Sunday 8 February 2015

Barker Wins Perfs, ONE Pro Cycling Dominate Southern Classic! Report, Reaction.


They say the winner of the Perfs Pedal race in February has been forgotten come May, one suspects that will not be the case with 2015 winner, Yanto Barker (ONE Pro Cycling). The thirty five year old from Devon has the grit to cope with early season domestic racing and the stamina and style required when things heat up in summer. Barker won the fiftieth running of this southern classic, riding away from teammate and 2012 winner Chris Opie on the climb up to the finish in One Hundred acre wood, above Southwick. Opie had attacked as early as the first lap in the 44 mile race, taking a confident Mitch Webber (Pedal Heaven Colbornes RT) and Adam Capes (Finchley Racing Team) with him.

The three built a lead of some thirty seconds as the 22 mile per hour pace on the 10% gradient of Portsdown Hill took its toll on the splintering bunch. Rory Townsend (Pedal Heaven Colbornes RT), Barker and Marcin Bialoblock (One Pro Cycling) bridged across to the leaders while George Atkins, George Harper (One Pro Cycling) & James Lowden (Neon Velo) also joined the party with the race switching to the Newtown circuit for the final 10 miles. Opie continued to press hard as Webber and Capes faded, opening the gap that proved too much for Townsend,though the nineteen year old can take heart from a strong performance. Bialoblocki and Harper made it a 1-2-3-4 for ONE PRO CYCLING, the perfect start to the season! Before the race organiser Mick Waite was presented with the British Cycling Badge of Honour in recognition of his fifty year involvement with the Perfs Pedal Race. Mick Waite has organised the race since 1964 and has sponsored VC Club St Raphael/Waites Contracts for 37 years. Mick has always said the fiftieth Perfs will be his last.
Provisional Result
1. Yanto BARKER ONE Pro Cycling 01:50:00
2. Chris OPIE ONE Pro Cycling st
3. Marcin BIALOBLOCKI ONE Pro Cycling @0:10
4. George HARPER ONE Pro Cycling @ 0:59
5. Rory TOWNSEND Pedal Heaven Colbornes RT @1:01
6. James LOWDEN Neon-Velo st
7. Micheal THOMPSON Team Wiggins [BCMTBAcad] @1:33
8. Mitchell WEBBER Pedal Heaven Colbornes RT @ 2:05
9. George ATKINS ONE Pro Cycling @ 3:00
10. Alexander MURISON Easton Ritte Racing @ 3:25
11. Sam WILLIAMS ONE Pro Cycling st
12. Deacon CUTTERHAM CGC Ride 24/7 st
13. Calum CROFT Primera-Sport.com st 1st South Region 2nd Cat, winner James Atherton,Richard Phillips-Schofield Trophy
14. Iain PATON Team Wiggins [BCMTBAcad] st
15. Chris McNAMARA Pedal Heaven Colbornes RT st
16. Dave CREEGAN Pedal Heaven Colbornes RT @ 4:22
17. Andrew WILLIAMS Cwmcarn Paragon st
18. Tom MORRIS Portsmouth North End CC st
19. Marius CORDIER Velosure Starley Primal st
20. Henry HUNTER Team Moda-Anon st
21. Gunther ZECHMANN London Phoenix CC st
22. Adam MOORE ASL Projects RT/ASL Projects/st
23. Thomas BOWERING Ride 24/7 st
24. Harry VEALE Cycleworks.co.uk st
25. Charlie QUARTERMAN Zappi’s Racing Team st
26. Scott MICHAELS Southampton University Road Club st
27. Jez McCANN Catford CC Equipe / Banks st
28. Jack MILLER Clay Cross RT st
29. Jamie PINE Pedal Heaven Colbornes RT st
30. Adrian LAWSON Ride 24/7 st
31. Ben DAVIS British Cycling Private Member – South st
32. Benjamin MARKS Cycleworks.co.uk st
33. Mike SMITH Cycleworks.co.uk st
34. Martin FORD BowlPhish BONTRAGER Racing st
35. Graham COLLINS Tanks Direct st
36. Ross BRYAN BowlPhish BONTRAGER Racing st
37. Adam CAPES Finchley Raceing Team @ 4:50
38. David BILLINGS VC St Raphaël / Waite Contracts / Hewitt Cycles st
39. Colin PARRY Ride 24/7 @ 5:13
40. Liam YATES Catford CC Equipe / Banks @ 5;28
41. Paul BARNARD Southdowns Bikes Cycling Club @ 5:31
42. Andrew WEBSTER Team Moda-Anon @ 6:00
43. James CHAMPKEN VC St Raphaël / Waite Contracts / Hewitt Cycles st
44. Jack BILLYARD RP Race Team @ 6:05
45. Ian LOADES ASL Projects RT/ASL Projects/Cyan Group/st
46. George STAINTON-ELLIS ASL Projects RT/ASL Projects/ @ 6:10
47. Nile JONES VC Meudon @ 7:00
48. Chris COURAGE Bournemouth Jubilee Wheeelrs CC @ 1 Lap
48. Philip LENNEY BowlPhish BONTRAGER Racing st
48. Harry GODDING Catford CC Equipe / Banks st
48. Keiran BLAY Cycleworks.co.uk st
48. Ian TAYLOR Leicester Forest CC st
48. Stuart BETTIS Southdowns Bikes Cycling Club st
48. Richard UNWIN VC Meudon st
55. Brendan DREWETT Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club @ 2laps
55. Harvey MORCOMBE Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club st
55. Doug TANDY Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club st
55. Tom LEACH Felt Racing / Felt / Saddleback st
55. Andrew CARTER Portsmouth North End CC st
55. Kris JASPER British Cycling Private Member – South West st
55. Andy TURNER Team Moda-Anon st
62. William FLEMING Velo Club Venta st
63. Tom STOCKER Bournemouth Jubilee Wheeelrs CC st
64. James BRICKELL Fareham Wheelers Cycling Club @ 3 laps
65. Cameron THOMPSON Andover Wheelers st

Reaction
Yanto Barker
“I said last night we have to come here, go hard and show everybody we want to compete, lets not be complacent. There is always pressure but I have been in big teams for the last three years and its something you have to accept at this level, you come out and do what you have to do and that’s what we did. The difference between training and racing is in training you go as hard as you can for the duration that you need to do it for, racing you are just looking to make gaps. Coming into the last lap there were six of us, its still a hard climb, I went hard from the bottom, trying to put everyone in the red, Chris went over the top rode hard and made a little gap for himself, I gave him a little nod to keep going, it was perfect. Rory Townsend was riding well, he put in a big turn but did not make it, swung off and I attacked straight away. We did thru and off for the last lap. The was a little bit of conversation, Chris and I have been in teams together five out of the last six seasons, so we have spent a lot of time working for eachother, he said I have my name on the list already, I will pay him back, that’s how it works. Winning Perfs is important to me, you look at the winners list, I have my name on it with people I really respect and for someone who is going to retire soon maybe this year or next, its nice.

Chris Mc Namara (Pedal Heaven Colbornes RT) “The first 20 miles were a bit gruesome, we got away on the first climb, then it was a real tactical battle between them (One Pro Cycling) and us and obviously they had the better legs. Rory was the man up the, we just wanted to get one or two of us in the group, we knew it would be hard against the ONE PRO lads, we wanted to stop them getting top six. The team did really well, we had a man in every break and worked really well as a team”

Rory Townsend “ Ive just come back from a really productive training camp in Malaga, obviously it was always going to be ONEPRO’S race, though we did not know if they would send one up the road first. The crosswinds on Portsdown hill split the breakaway, Chris Opie went on the finish climb, then Yanto, but I could not get on straight away”

Al Murison “The first lap up the climb One Pro went full gas, the race just split, I did not have the legs to follow every move, so tried to cover the dangerous ones, its goog to get a race under the belt”

Marcin Bialoblocki “ It was really good,I am very happy for Yanto, we had the first move, I was a bit unlucky my cleats came loose but it was ok. We are the strongest team in the race so there was a bit of pressure on us, if my teammates win it is good for me also”

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