@Ian Butler - thanks, I was rather pleased with the shot myself
@TheManxMissile - glad you like it!
@sutty68 - yes, very unlucky, hopefully he'll be back strongly later on in the season
22.03 - 25.03 Volta ao Alentejo
Preview
This four-stage Portuguese race has been going since the 1980s. Perhaps the most famous winner of the event was Miguel Indurain in 1996. In more recent times it's attracted a less illustrious field however.
With four reasonably flat stages, this edition looks set to be another stage race to be decided by the bonus seconds available to the stage winners.
Startlist
The field is a large one and is full of sprinters looking for success, including Mandri, Dean Downing, Brown, Caldeira, Pinto, Kern and Bagdonas.
Raleigh startlist
Our main sprinter Briggs is still coming into form, so we may need to look to Sulzberger for our own sprint success. In-form youngster Townshend will be given his chance in the breakaways and look to repeat his King of the Mountain success in South Africa.
Edited by lennybernstein on 09-10-2012 09:12
@TheManxMissile EXPECT?! Yikes, I think you're going to be disappointed...
@Ian Butler Yes, i think hoping is a little more realistic given my team's current GC form!
Volta ao Alentejo
Race Report
On Stage 1, Townshend got into the breakaway and picked up a number of KOM points. His breakaway companion Simon Pellaud (Atlas Personal) did enough however to earn the polka dot jersey on the day.
Townshend sets off on another breakaway
Inevitably, the bunch brought back the break and Rene Mandri from Endura won the ensuing sprint, beating home favourite Caldeira (Carmim) and Kern (Leopard - Trek Continental), and taking the overall lead. Raleigh's best man was Sulzberger in 10th.
Mandri celebrates his Stage 1 victory
Stage 2 followed the predictable formula of breakaway followed by bunch sprint. Raleigh's Sparling made the escape...
Sparling shows off the Raleigh jersey on Stage 2
...and Kern took the win, moving him into the overall lead. Sulzberger managed another 10th.
Kern wins Stage 2
Another sprint finish followed on Stage 3. Sulzberger and Briggs were well placed in the lead up to the finish but then lost their wheel and finished way down. At the finish, the home crowd were delighted to see a Portuguese rider take the victory, with Edgar Pinto (LA - Antarte) crossing the line first and taking yellow in the process.
Pinto delights the home crowd
The fourth and final stage was a wet and windy affair. With a lot of mountain points on offer, Townshend joined the breakaway, along with polka dot jersey wearer Pellaud.
Pellaud leads the break, Townshend at the rear
The two fought out a captivating battle on the cols, Townshend managing to get the better of his rival on each occasion. Townshend's battling performance saw him steal the KOM overall win from his rival.
The battle for the King of the Mountains
With the KOM competition over, Townshend and his breakaway companions were caught with 20km to go, setting up yet another sprint finish. Kern wrestled back the overall victory with another sprint win, beating Mandri and Brown. Yet again, Sulzberger and Briggs failed to make an impression.
Kern (right) takes Stage 4 and the overall classification
Raleigh could be happy with another King of the Mountains win through young Brennan Townshend.
Townshend wins his second polka dot jersey of the season
30.03 - 02.04 Le Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux
Preview
Stage 2 profile missing - will include later - essentially it's a short TT
This race will be interesting from a GC perspective. With three flat stages, the sprinters will once again fancy their chances of competing for the GC win by picking up bonus seconds. But the short TT will give the contre-la-montre specialists something to aim for. And Stage 4 is particularly lumpy, so could produce something far less straightforward than a bunch sprint. Should make for interesting racing!
The field is probably one of the weakest we've raced against so far this season. With the unpredictable course, it's equally difficult to pick out a particular favourite. None of the really strong riders from recent races seem to be here. Could this open up opportunities for Raleigh to get our first win since January?
Raleigh team
With an assault on the general classification probably out of our reach given our lack of time trial expertise, we'll be looking for stage win opportunities through breakaways and sprints. Sulzberger is probably our best bet for results given his fitness, and Townshend will no doubt be going for another KOM jersey! But Briggs is also slowly coming into fitness so maybe he can shine against this weaker field.
30.03 - 02.04 Le Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux
Race Report
Stage 1
The first stage was notable for a massive 16-rider breakaway, the biggest break we'd so far this season. Our regular breakaway specialist Brennan Townshend once again got in the move.
The sixteen man break punctuated the first stage
The hills and cobbles on the route caused the peloton to split into several pieces. Suzlberger and Briggs made the front group. The reduced size of the peloton was clearly making it difficult to control the break and with 55km to go, Townshend and co had a healthy lead of 6 minutes.
The peloton continued to struggle to control the break, and although the gap came down, before long it was clear that the break would stay clear. As the finish line neared, Marcel Barth (Thüringer Energie Team) led out the sprint. Townshend was poorly positioned and had a lot of work to do to put himself in contention.
Barth leads out the sprint, Townshend on the far side in the second wave of riders
Barth was able to hold on for a great breakaway victory and secure the leader's jersey. Townshend finish in a decent 6th. Meanwhile the bunch rolled in 48 seconds later, containing Sulzberger and Briggs.
Barth was the strongest today
Stage 2
Stage 2 was a short time trial stage, and with no TT specialists we didn't great expectations. Nevertheless, the Raleigh team were up for it and the results showed. Holt finished an expected 6th, Briggs went one better for 5th and Sulzberger came 2nd, just five seconds down on winner Sabido (LA-Antarte).
Sulzberger sets of on his stunning time trial performance
Sabido was unbeatable
Meanwhile, yesterday's breakaway riders fought it out for the general classification. De Buyst (Bontrager) put in a solid ride to take the lead from Barth. Townshend is also impressed with his ride to move the youngster up to third overall!
Barth couldn't keep yellow today
Stage 3
To the relief of the sprinters, the thrid stage was a lot less eventful and came down to a bunch finish. Van Staeyen (Topsport Vlaanderen) took the win. The Raleigh train couldn't get organised and Sulzberger finished 10th. The GC remained unchanged.
Van Staeyen makes the most of the sprint opportunity
Stage 4
Stage 4 was a tough lumpy stage, potentially an opportunity for Townshend to stake a claim for the overall win. An 13 riders escaped into a breakaway early on.
As on stage 4, the combination of cobbles and hills tore the peloton to shreds.
It was a tough gloomy day on the cobbles and hills
Townshend made the front split, along with GC rivals Barth and De Buyst. Sensing an opportunity over the last col, Townshend then attacked in a bid to take the overall!
Townshend attacks his GC rivals
He pulled out an impressively quick gap, bridging to, and then passing, the tired breakaway group. He had a 55 second lead at 7.5km, but as the peloton organised themselves the lead came back down again. With 5km to go, the lead was just a precarious 20 seconds.
Townshend clings on, Hoogheimster in pursuit
It was not to be for the youngster. The peloton caught him in the final kilometres. Boelen took the final sprint. The 20 bonus seconds were enough to also win him the overall classification.
Boelen wins the stage and yellow
In fact, because of other time bonuses, Townshend slipped down the 5th overall, a perverse reward for such a brave ride. Nonetheless, an impressive result nonetheless for a youngster that seems to be going from strength to strength this season.
@sutty68 Yes, he's doing very well for his relatively limited capabilities. I hope we can afford some coaching staff at some point so we can begin to realise some more of his potential.
March News
This month definitely finished on a high after a slow start. Average results in our first three races, combined with the injury to Russell Hampton meant morale was quite low in the middle of the month. But Holohan's 3rd place at San Giuseppe lifted the mood, and Sulzberger impressed with an unexpectedly strong time trial performing to take 2nd on stage 2 in the Triptyque.
Young Brennan Townshend was undoubtedly the star of the month. He picked up his second King of the Mountains prize at Alentejo and then bagged 5th overall at the Triptyque with some gutsy attacking riding. This boy could go a long way.
Brennan Townshend, rider of the month for March
Results
Le Tour de Langkawi
Johnny Hoogerland
Driedaagse van West-Flaanderen
Koen Barbe
Strade Bianche
Thor Hushovd
De Vlaamse Pijl - Stannah
Nico Eeckhout
Vuelta a la Region de Murcia
Jimmy Engoulvent
Trofeo Zssdi
Franco Pellizotti
GP Ville de Lilliers
Angelo Furlan
Paris - Nice
Vasil Kiryienka
Tirreno - Adriatico
Ion Izaguirre
Ronde de Drenthe
Ben Swift
Tour de Taiwan
Danilo Di Luca
Trofej Porec
Josef Benetseder
Paris - Troyes
Denis Flahaut
Katteboers
Nico Eeckhout
Dorpenomloop
Angelo Furlan
Nokere Koerse
Leif Hoste
Istrian Spring Trophy
Michael Reihs
Handzame Classic
Wouter Mol
Milan San Remo
Mark Cavendish
Classic Loire Atlantique
Kris Boeckmans
Cholet - Pays De Loire
Ion Izaguirre
GP San Giuseppe
David Blanco
Tour de Normandie
Matteo Pelucchi
Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
Chris Anker Sorenson
Settimana Coppi e Bartali
Miguel Rubiano
Dwars door Vlaanderen
Taylor Phinney
Volta ao Alentejo
Julian Kern
E3 Prijs Vlaanderen - Harelbeke
Tom Boonen
Criterium International
Romain Hardy
Gent - Wevelgem
Tom Boonen
KBC - Driedaagse De Panne - Koksijde
Nick Nuyens
Route Adelie de Vitre
Leigh Howard
Le Triptyque des Monts et Chateaux
Jeroen Boelen
Volta Limburg Classic
Valentin Iglinsky
Gran Premio Miguel Indurain
Mikel Astarloza
Continental Rankings - Individual
1
Dennis Flahaut
Roubaix Lille Metropole
222
2
Jan Barta
Matteo Pelucchi
182
3
Nico Eeckhout
An Post - Sean Kelly
166
4
Davy Commeyne
Landbouwkrediet - Euphony
158
5
Danilo Di Luca
Acqua & Sapone
142
…
50
Daniel Holloway
Team Raleigh - GAC
40
Holloway remains Raleigh's best placed rider, slipping down from 20th to 50th in the rankings.
Continental Rankings - Team
1
Androni Giocattoli - Venezuela
462
2
Landbouwkrediet - Euphony
461
3
Acqua & Sapone
358
4
Team Europcar
343
5
Saur - Sojasun
322
…
21
Team Raleigh - GAC
133
Raleigh slip down from 9th to 21st in the rankings. We'll be hoping things pick up next month.
CQ Rankings - Individual
1
Tom Boonen
Omega Pharma - Quickstep
1121
2
Mark Cavendish
Sky Procycling
817
3
Cameron Meyer
Orica - GreenEdge
282
4
Thor Hushovd
BMC Racing Team
675
5
Nick Nuyens
Team Saxo Bank - Tinkoff Bank
633
CQ Rankings - Team
1
Omega Pharma - Quickstep
2702
2
BMC Racing Team
2364
3
Sky Procycling
2235
4
Euskaltel - Euskadi
1902
5
Orica - GreenEdge
1690
April Schedule
April will be one of our busiest months in the racing calendar. Key races for the sponsors will be the Tour of the Battenkill and the Rutland - Melton Classic. The team will be hoping they can convert their recent promising performances into their first win since January. Holloway's victory in New Zealand seems like a long time ago now!
This Russian stage race has been going since 2005. Stages 3 and 4 are likely to be decisive in terms of GC with their hilly parcours, while stages 1, 2 and 5 should offer opportunities for the sprinters.
Startlist
It's hard to say who the GC favourites are but expect riders like Rogriguez, Bagdonas and Bajadili to be in the mix.
Raleigh team
Our team are now close to top fitness so we're hoping to make a mark here. Once again Sulzberger and Briggs will be hunting sprint success, Sparling should be the strongest in the hills. And don't be surprised to see Townshend in the thick of the action once again!
Stage 1 was an uneventful affair. The bunch let a break go, but they were brought back comfortably. Team NSP-Ghost put together an impressive lead out train for Obst, and Sulzberger and Briggs managed to find his wheel.
Sulzberger and Briggs were well positioned on the Team NSP-Ghost train
But Obst foiled their plans by deciding not to compete in the sprint! The Raleigh boys were swamped while Markov (RusVelo) benefitted from the confusion to take the stage victory.
Markov takes stage 1
On the next stage Raleigh decided to take matters into their hands by forming their own sprint train once the break had been reeled in.
The Raleigh train hits the front on Stage 2
The train set up Briggs well, who finished in a fine third position - much better from the Raleigh sprinters. Jezowski (Bank BGZ) took the stage win and with it back the new yellow jersey wearer.
Jezowski won stage 2, Briggs came a fine 3rd
The race hit the hills on stage 3. Townshend tried to join the break to set himself up for another KOM victory, but his efforts were in vain. The peloton split up over the hills and Briggs was just dropped. But Sulzberger and Sparling managed to stay in the front group. The stage came down to sprint finish between a group of around 60.
Pinto (LA - Antarte) led out the sprint and immediately opened up a small gap. Sparling was well positioned in 5th.
Pinto goes for glory
Pinto held on for an impressive victory. Sparling didn't have the kick in the end and slipped down to 12th, Sulzberger finishing one place behind. However, this was enough to move Sulzberger up to 8th on GC. Jezowski held on to yellow by 4 seconds over Bagdonas.
Pinto put on an unbeatable display of power to win Stage 3
Stage 4 was undoubtedly the Queen Stage of the race. At 245km long, over a very hilly route and a tough uphill finish, this was certain to shake up the GC. Townshend finally made it into the break, joining nine other riders.
Townshend looks back to check the lead over the bunch as the break of the day moves clear
Townshend failed to make a dent on the KOM competition however and the break was swept up with 20km to go. A front group of 29 riders - including Sparling and Townshend - hit the final climb to the finish.
The leaders battle it out on the narrow finishing slopes
At the top of the climb, Pinto once again took the stage, arriving with a select group of 10 riders, including Bagdonas, Rodriguez, Bajadili and Frapporti. Sparling was Raleigh's best place man finishing in 11th 24 seconds down.
Pinto takes win number two and claims the yellow jersey on Stage 4
Pinto's win moved him into the race lead, 4 seconds ahead of Bagdonas. Sparling moved up to 12th overall, with Sulzberger dropping out of the top 10.
The final, flat, stage looked set to be decisive in the battle for bonus seconds between Pinto and Badgonas. Predictably it come down to another bbunch sprint and once again Raleigh put its improving train into action.
Raleigh formed another impressive sprint train on Stage 5
Once again, however, the train wasn't enough to deliver Raleigh a victory. Bagdonas took the stage win and with it the overall classification. Briggs finished 5th and Sulzberger 7th.
Bagdonas pips Jezowski to the line to win the fifth and final stage
So, only one result on note for Raleigh - Briggs' 3rd on stage 2 - but there were encouraging signs that Raleigh are beginning to get their sprint tactics and sharpess right.
