JLT-Condor dominate opening races of Tour Series
Chris Lawless won the opening criterium of the series in the Ramsey after his JLT-Condor team were the team time trial victors

JLT-Condor won both the team time trial and the opening criterium of the 2016 Pearl Izumi Tour Series in the Isle of Man on Thursday.
The men in black covered the 1.5km circuit in 3:54.520 in the TTT, just under two seconds quicker than defending champions Madison-Genesis.
>>> Everything you need to know about the Pearl Izumi Tour Series 2016
Shortly afterwards, under the warm sun in Ramsey, Chris Lawless proved the fastest in a six-man breakaway to take individual honours in the hour-long plus five laps circuit race, with JLT's five riders returning the lowest cumulative time to be the fastest team.
"It was a good start, you can’t deny that. But it’s just that, a good start. It gives us a base to work on," John Herety, JLT's team manager told Cycling Weekly.
Lawless was part of an early race six-man break and despite its size being reduced and added to throughout, he edged out Raleigh's Sebastián Mora and NFTO's Dale Appleby at the end.
>>> NFTO’s start to 2016 ‘couldn’t have gone any better’
Morgan Kneisky (Raleigh-GAC) leads the points championships after one round, a title he won in 2015.
Herety added: "I don’t think it’s big headed [to say JLT have one of the best teams competing]. It's not rocket science to look at a spreadsheet at the riders who have won in the Tour Series and criterium races.
"Our sponsors want us to go for the Tour Series and they backed us. As a consequence we have a really good team for riding for the team and individual classification."
Lawless tells us about his cycling scars
It means after round one JLT have 20 points, Madison have 18 and NFTO are five shy of the leaders in third. Team Wiggins were absent from racing because of other commitments but they will begin their campaign in Motherwell on Tuesday, the second round of the Series and the opening round of the Women's Matrix Fitness GP Series.
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.
Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.
-
-
Bikes of Unbound Gravel 2023: The rigs taking on the world's biggest gravel race
Custom Paintjobs and the pinnacle of gravel tech is on full display in Emporia, Kansas
By Henry Lord • Published
-
Unreleased Shimano GRX 12-speed spotted at Unbound Gravel
The potentially new groupset was spotted on Taylor Lideen's bike before this Saturday's racing
By Joe Baker • Published
-
Tour Series scrapped for 2023 amid 'economic challenges'
The series has become a staple of the British domestic calendar and hopes to return next May
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
British racing scene branded ‘worst it has ever been’ as teams close
The recent spate of domestic team closures is leading some in the scene to brand it the “worst it has ever been”.
By Paul Knott • Published
-
JLT-Condor latest team to announce closure
British team JLT Condor is the latest racing team to announce its closure.
By Alex Ballinger • Published
-
Tom Pidcock vs Ed Clancy: whose incredible bike handling was the best at the Tour Series? (videos)
Tom Pidcock and Ed Clancy showed some incredible pieces of bike handling on the final two stages of the Tour Series, both remarkably avoiding crashes.
By Henry Robertshaw • Published
-
Gabriel Cullaigh and Megan Barker win opening round of Tour Series in Redditch
JLT Condor and Team Breeze take the team honours as the 2018 OVO Energy Tour Series kicks off in Worcestershire
By Nigel Wynn • Published
-
In photos: Jon Mould wins Eddie Soens Memorial Cycle Race 2018
Photos from the 57th edition of the annual Eddie Soens Memorial Cycle Race, held on the Aintree circuit in Liverpool - All photos by Andy Jones
By Nigel Wynn • Published
-
Ian Bibby finally wins Lincoln GP; Alice Barnes triumphs for second successive year
Ian Bibby (JLT-Condor) won the 62nd edition of the Lincoln GP, while Alice Barnes (Drops) took the women's honours.
By Chris Marshall-Bell • Published
-
JLT-Condor make perfect start to Tour Series with team victory in Redditch
Redditch hosted the opening round of the 2017 Tour Series and Women's Matrix Fitness Grand Prix
By Nigel Wynn • Published