Sun-bathed Velothon Wales ‘unforgettable’ and ‘best yet’
MORE THAN 9,000 amateur and professional cyclists flooded the streets of south Wales for this year’s annual Velothon Wales. This year marked the third time the event has come to Wales, with a choice of 140km and a new 110km for amateur competitors.
Thousands of spectators came out in support of the riders and were treated to sunny skies, fuelling enthusiastic support throughout the race.
The routes stretched around south east Wales, taking the riders through Cardiff, Newport, Usk, the Brecon Beacons, Pontypool, Caerphilly and back into Cardiff.
Riders on the 140km course were treated to two famous climbs up Caerphilly Mountain and “The Tumble” – a gruelling 6km climb up to an elevation of 1,822 metres.
Starting and finishing in Cardiff, 17 teams raced over the 172km pro route, all with the aim of toppling last year’s champion Tom Stewart, who completed the route in 4.20.29.
The professional race began at 12.45pm in St Mary’s Street, with promising British cyclists Jacob Hennessy, Reece Wood, Angus Claxton, Ethan Hayter, Matthew Walls and Matthew Bostock appearing.
But it was British rider Ian Bibby who eventually took gold in the pro race, after taking third place last year. “I was happy with that ride today,” said Bibby. “Last year the guys who broke away early on stayed away and I didn’t want that to happen again.
“The lads worked really hard on the climb in Caerphilly and we managed to get away there. In the end it came down to a game of cat and mouse in the final few kilometres and I managed to win the sprint.”
JLT Condor’s Bibby was closely followed by Poland’s Karol Domalski riding for One Pro Cycling in second place, and Chris Lawless, representing GB’s national team, in third.
For Lawless, it was the second time in the space of a few days that he had been on a podium in Wales, after he won the Welsh Criterium race in Abergavenny on Friday.
Chris said: “We had a very young team and we managed to get three in the front group.
“The team did a really good job, but I just had too much to do between The Tumble and Caerphilly and by the time I got back to the leaders they were going too well.”
First rider home in the Sportive was Anthony Roberts of Guildford in 03.40.43 and the honour of being the first Welsh-based rider to finish fell to Morgan Jones, who came in only a minute later.
Philipp Schmidt, from Germany, competed the 110km amateur race in 3.59.15, sealing his win in the event.
Nigel Russell, Velothon Wales Event Director, said: “The third instalment of Velothon Wales proved to be the best yet along the stunning, sun-bathed course in south Wales.
“Local communities turned out in their droves to cheer on our 9,000 amateur riders and professionals, while our army of volunteers ensured this year’s event went down without a hitch.
“I would like to thank all five local authorities for making the 2017 Velothon Wales the unforgettable event it was. We’re already looking forward to next year.”
Sir Bradley Wiggins’ Team Wiggins had a difficult start to the day, with reports surfacing that equipment worth £50,000 was stolen from the team sometime between Saturday and Sunday morning.
A spokesperson for Team Wiggins, set up by Sir Bradley in 2015, told reporters that four Pinarello bikes were taken from a team van which was parked outside the Premier Inn Hotel on Pentwyn Road.
The bikes were spares and were stolen along with wheels.
Mechanic for Team Wiggins Stephen Edwards, 54, from Treherbert, said: “I went to the van at about quarter to eight this morning to do a couple of bits and pieces and the back window of the van had been smashed.
“I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and then the panic set in to see if there was enough equipment to race.
“There’s four bikes stolen at £10,000 each and then 10 pairs of wheels which are £1,500 a pair. We’re looking at in excess of £50,000 gone.
“This is the first time in the UK we’ve had our bikes stolen. Unfortunately we had an incident in Poland two years ago where we got broken into and six bikes were stolen.
“It’s a little bit disappointing that it happened so close to home. I was really looking forward to this weekend since I know the roads really well and I was telling the team how hospitable the Welsh were.
“It mentally affects the guys, since a few of them knew today that there wasn’t a spare bike for them.”