#tbt – The 2008 Eddie Soens Road Race
Sneaking in a free trip is all part of the journalism experience. Admittedly it’s usually a week in Majorca or Girona in February, but a windy race course in Liverpool can be fun too.
It started with Ice Bike, where the UK’s biggest distributor, Madison, launched its offering for 2008. Overcast Bike might’ve been a better name for the event. It was about as lavish as mid-2000s UK cycling got, with a free Travelodge room, free dinner and schmoozing at the UK’s biggest curry house, and a shuttle to the event. An earthquake hit overnight and shook the door to my room.
After picking up a bunch of free stuff, and committing myself to a huge amount of tech writing, I decided to head north instead of back to the Smoke. I landed in Liverpool, intending to get drunk with old friends in disgusting bars, check out the Capital of Culture setup, and… err… go to the Eddie Soens race.
Eddie Soens was my favorite race on the UK calendar. It started the UK season off, and the mix of amateurs and professionals made it fairly unique – there was the opportunity for amateurs and young kids to go for the victory and secure a pro contract. And it was a handicap race, which is always fun.
To make it worthwhile for me to be there instead of in the office, I had to write about it, so this brief race report appeared on Cycling.TV. As one of the few domestic races we didn’t broadcast, it filled a hole in our race coverage. Um. Kind of. I don’t think they got their money’s worth from the trip.
While the continental season was starting in Belgium with Het Volk, the British cycling season was beginning in Liverpool’s Aintree racecourse, home of the famous Grand National horse race, where the 47th Eddie Soens Memorial Road Race was taking place.
It was a windy day in Liverpool, with the race’s characteristically unusual line-up of amateurs and professionals having to battle some sections of fierce headwinds. Ultimately, it was a combination of the incredible wind and the work of teams such as Rapha-Condor-Recycling.co.uk and Plowman Craven that meant that breakaways had a tough job making any ground on the peloton.
For the first time in years, the crowd had to concede that the Eddie Soens race was going to end in a sprint finish, and it was Tony Gibb who powered through the bunch to take a record-equalling fourth victory in the prestigious event. It was a win that evidently meant a lot to the rider; as he crossed the line, he let roar with a delighted shout of “FOUR!”
The Rapha-Condor-Recycling.co.uk team were disappointed to take only a second place, but with a whole season ahead of them, there will be plenty of opportunities for them to yet take revenge on their great rivals.
Results:
- Tony Gibb (Plowman Craven) – 1:56:46
- Dean Downing (Rapha Condor Recycling) – st
- Jon Mozely (Pearl Izumi) – st
- Stephen Adams (Pearl Izumi) – st
- Giles Pidcock (UK Cycle Shops) – st