Tour Series Round 2: Malcolm Elliott 'old mans it' to a big win in "purgatory"

Malcolm Elliott took the individual honours in round 2 of the Halfords Tour Series in Duham last night on a night when team tactics were tested to the max on a super-tough circuit. Experienced triumphed on a night that called for brains as well as brawn with the wily old campaigner, Elliot, a month short of his 49th birthday showing everyone how it should be done crowning a masterful display of team tactics from his Motorpoint team.

Elliott's first place was enough to give his Motorpoint - Marshalls Pasta team the overall win on the night with Rapha Condor Sharp coming home second and Kuota - road.cc in third place. It was a mixed night for the Kuota - road.cc boys with a much improved performance marred by a crash two laps from the finish that left Macca (David McGowan) with a broken shoulder – everyone here at road.cc wishes him a speedy recovery. Other fallers in a race described by Motorpoint rider, Andy Tennant as "“the toughest criterium I’ve ever ridden.” included first round winner, Tony Gibb and Motorpoint rider Yanto Barker who wrote off his Pinarello Opera. However not everyone hated the Durham course, Kuota - road.cc, Team Manager Cherie Pridham tweeted that "the boys loved that circuit oddly enough"

Afterwards Elliott described the course as "Absolute purgaratory… Every possible obstacle you could have on a crit’ course, it was here.  It was so hard it was almost comical." However the old man of the series read the course which contained a long cobbled climb up to the finish area well enough to realise that being in the first five of six riders to the 'dead' turn at the bottom of the climb would prove crucial. And so it proved, when his team mate Tennant attacked on lap three Elliot was in position to go with him and the Motorpoint team were in a strong position. A lead group of six finally established itself containing two Rapha Condor riders – Kristian House and Darren Lapthorne, plus Dave Clarke of Pendragon – Le Col – Colnago and Darren Montgomerie.

The race for the overall win came down to a straight fight between Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta and Rapha Condor Sharp and when the lead group lapped the other three Rapha riders in the race the advantage swung towards the Motorpoint men, Elliot then rammed it home by taking the final sprint from House and Clarke.

In the Boardman Bikes Sprints Competition, second placed finisher Kristian House took a dominant victory on the night for Rapha – Condor – Sharp, winning all three Boardman Bikes Sprints to take the lead in the competition, five points clear of Raleigh’s Liam Holohan.



You can watch the riders tackle the cobbles and climbs of Durham,  on ITV4 tonight at 7pm for an hour’s highlights show.

The Halfords Tour Series is back in action with Round Three from Portsmouth on Tuesday night, for more information visit www.tourseries.co.uk or follow the action via Twitter at www.twitter.com/TourSeries



Results

Team

1)      Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta

2)      Rapha – Condor – Sharp

3)      Kuota – road.cc

4)      Sigma Sport - Specialized

5)      Endura Racing

6)      Team Raleigh

7)      Pendragon – Le Col - Colnago

8)      CyclePremier.com - Metaltek

9)      Team Corley Cycles

10)     Team Ireland


Individual

1)      Malcolm Elliott         Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta

2)      Kristian House          Rapha – Condor – Sharp

3)      Dave Clarke             Pendragon – Le Col – Colnago   



The Halfords Tour Series Standings (after two rounds)

1)      Rapha – Condor – Sharp                  19pts

2)      Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta            18pts

3)      Endura Racing                           15pts

4)      Team Raleigh                            12pts

5)      Sigma Sport – Specialized               12pts

6)      Kuota – road.cc                         11pts

7)      Pendragon – Le Col – Colnago            10pts
8)      CyclePremier.com – Metaltek             7pts

9)      Team Corley Cycles                      4pts

10)     Team Ireland                            2pts



Boardman Bikes Sprints Competition Results

1)      Kristian House  Rapha – Condor – Sharp  15pts

2)      Dave Clarke             Pendragon – Le Col – Colnago    9pts

3)      Malcolm Elliott Motorpoint – Marshalls Pasta    8pts



Boardman Bikes Sprints Competition Overall Standings

1)      Kristian House          Rapha – Condor - Sharp  15pts

2)      Liam Holohan            Team Raleigh            10pts

3)      Dave Clarke             Pendragon – Le Col – Colnago    9pts