This Is Guernsey

ROB SMART took a well-deserved win in the final stage of the Guernsey Velo Club’s four-day stage race yesterday. The Commonwealth Games star was comfortably the most aggressive rider on the day, out-sprinting Tony Bleasdale for the win with Stuart Le Tissier in third over the five-lap road race of the hilly reservoir circuit.

The attacks came thick and fast from the gun.

Approaching the climb of Le Dos D’Ane on the first lap, James McLaughlan attacked the bunch and initially there was no reaction but Paul Brehaut was first to respond, followed by Bleasdale.

The pair quickly caught and passed McLaughlan.

Smart and Le Tissier were next to bridge the gap, stringing out the bunch as they did so.

It was on the haul past the Reservoir itself on the first lap where the race-winning move was made. Riding hard over the climb, a group of seven riders broke away consisting of Smart, Bleasdale, Brehaut, Le Tissier, triathlete Alan Rowe, Chris Le Page and Matt Osborn.

For the remainder of the race, the leading group started to work well together and began building on their lead.

Meanwhile, a chase group of four riders was forming behind the leaders.

McLauglan, Tim Holmes, Ann Bowditch and Ian Scholes took up the chase, behind them a further group of riders was forming with Ben Walden, Josh Owen, Graham Le Maitre, Gary Wallbridge, Tracey Dowinton, Tim Martin and Mark Batiste.

Up front, the hostilities started earlier than expected, with Smart constantly attacking in an attempt to break up the group.

Counter attacks followed but each time the pack came back together. That infighting meant that the lead of the group stabilised at around three minutes for the remainder of the race.

Approaching the final climb to the finish, Brehaut was first to open the sprint and perhaps did so too early as immediately Bleasdale counter attacked and launched himself towards the finish.

It was Smart, though, who timed his effort to perfection coming around Bleasdale in the final metres to take the victory by a bike length.

Le Tissier took third ahead of the tenacious Osborn and Le Page. Rowe and Brehaut were the next to finish.

McLaughlan took the sprint for eighth place ahead of Leon Ogier and Holmes. Bowditch was the best woman on the day finishing just behind Holmes.

The result meant that Le Page took overall victory amongst the seniors, with Brehaut finishing as best veteran, Bowditch as best woman, Osborn as best junior and Callum Hill-Smith as best under-16 rider.

In the support race contested over one lap of the same circuit that the senior riders tackled, Ali Martin took the win in 19min. 15sec. ahead of Hill-Smith, only 13 seconds back, and Alex Falla in third.

Article posted on 10th April, 2007 - 12.00am