of Woodrow but to no avail. The cat and mouse games started with three miles to go but Newton couldn’t shake off his lead out position, holding on to second place but a euphoric O’Loughlin came by to win by a bike length.

Just behind these three Elliott showed he could still sprint a little at least, slipping past the untiring Lovatt who had obviously timed his ride not to bring dangerman Elliott too close to Tanner.

O’Loughlin was delighted with his first UCI ranked event win. “I have raced against Lovatt and Tanner before in the Milk Rás and a couple of times in the Tour of the Peak so I knew what to expect. It was a long race so I spent the first half just trying to stay out of trouble and let the race develop. So when we hit the finishing circuit I just tried to get in the groups. When Tanner attacked the group was too big and wasn’t really working properly. When we came towards the end I was in the perfect position behind Newton and Tanner. I had seen it was uphill finish and chose a slightly smaller gear and I timed it just right.”

Tanner explained his race tactics. “It was about three and a half laps to go when I attacked on the main road drag. I was more worried about Newton in the sprint really. I knew that I was likely to be the slowest finisher of the three of us so I tried to get away but you would have to be going extremely well to get away from those two.”

Newton was pleased with his ride coming off the back of an intense period of training for the world cup track events where he has qualified GB for a place in the points race in the world championships but at the expense of his endurance performance.

O’Loughlin now looks on target for a place in the Irish road team for the ‘B’ world championships in Switzerland in July, where he hopes to realise his ambition of a place in the Olympic road race in Athens.

Archer International Grand Prix UCI 1:5

Sunday 30th March 2003, Buckinghamshire, UK

118 miles in 4:45:20 Average Speed 24.8 m.p.h.

1. David O'Loughlin Ofoto-Lombardi Sports 4.45.20
2. Chris Newton Corima RT/Rudy Project/Assos st
3. John Tanner Life Repair RT st
4. Malcom Elliott Pinarello Assos RT @27
5. Mark Lovatt Life Repair @28
6. Huw Pritchard Wales/AngliaSport @48
7. Kevin Dawson Life Repair RT
8. George Richardson CycleOps Lona RT
9. Matthew Stephens Sigma Sport
10. Dan Loyd Team Endura.com @49
11. Gethin Butler Preston Wheelers
12. Roger Morgan Parrot Print/TAL @51
13. Lee Vertongen Team Endura.com @1.26
14. Tom Barras Team Down Under @2.18
15. Russell Anderson Great Britain @2.19
16. Paul Crook AngliaSport/Condor @2.20
17. Gary Dodd Sigma Sport
18. Graham Briggs Life Repair
19. Colin Roshier Team Quest/The Bike Shop @2.21
20. Julian Winn Team Fakta @2.24

O'Loughlin takes the sprint

Archer GP kicks off 2003 Premier series in UK.

The season long, ten-race British Cycling Premier series commences on Sunday 30th March with the Archer Grand Prix in Buckinghamshire. The 48th edition of the race is only one of four UCI ranked events run in the UK. The 118-mile event features an international field with representatives from ten overseas nations.

For the first time in many years there will not be an Irish team chasing valuable UCI ranking points. A clash in the Irish calendar sees the Des Hanlon Memorial race in Carlow on the same day and it is the first race that has been chosen as a national squad selection event. It leaves Northern Ireland’s Ryan Conor (Ballymena RC/Scott Rooftiles) and Irish professional David O’Loughlin (Ofoto-Lombardi) as disadvantaged individuals in the 100 strong race field. O’Loughlin has already showed early season form by dominating the Carrig Challenge Cup in Carrick on Suir and the Newbridge Credit Union G.P on consecutive days last weekend.

Despite a number of high places over the years, Ireland’s only win was that of Phil Cassidy in 1988.

The winner for the last two seasons, New Zealander Gordon McCauley is absent from the start sheet and the race is expected to be more open then it has been in previous years.

The reformed and renamed Life Repair RT/Litespeed/Cycling Plus cycling team will again feature strongly in the race as they try to make another claim to the overall series title won by John Tanner in the old Compensation Group RT colours last year. The squad is strengthened in numbers this season to add support to trio of Tanner, Mark Lovatt and Kevin Dawson.

There are a number of world championship and Commonwealth games medallists in the field. World points champion Chris Newton will be riding for his domestic sponsor Corima RT and scratch race silver medallist Tony Gibb rides with the GB team. This is the first major outing for the GB squad on home soil after their winter training camp in Melbourne and early season racing in France. Ironically the team only features one true roadman in 21-year-old Tom Southam who is the only non-track rider left on British Cycling’s world-class performance plan.

British national road race champion Julian Winn is first reserve if he is not required on the European continent with the Fakta professional team. The Welsh neo-pro has had a tough induction into the professional peleton riding the Tour of Langkawi and the Paris Nice and will certainly be looking put the quality mileage to good use on his return to Great Britain.

International teams include Team Down Under from Australia, Marco Polo from Holland and Team Hand-in-Hand from Belgium. Although little is known about the teams, none of them are expected to have traveled great distances without a race winning ambition.

The most interesting race entry is that of season ex-professional Malcolm Elliott. The 41-year-old British roadman sprinter retired in 1997 having notched up race wins in the Milk Race and Kellogg’s tours in a career spanning thirteen years. Internationally he competed in the Tour de France and won two stages of the tour of Spain. He has told Cycling Weekly magazine: “I’m under no illusion that it’s going to be tough. I’m not in bad shape and I’ve been surprised at my capacity to train hard and suffer but the proof will be when I am racing in a bunch against riders half my age.”

Full 2003 Premier Race Calendar

• 30 March Archer Grand Prix, Buckinghamshire

• 19/21 April Girvan Stage Race Girvan, Scotland

• 27 April Lancaster-Hertford Grand Prix, Essex

• 11 May Lincoln International Grand Prix, Lincoln

• 7/8 June Ness Monster Stage Race, Inverness (Scotland)

• 15 June Five Valleys RR, Port Talbot (Wales)

• 5/6 July Tour of Northumberland Edmundbyers, Co. Durham

• 24 July Manx International, Isle of Man

• 10 August Havant International Grand Prix, Havant (Hampshire )

• 7 September Tour of the Peak, Buxton (Derbyshire)

<Read More by Gerry McManus Here>