Bradley Wiggins waits for the start

Comm 3

Wiggins is the perfect pro

Bradley with Cyclone organiser Peter Harrison

All images © Richard Exley 2009 www.lightcycleimages.com

Sunday – Beaumont Trophy Convoy Duties

If there is debate about sportives, the Beaumont Trophy most definitely is a race – it has been running for 58 years, and has recently joined the Premier Calendar roster. This year, with Bradley Wiggins and teams from Ireland and Holland in the field, it was run as a great climax to the Northern Rock Cyclone weekend, and given the recent trials and tribulations of road racing in the UK, was an important event to get right. British Cycling’s North East Division has not been immune to the UK’s problems, with racing in Co Durham wiped out except for the Tour of the Reservoir.

Fortunately the authorities in Northumberland have a positive engagement with the cycling community and, true to the innovation of the Cyclone approach, the NEG, nine-strong on the day, had been given authority to operate a rolling road closure during the race, with our Gosforth Road Club marshals looking after the junctions and turns.

I’d pulled a great job, as driver for Commissaire Kevan Sturgeon. The officials were still buzzing with the stories of the various bottle-related incidents on Friday in Leazes Park . Kevan and I compared notes on our sportive rides before getting down to the serious business of the day.

Looking after the bunch

Our job was to look after the rear of the bunch and the race convoy (which meant 10 team cars and one of the Shimano neutral service vehicles). Clubmates who’d done this before had told me what a fantastic way to spend the day this was, and I was not to be disappointed. Kevan had brought all his own radio gear – he was clearly a belt and braces kind of guy – and so the vehicle set up was a doddle and race radio checks all went smoothly. Fully stickered up with BC and Cyclone logos, it was like stepping onto Planet Tour.

As start time approached, we took our place in line, and all too soon the neutral roll out started, turning up Stamfordham Heugh through the feed zone. Now we may have quiet, safe roads in Northumberland, and we’ve certainly got hard roads, but what we don’t have is overly smooth roads.

The first wheel change was still in the neutralised zone, and they came thick and fast in the first lap and a half, on the small circuit before the route switched to the longer lap for the usually decisive repeat ascents of the Ryals climb. Strangely, after the first two laps, punctures seemed few and far between , which must say something about bike preparation for the early victims , or am I being harsh? Kevan was soon on the radio, keeping everyone informed about the mechanicals in the bunch, and steadily losing patience with Neutral Service , who were pacing riders back on rather than letting them make their own way through the convoy.

Regaining contact

The convoy has to keep tight to give riders a chance to regain contact, and you have to drive on your mirrors to give riders chasing through a clear and safe passage. After about 10 riders had pushed the envelope with Service assistance, Kevan put his foot down on the second lap and motor pacing on was now off the coupon. Unfortunately the next puncture victim was Colin Humphrey, a former Gosforth rider now with Team Sportscover, and his subsequent 35 mph chase back on through the cars from Matfen was a huge effort. I rolled down the window to give him a shout as he steamed past – he was my only mate in the race this year so I wasn’t staying neutral even if Service had to.

One or two moves had tried to get away already and, as we listened over race radio to the Moto Commissaires, Number 17 seemed to feature every time; Bradley Wiggins was obviously well up for it. As we moved onto the larger circuit for the third lap, the break of the race took shape. Their lead went out to about 90 seconds as we turned down the narrow lanes through Hallington, where the bunch is definitely faster than the cars, to start the first ascent of the Ryals.

The bunch slowed in front of us. As a few riders started to go out the back, I thought how it seemed steeper in a slow moving car than it does on the bike! A word at this point about the crowd – the Ryals is a great place to watch a race (or it is on a good day!), and there were hundreds lining the road on both tiers of the climb.

King of the Mountains

Our job at the prime line was to stop briefly to pick up the result for the KOM competition to put out on the radio, and as I came to the line we were in a sea of people – great. Back to Stamfordham via the fast (up to 50 mph) descent towards Matfen, where the locals were watching in force from the pub garden, and back round the loop again after the organised chaos of the feed zone.

Each time the crowd was building at the start/finish in Stamfordham and every time up the Ryals the break’s lead was stretching, more riders were going out the back. Funny how it was always the same name at the top of the Prime results sheet. The main group , which by the third time up the Ryals was well over five minutes down, fractured on the second and third ascents, but each time was brought back together by the raw power of last year’s winner Rob Hayles in the National Champion’s Jersey. We had guided the convoy past the stragglers on the way up, but as we came towards Matfen the Hayles-led 45 mph pursuit would pull them back on, steaming past us in the cars like we were stationary.

Mild rebuke

As riders got tired on what was a very warm day, Kevan had to issue the occasional mild rebuke to the team cars for sticky bottle syndrome, and one nameless car was told off for overtaking when unauthorised, but the mutual support of the team cars for the riders was impressive, particularly with vehicles up the road with the break.

The one downside to being in Comm 3 was that the head of the race was something we only learnt about over the radio, but somehow it was none the less interesting for that. The lead group had become even more select and Brad Wiggins hit the group before the last ascent of the Ryals and then went clear before the last short lap. He was going to be another great name on the trophy. For the bunch the final short lap became somewhat piano, but for the final miles, the old adage of win the sprint of whatever group you’re in came into play.

As we rolled over the line behind the group, there was an almighty bang as the radio aerial clattered into the photo finish gantry, but that was the nearest thing to a mishap as the most enjoyable yet demanding four hours I’d spent in a car came to an end. I parked up at HQ and dashed off to see the presentations. The crowd at the finish was impressive, and they all wanted to cheer one guy. Brad gave a typically dry-humoured interview with a laconic reference to the headline sponsor’s financial affairs for good measure, but he wasn’t the only one to leave Stamfordham thinking that the Cyclone has something to be proud of and to build on.