WiV SunGod opened their 2022 account with an impressive team performance at the UCI 1.2 Classica Comunitat Valenciana in Spain on Sunday 23rd January. The race was scheduled mid-way through the team’s 2-week training camp based 100km further down the Costa Blanca in Calpe.
- Race Profile
The 175km route started in nearby La Nucia and headed northwards over the 7km climb of the Coll de Rates which is used by many teams to test their early season form. The only other categorised climb of the Alto de Barx was positioned at the mid-point of the course with the remaining parcours being a flat run up the coast to Valencia. With the climbs being positioned in the first half, the race was likely to finish in a large bunch sprint.
The competition was formed by 8-man squads from 8 UCI ProTeams and 7 UCI Continental teams.
The WiV SunGod team included 3 new riders: Gruffudd Lewis, Matthew Teggart and 21-year old Josh Whitehead who was making his debut in a UCI-level race. The rest of the quality team were Matt Bostock, Damien Clayton, Jacob Scott, Robert Scott and Rory Townsend.
Townsend made an early break of 13 riders, but the early climb of the Coll de Rates temporarily shattered the peloton leaving Townsend back in the main bunch with the break being reduced to 9 riders.
The race remained in a holding pattern with the break establishing a lead of up to 3 minutes, but being held in check largely by members of ProTour teams working on the front of the chasing peloton. With 38km to go the break was reduced to 3 strong riders who kept the bunch at bay for a long period.
2. WiV SunGod hit the front of the peloton in numbers
With 13km to go, 5 WiV SunGod riders hit the front of the peloton led by the powerful-looking Clayton. With WiV SunGod still on the front the remaining 3 breakaway riders were caught at the 9.4km mark with Clayton staying in position until 6.5km to go.
3. WiV SunGod make ‘the catch’ of the breakaway
Other teams had got their sprint trains into action helping to accelerate the pace of the peloton but with 3.7km to go disaster struck as race leader Griff Lewis’ wheels slipped away from him as he exited a roundabout taking down a number of other riders.
4. Griff Lewis slides out
The WiV SunGod sprinters were still in contention as the fragmented peloton entered the finishing straight. As the lead-out riders jostled for position with about 500 metres to go, another crash towards the front took down a further batch of riders including Bostock and Rob Scott.
5. Crash in the final straight
The race was won by Giovanni Lonardi (EOLO-Kometa) with Amaury Capiot (Arkea Samsic) in 2nd and Briton Chris Lawless (TotalEnergies) in 3rd.
So what had promised to be a potentially great result for the team ended with lead-out man Teggart as first finisher in 18th place. All WiV SunGod riders completed the course, some nursing a range of cuts and bruises, but hopefully with a sense of pride after an impressive performance in the presence of some leading teams.
Team Owner and Directeur Sportif Tim Elverson commented:
‘We rolled our sleeves up in the first UCI race of the year, to a man we delivered the plan we laid out, in a crash-filled race we had overcome and went into last turn exactly as we wanted until the final crash got both Matt Bostock and Rob Scott speared at a couple of parked cars, Result gone. Matthew Teggart had dropped them with 700m to go and therefore cruised into 18th. To ride as a squad as we did before end of January means I’m excited for the season ahead.“
Article by Paul Stedman
Image Credits: 2-5 Sport Public TV
