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Bauer wins Leazes Crit!

Jack Bauer took a great win on Friday night in the Leazes Elite Men’s Circuit Race, part of the Northern Rock Cyclone Festival of Cycling.

A strong field lined up in the shadow of St James Park for the Leazes Crit and from the outset, the pace was hot with the peloton stretched out around the narrow, twisty circuit.

 After a number of moves failed to escape, Jack and his breakaway companions - Jonny McEvoy (Motorpoint - Marshalls Pasta) and Matt Cronshaw (Rapha - Condor - Sharp) - were allowed to break free. At around the halfway mark, the trio lapped the remains of the field and although Bauer and McEvoy were happy to take an agreed breather, Cronshaw attacked again, quickly gaining an advantage.

A sterling effort by Scott Thwaites to bring back the leaders meant that the peloton were pulled out (after being allowed to sprint out the minor placings) and Bauer, McEvoy and Cronshaw were left to duke it out.

With a little under two laps to go Jack decided not to wait for the sprint and jumped the others, powering his way to victory.

Speaking to British Cycling afterwards, Jack explained why he'd attacked with over a lap to go:
I never leave it to a sprint if I can help it, especially against those two who I’ve never had to sprint against. I thought the guy from Rapha was going to be rapid looking at how he was pedalling so I thought with a course like this with a little hill in it, I’d go a lap early.

Photos by Larry Hickmott | British Cycling

13/06/2010