Curran makes it a hat-trick

FORMER Commonwealth Games champion Paul Curran made it a hat-trick of wins when he triumphed in the newly named Land's Classic two-day race at the weekend.

Curran, who moved into overall contention when he won Saturday's 64-mile second leg, ended the three-stage event with 10 seconds in hand over John Tanner (Tritech), whose fellow professional Rob Holden (Ambrosia/Dyna-Tech) had to settle for third place but had the consolation of lifting both the sprints and climbers' titles.

Curran had been the race winner for the past two years when it was held under the Skelton banner prior to the event being taken up by enthusiastic new sponsors to cycling, Land Food Products of Hull.

Stage 1 TT

Runner-up Tanner had been pipped by less than a pedal rev in the opening 3.4-mile individual time trial on Beverley's western by-pass by Curran's Optimum Performance team-mate Kevin Dawson, whose 6-30.3 gave him the yellow jersey by just three hundredths of a second.

Tanner, though, had the satisfaction of foiling an Optimum Performance one-two, Wayne Randle finishing a further quarter of a second off the pace.

1. Kevin Dawson (Optimum Performance RT) 6 30.30
2. J. Tanner (Tritech) 6 30.33
3. W. Randle (Optimum Performance RT) 6 30.59
4. J. Lowes (Cherry Valley RI) 6 34.20
5. S. Tyson (NE Centre of Excellence) 6 34.60
6. A. Hornby (Brough Wh) 6 36.00

Stage 2

Curran gave notice of his intention to maintain his fine record in the race by winning stage two, a 54-mile road race over undulating country on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds.

After a stage of constant action, with splits and regroupings all the way, the winning move came with a low-key effort typical of Curran - but sufficient to catch the opposition unawares and gain the vital seconds that divide winners from the rest.

Curran took the flag from Randle and Tanner, with just a second separating all three.

Holden, who had dominated the Triflow sprints series during the second stage, was forced to settle for fourth place, five seconds back.

Overall, the lead had now moved to Randle by two seconds from Tanner, with Curran just a second back in third place.

1. Paul Curran (Optimum Performance RT) 64m in 2-14-44
2. W. Randle at 1sec
3. J. Tanner st
4. R. Holden (Ambrosia/Dyna-Tech) at 5sec
5. R. Lyne (Young England) at 9sec
6. M. Charity (Dinnington RC) at 48sec.

Stage 3

So all was still to play for on stage three, over 84 miles of hilly Wolds terrain. Again it was action from the start, Curran missing an early break but making up the deficit before the testing hills at mid-distance which proved to be the deciding factor of the two days of racing.

Again Holden was to the fore, adding the Maxim king of the hills award to the sprint series which he had already made his own.

Chasing him hard on the hills, however, was Canadian Commonwealth Games rider Matthew Anand, visiting Britain for just two weeks as a break from a season of racing in France.

The stage win, however, was to go to a rider who hovered outside the top 10 on the previous two stages, Simon Wright (Apollo RT), who was delighted to have turned the tables on the more accomplished sprinters in the seven-up dash for the line.

Importantly, in second spot was Curran, gaining the benefit of a 10-second bonus, sufficient to give him top spot overall since yellow jersey Randle had missed the final move and Tanner was back in fifth place.

Third on the stage went to Glenn Holmes (Ambrosia/Dyna-Tech), with transatlantic visitor Anand fourth.

The final overall was Curran, Tanner and Holden, with consistent Young England rider Rob Lyne moving up one place to fourth ahead of Holmes, as previous leader Randle slipped to sixth.

The Hull Thursday RC race, now in its 41st year, has every opportunity to gain in stature with the help of new sponsors Land Foods.

1. Simon Wright (Apollo RT) 83m in 3-08-35
2. P. Curran
3. G. Holmes (Ambrosia/Dyna-Tech)
4. M. Anand (Canada)
5. J. Tanner
6. K. Dawson all st.

Final overall

1. Paul Curran (Optimum Performance RT) 5-29-36
2. J. Tanner at 10sec
3. R. Holden at 18sec
4. R. Lyne at 1-06
5. G. Holmes at 2-04
6. W. Randle at 2-13
7. S. Wright at 2-41
8. J. Charlesworth (CC Giro) at 3-14
9. R. Ellingworth (Ambrosia/Dyna-Tech) at 3-28
10. J. Lowes at 3-56.

Triflow sprints.- Rob Holden.

Maximum king of the hills.- Rob Holden.

Team:.-Optimum Performance RT.