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Cycling: Steve Lampier sprints to his biggest win yet
EYE cyclist Steve Lampier admits winning the Boardman Bikes Sprints title at the Halfords Tour Series was the highlight of his career to date.
He won six sprints in the series out of a possible 18, having missed the opening two races, to the delight of his Sigma Sports Specialized team manager Matt Stephens.
Lampier, who took the title by five points from Kristian House, said: “Matt has been national champion and has ridden in the Giro d’Italia but he told me he was as proud of me winning the sprints title in the Tour Series as he was about any of his own riding achievements.
“I was quite taken aback when he told me that and I was really buzzing after winning it. It’s right up there at the top of my cycling achievements. It’s maybe not the most prestigious win but the Tour Series is a really big event and on television so it’s been fantastic for my profile.
“It was a big bonus to win. I don’t win a massive number of races so to win the sprints in something as big as the Tour Series was really good.
“I know I got to wear the yellow jersey in Woking almost by default but wearing it seemed to inspire me. It’s a great feeling wearing the yellow jersey in a televised race.
“I knew I had to get at least a point at Canary Wharf, otherwise Kristian would win it on countback, and my team-mate Tom Murray did a great job to help me win the first sprint, although I wasn’t aware of whether or not Dean Downing had picked up any points and whether or not he could still maybe pip me. Thankfully he was more concerned about winning the overall race that night although as it turned out he didn’t quite do it.”
Lampier, who joined Sigma on January 1 - having ridden for Pendragon Le Col Colnago in last year’s Tour Series - added: “Throughout the series my focus was always to try and help the team do well rather than going for the sprints, but after I did well at Stoke Matt was keen for me to go for it. My two wins at Woking then put me in a great position for Canary Wharf.
“Winning the sprints title was a great way to end the series but there were frustrations along the way.
“It was a very tactical series and it was about teams getting their first three riders up there but sometimes there were the wrong combinations at the front and teams with just two riders up there weren’t going to work as hard as those with three. You could get up to the front okay but staying there was much harder.
“But I really enjoyed it and it’s given me a great boost.”
n FENLAND Clarion’s Lindsay Clarke finished 29th overall in the inaugural Johnson Health Tech Women’s Grand Prix. Her best performance came in the opener at Peterborough where she finished 15th.
The Helpston ace was fourth at one point during her home race but she wasn’t to pick up any points in the remaining races - finishing 21st at Stoke and 22nd at Woking, while not competing at Oldham.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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