Perfs Pedal entries revealed

Reigning champion Chris Opie is among the 85 entries for the Perfs Pedal unveiled today.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Jan 2018, 14:31 BST
Updated 25th Jan 2018, 14:32 BST
Chris Opie wins the 2017 Perfs Pedal from Jacob Vaughan (VC Londres) and defending champion Rory Townsend. Picture: Hugh McManusChris Opie wins the 2017 Perfs Pedal from Jacob Vaughan (VC Londres) and defending champion Rory Townsend. Picture: Hugh McManus
Chris Opie wins the 2017 Perfs Pedal from Jacob Vaughan (VC Londres) and defending champion Rory Townsend. Picture: Hugh McManus

The Cornish sprinter, who first won the Portsmouth contest in 2012 before regaining his crown last year, is among six riders pencilled in by UK UCI Continental outfit Canyon Eisberg for the February 11 tear-up (11am).

Local interest includes Vitus Pro Cycling’s Andy Shackel, Fareham Wheelers talent James Brickell, i-Team’s Harvey McNaughton and James Horton, of host club VC St Raphael.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The Perfs Pedal, which doubles as the curtain-raiser for the UK road racing season, will once again navigate five loops of Portsdown Hill before finishing on Hundred Acres Road in the Forest of Bere near Wickham.

Now in its 53rd year, the race will cover a total of 74km and its roll of honour includes the likes of Alex Dowsett and Marcin Bialoblocki, alongside former British champions Yanto Barker, Julian Winn and Tim Harris.

Canyon Eisberg sports director Tim Elverson will be aiming to oversee a third successive triumph in the National B contest after first winning it with Rory Townsend in 2016.

Alex Paton, former national hill climb champion Jack Pullar and Tour of Quanzhou winner Max Stedman are among the Perfs entries for the Fleet-based team this term.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Their six-man squad also features last season’s national junior champion Louis Rose-Davies, who finished eighth behind Opie in 2017, and fellow first-year professional Charles Page.

Opie and Shackel are among 10 elite riders, according to British Cycling rankings, in the competitive field.

The tally includes Michael Mottram and Benjamin Marks, of Morvelo Basso, Nuun Sigma Sport London’s Tom Hargreaves, Spirit Tifosi’s Jake Hales and Ryan Visser, of TAAP Cervelo.

Team KTM have two elite riders in Andrew Turner and debutant David Kovacs, who won the Hungarian national road race and time trial titles in 2016, while Wellingborough’s Jordan Peacock completes the set.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Race organisers will once again pay tribute to James Atherton and Richard Phillips-Schofield, who died in cycling accidents in the New Forest (2013) and Mountbatten Centre (2014) respectively.

A trophy in their honour and £50 cash prize will be awarded to the best second category rider from the British Cycling’s south region.

Entries: Chris Opie (Canyon Eisberg) E; Louis Rose-Davies (Canyon Eisberg) 1; Charles Page (Canyon Eisberg) 1; Alex Paton (Canyon Eisberg) 1; Jack Pullar (Canyon Eisberg) 1; Max Stedman (Canyon Eisberg) 1; Ben Simmons (Alé DMT Cipollini UK) 1; Rhys Hidrio (Caesarean CC Jersey) 3; Mattew Clarke (Canyon UK) 1; Daniel Maclean-Howell (Cardiff Ajax CC) 2J; Morris Bacon (DAP CC) 1; James Brickell (Fareham Wheelers CC) 2; Arlen Vartazarian (HJL) 1; Michael Krukov (HJL) 2; Jack Rebours (HJL) 3; Harvey McNaughton (I-Team CC) 1; Damien Clayton (Kibosh) 1; Kinsey McIlquham (KTM UK Factory MTB Team) 1; Michael Ford (Latchem Sunwise Race Team) 1; Tom Lane (Latchem Sunwise Race Team) 1; Sam Christy (London Dynamo) 1; Joseph Murray (London Dynamo) 2; Jacob Hermann (London Dynamo) 2; Oliver Blagden (Maxxis 4 Racing Team) 2; Edmund Bishop (Meudon Sovereign Pedal Heaven RT) 1; Jack Freeman (Meudon Sovereign Pedal Heaven RT) 2; Michael Mottram (Morvelo Basso RT) E; Benjamin Marks (Morvelo Basso RT) E; Dante Carpenter (Morvelo Basso RT) 1; Robert Ormond (Morvelo Basso RT) 2; Ryan Smith (Morvelo Basso RT) 2; Tom Hargreaves (Nunn-Sigma Sport-London RT) E; Chris McNamara (Nunn-Sigma Sport-London RT) 1; John Hale (Pearson CC) 2; Rhys Clegg (PMR) 1; Rupert Graham (Sigma Sport.co.uk) 1; Gary Brind (Southdowns Bikes-Casco PET) 2; James Bonham (Southdowns Bikes-Casco PET) 2; Oliver Fenton (Southdowns Bikes-Casco PET) 2; Callum Clark (Southdowns Bikes-Casco PET) 2; Paul Barnard (Southdowns Bikes-Casco PET) 2; Mark Gower (Southdowns Bikes-Casco PET) 2; Jake Hales (Spirit Tifosi RT) E; Douglas Coleman (Spirit Tifosi RT) 1; Timothy Allen (Spirit Tifosi RT) 2; Mark Baines (Spirit Tifosi RT) 2; Joe Hickerton (Spokes BPC Racing) 2; Ryan Visser (TAAP Cervelo) E; Matthew Downie (TAAP Cervelo) 1; Kieran Blay (TAAP Cervelo) 2; James Roe (Team Guernsey) 2; Sam Culverwell (Team Guernsey) 2J; Jack English (Team Guernsey) 3; Sebastian Tremlett (Team Guernsey) 3; Andrew Turner (Team KTM UK) E; David Kovacs (Team KTM UK) E; Graham Collins (Team Tor 2000 KALAS) 1; Etienne Georgi (Team Wiggins) 1; Jesse Yates (Team Wiggins) 3; Daniel Mcquillan (Tri UK) 1; Peter Hodson-Thomas (Tri UK) 2; Luke Barfoot (Tri UK) 2; Oliver Richardson (Twickenham CC) 2; Alex Randall (Twickenham CC) 2; Oscar Hutchings (VC Equipe/Flix Oral Hygiene/Propulse) 1; Joshua Haasz (VC Londres) 1; Lewis Winfield (VC Londres) 2; William Raymond (VC Londres) 2J; Finley Newmark (VC Londres) 2J; James Horton (VC St. Raphael/Waite Contracts/Hewitt Cycles) 2; Andy Shackel (Vitus Pro Cycling) E; Michael Burke (Welland Valley CC) 1; Jordan Peacock (Wellingborough Cycles RT) E; Theo Modell (WHEELBASE CABTECH JUNIOR RT) 1J; Matthew Shaw (WHEELBASE CABTECH JUNIOR RT) 2J; Adam Holleyman (Wightlink, Wight Mountain CRT) 2; Matthew Allsopp (Wightlink, Wight Mountain CRT) 2; Joe Staunton (Wightlink, Wight Mountain CRT) 3; Matt Owen (WORX Factory Racing) 2; Tom Duncan (WORX Factory Racing) 2; Paul Hollingsworth (WORX Factory Racing) 2; Andrew Critchlow (Wyndymilla) 1; Graham Crow (Wyndymilla) 1; Patrick Biel (ZeroBC) 2; Paul Elcock (ZeroBC) 2