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Clancy Wins The Soens For Rapha Condor JLT

Author: Extra UK | Wed, 6 Mar 2013

Fi'zi:k sponsored Rapha Condor JLT rider and double Olympic champion Ed Clancy, took his first road win of 2013 with a brilliant victory in the Eddie Soens handicap at Aintree on Saturday. 

Clancy, who missed the team’s Australian camp in order to focus on the World Track Championships in Minsk, fitted seamlessly into the team, inspiring a flawless effort from his Rapha Condor JLT teammates. 

“John (Herety) put the whole team at my disposal, and the lads did a brilliant job. As soon as the race started I was felling good and everything went to plan.” 

“Rich Handley did a huge turn with three laps to go, and then Felix and Jimmy Mac helped me finish off the job. I have been away from the guys in the team a fair bit with my track commitments, so it feels great to do the job after all that work and repay the lads.”

The race, was run off under sunny blue skies, saw over 200 riders take to the start line in various groups, with the scratch group having almost an entire lap to make up on the limit markers. The Elite riders soon got down to business, as Rapha Condor JLT and Team Raleigh both worked hard to make up ground on the leaders and the race was all together before half way.

With more than one team interested in a sprint on the fast, flat course, the numerous attacks soon died down and as the men in black drove the peloton along, it seemed certain that a mass sprint would decide the 52nd edition.

In the frantic rush for the line it was Clancy, sprinting in his characteristic seated style, who held out to win comfortably ahead of New Zealander Tom Scully.

The following day Luke Grivell-Mellor made it three wins for the men in black in as many races when he won the first round of the CDNW race series in Pimbo.

Mellor’s win was his first road race victory for the team and comes after specific work that the team has put in over the winter during the team’s extended training camp in Australia.

The team will be looking for more wins in domestic racing action next weekend with another double-header weekend at the Jock Wadley Memorial and the Spring Chicken Road Race.