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Tour of DoonHame 2010 - Wrap Up · 06/04/10
photos by Emma Felton
Normal service resumed as Rapha Condor Sharp go full steam ahead
While one half of the squad were impressing in Ulster, the rest of the team (minus Darren Lapthorne who is sidelined with an eye infection) were busy stamping their authority on the Tour Doonhame, successor to the much loved and long running Girvan race.
Chris Newton took the first stage of the race in a late breakaway move and then followed that up with another win in the bunch sprint on stage 2 leaving him with just one more stage in which to defend his lead in order to take overall victory. However, with the Rapha Condor Sharp team having cleaned up for two days running there were plenty of riders looking for their opportunity to usurp the boys in black as they homed in on victory.
The team were left to defend the 18 second lead of Chris Newton by themselves as a number of breakaways threatened them throughout the stage. The biggest threat came from New Zealander, Jack Bauer of the Endura team who was part of a number of moves before ultimately breaking away alone and stretching out a lead peaking at nearly 2 minutes.
Working hard at the front of the bunch as the stage entered the final 10 miles, the lead of Bauer had begun to tumble, finally dipping below the crucial 16 second lead Chris held on the general classification. With just one mile remaining, the team secured the overall win for Chris and a richly deserved return to form.
Speaking after the stage Team Manager, John Herety, reflected on a job well done by the squad:
“Firstly, a big well done to the guys over in the Tour of the North, Phil has done a great job there once again and I think they really showed what they’re capable of now they’re fully recovered from the trip to Taiwan.
Over here in Scotland I think the boys haven’t really put a foot wrong, they’re still carrying a little fatigue from Normandy and we were more than a man down with Darren having to drop out so am I pleased with the win? You bet! People see a guy like Chris winning here and he makes it look easy, but what people forget is the preparation that goes into a race like this. From the training camps to the staff and the equipment, it’s something we do well at Rapha Condor Sharp. Other teams suffered more than they needed to this week with mechanical problems, we only had a handful of punctures and that speaks volumes for the work that goes in behind the scenes. It’s been a great team effort, well done Chris and to all the lads.”
