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Off to the Ardennes · 09/04/10

With no Premier Calendar to entertain fans and test the legs of riders here in the UK, the Rapha Condor Sharp team will spend this weekend racing in France as they take on the UCI 2.2 Circuit of the Ardennes.

The Ardennes squad travelled straight from the recent Tour DoonHame where they enjoyed a successful Easter Weekend with two stage wins and the overall classification going to Chris Newton. They have spent several days in the Ardennes preparing for a race that was first run in 1930 with previous winners including Roman Kreuziger and Thomas Lövkvist.

The six man squad representing Rapha Condor Sharp comprises Zak Dempster, Jonathan Tiernan Locke, Darren Lapthorne, Kristian House, Dan Craven and Ben Greenwood. All have shown improving form in recent weeks and directeur sportif, John Herety, will have options for stage wins and taking the general classification across the 4 stages and three days that comprise the parcours.

Speaking on the morning of the first stage today (Friday) John Herety said:

“We had a great weekend in Scotland and Northern Ireland and the squad for this race picks up elements from both of those teams to meet the unique demands of this race. Zak is really motivated right now and he’ll be looking at today and the time trial on Sunday to shine, then we’ve got Lappers for the overall as long as he’s fully recovered from the eye infection that sidelined him at DoonHame”

Amongst the Brits on the team the race also marks an important stepping stone for Jonathan Tiernan Locke and Ben Greenwood. Both continue to make steady progress in their respective comebacks to the top echelons of the sport and with each able to shine on the climbs this race will be a good benchmark for them to judge their form.

The three day race comprises 4 stages, beginning today and ending on Sunday, the final day of the race is a split stage with a time-trial in the morning and a potentially decisive road stage in the afternoon. Updates on the race can be found throughout the weekend on the following link:
www.circuitdesardennes.fr

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