BIKELINE: RAPHA SHUFFLE THE PACK TO REPLACE NEWTON

John Herety has moved quickly to call up Simon Holt and Adam Bonser to replace Chris Newton, who crashed on Thursday, for the weekend?s Bikeline Two-Day.

Rapha-Condor-Recycling.co.uk?s Newton was set to defend the race he won last year and told Cycling Weekly yesterday he was feeling fit, strong and confident ahead of Saturday morning?s opening time trial.

But a collision with a car door while out training has ruled him out and forced Herety to shuffle the pack.

The absence of Newton ? a hot favourite for the time trial ? will change the complexion of the race considerably.

Simon Holt and Adam Bonser come in for Newton and Ben Greenwood, initially entered for the Bikeline Two-Day but still suffering from a knee injury.

Holt and Bonser were originally to have ridden the Jock Wadley Memorial Road Race but after a couple of phone calls Herety changed their plans.

?Full credit to Malcolm Hargreaves [the organiser of the Jock Wadley] because he allowed us to remove two riders from his event at short notice and we?re very grateful for that,? Herety said.

?The rules allow us to call up a couple of riders to replace Chris and Ben but I will be checking that with the organiser of the Bikeline, but the plan is to start with Simon and Adam now.

?We won?t win the prologue, I wouldn?t think, but we?ve got good strength in depth. The game plan will change for us and we?ll make it hard on the two road stages. We?ll even try to split it on the second stage on Saturday afternoon because it?s hard enough to make a bit of a difference.?

Rapha have Dean Downing (pictured) ? who won both road stages of last year?s race ? in their ranks, and Herety is looking to him to play a key role. But he?s also looking to the likes of Rob Partridge and Dale Appelby to step up.

?It?ll be a really interesting race now. Simon Richardson of Plowman Craven has won the time trial there before so he?ll be a threat. Ian Wilkinson of SIS always does a good ride,? added Herety. ?We?ll try to get numbers up there in the time trial and give ourselves a good chance in the road stages.?

Read on for our full Bikeline Two-Day preview, including the competition everyone wants to win ? but only the Downings can ? and the full start list

The break on the Denbigh circuit in last year?s race

Saturday, March 8

Stage 1: Hope time trial, 1.6 kilometres (starts 11am)

Stage 2: Hope circuit, 56 kilometres (starts 2pm)

Sunday, March 9

Stage 3: Denbigh circuit, 138 kilometres (starts 10am)

First prize overall: £500 and a pair of Rudy Project sunglasses

Maps courtesy of the race organiser

By organiser Jon Williams of the Mersey Roads Club

?It started in 1958 as the one-day Circuit of Ashurst, and John Geddes won it. It carried on as a one-day race until 1991 and the last winner was Chris Boardman. It moved to the Aintree circuit and then Delamere over the next few years and then in 1995 we made it a two-day.

?When we designed it, me and my brother David, tried to design something we could ride at the start of the year that?d prepare us for the Girvan.

?You?d get to the Girvan and get absolutely smashed, so a little stage race helped.

?It?s not super hard. We could send it up some really tough, steep climbs but it?s early in the season and we want to encourage a close race.

?We don?t have time bonuses so the time trial sorts it out enough to award a jersey and ensures it?s not all tied on time. It?s a straight line, three-minute uphill time trial.

?Although it gives a clear leader it doesn?t kill the race so it?s still compact for the next two stages.

?The circuit stage at Hope on Saturday is one for the sprinters and then it?s decided on Sunday on the road stage. It starts and finishes in Hope but there?s a few laps of a nine-mile circuit in Denbigh in the middle.

?Then there?s the Bulk climb, a power climb of about three-and-a-half miles It?s not much of a descent from it, then there?s a little rise called The Rainbow which can sort it out if there?s still a decent group together.

?Bikeline came in as sponsor in 2002. It?s a group of accident claim solicitors for cyclists. Their corporate colour is orange, so that?s why our leader?s jersey is orange.

"It's always had a good field and last year we got Premier Calendar status."

Dean Downing, pictured here in the uphill time trial, won two stages in last year?s Bikeline

Stage 1: Hope time trial

1. Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk) in 2min 54sec

2. Ian Wilkinson (SIS) at 3sec

3. Fred Johannssen (Plowman Craven) at 6sec

Leader: Chris Newton

Stage 2: Hope circuit

1. Dean Downing (Rapha) in 1hr 17min 21sec

2. Ian Wilkinson (SIS) at 1sec

3. Alex Dowsett (Team 100% ME) at 11sec

Leader: Ian Wilkinson

Stage 3: Denbigh circuit

1. Dean Downing (Rapha) in 3hr 04min 21sec

2. Robin Sharman (KFS) same time

3. Giancarlo Checchi (Rapha) same time

Final overall

1. Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk) in 4hr 24min 47sec

2. Robin Sharman (KFS) at 15sec

3. Ian Wilkinson (SIS) at 18sec

By 2007 champion Chris Newton

?The time trial probably won it for me, I think. I got quite a good buffer on a lot of the other riders and although I lost the jersey in the afternoon stage on the first day I was in a great position. It?s very hard to get time back on the other two stages so any gap you get can be crucial.

?I lost the jersey on the Saturday afternoon stage just by being a bit inattentive. I switched off in the last couple of miles and they sneaked away.

?But it actually helped me to lose the jersey because I think riders tend to watch the jersey rather than the rider so it freed me up on the final climb.

?The Bulk is a tough climb but it comes quite a way out from the finish, probably ten miles or so. It?s too far to go solo so I was fortunate that when the group came with me, the leader [Ian Wilkinson of SIS] didn?t.

?There?s a few little rises on the run-in which makes it difficult to go alone so you have to see who?s with you and work out what you need to do. There are opportunities to attack in the final few miles but it?s hard to stay away.?

It?s the biggest sporting sibling rival in Britain. The Pinarello Prince versus the Rapha Raider. Russell ?Russ? Downing versus Dean ?Deano? Downing.

It?s Bobby and Jackie Charlton with more hair. Andy and Jamie Murray without the miserable Scottish attitude. Gary and Phil Neville, but better looking.

After a winter arguing over who?s got the best haircut or sunglasses it?s time to sort it out on the bike.

We?ll be keeping track of how the Rotherham brothers fare against one another all season. So, without further ado, seconds out? Round one: The Bikeline Two-Day

First up, a look at their respective websites.

According to Russell?s site he?s a ?fast finisher who climbs well and has a good mind for judging races?. Can?t argue with that. He also says his strengths off the bike are ?making fires and smashing things?. Hmm.

Meanwhile, over at Dean?s site he says his interests are his wife, Katy, and he likes a Leffe Bruin. Who doesn?t?

The Big Three ? Rapha-Condor-Recycling.co.uk, Plowman Craven-Evans and Pinarello ? go head-to-head at the first Premier Calendar of the season.

At last, after the training camps in warmer climes, and a couple of tentative early season meetings, it?s time for them to come face to face with each other in a three-way collision where only one can be the winner.

Who will come out on top in the CW Superteam Challenge this season? We?ll be awarding ten points for first place, five for second and one for third in each Premier Calendar event. Slightly more points will be on offer for the two international road races and the National Championships. A stage win in a Premier Calendar stage race will be worth three points.

It?s not a closed competition either ? so if any of the other teams start scoring well enough to get into our classification, they will.

CW SUPER TEAM LEAGUE TABLE

1. Pinarello 0pts

2. Plowman Craven 0pts

3. Rapha-Condor-Recycling.co.uk 0pts

Pinarello top the table on alphabetical order

2007 Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk)

2006 Simon Richardson (Subaru-Gary Fisher)

2005 Julian Winn (Pinarello)

2004 Steve Cummings (Sport and Publicity)

2003 Kevin Dawson (Life Repair Cycle RT)

2002 Kevin Dawson (Compensation Group)

2001 Race cancelled because of foot and mouth crisis

2000 Mike Jones (Robert Grinsell Travel)

1999 Gareth Sheppard (Cardiff JIF)

1998 David Williams (BCF private member)

OTHER NOTABLE WINNERS

1963, 1967 and 1973 Doug Dailey; 1965 Les West; 1966 Hugh Porter; 1977 Graham Jones; 1979 John Herety; 1984 Joey McLoughlin; 1988 and 1990 Steve Farrell; 1989 Ben Luckwell; 1994 Mark Lovatt; 1996 Rod Ellingworth

RAPHA-CONDOR-RECYCLING.CO.UK

1 Chris Newton

2 Dean Downing

3 Kristian House

4 Rob Partridge

5 Ben Greenwood

6 Dale Appleby

7 Ryan Bonser

8 Tom Diggle

? Simon Holt and Adam Bonser have been called up to replace injured Chris Newton and Ben Greenwood

PLOWMAN CRAVEN

9 Simon Gaywood

10 James Millard

11 James McCallum Injured

12 Simon Richardson

13 Alex Higham

14 Tom Barras

15 Evan Oliphant

16 Neil Coleman

PINARELLO

17 Malcolm Elliott

18 Russell Downing

19 Freddy Johansson

20 Lee Davis

21 Tom Murray

22 Matthew Kipling

23 Peter Williams

24 Ben Price

SIGMASPORT-SPECIALIZED

25 Matt Stephens

26 Robin Sharman

27 Alex Wise

28 Mike Harrison

29 James Williamson

30 Neil Swithenbank

31 Daniel Duguid

AW CYCLES.CO.UK

32 Tom Smith

33 Rob Easlin

34 Alex Peterson

35 Tim Bedingfield

PEDALPOWER.ORG.UK ? ENDURA RT

36 Gary Hand

37 Gordon Murdoch

38 Paul Coats

39 Kevin Barclay

40 Scott McRae

SCIENCEINSPORT ? TREK

41 Ian Wilkinson

42 Dave Collins

43 Richard Kent

44 Richard Wilkinson

SPORTSCOVER-SPUIK-JE JAMES

45 Wayne Randle

46 Ashley Brown

47 Dieter Droger

48 Nigel Haigh

GS STRADA

49 Kevin Dawson

TEAM ISLE OF MAN

50 Graeme Hatcher

51 Robert Dooley

52 Warren Flynn

KINESIS UK

53 James Sampson

54 Kit Kilham

55 Matt Cronshaw

56 Jack Pullar

57 Josh James

58 Tom Last

TEAM LACUNA

59 Robert Orr

60 Rico Rogers

61 David Clarke

62 Daniel Smith

TEAM CORLEY CYCLES

63 Martin Freeman

64 Mark Wordsworth

65 Matthew Higgins

66 Richard Cartland

67 Tom Martin

ARCTIC-PREMIER RT

68 Simon Wilson

69 James Dobbin

70 Jon-Kris Mason

KFS SPECIAL VEHICLES

71 Matt Clinton

72 Gareth Hewitt

YORK CYCLEWORKS

73 Alastair Kay

MJS RACING

74 Ben Stockdale

RUTLAND CC

75 Philip Holwell

GLASGOW WHEELERS

76 Stuart McManus

PLANET X

77 Mark Lovatt

SPORTS BEANS ? WILIER

78 Dave Coulson

79 Mark Thwaites

80 Grant Bayton

81 Ben Luckwell

82 Marcin Bialoblocki

83 Marc Perry

WILLS WHEELS CC

84 Jimmy Froggatt

ALL TERRAIN CYCLES

85 Matthew Robinson

TOTAL FITNESS-BATH

86 Paul Standen

MID-DEVON CC

87 Jonathan Tiernan-Locke

ASHFIELD RC

88 Owain Lovell

WAKEFIELD CC

89 Richard Hepworth

AJCHVA LIMOUX

90 Dean Robson

VC MONTPELLIER

91 Wayne Coombs

FP MAILING CT

92 Rob Pugh

93 Stephen Rudkin

KUOTA BIEMME SPINERGY

94 Leigh Cowell

DEESIDE OLYMPIC ? VEEBOARD

95 Stephen Lloyd

PEAK RC

96 Steve Gibson

DOOLEYS CYCLING RT

97 Paul Rennie

MTS INKLAND

98 Simon Baxter

SP SYSTEMS ? WIGHTLINK

99 Mike Rudling

BC PRIVATE MEMBER

100 Philip Graves