Newton takes third in season’s opener

Chris Newton

CYCLING: OLDHAM Olympic ace Chris Newton made a great start to his 2010 season on Sunday.

Chris crossed the line third in the Clayton Velo Spring Classic road race on the Bashall Eaves circuit, helping the Rapha Condor-Sharp team to secure their first win of the season.

The Chadderton rider proved instrumental in helping team-mate Dan Craven, from Namibia, take victory at the end of the 90-kilometre race, Craven holding off Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta rival Peter Williams, while Newton crossed the line shortly behind.

Newton has won the Clayton Velo five times, but was happy to see Craven take victory: “It was good having Dan up the road. He’s no mean sprinter, he’s pretty rapid and was up there on a few stages in the Tour of Britain. We were quietly confident he could take it and it was good to get a win for the team.”

As well as having Craven and Newton in first and third, Rapha Condor team-mate Dean Downing won a bunch sprint for sixth place, while Ben Greenwood was eighth and Matt Cronshaw was 12th.

Newton’s performance on Sunday was much improved from his efforts at the Manchester Velodrome on Saturday, where he unusually failed to win a single event in the Revolution meeting.

“I’m a bit tired,” he admitted. “Last night I was thinking about this morning and then today I could feel last night’s racing in my legs - but it was a good weekend’s work.”