Final round Halfords Tour Series Stoke-on-Trent

Like everybody in the UK at the moment I'm starting to get really pissed off with all the rain were having right now. It's getting to be a regular thing not having no summer after a mild spring and it's all down hill from here as we just had the longest day ! I was really getting into my stride in May bumping up the miles with the help of a Sports tracker app for my mobile which was adding a bit of spice to my rides and boosting my motivation to get out more. Crash bang wallop the monsoon season hits and the riding goes out the window and my motivation with it. WINNER !
Thank god there was some great racing on with the last week of the Giro being an epic battle between Rodriguez and Hesjedal but the stand out has to be Degendt's break on the Stelvio which gained him 5 mins on the GC and got him on the podium. LEGEND ! But if your a Brit there was only one talking point, Bradley Wiggins taking his second successive Dauphine after earlier wins in Romandie and Paris-Nice and in the form of his life. If he doe's pull off the Tour as well it would put him right up there with the greats. COME ON BRAD !

A bit closer to home on the racing front I got to watch the final round of the Halfords Tour Series last week when it rolled in to town.

U23 Road Race world champion Lucy Garner

The forecast for rain for when the racing was due to start had me in two minds to go or not but it's not every day Lucy Garner comes to town wearing the rainbow jersey. I was planning on asking for a photo with her but I bottled it thinking I would come across as an old perv. So when she just pulled up in front of me to speak to someone before she signed on to race I couldn't believe my luck and managed to get these two photo's. There were a few blokes with jaw dropping looks on there faces and I'll be the first one to admit I was one of them. What a stunner. The sky's the limit for this rider on and off the road. Lizz Hatch who ?

The women's race got started under pretty tough,windy conditions, gusting and whipping up and around the buildings lining the course splitting the bunch and causing all sorts of problems from the off.

Not so for Helen Wyman she smashed it making the most of the crosswinds and tough course storming off to break on her own and solo it all the way to the finishing line.

Kona rider Helen Wyman

Luct Garner finished in the bunch

I didn't stay to watch the end of the men's race because now I was bloody frozen and the rain had started so I left a tadd pissed off because I'd watched most of the earlier rounds on ITV4 being bathed in glorious sunshine. Welcome to sunny Stoke as we say round these parts. I got a few photo's before I left though.

On the night Raleigh-GAC rider Bernard Sulzberger took the individual and Series Sprint King prize. Our local team Node4-Giordana Racing took the team honours on the night while Endura took the series which they had led from the first round. Last years winners Rapha won the special for this round Tommy Godwin Team Time Trial in honour of our local most miles ridden in a year world record holder Tommy Godwin with 76,000 miles ridden and 100,000 miles in 500 days set in 1940 and still stands to this day. I still can't for the life of me understand why Stoke on Trent City council don't make more of this mans amazing achievements.

Bring on Le Tour 2012 !