BRIGGS FLIES THE FLAG FOR RAPHA

SUPER-fast Yorkshireman Graham Briggs took victory in the Hillingdon Grand Prix yesterday, edging out home favourite Tony Gibb (Plowman Craven RT) by inches in a massed sprint.

While Rapha Condor-Recycling?s big guns were in Ireland preparing for the FBD Insurance Ras which starts on Sunday, Briggs stepped into the limelight with a good victory.

A ten-rider break had gone clear of the bunch with both Briggs and Gibb missing the split, but the leaders were hauled back with just two of the 54 laps remaining, leaving the sprinters jostling for position.

While Briggs held off Gibb for the win, Pearl Izumi rider Jon Mozley took third place from another Rapha rider, Simon Holt.

?There was a good break that went clear almost straight away,? said Briggs. ?And we had Adam Bonser up there so we were happy for it to go.

?But then a few teams started to chase, and to be honest we let them because Simon Gaywood was in that break and he would?ve been favourite to win a sprint.

?Another break went later and we had Simon Holt in there, but there were three or four Pearl Izumi riders in there, so that came back as well.

?On the final lap Plowman Craven were trying to lead out the sprint down the left, but they had a bit of confusion, so I dived down the right and held it to the line. It was a head-wind finish so I tried to leave it as late as possible, and it worked out well.?

Hillingdon Grand Prix (Elite Circuit Series, round one).-
1 Graham Briggs (Rapha Condor-Recycling) 80km in 1-52-30

2 Tony Gibb (Plowman Craven RT)

3 Jon Mozley (Pearl Izumi)

4 Simon Holt (Rapha Condor-Recycling)

5 Paul Crook (Beyond MTB)

6 Paul Delahunty (London Dynamo)