2009 Event News:
DEFENDING CHAMPION HAYLES WON'T GIVE UP TITLE WITHOUT A FIGHT
DEFENDING champion Rob Hayles is adamant that he will not give up his elite men's National Road Race Championships jersey without a considerable fight at cycling's greatest ever Battle of Britain.
But Hayles admits he, and the other top domestic circuit riders in the 191-strong field, will have their work cut out to fend off the best men from the leading European ProTour teams on Super Sunday.
The most outstanding field ever assembled in one National Championships day will battle it out around the roads of Monmouthshire to be crowned the best rider of the year and make the coverted jersey their own into 2010.
That field includes Olympic medalists from all the Games this decade, multiple Tour de France stage winners, numerous former national champions and the cream of Great Britain's best men on the domestic scene.
Hayles achieved his longed-for ambition of winning the National Championships jersey when beating Ed Clancy into second place 12 months ago in North Yorkshire.
It was 'a dream come true' for Portsmouth-born and Derbyshire-based 36-year-old Hayles, a 2000 Sydney Olympics track bronze medalist who also took silver four years later in Athens and added gold and silver in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games.
Hayles said: "When I look back over the years, I've missed out on a few opportunities to wear the jersey. When it was down in Cardiff in 2001, I was second behind Jeremy Hunt and it was down to half-a-bike length at the end.
"There have been a few occasions where I have had good form but I have not won so, last year, was the year I said from the word go that I will win the race. To come up the finishing straight and win it, I could not believe it.
"When we got away with the group with 80K (kilometres) to go, I was going through what I would do in the victory straight because nobody was going to touch me. I was that confident but I have not got that confidence at the moment."
Hayles has succeeded in securing that jersey where the recent greats like new superstar Mark Cavendish, four times a Tour de France stage winner last year and who has won stages in the Giro d'Italia and Tour of Switzerland in the past month, plus triple Olympic gold medalist Bradley Wiggins, have not.
In fact, in the rain that came thumping down on Duncombe Park, Yorkshire, 12 months ago, the big ProTour riders, who are tipped to lead the way on Sunday, were left limping behind mighty Hayles.
Cavendish, before his Tour de France brilliance, could only finish 59th, while the then-defending champion David Millar, who won the title around the same Abergavenny course as the race tackles this year and is also a Tour de France stage winner, was down in 90th while Wiggins was a place below him.
This year, with sunshine forecast to beat down on the big day, the heat is likely to be really on in more ways that one given the UK-based riders have had a big programme of events leading into the weekend.
Hayles added: "It's been a fantastic year (being national champion) and really good to wear the jersey but this is going to be an interesting race.
"For the domestic guys, it's always tough to come up against the Continental guys. Dave (Millar) has won it in Abergavenny but it will be tough because of the programme the domestic guys have had in the last few weeks. It's not an ideal scenario for most of us.
"With the last two lead-in races that I've had in the last few weeks, it's been a struggle, to be honest. With respect, I'm not looking to give out any excuses but it will be a lot harder.
"Last year, the Abergavenny Grand Prix (the Robert Price Grand Prix of Wales) was just a week before the Nationals and I struggled to get over The Tumble that day.
"If I can get across to the front of the race this year in readiness for The Tumble, then I think I will be looking to do a decent performance and, of course, it would be fantastic to win again."
But, as he said, it will not be easy this year - and Cavendish will have the bit between his teeth to take a National jersey he has never won before to next month's Tour de France where he caused such a sensation 12 months ago.
"Everyone will know if Cav is there at the finish," added the defending champion. "He is the one to beat and there will not be many people thinking that he will mess up the sprint if he gets in position at the end because that won't happen.
"Of the domestic guys, though, Russell (Downing) and Wilko (Ian Wilkinson) have got good form - and, of course, there is myself!"
The last man to defend his National Championships title successfully was Roger Hammond who, ironically, did so on the same Welsh course around Newport in 2003 and 2004.
Hammond is also one of the top European names that are in this weekend's mouthwatering field and Hayles would like nothing more than to add his name to that particular role of honour.
The race starts at 11am on Sunday from Abergavenny town centre.
SATURDAY'S IRON MOUNTAIN SPORTIF BRONZE RESULTS (25 MILES)
1 Bryn Ruston 74 All MAll 01:18:54 1 1
2 Rob Holton 51 All MAll 01:29:34 2 2
3 William Taverner 62 All MAll 01:30:31 3 3
4 Steve Mayner 67 All MAll 01:30:31 4 4
5 Jason Jenkins 77 All MAll 01:47:45 5 5
6 Alan Mackenzie 76 All MAll 01:54:44 6 6
7 Peter Madley 68 All MAll 02:01:02 7 7
8 Roy Guttridge 80 All MAll 02:07:23 8 8
9 Neil Mckenzie 78 All MAll 02:10:01 9 9
10 Guy Blowfield 61 All MAll 02:14:55 10 10
11 Diana Blowfield 59 All FAll 02:14:57 1 1
12 Katy Blowfield 60 All FAll 02:14:59 2 2
13 Louis Hawkins 71 All MAll 02:16:05 11 11
14 Trystan Hawkins 69 All MAll 02:16:06 12 12
15 Rachel Aspinwall 72 All FAll 02:16:06 3 3
16 Loretta Sweeney 65 All FAll 02:26:49 4 4
17 Graham Harper 79 All MAll 03:08:25 13 13
18 James Jones 75 All MAll 04:26:52 14 14
SUNDAY'S IRON MOUNTAIN SPORTIF SILVER RESULTS (50 MILES)
1 Ben Oakes 105 All MAll 02:44:48 1 1
2 Mark Fairhurst 123 All MAll 02:48:56 2 2
3 Christopher Hills 134 All MAll 02:51:32 3 3
4 Conrad Wesson 132 All MAll 03:00:23 4 4
5 Jason Jones 140 All MAll 03:01:39 5 5
6 Victoria Green 110 All FAll 03:02:20 1 1
7 Matthew Plant 109 All MAll 03:02:21 6 6
8 James Exton 130 All MAll 03:03:26 7 7
9 Trystan Hawkins 137 All MAll 03:03:45 8 8
10 Ian Kennet 184 All MAll 03:05:15 9 9
11 Sam Anstice 180 All MAll 03:08:34 10 10
12 Joe Anstice 181 All MAll 03:08:34 11 11
13 Amy Hill 185 All FAll 03:08:34 2 2
14 Zachery May 179 All MAll 03:08:35 12 12
15 Becca Hunt 182 All FAll 03:08:35 3 3
16 Matt Hill 186 All MAll 03:11:05 13 13
17 Devin Palmier 131 All MAll 03:12:04 14 14
18 Nigel Price 171 All MAll 03:12:43 15 15
19 Julian Malnati 119 All MAll 03:12:44 16 16
20 Helen Slaughter 183 All FAll 03:14:21 4 4
21 Brian Burraglough 169 All MAll 03:16:29 17 17
22 Gary Crewe 138 All MAll 03:16:31 18 18
23 Lysa Fairhurst 122 All FAll 03:17:03 5 5
24 Gary Edwards 135 All MAll 03:17:06 19 19
25 David Milsom 118 All MAll 03:17:55 20 20
26 Ryan Nash 384 All MAll 03:18:10 21 21
27 Gareth Thomas 120 All MAll 03:20:21 22 22
28 Mark Schofield 125 All MAll 03:32:09 23 23
29 Paul Lee 176 All MAll 03:32:09 24 24
30 Robert Baynion 175 All MAll 03:32:10 25 25
31 Gareth Pugh 189 All MAll 03:34:30 26 26
32 Laura Farron 188 All FAll 03:34:31 6 6
33 Philip Hurd 113 All MAll 03:37:12 27 27
34 Lisa Chichester 136 All FAll 03:42:11 7 7
35 John Chichester 358 All MAll 03:42:16 28 28
36 Holly Hiscox 121 All FAll 03:42:46 8 8
37 Paul Winter 178 All MAll 03:47:34 29 29
38 Adrian Till 172 All MAll 03:49:03 30 30
39 Keith Weyman 128 All MAll 03:53:33 31 31
40 Alan Owen 107 All MAll 03:57:08 32 32
41 Rachel Johnson 116 All FAll 03:59:41 9 9
42 Derek Johnson 115 All MAll 03:59:42 33 33
43 Robert Price 177 All MAll 04:00:19 34 34
44 Sarah Price 111 All FAll 04:00:23 10 10
45 Matthew Veale 104 All MAll 04:04:06 35 35
46 Laurence Heaven 187 All MAll 04:09:29 36 36
47 Emma Davies 173 All FAll 04:14:34 11 11
48 Anduska Watkins 174 All FAll 04:14:34 12 12
49 Gareth Hodges 129 All MAll 06:50:21 37 37
50 Vic Gregory 170 All MAll 08:59:04 38 38
51 Dave Panting 124 All MAll 08:59:05 39 39
SUNDAY'S IRON MOUNTAIN SPORTIF GOLD RESULTS (100 MILES)
1 James Richardson 372 All MAll 05:12:56 1 1
2 David Crowley 346 All MAll 05:17:41 2 2
3 Simon Langton-Hewer 371 All MAll 05:28:44 3 3
4 Richard Bowen 382 All MAll 05:41:41 4 4
5 Caroline Gay 320 All FAll 05:47:58 1 1
6 Julian Wilkes 328 All MAll 05:48:04 5 5
7 Jeffrey Thomas 359 All MAll 05:48:06 6 6
8 Chris Haworth 344 All MAll 05:48:08 7 7
9 Andy Taylor 364 All MAll 05:53:23 8 8
10 Eric Barlow 351 All MAll 06:09:18 9 9
11 Chris Haworth 352 All MAll 06:09:18 10 10
12 Ricky Weatherall 370 All MAll 06:10:57 11 11
13 Stacy Turner 367 All FAll 06:11:29 2 2
14 Robert Axe 368 All MAll 06:13:16 12 12
15 David Perry 380 All MAll 06:13:19 13 13
16 Jeffery Parsons 376 All MAll 06:13:20 14 14
17 Patrick Wooddisse 337 All MAll 06:17:20 15 15
18 Richard Jones 314 All MAll 06:21:51 16 16
19 Mike Benham 324 All MAll 06:22:05 17 17
20 Geoff Keenan 357 All MAll 06:23:11 18 18
21 Neil Bradshaw 312 All MAll 06:23:13 19 19
22 Clive Hayter 317 All MAll 06:28:57 20 20
23 Michael O''reilly 333 All MAll 06:41:19 21 21
24 Andrew Smith 319 All MAll 06:46:33 22 22
25 Stuart Grant 323 All MAll 06:46:34 23 23
26 Robin Heyden 339 All MAll 06:50:33 24 24
27 Julian Mitchell 307 All MAll 06:53:58 25 25
28 Simon Clabon 360 All MAll 06:54:02 26 26
29 Mike Leaman 330 All MAll 06:54:03 27 27
30 Chris Broad-Drake 322 All MAll 06:54:27 28 28
31 Jarrod Richards 369 All MAll 07:08:59 29 29
32 Roger Mills 308 All MAll 07:18:23 30 30
33 Huw Pullen 365 All MAll 07:18:24 31 31
34 Jairus Soquena 373 All MAll 07:18:24 32 32
35 Arther Molyneux 377 All MAll 07:18:31 33 33
36 Judith Lowery 336 All FAll 07:19:59 3 3
37 David Price 379 All MAll 07:20:04 34 34
38 Tony Lowery 335 All MAll 07:20:05 35 35
39 Nigel Scott 329 All MAll 07:31:33 36 36
40 Chris Nash 383 All MAll 07:36:16 37 37
41 Kevin Thomas 316 All MAll 07:39:01 38 38
42 Wayne Thomas 362 All MAll 07:39:01 39 39
43 Paul Cowen 356 All MAll 07:42:29 40 40
44 Chris Gamlin 355 All MAll 07:42:31 41 41
45 John Murphy 374 All MAll 07:45:50 42 42
46 Cristine Colquttoun 345 All FAll 07:45:51 4 4
47 Rhys Thomas 303 All MAll 07:51:28 43 43
48 Gary Mitchell 325 All MAll 07:51:35 44 44
49 Simon Heilbron 375 All MAll 07:51:38 45 45
50 Meirion Jones 306 All MAll 07:51:40 46 46
51 Julian Merriman 348 All MAll 08:18:52 47 47
52 Ceri Dafydd 354 All FAll 08:21:11 6 6
53 Alex Cameron 353 All MAll 08:21:12 48 48
54 Robin Tunstall 378 All MAll 08:30:17 49 49
55 Linda Jones 309 All FAll 08:30:29 7 7
56 Richard Tutton 315 All MAll 08:30:37 50 50
57 Alun John 363 All MAll 08:30:38 51 51
58 Rob Stephenson 318 All MAll 08:30:42 52 52
SATURDAY'S IRON MOUNTAIN SPORTIF GOLD RESULTS (100 MILES)
1 Kieran Dineen 345 All MAll 05:13:48 1 1
2 David Crowley 356 All MAll 05:13:48 2 2
3 Chris Newton 369 All MAll 05:13:54 3 3
4 Paul Brewer 309 All MAll 05:20:11 4 4
5 Jeremy Roberts 367 All MAll 05:23:40 5 5
6 Julian Wilkes 336 All MAll 05:23:47 6 6
7 Adam Scott 342 All MAll 05:23:49 7 7
8 Richard Batt 378 All MAll 05:23:49 8 8
9 Caroline Gay 326 All FAll 05:23:51 1 1
10 Magnus Mill 327 All MAll 05:37:43 9 9
11 Richard Allen 328 All MAll 05:37:45 10 10
12 David Bright 347 All MAll 05:42:48 11 11
13 Jamie Jones 375 All MAll 05:43:18 12 12
14 John Taverner 357 All MAll 05:43:43 13 13
15 Peter Blake 305 All MAll 05:51:08 14 14
16 Alan Owen 379 All MAll 05:53:52 15 15
17 Ben Jenkins 377 All MAll 05:53:59 16 16
18 Adam Wolanski 370 All MAll 05:54:01 17 17
19 Ian Gardner 374 All MAll 05:54:55 18 18
20 James Woodier 360 All MAll 05:55:01 19 19
21 Clive Hayter 322 All MAll 05:55:11 20 20
22 Daniel Bateman 316 All MAll 05:57:14 21 21
23 Richard Evans 354 All MAll 05:57:17 22 22
24 Philip Edwards 318 All MAll 06:11:34 23 23
25 Peter Mccauley 319 All MAll 06:11:35 24 24
26 Patrick Larkin 365 All MAll 06:12:10 25 25
27 Matthew Tyler 353 All MAll 06:18:05 26 26
28 Iain Burgess-James 363 All MAll 06:20:04 27 27
29 Richard Tutton 320 All MAll 06:22:18 28 28
30 Kevin Thomas 321 All MAll 06:22:43 29 29
31 Michael Salm 343 All MAll 06:23:20 30 30
32 Alan Tapp 358 All MAll 06:23:20 31 31
33 Huw Austin 313 All MAll 06:23:24 32 32
34 Bob Blowfield 355 All MAll 06:28:08 33 33
35 Jonathan Bingham 324 All MAll 06:28:30 34 34
36 John James 332 All MAll 06:28:31 35 35
37 Stephen Caldwell 351 All MAll 06:30:42 36 36
38 Esther Barrett 350 All FAll 06:30:44 2 2
39 David Evans 344 All MAll 06:35:31 37 37
40 Tony Breen 302 All MAll 06:37:44 38 38
41 Stephen Parfitt 349 All MAll 06:39:53 39 39
42 Meirion Jones 311 All MAll 06:40:16 40 40
43 Will Jagger 314 All MAll 06:41:16 41 41
44 Steve Watson 304 All MAll 06:43:15 42 42
45 John Chaney 380 All MAll 06:46:13 43 43
46 Dave Fenton 335 All MAll 06:47:28 44 44
47 Ian Tucker 315 All MAll 06:55:40 45 45
48 Phil Conridge 373 All MAll 06:57:24 46 46
49 David Childs 361 All MAll 06:57:28 47 47
50 Colm Hardiman 323 All MAll 07:11:41 48 48
51 Kelvin 366 All MAll 07:12:09 49 49
52 John Chichester 362 All MAll 07:13:20 50 50
53 Andy Muitt 340 All MAll 07:14:06 51 51
54 Jeremy Evered 337 All MAll 07:14:07 52 52
55 Michael O''reilly 346 All MAll 07:15:35 53 53
56 Sarah Smith 308 All FAll 07:15:57 3 3
57 Phil Read 368 All MAll 07:15:58 54 54
58 Rachel Snook 372 All FAll 07:18:13 4 4
59 Warren 364 All MAll 07:21:29 55 55
60 John Leafe 329 All MAll 07:22:03 56 56
61 Robin Tudball 376 All MAll 07:30:53 57 57
62 John Brooks 312 All MAll 07:31:23 58 58
63 James Cooke 331 All MAll 07:40:58 59 59
64 Howard Jones 306 All MAll 07:42:17 60 60
65 Geraint Pritchard 330 All MAll 07:48:26 61 61
66 Euan Mcarthur 359 All MAll 08:15:08 62 62
67 Simon Moffatt 310 All MAll 08:49:32 63 63
RIDERS HAVE GREAT TIME AT IRON MOUNTAIN SPORTIF
HUNDREDS of people got on their bikes last weekend to ride around the countryside of Monmouthshire and find out for themselves the challenge facing this weekend's star names at the National Road Race Championships.
Around 500 people a day came to Bailey Park, Abergavenny, to take part in a successful two-day Iron Mountain Sportif, the mass participation ride which has now become a tradition at the Abergavenny Festival of Cycling each year.
And it was not out on the roads where the action took place as the Welsh Grass Track Championships were also held in the Park while the riders were on their routes of 25, 50 and 100 miles.
The BBC Wales roadshow also paid a visit, and organiser Bill Owen found himself on national radio as he was the interviewed live on Saturday afternoon.
Since the weekend, riders have e-mailed the organisers to praise the event, some already saying they will be back - with their friends - next year.
London rider Adam Wolanski said: "Thank you so much for arranging such an excellent event this weekend. I rode the 100m on Saturday, which was wonderful, and my wife rode (most of) the 100m on Sunday, before taking a tumble before the final feed station, where she was very well looked after until I came and picked her up. One of my boys also did the kids' race on Saturday.
"Everyone was was extremely hospitable, and the event was really well organised. I very much hope you do it again next year - if so I will bring some friends along.
"We had never been to your part of the world before and we very much enjoyed seeing it."
Phil Conridge, from Chepstow, added: "Once again thanks for your fantastic efforts in organizing an excellent event.
"The marshals all were really friendly. The snack at the end was a lovely touch and meant that many of the riders actually sat down and chatted. The water bottle was a good momento of the event."
And rider Pat Larkin said: "A quick note to thank you for one of the best Sportives that I have attended. Great admins (administration), atmosphere, support (including great catering with just the sustenance required after a few hours in the saddle) and outstanding routes from all accounts. Work permitting I intend to be back in 2010 with my wife (she enjoyed the 50 and 25)."
Organiser Bill Owen said: "It was a great couple of days and we are glad that everyone had a good time and enjoyed riding the different distances around the National Championships course.
"The Iron Mountain Sportif was held over two days this year which seems to have proved popular. We are most grateful for the feedback from everyone and look forward to seeing future riders in the years to come when the event grows in stature."
TENTH NATIONAL TITLE WOULD BE LIKE THE FIRST - NICOLE COOKE
NICOLE Cooke can go into her Olympic Games road cycling defence in London three years from now as officially the greatest women's bike rider Britain has ever produced.
It is hard to believe that, in 1999, the 16-year-old Welsh girl, who only sat in the saddle competitively in 1994, became the youngest winner of the senior British National Road Race Championships.
And, other than one glitch in 2000, when Glasgow's Ceris Gilfillan won the title, it has been a decade of dominance that can be completed on Saturday June 27 with her tenth National Championships jersey in Abergavenny and her ninth in succession.
Cooke has, during those intervening years, established herself as the best women's road racer on the planet and, although her place in British cycling history is already assured, it can be further cemented in 2012.
Should she win three more National titles, the Welsh wonder, the first woman to win both the Olympic and world titles in the same year, will have overtaken the 12 National Championships victories of the late, great Beryl Burton, who dominated the British women's scene from 1959 to her last title in 1974.
And, despite all the global medals that have come her way, including the Women's World Cup Series crown, for Cooke, every National jersey is important.
She said: "It's a special jersey and there is a lot of prestige which goes with being the British champion. To win it again this year will be just as special as winning it the first time."
Cooke has entered a talented group of riders under her own team banner, Vision 1 Racing, and thinks the women's sport is on the up.
"I think there was a stage race in France last month where there were 13 riders who were in the international pelaton from Britain. It goes to show the Britain can compete at this level," said the rider from Wick, Vale of Glamorgan.
"It's been building up nicely this year with the team and with my own racing. I'm fine and training is going well.
"With the team, we had a good showing in the stage race in Spain recently with second overall and three of the riders in the top ten."
The last time Cooke won on home Welsh soil was over a course that started and finished at the Celtic Manor in Newport five years ago where she beat perennial silver medalist Rachel Heal, second to the Welsh star five times from 2002 to 2007.
Now Londoner Emma Pooley, who won silver in the Beijing Olympic Games Time Trial, has taken up Heal's baton and promised to give Cooke a battle royale around Abergavenny.
Cooke, who won two stages of the Emakumeen Bira in Spain this month and was fourth on the General Classification, added: "I'm training for this like it is the first time.
"It's a new race, new rivals and a different course so I'll do my best."
The road queen will have a significant group around to work with her towards that tenth title. Her Vision 1 Racing team includes double British Cyclo-Cross Champion Helen Wyman, 2007 Welsh National Road champion Katie Curtis, and talented Gabriella Day and 18-year-old Hampshire ace Dani King.
There will no doubt be a big challenge in the race, though, from the Great Britain-Sky team which includes British Olympic Development Programme riders Alex Greenfield and Katie Colclough, while World Track Championships Team Pursuit gold medalist Lizzie Armitstead has a rare race away from the boards and could cause problems.
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