Comfortable victory for Curran

WINNING the first two stages, former Commonwealth champion Paul Curran (Dinnington RC-Neilson) missed the split on the final leg but held on for a comfortable overall victory in the Team Mirage two-day race over a total of 166 miles in the Yorkshire Wolds.

Curran and eventual second- placed rider Norman Dunn (Middridge CRT) established their positions from the off, Curran beating his rival by a hefty 17-second margin in the opening 2.1-mile individual TT.

Curran collected another 16 seconds when he came in alone to win a fast and hard second stage, a 73.2-mile road race, where Dunn was relegated to third place by Curran's team-mate Martin Pitchford.

With Sean McVitty (Stars and Stripes) a further minute back, and the bunch at 1-51, it gave Curran a 48-second overnight lead over Dunn, with stage bonuses taken into account.

Both missed the split on the second of eight laps in Sunday's 88-mile final stage, when a 10-man group opened up a maximum three-minute lead.

The field was back together after 60 miles, and with 12 to go Phil Wilkins (Ashfield RC) and Julian Ramsbottom (Dinnington RC) went clear, leaving Hungarian visitor Peter Kiss (Csepel-Schwinn, Budapest) to take the sprint from Dinnington's Neil Martin.

Stage 1, 2.lm TT

1. Paul Curran (Dinnington RC-Neilson) 06 12
2. N. Dunn (Middridge ORT) 06 29
3. J. Ramsbottom (Dinnington RC) 06 36
4. D. Cook (Middridge CRT) 06 41
5. N. Martin (Dinnington RC) 06 42
6. P. Longbottom (North Wirral Velo) 06 42

Stage 2

1. Paul Curran 73.2m in 2-46-06
2. M. Pitchford (Dinnington RC) at l6sec
3. N. Dunn st
4. S. McVitty (Stars & Stripes) at 1-26
5. K. Brennan (Maltby CC) at 1-51
6. N. Martin st.

Stage 3

1. Phil Wilkins (Ashfield RC) 88m in 3-46-57
2. J. Ramsbottom st
3. P. Kiss (Csepel-Schwinn, Budapest) at lsec
4. N. Martin
5. M. Armstrong (Clifton CC)
6. K. Brennan all st.

Final overall

1. Paul Curran 6-39-01
2. N. Dunn at 48sec
3. M. Pitchford at 1-02
4. S. McVitty at 2-24
5. D. Cook at 2-40
6. N. Martin at 2-41
7. G. Hatcher (Middridge CRT) at 2-51
8. M. Rogers (SW Centre Of Excellence) at 2-54
9. N. Nicholson (Richmond & Darlington CC) at 2-58
eq 10, M. Armstrong & A. Hornby (Hull Thursday RC) at 3-01.

Best 2nd cat.- Graeme Hatcher.
Best 3rd cat.- Andrew Hornby.