TOUR OF THE PEAK

Charlesworth's Great Gamble

A POWERFUL effort in the closing miles of the Lowther Tour of the Peak saw John Charlesworth (Ace RT-Peugeot) take victory in the final Star Trophy road race of the season.

Charlesworth, attacking with some three miles to go to the Buxton finish, left Wayne Randle (Dinnington RC), Steve Farrell (Tunstall Wheelers), Tim Hall (Ace RT), Simon Bray (Invicta RC), Ian Gilkes (Wembley RC) and Paul Curran (Manchester Wheelers) to fight for the lesser placings in one of the finest editions of a race which dates hack to 1943.

The seven riders named, plus Dominic Sweeney (Invicta RC) dominated the final phase of the 95-mile classic having joined forces after the mile-long climb of the frightening Winnats Pass, majestic in the late summer sunshine that brought the spectators out in their hundreds all around the Peak area on Sunday.

Once Charlesworth made his move on the day's last climb, Long Hill, it was Curran who tried the hardest to bring him back, desperate for a win to increase his points in the Star Trophy competition.

There was some serious doubt as to whether Paul Curran would be starting the race, having just returned from London following the death of his father-in-law the previous day. His wife Jacquie insisted that he rode the event, conscious of the fact that this race would decide the Star Trophy series.

The former pro made three efforts on the climb, but with an adverse wind to fight it was not to be his day.

So it was that 23 seconds after Charlesworth sprinted home it came to a sprint for the places of honour, with Randle and Farrell taking second and third from Hall, Bray and Gilkes with Curran seventh.

If we had been treated to an action-packed final, the early stages of the race provided equally as thrilling with a constant stream of moves coming from the fast-moving bunch.

With a route-change suggested by Derbyshire Constabulary it meant that, on paper at least, the race would have an easier start, the first prime, Snake Pass, coming after 35 miles.

After a flurry of attacks the first serious move came as the race approached Ladybower Reservoir. Looking back down the A57 a handful of riders were some 200 metres clear. As the race headed towards the Snake Pass another small group detached itself from the strung-out bunch.

Thirteen names were there: Curran, Farrell, Randle, Gilkes, Sweeney, Scott O'Brien (Manchester Wheelers), John Tanner (Dinnington RC), Andrew Hitchens (Bournemouth Arrow), Matthew Postle (CC Abergavenny), Gary Foord (Wembley RC), Kevin Brennan (Paragon RT), Andrew Harrison (Wembley RC) and Ian Wright (Invicta RC).

Over Snake Pass and it was Tanner, Sweeney, Ian Chivers (Paragon RT), who caught the break on the first slopes of the Snake, then Curran.

The break led the front of the bunch by 23 seconds, with the rest beginning to string out over the climb.

Through Glossop, celebrating a Victorian weekend, the Lycra-clad racers stormed and we wondered if the old Queen would have been amused.

By the Chunel climb, where Tanner again led, the break was 38 seconds clear. Four miles on and that had become 47 seconds as Curran set the pace.

On Rushup Edge Chivers was the strongest but the leaders were being pulled back as the race broke-up behind them. Closing fast were Gethin Butler (Norwood Paragon), Hall, Charlesworth, Andrew Perks (Royal Sutton CC), Patrick Foley (Heron RC), Peter Longbottom (Manchester Wheelers), Neil Martin (Dinnington RC), the Congleton CC's Mike Harrison and Mark Lovatt, Paul Rogers (VC St Raphael) and Simon Bray (Invicta RC).

It was a sizeable group and as such it lost its cohesion.

Sensing danger, Gilkes and Sweeney jumped away as the Peak Forest climb came up. The pair worked well together and with 60 miles covered they led by 1-8 as Dan Smith (Festival RC) and Deno Davie (Paragon RT) tagged on to the Curran -led bunch of some 23 riders which was being caught by 10 riders from the back markers.

While Sweeney and Gilkes forged on the chasing group had now grown to nearly 40 riders, but the gallant duo were still pulling away, 1-50 at 70 miles, 1-56 as they rode through the Hope Wlley.

As they turned out of Castleton for the testing ascent of Winnats Pass their advantage was 2-15 and there were less than 20 miles to go.

Over the cattle-grid at the bottom of Winnats Sweeney was out of the saddle. Gilkes fell back 50 metres and that was all that Sweeney gained as Gilkes climbed at a measured pace.

Over the top and Gilkes was back to Sweeney, but down the climb the final race pattern was forming. Alan Gornall was one of the first to be dropped, but he had ridden himself into the ground, working hard to bring Curran to Winnats in a good position to launch his hoped-for attack.

It was Hall, Bray, Farrell and Curran who came through next, Hall's pace blowing the bigger group apart.

Charlesworth and Randle were only yards down and as they came off of Winnats the Hall and Charlesworth groups merged to give six riders at 1-3 behind Sweeney and Gilkes.

Down to Whaley Bridge that was down to 50 seconds and as the race reached the aptly-named Long Hill, all 4.5 miles of it, the scene was set for the final showdown.

Up front Sweeney was failing apart and Gilkes attacked, going off alone as the Curran break came into sight on the first bends of Long Hill.

With 90 miles done Sweeney was caught as Curran, Hall and Randle did the work chasing him.

Gilkes was hanging on to a slight lead, no more than 10 seconds as Charlesworth jumped hard on a right-hand bend to solo up to and past Gilkes who was then quickly caught by the other six.

Within a mile Charlesworth's power riding had taken him 25 seconds clear despite some spirited riding by Curran and Gilkes.

Into Buxton, where the police had closed off the streets leading to the Market Place finish, Charlesworth stormed on to a justly-claimed win in this 49th Tour of the Peak, a resounding success for the promoting South Manchester RCC.

What they had to say

It was Steve Farrell's fourth Tour of the Peak. 'I have been seventh, sixth, fifth and now third, perhaps if I keep at it I might win it one day,' he said.

He had spent the race marking Paul Curran. 'I don't like riding like that, but I was on my own while Curran had Alan Gornall and Pete Longbottom to help him,' he explained.

'I went round most of the course on Wednesday and have been knackered ever since, but at least I knew what to expect. I had a fairly easy ride the way things went. Hall took us up Winnats, he is a good climber, and before that the Manchester Wheelers had been working to bring back the breaks.

'I am pleased to have won the Star Trophy today, I did not want to leave it to be decided on the time trial where anything could happen. It is also five weeks away and in that time a lot of the riders I train with will have stopped for this year so it would have been difficult for me to prepare properly, especially as the dark nights are coming,' Farrell said.

Placid as ever, Curran accepted defeat with good grace, although he had some hard words for some of the riders he had been with in the break before Snake Pass.

'That break should never have been caught, but only three or four of us (of the 13) were working. I tried to convince them that in a break you should be working, but they could not grasp what I was saying to them,' he said.

'Alan Gornall worked very hard leading the chase behind the break (Gilkes and Sweeney) to the bottom of Winnats and then I rode up with Hall.

'I tried to get away on Long Hill, but with the head wind I was wasting my time, and then when Charlesworth went there was no chance of him coming back and that was that.'

RESULTS

1. JOHN CHARLESWORTH (Ace RT-Peugeot) 95m in 3-47-35
2. W. Randle (Dinnington RC) at 23sec
3. S. Farrell (Tunstall Wh)
4. T. Hall (Ace RT)
5. S. Bray (Invicta RC)
6. Gilkes (Wembley RC)
7. P. Curran (Manchester Wh) all st
8. D. Sweeney (Invicta RC) at 1-41
9. M. Harrison (Congleton CC) at 2-45
10. Wright (Invicta RC)
11. Hitchens (Bournemouth Arrow)
12. J. Wright (Tyne Velo)
13. P. Longbottom (Manchester Wh)
14. K. Brennan (Paragon RT)
15. P. Rogers (VC St Raphael)
16. R. Langley (Solihull CC)
17. R. Thompson (GS Metro)
18. M. Postle (CC Abergavenny)
19. D. Davie (Paragon RT)
20. N. Giles (Kirkby CC) all st.