Smithfield Nocturne: Bibby wins for Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta as Tour Series rivalry continues

Rapha-Condor-Sharp are still waiting for their first win in the HTC Smithfield Nocturne after Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta rider Ian Bibby continued the strong form he has shown in the Halfords Tour Series by winning the fourth edition of the event following a gripping race round London’s historic meat market.

And there was further cause for celebration for Bibby’s team when Hannah Barnes easily won the women’s support race, with Corrine Hall of Team Corridori second and Nicola Juniper from PCa Ciclos Uno.

In front of an estimated 10,000 spectators, and with the darkness of night enveloping the course, Bibby snatched victory in the headline event in a keenly fought sprint from Rapha Condor Sharp’s Zak Dempster, who finished second, and Endura Racing’s Jack Bauer, who was third.

That trio, together with Dempster’s team-mate, Darren Lapthorne, had got off the front of the field early on, and despite strong riders such as Yanto Barker of Le Col-Pendragon-Colnago leading the chase, the break stayed away

Matt Goss of HTC-Columbia, winner of a stage in last month’s Giro d’Italia, was a high-profile addition to the field, and was watched by team-mate Mark Cavendish, taking a break from racing following his crash in the Tour of Switzerland earlier this week, who joined the likes of Sir Paul Smith in the VIP hospitality area.

But the Australian ProTour rider failed to make an impact on the race as four riders each from Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta and Rapha-Condor-Sharp filled the top ten places, which promises some fireworks tonight in Chester and on Thursday in Woking as the two teams, together with Endura Racing, fight it out for victory in the Halfords Tour Series.

Tonight’s round, of course, is the home race for Kuota-road.cc, who have experienced a disappointing campaign to date having been plagued by injuries and mechanical problems, but a 12th place finish at Smithfield by Jeroen Janssen hopefully points to better times ahead in the final two races.

From the start, the Smithfield Nocturne has been supported by a series of other races and events, some serious, others a bit more quirky in nature, and Saturday was no exception, with the return of the folding bike race, won by Keith Henderson, an Architects and Developers race, in which James Waite of Land Securities emerged victorious, and the men’s support race, where Wayne Crombie of East London Velo topped the podium.

Results (Provisional):

Elite Circuit Race
1. Ian Bibby, Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
2. Zak Dempster, Rapha Condor Sharp
3. Jack Bauer, Endura Racing
4. Darren Lapthorne, Rapha Condor Sharp
5. Dean Windsor, Rapha Condor Sharp
6. Ed Clancy, Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
7. Malcolm Elliott, Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
8. Marcel Six, Orbea, For Goodness Shakes
9. Matt Cronshaw, Rapha Condor Sharp
10. Andrew Tennant, Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta

Women's Circuit Race
1. Hannah Barnes, Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
2. Corrine Hall, Team Corridori
3. Nicola Juniper, PCa Ciclos Uno
4. Louise Mahe, Team Mule Bar
5. Sarah King, Landgale Lightweights
6. Claire Beaumont, Rapha Condor Sharp
7. Natasha Perry, Rapha Condor Sharp
8. Sarah Bryne, Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta
9. Elise Sherwell, Pearson Cycles
10. Maryha Sennema, Kingston Wheelers

Support Race
1. Wayne Crombie, East London Velo
2. Chris Tune, unattached
3. James Waite, Pearson Cycles
4. Stuart Spies, London Dynamo Prologue
5. Mark Thomson, Dulwich Paragon
6. Robert Moore, London Phoenix
7. Arjan Planting, Affinity
8. Tony Smedly, London Dynamo Prologue
9. Andrew Sanders, Inverse RT Bikefood
10. Roger Maidment, East London Velo