Scott Thwaites (Endura Racing) made it two wins from three in the 2012 Halfords Tour Series after sprinting to victory in Oxford.
Thwaites, who won round one in Kirkcaldy seven days previous, edged out Marcel Six (Metaltek Scott) after the duo got in the decisive 14-strong breakaway on the 1.1km course, while Thwaites’ Endura team-mate Dean Windsor completed the podium.
The British under-23 national road race champion’s victory helped Endura Racing win the team competition for the third successive round to maintain their 100 per cent record in this year’s Tour Series.
“We had three riders [in the leading group] which was enough,” said Thwaites. “Sometimes when you have more, people expect you to ride harder so we were comfortable with that and kept the pressure on. We wanted to make sure the pack didn’t catch up.
“Dean and Jonny were riding so hard, I was maybe struggling a bit out of the dead turns, I don’t quite have the zip I had last year but it’s coming. I think I am a lot stronger than I’ve ever been but I am lacking that top two percent. With a sprint like this, quite a long sprint and into a headwind, my strength came through.”
Meanwhile, Annie Simpson (Matrix Fitness-Prendas) won the opening round of the women’s Johnson Health Tech Grand Prix Series. Simpson took a clean sweep of prizes, adding the evening’s sprint prize and helping her Matrix Fitness–Prendas squad to the team prize after launching a well-timed attack on the final lap.
Halfords Tour Series round three – Oxford
1) Scott Thwaites – Endura Racing
2) Marcel Six – Metaltek Scott
3) Dean Windsor – Endura Racing
4) Chris Opie – Team UK Youth
5) Jonny McEvoy – Endura Racing
6) Mike Northey – Node4 – Giordana Racing
7) James McCallum – Rapha Condor Sharp
8) James Stewart – Team UK Youth
9) Niklas Gustavsson – Team UK Youth
10) Bernard Sulzberger – Team Raleigh – GAC
Round three team result
1) Endura Racing
2) Team UK Youth
3) Rapha Condor Sharp
4) Node4-Giordana Racing
5) Team Raleigh-GAC
6) Metaltek Scott
7) Herbalife LeisureLakesBikes
8) Team IG – Sigma Sport
9) Team Hope Factory Racing
10) Cycle Premier-Kovert
Team standings after round three
1) Endura Racing – 30pts
2) Rapha Condor Sharp – 23pts
3) Team UK Youth – 22pts
4) Team Raleigh-GAC – 22pts
5) Node4-Giordana Racing – 21pts
6) Team IG-Sigma Sport – 12pts
7) Cycle Premier-Kovert – 11pts
8) Metaltek Scott – 11pts
9) Team Hope Factory Racing – 7pts
10) Herbalife LeisureLakesBikes – 10pts
Boardman Bikes sprints standings after round three
1) Bernard Sulzberger – Team Raleigh-GAC – 32pts
2) Marcel Six – Metaltek Scott – 25pts
3) Kristian House – Rapha Condor Sharp – 21pts
