Marshalls boys finish Tour of Britain as highest-placed home team
Ed Clancy brought down the curtain on a great Tour of Britain for the Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta team by snatching eighth place on the 8th and final stage in London.
The Olympic gold medal winner drew on all his criterium experience during the stage, a flat 50-mile circuit around Newham, to take his first top 10 finish.
And yet it looked like it was going to be Pete Williams who has going to steal all of the headlines for the team, when he formed part of a breakaway with the likes of Jeremy Hunt (Cervelo), Matt Brammeier (AN Post Sean Kelly) and Tom Barras (Team Raleigh), that held out until the last lap only to be swallowed up by the peloton close to the line.
His performance, and those of Ian Bibby, Jonny McEvoy, Andy Tennant and James Sampson, who rode in spite of a nasty bout of food poisoning, earned the team the honour of being the highest-placed home team in the Tour of Britain - a great achievement considering the strength of the likes of Endura, Rapha Condor Sharp and Sigma Sport Specialised.
Andre Greipel (HTC-Columbia) took the stage victory on the day while team mate Michael Albasini (HTC-Columbia) took the overall yellow jersey with a time of 29:23.
Final General Classification
- 13th - Ian Bibby
- 20th - Andy Tennant
- 23rd - Jonny McEvoy
- 49th - James Sampson
- 65th - Pete Williams
- 74th - Ed Clancy
Updates from each stage of the tour
It's been a tough 6 days for the Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta Cycling Team but they have held their own against the likes of Team Sky and HTC Columbia, and with 2 stages to go the team are placed 6th - the highest position of any of the domestic teams.
The Tour rolled into Norfolk for its 6th stage yesterday, with Ed Clancy taking 10th place in a sprint finish in Great Yarmouth. We were there to cheer the team on as they crossed the seafront finish line, click here to have a look at the rest of the photos in our gallery.
Stage 5 (Tavistock to Glastonbury, 176km) saw 3 Marshalls riders placed in the Top 40, with Ian Bibby highest in 13th after a gruelling stage through the South West countryside.
Stage 4 saw the peloton shattered as it dealt with some tortuous climbs after climb as the Tour travelled 171km from Minehead to Teignmouth.
Ian Bibby, together with Andy Tennant and Jonny McEvoy formed part of a 30-strong breakaway, and crossed the finish line in 12th, 13th and 14th positions.
Stage 3 was another day of tough climbs, including the cobbles of Swansea's fearsome Constitution Hill and a fantastic day for Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta as Ian Bibby formed part of a breakaway group, and finished in 2nd place behind current race leader Michael Albasini of HTC-Columbia.
Stage 2 - 100 miles starting and finishing in Stoke-on-Trent - wasn't the best of days for the team. With the winning break missed, the best placed Marshalls rider, Andy Tennant, finished in 20th position.
Stage 1 started in rain-drenched Rochdale and was accompanied by the best of British drizzle for 132 kilometres to the seaside town of Blackpool, with Ed Clancy finishing an excellent 8th in the sprint finish.
Today's stage (Stage 7) travels from Bury St Edmunds to Colchester and the race finishes in London's Docklands tomorrow. The race leader is Michael Albisini of HTC Columbia, and Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta currently lie in 6th position overall.
