Zak Dempster led a clean sweep of the awards for his Rapha Condor Sharp team as The Halfords Tour Series got off to a spectacular start in front of a large crowd in Durham.
Dempster, Kristian House (6th), and Andy Tennant in twelfth also gave Rapha Condor the lead in the teams competition edging out Endura Racing who took third, eighth and ninth through Scott Thwaites, Ian Wilkinson and Evan Oliphant.
Thanks to their team win the men in black are the first team to pull on the five Halfords orange jerseys as Halfords Tour Series leaders, their lead over Endura stands at just a solitary point going into round two.
How it unfolded
The tough cobbled climb at the heart of the Durham course took its toll on riders, splitting the field up and producing an entertaining start to the Series. Following a sedate few early laps the race quickly began to evolve, with a strong eight rider group going clear that included House, Ian Bibby and Thwaites, who took 1-2-3 at the opening Boardman Bikes Sprint of the season.
This set up things up for a select group to contest the sprint finish after an entertaining evening of racing. Dempster proved the strongest, exiting the final corner expertly to edge Bibby and Thwaites on the line.
Round #2 of the Halfords series takes place Thursday 26th May in Aberystwyth.
Halford's Tour Round 1
Results
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team |
|---|
| 1 | Zak Dempster (Rapha Condor Sharp) |
| 2 | Ian Bibby (Motorpoint Pro Cycling) |
| 3 | Scott Thwaites (Endura Racing) |
| 4 | Jonny McEvoy (Motorpoint Pro Cycling) |
| 5 | Liam Holohan (Team Raleigh) |
| 6 | Kristian House (Rapha Condor Sharp) |
| 7 | Marcel Six (Twenty3c - Orbea) |
| 8 | Ian Wilkinson (Endura Racing) |
| 9 | Evan Oliphant (Endura Racing) |
| 10 | Dave Clarke (Endura Racing) |
Teams Rankings
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result | |
|---|
| 1 | Rapha Condor Sharp | 10 | pts |
| 2 | Endura Racing | 9 | |
| 3 | Team Raleigh | 8 | |
| 4 | Motorpoint Pro Cycling | 7 | |
| 5 | Team UK Youth | 6 | |
| 6 | Twenty3c - Orbea | 5 | |
| 7 | Wilier GoSelfDrive.com | 4 | |
| 8 | CyclePremier.com - Metaltek | 3 | |
| 9 | Sigma Sport - Specialized | 2 | |
| 10 | Pendragon Le Col Colnago | 1 | |
Boardman Bikes Sprints winner
| # | Rider Name (Country) Team |
|---|
| 1 | Kristian House (Rapha Condor Sharp) |
