Thwaites makes waves as he wins Tour of the Reservoir (From Ilkley Gazette)

Thwaites makes waves as he wins Tour of the Reservoir

8:02pm Thursday 10th May 2012 in Sport

After a successful week at the Tour of Britanny, in which they both made podium appearances, professional riders Scott Thwaites (Burley) and Rob Partridge (Guiseley) both of Endura Racing, returned to home soil for the third round of the British Premier Calendar.

Derwent Water Reservoir was the attractive backdrop to the 96-mile Tour of the Reservoir race that attracted 120 riders, including the country’s six UCI registered professional teams and the Great Britain Academy squad.

Endura Racing was under pressure to maintain its excellent form that had seen it dominate the season to date with wins in the five major races.

An early break saw Endura’s Russell Downing, the former Sky rider, in a small break that survived for two laps before being reeled in.

Several attacks continued, but were unsuccessful until Thwaites and Pete Williams of Node 4 managed to pull out a gap of over a minute, which they held for approximately 20 miles.

As soon as they were caught, Rob Partridge attacked and showed the climbing ability that saw him win the mountains jersey in Brittany, causing yet another hectic chase for the remaining teams.

Into the final 12-mile lap, Endura’s Ian Wilkinson attacked with Pete Williams and it looked like these two riders would contest the uphill sprint when they gained a 20 second lead.

However, with only a mile remaining and concerned at how strong Williams was riding, Aussie, Dean Windsor and Thwaites attacked the peloton which was now reduced to 30 riders.

With Windsor leading his team-mate out, Williams and Wilkinson were swept up with 200 metres to go.

At this point Thwaites launched his sprint up the steep climb and remained clear of the advancing peloton, to gain yet another win for Endura, with Downing taking third place.

The win puts Thwaites at the top of the Premier Calendar standings after three rounds, with the Lincoln GP, a race he won in 2011 due to take place next week.

Asked about that race Scott, who is also a second claim member of Ilkley Cycling Club and won the Otley Town centre race last year, said: “I am riding well at the moment, but we have such a strong team that any of our riders could win at Lincoln.

“The success this year has been based on the willingness of guys to sacrifice their own results for the team.

“We will ride for whoever feels strongest as the race progresses, with a team win being the objective, irrespective of who gets their hands in the air.”