Jack Bauer took a fine solo win at the ninth round of the Halfords Tour Series in Chester, crossing the line clear of Endura Racing teammates Ian Wilkinson and Rob Hayles, who came in at the head of the main field, for a first ever 1 – 2 – 3 finish by a team in The Halfords Tour Series.

Behind them,  Halfords Tour Series leaders Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta took second team place to ensure their overall lead was only reduced by one point, while Rapha – Condor – Sharp’s chances of the Series win were shattered as a last lap crash put them out of contention.

For the second year running, the Chester round of the Halfords Tour Series ended with an Antipodean winner on the podium. This time, rather than an Australian it was New Zealand national champion Bauer who took the honours, Endura’s second individual win of the Halfords Tour Series.

Large crowds lined the historic streets of Chester, particularly along Northgate Street and Eastgate Street in the heart of the city, under clear blue skies and in warm conditions.

Once again The Halfords Tour Series race started off at a fierce pace, as both Endura and Rapha – Condor – Sharp looked to put Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta on the back foot as they sought to defend their overall lead.

First up the road with a significant lead was Kristian House, but Endura and Motorpoint were reluctant to see him escape and so rode him down at the first Boardman Bikes Sprint.  House though crossed the line first, setting him up for victory in the evening’s Boardman Bikes Sprint competition, and ensuring that barring a final round disaster, that competition will be won by a Rapha – Condor – Sharp rider in Woking.

Several probing attacks came and went as various combinations of riders tried their luck off the front of the peloton and eventually a four-man move stuck.  In it were Hayles, Darren Lapthorne, Ed Clancy and Yanto Barker, with the quartet working hard to build a lead that lasted through until approaching the third and final Boardman Bikes Sprint.

Initially the four were caught by a group of around ten riders, but this then formed into the night’s main bunch containing the majority of those still in the race.

From this group Bauer leapt clear with around ten minutes of racing to go.  At first the Kiwi was pursued by House and a Motorpoint rider, but by the next tour the Endura rider was alone and distancing the peloton at some rate.

Each lap his advantage seemed to grow, so much so that as the peloton crossed the line, Bauer had long since turned right into George Street at the top of the circuit.

With his batteries full, Bauer was able to stay clear through the final laps and take the victory alone, arms aloft.  Behind though things weren’t as simple, as a large crash in the final corner caused chaos, splitting the peloton and bringing down a number of riders, with the worst affected being Pendragon’s Casey Munro and the Rapha duo of Zak Dempster and Lapthorne, while Stephen Adams and Andrew Magnier both crossed the line on foot.

The disruption meant the sprint for second was an unusual affair with Wilkinson crossing the line directly ahead of Hayles and Barker, giving Endura a crushingly dominant team win thanks to the 1 – 2 – 3 on the road.  Top Motorpoint finisher was Malcolm Elliott in sixth, followed directly by Andy Tennant, while Clancy’s 13th was lucky as it ensured the Staffordshire based team took second and only lost a point to their Scottish rivals.

Round Nine Results:

Team

1)      Endura Racing
2)      Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta
3)      Team Raleigh
4)      Kuota – road.cc
5)      Rapha – Condor – Sharp
6)      Pendragon Le Col Colnago
7)      Team Corley Cycles
8)      Sigma Sport – Specialized
9)      CyclePremier.com – Metaltek
10)      Team Ireland

Individual

1)      Jack Bauer              Endura Racing
2)      Ian Wilkinson           Endura Racing
3)      Rob Hayles              Endura Racing
4)      Yanto Barker            Pendragon Le Col Colnago
5)      Kristian House  Rapha – Condor – Sharp

The Halfords Tour Series Standings (after nine rounds)

1)      Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta            79pts
2)      Endura Racing                           77pts
3)      Rapha – Condor – Sharp                  73pts
4)      Sigma Sport – Specialized                       53pts
5)      Pendragon Le Col Colnago                52pts                  
6)      Team Raleigh                            49pts
7)      CyclePremier.com – Metaltek             43pts
8)      Team Corley Cycles                      33pts
9)      Kuota – road.cc                         25pts
10)     Team Ireland                                    8pts

Boardman Bikes Sprints Competition Results

1)      Kristian House  Rapha – Condor – Sharp          11pts
2)      Rob Hayles              Endura Racing                   9pts
3)      Darren Lapthorne        Rapha – Condor – Sharp          6pts

Boardman Bikes Sprints Competition Standings (after nine rounds)

1)      Graham Briggs   Rapha – Condor – Sharp          55pts
2)      Kristian House          Rapha – Condor – Sharp          43pts
3)      Liam Holohan            Team Raleigh                            41pts

To see all the action from Chester, tune in to ITV4 on Tuesday evening at 7pm for an hour’s highlights show.  The Halfords Tour Series is back in action on Thursday for the Grand Finale of the 2010 Series in Woking, where the winners of the Bob Chicken Trophy will be crowned.

For more information visit www.tourseries.co.uk or follow the action via Twitter.