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Duo Normand, 23 September 2007 |
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Jersey and Guernsey cyclists were among the victors at the Duo Normande two-up time trial in Marigny on Sunday - sharing the podium with triple Olympic Gold medal winner and Tour de France rider Bradley Wiggins and his Cofidis team mate Michiel Elijzen. Velo Sport Jersey's Paul Clements and Tim Rogers took the stage as winners of the Non-licenciés category, with Guernsey's Paul Brehaut and Philip Mason victorious in the Veterans class. The names of British Olympic cycling stars Bradley Wiggins and Rob Hayles, as well as those from other professional cycling teams such as Cofidis, Francaise des Jeux, Agritubel, Predictor-Lotto and Caisse d'Epargne do not normally feature alongside those of Jersey's two cycling clubs - Velo Sport Jersey and the Casearean Cycling Club. On Sunday they did, however, as a large number of Jersey cyclists from both Velo Sport Jersey and the Caesarean Cycling Club, together with Guernsey's Velo Club, took up the challenge of the Duo Normande - a 54km two-up time trial over rolling French countryside - the closest that many local cyclists will get to a professional bike race, where they can not only see, but take part in the same event as some of cycling's stars. This is a regular event on the islands' cycling calendars - testament to which are the Jersey and Guernsey flags flown over the village square of Marigny by the organisers to welcome the Channel Islands contingent. The 2007 race took place in good conditions - with predominantly fine and warm weather, dry roads and a slight south-west wind which strengthened over the day. The course for the race is very challenging - the first 15km take riders on a gradual descent to the marshes of the Lozon River north of Marigny where the flat terrain extends up to around the 25km mark and where speeds can be very fast. Pacing is, however, critical as the course then begins to climb gradually before the gradient rises sharply through a series of rolling ascents back into Marigny for which riders need to have sufficient reserves if they are to finish strongly. Channel Islands cyclists performed superbly to beat riders from both France and the UK, particularly Jersey's Paul Clements and Tim Rogers, both of VSJ, winning the Non-licencies category with a time of 1:20:59. Guernsey's Paul Brehaut and Philip Mason also claimed victory in the Veterans class with an impressive time of 1:18:01. Setting aside Jersey club rivalries, VSJ's Stephen King and CCC's Kevin Pilley secured second place in the Non-licenciés category - over Guernsey's third-placed Chris Le Page and Graham Le Maistre - with a fine time of 1:22:39. VSJ's Peter Ilton and Mick Keighrey also claimed fourth spot in this class, with a ride of 1:25:19, with other Jersey pairs placing in the top 20 in a field of over 200 riders. Ladies Island Games rider Jim (Jemima) Davis secured fifth spot in the Mixte class, pairing up with Velo Sport club-mate Mike Mitchinson, in an impressive ride of 1:28:53. Bradley Wiggins, with his Cofidis team mate Michiel Elijzen, claimed overall victory in a time of 1:07:15, leaving Chris Boardman and Jens Voigt's record time for the course, of 1:04:47, secure for another year. [KP]
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