Thousands of fans flocked to Smithfield last Saturday (June 9) to watch Ian Stannard score an emphatic victory in the Saint Gobain men’s elite criterium.
The Team Sky rider led from the line, dragging along three riders that included teammate, Davide Appollonio, Rapha Condor Sharp’s Kristian House, and Niklas Gustavsson (Team UK Youth), that lapped the remainder of the elite field.
Stannard told RoadCyclingUK: “I just thought I’d better take it on and see what happens and there weren’t many left. Once we got over half an hour it was alright.”
Stannard’s teammate, Alex Dowsett, won the 2011 race with a flag-to-flag victory.
Asked if such performances had become a Team Sky tradition for the Nocturne, Stannard said: “You’ve got to! The headquarters of Sky’s sponsor, IG Markets, is down here and they sponsor the event too, so you can’t come here and muck about!”
“It’s a nice crowd, it’s nice to see bike racing like this in the UK and the sport lifting in general. It’s really good.”
The 25-year-old, who had earlier won the elite elimination race, raced to victory the main event at an average speed of 49kmh (30.45mph).
He will now compete in the Dutch ZLM Ster Tour, before returning to the UK for the national road race championships in Ampleforth on Sunday June 24.
Bernie Sulzberger (Team Raleigh-GAC) registered the fastest speed on course with 53.8km (33.2 mph).
Hannah Barnes (Team IBIS Cycles) recorded back-to-back victories in the Rapha elite women’s criterium.
The national criterium champion triumphed over a strong field that included multiple Paralympic champion, Sarah Storey (Escentual for VioRed), who led in the early stages, and five-time national cyclo-cross champion, Helen Wyman.
A series of support races saw a crowd estimated at 12,000 people entertained by Penny Farthing racing, a race for folding bikes, and a competition for the longest skid on fixed gear bikes.
The Leigh Day Kermesse was won by William Pratt of Dulwich Paragon, ahead of Mike Debney (London Dynamo) and Wayne Grombie (East London Velo).
Channel Four will show the event at 7am on Sunday June 16. It will be available on demand from the channel’s 4OD platform.
Saint Gobain elite men’s criterium
1) Ian Stannard – Team Sky
2) Kristian House – Rapha Condor Sharp
3 Niklas Gustavsson – Team UK Youth
4) Davide Appollonio – Team Sky
5) Dan Holloway – Raleigh-GAC
6) Tobyn Horton – Raleigh-GAC
7) Jeroen Janssen – Raleigh-GAC
8) Graham Briggs – Raleigh-GAC
9) Simon Holt – Raleigh-GAC
10) James McCallum – Rapha Condor Sharp
Rapha elite women’s criterium
1) Hannah Barnes – Team Ibis Cycles
2) Hannah Welter – Netherlands
3) Belinda Goss – Escentual For VioRed
4) Julia Soek – Netherlands
5) Harriet Owen – Node4 Giordana
6) Nicoal Juniper – Corvida Allpress
7) Natalie Creswick – Team Mule Bar Girls
8) Helen Wyman – Kona Factory Racing
9) Alice Barnes – 23c Orbea
10) Sarah Storey – Escentual For VioRed
