House Brings it Home

_{photo by Steve Marsh}

“For me this ranks up there with the best things I’ve done on a bike.”

Kristian House rode into Guildford in the south-east of England yesterday afternoon as the King of the Mountains of the Tour of Britian 2012. Concluding a tough week of racing in which he used his all-round ability and tactical experience, he won the jersey on stage one, lost it, then reclaimed it on stage three, where it remained on his shoulders to the finish. He was crowned in front of a huge audience, with yesterday continuing the record-numbers of spectators that have turned out all week to show support at the race. It was an unprecedented success for Britain’s tour and an indication of the rich health the sport is enjoying in the UK right now. Fittingly the World Champion, Mark Cavendish, took the last stage up a cobbled climb to the finish.

It was a fine performance from Mr. House who has been a leading rider for Rapha Condor Sharp for four seasons. The man from Canterbury rode tenaciously all week, getting involved in several long-range breaks and making them count, maximising his KOM points and ensuring his closest rivals didn’t get away.

"It was a great day out there, and wearing the jersey on that stage was really special. There were people out there shouting my name, and my name was painted on the road, that was really amazing.”

It’s the second year running that a Rapha Condor Sharp rider has taken the KOM title, with this year’s overall race winner Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (currently racing for Endura Racing) seizing the prize last year for the black train of Rapha Condor. However, the team has a very different line up to last term with a strong contingent of under 23 riders. The team’s focus for the Tour this year was to contest the breakaways and get amongst the bigger name teams. The fact that this tactic worked so effectively is testament to the team’s strength and commitment. Manager John Herety underlined this success, saying:

“Kristian’s ride was above and beyond what we expected, but it was the result of him working out how the race was going to work, and our goal to keep the team represented in breaks throughout the week proved to be the ideal way to take that jersey this year.”

In 2009 Kristian became National Road Race Champion riding for Rapha Condor and last year won the Tour of South Africa, he has also won the Richmond GP, and the Rás. He trains out in Austin, TX during the off-season.

_{Follow the team on Twitter} – @RaphaCondor
_{Team website} – www.raphacondor.cc

Kristian House - Rapha Condor Sharp from Jason W. Marlow on Vimeo.