March 2009
Round up

Brits abroad- Bulletin one

Adam Blythe, a top prospect who is ploughing a lone furrow outside the British Cycling system, scored an impressive 6th place in the UCI 1.2 Beverbeek Classic on Saturday February 28, the race that opens the season for those not contesting Het Nieuwsblad.

He did so despite a knee injury that he will try to get sorted this week, finishing third in the bunch sprint that was won by former world track sprint champion Theo Bos of Rabobank and Holland. Bos is attempting to convert his track speed to the road this year and has already won a race, should Mark Cavendish be worried? We will see.

Also riding the Beverbeek was Cornwall’s Chris Opie. He is another fast finisher but had a badly timed brush with the barriers in the big finish and crossed the line 30th. Next day Opie was in action in the Omloop van de Houste Linies, where he finished sixth overall in another big sprint for third place. “I was just a couple of bike lengths behind Bram Schmitz and Marco Boss, who are two top Dutch riders,” he told us.

The two Dans Fleeman and Lloyd were in action in Switzerland over the weekend. Dan Lloyd finished 13th in the GP dell’Insurbia and Dan Fleeman was 16th in the tough and hilly GP di Lugano, where Yorkshireman Ben Swift finished eighth.

Fleeman told us; “I was in the same group as Swifty but an Amica Chips rider overshot the last corner and took me onto the pavement so I finished between two groups. It wouldn’t have made much difference as most in that group would have beat me in the sprint. It was good going over the last
climb with Cunego and Wegman though.”

Top Italian and former Giro winner Damiano
Cunego finished 13th, just ahead of Fleeman but behind Germany's Fabian Wegman. Fleeman’s team mate, Australian Tour de France stage winner Simon Gerrans finished third. After the Lugano race Fleeman was told he’d been selected for the Cervelo Test Team for the upcoming Paris-Nice stage race.

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