Friday, March 29, 2024

Tour of Britain 2007 – Day 3: Stage 2, Yeovilton – Taunton

-

HomeDiariesTour of Britain 2007 - Day 3: Stage 2, Yeovilton - Taunton

It was a good day for DFL in the Tour of Britain 2007 on Tuesday heading out of Yeovilton, as Evan explains…

– Reported by Evan Oliphant –

Hills today?

“Yeah, it was 169 k, Yeovil to Taunton, there were some steep ones in the second half. It started getting lumpy at 82 k and the last climb was at 30 k to go. A front group of 31 formed over the hills, from which Trusov (Tinkov) took the stage and the jersey.

“Cavendish lost six minutes, but I expected that. We were best team today, Daniel Lloyd, Daniel Fleeman, Burney Salzburger (Australia) *check spelling* and myself all made the front group. Apart from one GB guy, we were the only British guys at the front.

“Dan’s 8th on GC now, at 18 seconds and I’m 16th at 23 seconds. There was a big crash at the finish, we were doing about 40 mph, but no one seems too badly hurt, Dan Lloyd came down, but he’s not bad, he just hurt his finger. I had to stop, to avoid it, but Burney was 4th and Dan Fleeman was 7th, I think I would have been right up there too. It was a good day, though – even the stage transfers weren’t too long!”

Yeovilton
Oleg Tinkov must be pretty happy with Trusov’s overall lead in the race.

No GC for “Cav” then?

“No, I saw him and Hammond, really hurting on the second climb. It was a hard day, there were a lot of short, steep hills as well as the K o M climbs; there was carnage, guys going out the back all over the place. I was feeling good, though.

“Nico told me last night, not to go on any early attacks, because the second half would be so tough, and he was right. It’s just a pity I got baulked in the crash, because I think I was headed for top five.”

Is Nico enjoying the English beer?

“He’s on a red wine phase at the moment, that’s what he’s been having with his evening meal, this week. (VeloVeritas can endorse that this is unusual, Nico is a confirmed Carlsberg-man).”

What have the crowds been like?

“Good, a lot of screaming youngsters, and Plowman Craven have been doing a good job, distributing caps, the kids beside the road are all wearing them.”

Yeovilton
Marketing by PCA.

How’s “Lucky Jim” McCallum doing?

“I think he was OK today, I didn’t see him after the first climb, but I think he was safe in a big group.”

How’s tomorrow looking?

“There are three first cat climbs, I think they are short, steep jobs. The race is still very open, Trusov may be leading, but I’m not sure how strong his team is – I don’t think that they are capable of controlling it. There’s a fair distance from the climbs to the finish, so it might well re-group before the finish tomorrow – I hope!”

VeloVeritas will be on the phone to our boy, right after tomorrow’s stage.

Evan’s diary – Stage Two      Evan’s diary – Stage Four

Ed Hood
Ed Hood
Ed's been involved in cycling for over 50 years. In that time he's been a successful time triallist, a team manager and a sponsor of several teams and clubs. He's also a respected and successful coach and during the winter months was often working in the cabins at the Six Days for some of the world's top riders. Ed remains a massive fan of the sport and couples his extensive contacts with an inexhaustible enthusiasm for the minutiae and the history of our sport. In February 2023 however, our dear friend and beloved colleague Ed suffered a devastating stroke and faces an uncertain future; Ed has lost his ability to speak, to read, and has lost movement on the right side of his body. He's working with speech and physical therapists on rehabilitation, but all strokes are different and each patient responds differently, so unfortunately recovery is one day at a time. Ed ran his own business installing windows, and will probably not be able to work again. Please consider joining us to make a contribution to Ed's GoFundMe page to help stabilise and secure his future.

Related Articles

Zürich Six Day 2012 – Part II

It's 05:30 CET Monday in the North Sea, somewhere. Our epic through the night time snow of Central Europe after the Zürich Six Day was rewarded by a nice autumn morning in The Netherlands, even if the coffee was extortionate at the services. We were in plenty of time for the 17:00 ferry to Newcastle. I couldn't keep my eyes open after 20:00, so that's why I'm up and about at 05:00 am - and that North Sea air is fresh. But let's talk winter track racing - I can't say 'Six Days' in this case.

Kasper Keeps Cool in Kuurne Brussels Kuurne 2020

I love the drive from Gent up to Kuurne for the Kuurne Brussels Kuurne semi-classic... staring out of the car window at the fields, the canals, tree-lined avenues, the steeples, tiny concrete roads that would be great to explore on the bike. There was a little rain on the way up but by the time we got to Kuurne it was a mild, sunny morning; ideal for wandering down the main drag where the busses line up and checking out 2020’s new hardware.

Gent-Gent & Kuurne Brussels Kuurne 2009 – Day 2

Saturday morning dawned bright and mild; this gives rise to mixed feelings - on the one hand you want a freezing, wet, death race, but on the other, it's no fun standing in the cold and wet for hours. One thing is sure - sunshine would have been of no use to Viktor at the Kuurne Brussels Kuurne!

Grenoble Six Day 2010, Night One – Politics and Plaudits

There were politics in play before a ball was even kicked; ‘how have you guys got that big cabin, you only have two riders?’ Kris’s response was succinct; ‘Because I’ve been coming here for 30 years and the organisers are friends of mine!’ A Six Day wouldn’t be a Six Day without politics and plaudits.

At Random

Katie Archibald – Another Hugely Successful European Championships

Most of the hugely successful GB Olympic cycling team are taking a break - but not Scotland's Katie Archibald who undertook a hugely successful campaign at the recent European Track Championships in Paris. And that's before we talk about her racing and winning at the London Six Day... We caught up with her post Paris but pre-London to discuss her two golds and one silver medal Euro haul.

Tour of Britain 2006 – Day 4: Stage 4, Wolverhampton to Birmingham

In the next day's stage four, Manning did indeed go up the road. Third place on the stage was the reward for his efforts, behind Mark Cavendish (GB and T-Mobile) and the winner, crafty Frederik Willems (Belgium & Chocolade Jacques). Tour of Britain 2006.

Barry Davies – Colourful Cyclocross Star of the 70’s and 80’s

These last few winters we’ve tracked down some of those colourful British cyclo-cross stars of the 70’s and 80’s – Keith Mernickle, Eric Stone and Chris Wreghitt have all told their stories to VeloVeritas. But perhaps the most colourful of them all was the man with the ‘George Best Look’ and the lightest of bikes – Barry Davies.

Giro d’Italia 2012 – Stage 5: Modena – Fano 199km. Cav is back!

I have to be careful with this one. Cav: I think I might be turning in to a fan here in Modena! There! - I've said it. To take his first stage, he had to display coolness, decisiveness and pure speed...