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New tactics work for Shand

26/ 4/2008

CYCLING: IT WAS success on two levels for the racing Shands last weekend, with an outright win for 57-year old Kev and a great show from European based Daniel in his first big stage race.

The win for the ‘old man’ came in Sunday’s 46-mile veterans’ race promoted by Halifax Imperial Wheelers on the Norland circuit at Greetland.

Deploying, at long last some say, his new tactic of lying low, instead of blasting off from the gun in the early laps of the race, Shand waited until lap six of the 3.8-mile loop before showing his hand.

It was just a try out to test the opposition, and a move that was quickly negated by the peloton.

The usual reaction is for another attack, and this time there was a positive result as the breakaway rider caught a three-man group from earlier, older age category starters.

To onlookers the resultant clashing of the two groups and its fragmentation looked a recipe for confusion. Shand thought so too and powered off the front with still a couple of laps to go.

Joined by Yorkshire rider Paul Fisher he slowly put distance between himself and the slow-to-react bunch, and with half a mile to go Fisher failed to hold Shand’s wheel, leaving the Pennine veteran to savour a well-earned victory on the final painful climb to the finish line.

There was no chequered flag for Daniel Shand at the finish of the prestigious four-day Rhone Alpes Isere race.

Huddled in his team car the Profel Prorace rider had no reason to feel disappointed with his efforts over the first three days, having shown courage and initiative in the 17th edition of a race which always makes the headlines in the French sporting press.

The Rhone Alpes, part of the Massive Centrale, presented a big challenge to most of the 112 riders from 20 teams, including more than a handful of names familiar to Tour de France fans.

For Shand the 132 km stage from Viepilliere to Charvagneux was an early test of his form, as it was for his five Profel team-mates. In at 79th in a big bunch, as Dutchman Jan van Emden of the Rababank continental team took the stage, the outcome was a decent start for the West Pennine ‘old boy’.

Gaining confidence Shand had a better result on stage two when he finished in 52nd spot in a 35-strong chasing group, some way down on stage winner Jeriemie Derangere of the SCO Dijon team.

A crash on the 149km mountainous stage from St Maurice l’Exil and back resulted in Shand losing more time and more significantly sustaining a neck injury that, coupled with stomach trouble, caused his eventual abandonment on the following day’s final stage.

Derangere took the overall prize by just 17 seconds from Vogondy.

As expected, Agritubel won the team prize, Shand’s team, with four finishers, taking 12th spot.

Profel’s best result came from the experienced Sander Armee who finished in 18th place.

It was almost as big a contrast one could envisage in the cycling world - that from the high octane excitement of pro racing to the grass-roots of veteran time trialing at Cockerham.

Promoted by West Pennine’s Richard Taylor, Wednesday’s North Lancs Veterans’ 25 had three finishers from the club on a day that had more than its fair share of gusty winds billowing around the Winmarleigh Stakepool circuit.

Kev Shand was the best of the bunch with his time of 1 hour 2 mins 45 secs. He was followed by the 1-12.38 of Sel Ives and Mick Standring with 1-14.04.

The winner was Team Swift’s Carl Ruebotham with a very impressive time of 56.47.

Ives was back on the road on Saturday afternoon for the Bolton Clarion 10 at Garstang where again the seemingly endless wind made conditions unsafe. The Pennine veteran finished in 27.11. The winning time came from Leeds University CC’s Harry King who posted 21.32.

The club’s best time trial result of the weekend came from Mark Hulme who picked up eighth spot with a time of 1-01.42 in Sunday’s Ribble Valley CRC 25 at Garstang.

The winner was Derek Parkinson of Preston Wheelers with his 56.38.