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25-Feb-96

Clayton Velo Classic

Another first for Curran

NOTCHING up another first in his long and distinguished career, former double Commonwealth Games champion Paul Curran led an Optimum Performance RT clean sweep as the northern road season got under way with Sunday's Clayton Velo Spring Classic at Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

Curran, 35, was competing in the Clayton event for the first time, but he gave his rivals a taste of things to come when he outsprinted team-mate Kevin Dawson at the end of a race which was delayed for an hour and then cut from five laps to four as ice made parts of the 11-mile circuit treacherous.

Former professional Drew Wilson, a new recruit to the Optimum team, took the sprint for third place, five seconds down, from West Yorkshire Division champion Darren Bendelow (Morley CC), who is himself a former Optimum rider.

These four had dominated the race, with Optimum's Mark Lovatt, the winner in 1992, clipping off the front of a chasing group to claim fifth place, 1-19 down, ahead of Julian Ramsbottom, North Wirral Velo's best finisher in the absence of Peter Longbottom, still out with a cold.

Despite an unexpected heavy frost, most of the course was rideable but ice on the A56 beyond Thornton-in-Craven made the scheduled 9am start impossible and forced the organisers to consider abandoning the event.

Paul Curran was already displaying his strength on the first climb of the hill at East Marton, temporarily going clear of the field. With only seven miles covered, Darren Bendelow made what was to prove the race-winning break, taking with him Curran and Drew Wilson.

They were quickly joined by Stephen Small (ABC Centreville) and Paul Jennings (North Wirral Velo). On the approach to Barnoldswick at the end of the first lap, Kevin Dawson made a superb effort to join the leaders and give the Optimum squad three men in the six-strong group.

Small was destined to puncture, leaving five men ahead. With 25 miles covered, the leaders had 45 seconds' advantage over a seven-man chasing group, and at the front it was becoming an Optimum Performance team time trial as Curran, Dawson and Wilson piled on the pressure and Bendelow and Jennings not surprisingly 'sat on'.

The seven chasers contained riders of the calibre of Julian Ramsbottom, Rick Clough (Stretford Wheelers), Martin Pitchford (Brough Wheelers), Mike Harrison (Tunstall Wheelers) and Mike Taylor (Cleveleys RC), but Optimum riders Lovatt and Wayne Randle were also there and, with three team-mates up the road, were unlikely to bust a gut in pursuit.

The Ramsbottom group failed to make any significant gains and, realising this was not to be their day, slid back to be 1-40 down. Paul Jennings, with spokes rapidly loosening in his front wheel, climbed off on the East Marton climb, leaving just the Optimum trio plus Bendelow at the front.

Drew Wilson jumped hard with two miles to go, got daylight but came back. Then it was his turn to play policeman to their guest as Curran and Dawson went, this time for good.

Dawson went for a long one at the finish but on the long uphill drag Curran easily swept by.

'I used to have a little rule never to race in February,' explained Curran after winning the Spring Classic at his first attempt.

'With three of us at the finish it was difficult not to upset each other, but we raced out the last few miles otherwise it would have looked a bit of a farce.'

Darren Bendelow defended his decision not to work in the break. 'There were three of them, and they would have had to do the same had they been in the same situation. I knew on the last lap I was riding for fourth anyway, because they were so strong.

RESULTS

1. Paul Curran (Optimum Performance RT) 44m in 1-50-30
2. K. Dawson (Optimum Performance RT) st
3. D. Wilson (Optimum Performance RT) at 5sec
4. D. Bendelom (Morley CC) st
5. M. Lovatt (Optimum Performance RT) at 1-19
6. J. Ramsbottom (North Wirral Velo) at 1-34
7. W. Randle (Optimum Performance RT)
8. R. Clough (Stretford Wh)
9. M. Harrison (Tunstall Wh)
10. A. Mortimer (CC Staveley Wheelbase) all st.