STANNARD AND DOWSETT REPEAT THEIR ONE-TWO

AFTER their one-two in the Clayton Velo Spring Classic six days earlier, Ian Stannard and Alex Dowsett turned in a carbon copy performance in this morning?s Eddie Soens Memorial Handicap race at Aintree.

The 100% ME pair were in an eight-man lead group which split into two groups of four in the closing stages of the 50-mile race, staged over 30 laps of Aintree?s club motor racing circuit.

Stannard launched his winning attack in the last kilometre, holding the gap and crossing the line a couple of bike lengths clear as Dowsett just held off Tony Gibb (Plowman Craven-Evans Cycles RT), the Soens winner in 2001, 2002 and 2004.

Gibb?s team-mate, New Zealander Gordon McCauley, trailed in six seconds back, while 2003 Soens winner Chris Newton (Recycling.co.uk) took the sprint for fifth place, half a minute back, from Peter Williams (Kinesis UK) with junior Mark McNally (Liverpool Mercury RC) an impressive seventh.

Result.- Ian Stannard (100% ME) 49.2 miles in 1-45-42; 2, A. Dowsett (100% ME); 3, A. Gibb (Plowman Craven-Evans Cycles RT) both same time; 4, G. McCauley (Plowman Craven-Evans Cycles RT) at 6sec; 5, C. Newton (Recycling.co.uk) at 29sec; 6, P. Williams (Kinesis UK) st; 7, M. McNally (Liverpool Mercury) at 41sec; 8, T. Smith (Merlin RT) at 59sec.

Go to our gallery section to see a full selection of photos from the Eddie Soens Memorial