Cav and Swift help Tiernan-Locke to 19th
MARK Cavendish and Ben Swift were instrumental in helping fellow Brit Jonathan Tiernan-Locke claim an impressive 19th place in the 2012 UCI World Road Race Championships at Linburg in the Netherlands last Sunday.
Despite Cav being the defending champion following his exploits in Copenhagen last year, the nine-man Great Britain team was designed to give 27-year-old Tiernan-Locke a chance at challenging for glory.
While the course over 269km of tricky terrain did not suit the Manxman, Cav produced a monumental effort during his last race as world champion.
After a group of 11 riders had formed an early breakway, the Team Sky rider set the pace at the front of the peloton for well over 100km, helping his team-mates conserve energy in their bid to set up Tiernan-Locke at the finish.
Cav’s exertions eventually took their toll and, as expected, he dropped out along with Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.
However, Onchan resident Swift remained in the race and, along with Steven Cummings, Ian Stannard and Luke Rowe, helped rising star Tiernan-Locke to remain in contact with the leaders in the final few laps of the 16km circuit
Tiernan-Locke finished a superb 19th place as Phillipe Gilbert won overall, while Cav and Swift’s fellow Team Sky rider Edvald Boasson Hagen finished second to claim silver.
Swift was the third best placed British rider in 60th place, finishing just over two minutes behind the eventual winner.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Wednesday 22 May 2013
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