Guildford Town Centre Races - Wednesday 9th July
Charlotteville Cycling Club and Sigma Sport presents
Guildford Town Centre Races
supported by Knight Frank Estate Agents, Sheerwater Glass Centre, Surrey Advertiser, Cycling Weekly
The evening of Wednesday 9th July will see the 25th Anniversary Edition of the Guildford Town Centre Races taking place. The event is promoted by Charlotteville Cycling Club and presented by Sigma Sport Cycle Shop who join the event as title sponsor for the first time this year. Cycling will of course be high in the public consciousness as the Tour de France weaves its way around the French countryside and expectations are high for cycling success in the forthcoming Beijing Olympics so what better time to see top cycling action up close on the streets of Guildford. Racing takes place in the centre of Guildford and begins at 7pm with all spectators promised fast racing action, lively commentary and a great evening of entertainment. For more information about the event please visit the Charlotteville CC website at http://www.charlottevillecc.org.uk
Last years event was one of the best ever with entries from the top British teams including Rapha Condor, Sigma Sport and previous double winner Warrick Spence (Cyclefit.co.uk) but it was the large team from Plowman Craven/Evans Cycles RT who dominated the event with Gordon McCauley coming home with top honours.
For those unfamiliar with the event it The Guildford Town Centre Races were first promoted by Charlotteville Cycling Club in 1984 as part of the Guildford Festival and takes place in the centre of Guildford on a course taking in the extremely tough cobbled section of the High Street followed the fast descent in and around North Street and then a tight turn into Market Street and out again on to the High Street. The rattling of carbon wheels and bike frames on the sets in the High Street is a familiar sound as riders grit their teeth on what is considered to be a very tough and challenging event.
The main event of the evening will be the Sigma Sport Criteriums for Elite, 1st and 2nd category riders and starts at 8pm. A programme of supporting events will also be offered; the Knight Frank Criteriums featuring Juniors & 3rd category riders will start the proceedings at 7pm. Then, at 7.30pm it's the turn of the youngsters, with the Sheerwater Glass Youths Criterium for Juveniles, Under 16's, Under 14's and Under 12's.
Order of Events
19:00 - The Knight Frank Criterium (3/Jun) 20mins plus 10 laps
19:30 The Sheerwater Glass Youth Criterium (Juv/U16/U14/U12) 15mins plus 5 laps
20:00 - The Sigma Sport Criterium (E/1/2) 50mins plus 10 laps
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Should be going along to this with a group so looking forward to it, as never been before!0
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Great, hope you enjoy the event and we hope to see a lot more of you down there too. I was down in Guildford last night sorting out a few things and the main thing I am hoping for is good weather so if anyone has any connections upstairs.......0
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Do you think there'll be places left for entry on the day to the 3rd cat or would I be better off entering in advance?0
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I'd obviously recommend entries in advance, for two reasons: its cheaper (£10 instead of £15) and it means you are guaranteed a place (it also makes my life a lot easier knowing I have the names down). Having said that there are usually enough places available on the day for the 3/Jun race but I wouldn't want you to be disappointed.0
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There are still places available in all events.
Go to the event website for more details
www.charlottevillecc.org.uk0 -
Charlotteville CC and Sigma Sport are proud to announce that Stephen Roche will be at the Guildford Town Centre Races on Wednesday 9th July to present the prizes. Roche is one of only two riders ever to have won the Triple Crown of Cycling (the other being Eddy Merckx) which is winning the Giro D'Italia (Tour of Italy), Tour De France and the World Championships in the same season - in 1987.
The Guildford Town Centre Races will take place on Wednesday 9th July. For further information please visit www.charlottevillecc.org.uk0 -
Just a handful of places available for the 3/Jun race so if you want to ride you'd better get your entries in quick.
If any E12's want to ride then there are still plenty of places (as with the Youth race too)0 -
Still places available......
E/1/2
25 entries so far (50 maximum)
1 Jody Crawforth (Arctic Premier RT)
2 Simon Ernest (AWCycles.co.uk)
3 Chris Legg (AWCycles.co.uk)
4 Tristan Natoli (AWCycles.co.uk)
5 Tom Smith (AWCycles.co.uk)
6 Warrick Spence (CycleFit/Serotta)
7 Tim Elverson (Felt Racing)
8 Justin Hoy (Felt Racing)
9 John Wager (Felt Racing)
10 Ian Paine (London Dynamo/Cyclefit)
11 Chris Moores (Norwood Paragon)
12 Craig Stevens (PCA Ciclos Uno)
13 Gary Dodd (Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful CT)
14 Dan Duguid (Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful CT)
15 Mike Harrison (Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful CT)
16 Matt Stephens (Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful CT)
17 Wouter Sybrandy (Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful CT)
18 Marc Perry (Sports Bean-Wilier)
19 Matt Miles (Sydenham Wheelers)
21 Ian Legg (Team Emporelli Germany)
22 Tom Southam (Team Halfords BikeHut)
23 Douglas Dewey (Team Tor 2000)
24 Jason Edwards (Wildside RT)
25 Darrell Pembroke (www.agiskoviner.com)
26 Lee Smith (www.agiskoviner.com)
3/Junior
38 entries so far (40 maximum)
61 Paul Hopkins (Mountain Trax RT)
62 Joshua Butterick (Charlotteville CC)
63 Jon Lewis (Charlotteville CC)
64 Neil Thomson (Charlotteville CC)
65 Matthew Wakeford (Charlotteville CC)
66 Dave Wilson (Charlotteville CC)
67 Mark Barfield (Birmingham CC)
68 Matthew Heathcote (British Cycling Private Member)
69 Philip Moore (British Cycling Private Member)
70 Martin Weinberger (CC Basingstoke)
71 Daniel Ahearn (DHCycleSport)
72 David Hooper (DHCycleSport)
73 Simon Bird (Dulwich Paragon)
74 Mark Parson (Dulwich Paragon)
75 Andrew Seltzer (East Grinstead CC)
76 Paul Winkley (East Grinstead CC)
77 Lucy Chittenden (Farnham Tri Club)
78 Cameron Fraser (Felt Racing)
79 Russell Clarke (Fit-For.com)
80 Jason Abbott (GA Cycles)
81 Robert Downs (Glendene CC/Biketrax)
82 Damien Breen (Kingston Wheelers)
83 Toby Blackman (London Dynamo/Cyclefit)
84 Michael Bell (London Fire Brigade CC)
85 James Northway (Metropolitan Police CC)
86 Nick Onslow (Pedalon.co.uk)
87 Paul Elcock (Reading CC)
88 Simon Notley (Reading CC)
89 David Arthur (RoadCyclingUK.com)
90 Jonathan Maher (SigmaSport.co.uk)
91 Alan Parkinson (South Western Road Club)
92 Paul Hudson (Sprockets.uk.com)
93 Felix English (Team Corridori)
94 Sam Sturgeon (Team Terminator)
95 Russell Shingles (VC Bayeux)
96 Chris Hunt (VC Godalming & Haslemere)
97 No Number
98 Nick Allen (VC Meudon)
99 Dean Frost (VC Meudon)
Youths
2 entries so far (40 maximum)
Youth A (U16)
1 Charlie Heffernan (VC Jubilee)
Youth C (U12)
31 Kim English (Palmer Park Velo RT)0 -
Charlotteville Cycling Club and Sigma Sport presents
Guildford Town Centre Races
supported by Knight Frank Estate Agents, Sheerwater Glass Centre,
Surrey Advertiser, Cycling Weekly
The 25th anniversary edition of the Guildford Town Centre Races, promoted by Charlotteville Cycling Club and Sigma Sport, held on the infamous cobbles of Guildford High Street took place under dark and wet skies. But there were smiles all around in the crowd as the youngest riders took home the spoils and caused a few upsets. 16 year old Chris Legg (AWCycles.co.uk) took part in the Youths race at last years event but made the big jump up to the main event and then took the spoils by making a last gasp jump away from the group to take the win. Then if things weren’t going well enough for Legg he was thrilled to receive his prize money from former Tour de France winner Stephen Roche.
According to race commentator Colin Docker (who has been behind the microphone for almost all of them), the rain has only come down for just three of the previous 25 years but the rains came down for the whole of the day and did not let up into the evening. Consequently, the race organisers unfortunately had to take the decision to cancel the Sheerwater Glass Youth Criterium on safety grounds. The older (but not much for some) riders were left to utilise their best bike handling skills to get round the tight circuit which included some tight corners which in the wet were taken at much slower speeds than normal.
The main event started off steadily with the Plowman Craven RT duo of Tony Gibb and James Millard controlling proceedings from the front of the pack. However, a handful of laps into the race and Matt Stephens (Sigma Sport RT) broke away from the main field and steadily built up a healthy lead which grew over the next five laps until it reached 15 seconds and stayed there until the last ten laps when the bunch finally decided to haul him back in. Meanwhile riders further back in the group used all their skills to keep upright around the course although many lost their battle with gravity and fell to the ground particularly on the tough transition on to the cobbles of the High Street which claimed many a victim, most of whom remounted and continued, albeit with a few bruises.
As the final laps began to count down the final primes of the race kick started the chasing group into action and the gap to Stephens started to drop. With only a few laps left they were all back together again and then Chris Legg took his chance and jumped away to take a slight lead that he held off until the end to take the victory and become almost certainly the youngest rider to win the Guildford Town Centre Race crown with Matt Stephens holding on for second followed by James Millard.
The first race of the night saw less controlled racing action with no large groups of riders from the same team and right from the flag Sam Sturgeon (Team Terminator) took off from the front and never looked back. Within just a couple of laps he had built up a healthy lead over the chasing field where a small group of chasers were trying to organise themselves into reducing the gap but it was to no avail. Sturgeon was too strong and perhaps his skills from the track were used to greatest effect resulting in lap times that were well ahead of his nearest rivals and it was no surprise when he lapped the whole field and from that point on it was just a case of staying upright (although even he hit the cobbles at one stage but was able to remount and without too many problems). Behind him the race was, from very early on, for the minor places with Nick Onslow (Pedalon.co.uk) leading the remaining riders home from Simon Bird (Dulwich Paragon).
Speaking after the event, race organizer Matt Legge from the promoting club Charlotteville CC said “I’d really like to thank all those spectators who still turned up in their numbers despite the heavy rain it was great to see them all out their enjoying the action. It was also a great privilege for us to have Stephen Roche down to present the prizes, I hope that he had a great time and enjoyed the racing. Let’s hope for some better weather next year”.
Sigma Sport Criterium - National B (E/1/2)
1 Chris Legg (AWCycles.co.uk)
2 Matt Stephens (Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful CT)
3 James Millard (Plowman Craven RT)
4 Tom Smith (AWCycles.co.uk)
5 Dan Duguid (Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful CT)
6 Jody Crawforth (Arctic Premier RT)
7 Douglas Dewey (Team Tor 2000)
8 Warrick Spence (CycleFit/Serotta)
9 Darren Barclay (Arctic Premier RT)
10 Simon Ernest (AWCycles.co.uk)
11 Lee Smith (www.agiskoviner.com)
12 Ian Paine (London Dynamo/Cyclefit)
13 Gary Dodd (Sigma Sport/Specialized/Sportful CT)
14 Billy Whenman (Sports Beans-Wilier)
15 Sam Allen (i-Team)
Knight Frank Criterium – Regional B (3/Jun)
1 Sam Sturgeon (Team Terminator)
2 Nick Onslow (Pedalon.co.uk)
3 Simon Bird (Dulwich Paragon)
4 Jon Lewis (Charlotteville CC)
5 Philip Moore (British Cycling Private Member)
6 Chris Hunt (VC Godalming & Haslemere)
7 Daniel Ahearn (DHCycleSport)
8 Felix English (Team Corridori)
9 Alan Parkinson (South Western Road Club)
10 Martin Weinberger (CC Basingstoke)
11 Simon Notley (Reading CC)
12 Dean Frost (VC Meudon)
13 Russell Clarke (Fit-For.com)
Women
1 Jo Munden (VC Meudon)
2 Lucy Chittenden (Farnham Tri Club)
Photographs from the event can be found at the following websites:
• James Carlsson - http://www.jamescarlsson.co.uk/tcr/
• Dave Carlsson - http://www.davidcarlsson.co.uk
• Andrew Tobin - http://photos.tobinators.com/cycling0
