Day 1 - 24/08/13
The course for stage 1 is pretty unusual, with rolling roads and a mountain top finish. After discussing it with Michael Heaven, the Welsh Cycling coach, I decided to ride my TT bike rather than a standard road bike. This proved to be a good decision in the end, as I won the first stage by a narrow 1 second, from Sam Oomen, the Dutch Time Trial Champion. This meant that I was the race leader going into stage two that afternoon & would therefore wear yellow. I also managed to clock the fastest time up the Tumble & therefore lead the King of the Mountains classification.
My team mate Stevie Williams also did a great ride, finishing 8th in the TT & within 40 seconds of the race lead.
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| (L-R) Rob Westwood, Joe Wiltshire, Dylan Kerfoot-Robson, Owen James, Stephen Williams, Zach May, Gwyn Lovibond. |
Stage 2 was a 72.4km road stage which concluded with a mountain top finish atop of Llangynidr. I've ridden the climb in the past & was mindful that my 1 second lead could be jeopardised if I lost my focus. Fortunately, I had the support of my Welsh Cycling team mates for the entire stage, as they kept things under control.
As anticiapted, other riders were very active early on, ahead of the break forming. Fortunately, Stevie managed to get himself in the break, meaning that the pressure on the team was eased somewhat. Gwyn Lovibond, Dylan Kerfoot-Robson, Joe Wiltshire & Rob Westwood did a great job of keeping the time gap at bay for the mid part of the stage. As we approached Llangynidr mountain, Owen James & Zach May put in strong turns to keep the bunch strung out whilst also bringing the break back within sight. This worked out perfectly as we caught the break on the lower slopes of Llangynidr.
I ensured that the pace was kept fairly high at the bottom on the mountain to deter any attacks early on. This split the bunch, leaving 6 of us at the race lead. 1km from the summit Sam Oomen attacked & gained some ground on myself & James Knox. I lifted the pace gradually, bringing Oomen back towards the flatter section of the climb. James used it as a springboard to attack and took a good stage victory. I placed second, and most importantly held the race lead going into day 2.
Day 2 - 25/08/13
The second day is not considered as a day to gain a lot of time on GC, but more a day where you can loose a lot of time if caught off guard. Sunday was another double day, with a 30km crit around Parc Bryn Bach in the morning, followed by a 72km road stage based around Abergavenny in the afternoon.
The crit is a challenging circuit, covering 10 laps and a tough climb each time. Fellow ODP team mate Chris Lawless put in a strong attack during the first lap which set the pace for the remainder of the stage. Welsh team mate Gwyn Lovibond also put in a good attack mid way through and was away solo for a few laps. With 2 laps remaining, Chris attacked, forming the winning move. This was something I was prepared to let go as it didn't jeopardise my race lead. On the last lap, Sam Oomen put in a committed attack up the final climb. I managed to close the gap towards the top of the climb and retained my race lead going into stage four.
A breakaway of 12 formed, which included 2 of my Welsh team mates; Owen James & Joe Wiltshire. The time gap grew to 1min:50sec before we started to close it down. Zach, Dylan, Stevie & Gwyn gave a strong chase bringing the break within sight with 15km to go. We knew beforehand that the ideal scenario was to allow the break get to the finish just ahead of the bunch, in order to ensure that none of the GC contenders gained the 12 seconds on offer.
The plan was a success, meaning that I held the race lead by 1 second going into the last day. Owen, who was in the break did a great ride, finishing 3rd on the stage & Joe finished 7th.
Day 3 - 26/08/13
The last stage, finishing up the Tumble climb, is regarded as being the 'Queen stage' of the Junior Tour of Wales. During last year's race, I dropped from 3rd to 5th on GC during this particular stage and was very aware that I could loose the race lead. With bonus seconds available at the intermediate sprint, the team was prepared to leave a break go in order to ensure they weren't won by any of the GC contenders.
This tactic worked, however Eddie Dunbar who was placed 4th on GC attacked solo from the break, gaining 1min:10sec over the top of Penderyn Moors. All of my Welsh team mates reacted, and brought the break back within 15km. They kept the pace high for the remainder of the race, deterring anyone from trying to attack. Owen James put in a cracking turn as we went through Abergavenny towards the Tumble, stringing the entire bunch out. As intended, the peloton got to the bottom of the Tumble with no riders up the road.
By this point, the team had done a great job and it was now up to me to finish it off. I kept a close eye on Oomen & Knox as we climbed towards the cattle grid, mid-way up the climb. With 1km to go, it was just the three of us at the front of the race. With 500m to go Knox attacked & I followed, dropping Oomen in the process. James won the stage, one second ahead of myself. I was delighted to have pulled it off, and become the first Welshman to win the Junior Tour of Wales.
I owe a huge thank you to my team mates Zach, Owen, Stevie, Rob, Gwyn, Dylan & Joe for all of their help & selfless riding this weekend. All contributed to a great team victory & I am extremely proud to call them my team mates.
Thanks also to Michael Heaven, Julian Winn, Robert Rowe (Finely Tuned Ride) & all of the staff at Welsh Cycling for their support this weekend & throughout this season. Huge thanks also to Talbot Thrush & the organising team behind the Junior Tour of Wales, it is a great event.
Finally, massive thanks to all of my sponsors, I really appreciate the support.
Link to British Cycling report here.
Photos: Guy Swarbrick & Robert Rowe.
LOVE IT - well done guys!
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