Best of British

World champions, Tour winners, crashes, lots of sheep and Ivan Basso eating cheddar cheese; just a few things you may have seen at the Tour of Britain this week. Rapha have also been there, following each stage in the world famous Rapha H-Van. The classic Citroën broom wagon has coughed and wheezed its way around the sceptered isle to meet with riders and fans, serve coffee and cake and help show support to Rapha Condor Sharp.

It’s Rapha Condor Sharp’s fifth appearance at the race and the 2012 edition has probably been the most anticipated since RCS team manager John Herety used to compete in the days when the ToB was called the Milk Race (‘Tour of Milk’ would have sounded strange). This year has seen Liquigas, Team Sky, Garmin-Sharp and Euskatel send strong contingents to compete on the roads of England, Scotland and Wales.

Rapha Condor Sharp rider Mr. Kristian House – former UK National Road Champion – has been ‘giving it the berries’ all week, getting in the breaks and picking up the King of the Mountains jersey along the way. He took the jersey on stage one, after working with three others in a long-range break. On stage two, U23 rider Rich Handley continued the aggressive action for Rapha Condor Sharp, emulating House in a six-man break which was reeled in by Team Sky with about 30km to go. Then, on stage three, House regained the K.O.M threads with another assertive ride in the breakaway. The break was caught by the bunch with 15km left to ride and the World Champion – Mark Cavendish – took the stage. House again rode brilliantly on stage four and defensively on stage five to retain the jersey going into today’s decisive stage in Wales. Kristian said:

"…we're not really battling for a GC spot [so] we can take opportunities in the breaks without really worrying about what's happening in the peloton. I actually see the KOM jersey as the Opportunistic jersey and always analysing the situation as it can change so quickly."

The Tour will conclude this weekend and by all accounts has been one of the best editions of the race yet. We wish Kristian and all of the team the very best of British.

Tour of Britain Ride _{16th September}

Join us on a ride from the London Cycle Club on Sunday 16th September to watch the finale of the Tour of Britain in Guildford. We will be leaving at 10:00 from the Club with a quick stop at Richmond Park circa 11:00 at the Star and Garter Gate for anyone wishing to meet there. From Richmond we will head to Staple Lane to catch the race passing through before we head to Guildford town centre for the finale. The distance will be around 60km and will require a geared bike/road bike.

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The ride is unsupported so please ensure you have spare inner tubes and tools. Please also note that the ride ends in Guildford, if you wish to ride back please have a route planned. Public transport is easy to access from Guildford.