RACE REPORT

Final Stage

Bray-et-Lu – Paris: 75 miles

After setting off from London four days ago, the exhausted Morning Star Heroes of Pain, some with tears in their eyes, triumphantly rolled into Paris for the opening of the Fete de l’Humanite. 

After a competitive start to the final stage, which saw Mark David-Gray attack on a sweeping left-hand bend at St-Germain to claim the Unison sprint jersey, the peloton reunited in the final miles and streamed across the finish line together.

Race Commisaire Hazel Roberts declared the result a dead heat as all riders, from 68-year-old John O’Brien to 29-year-old Dan Smith, were awarded the same time.

As the bunch neared its final destination, an emotional Regi Thomas from Liverpool told the Star that before he signed up for the challenge, the furthest he had cycled was 60 miles.

“There were times when I thought I would never finish Stage 1, let alone make it to Paris,” he said. 

“But with the support of the team and the logistics core, I made it along with all the riders.”  

Ride organiser Les Doherty thanked Morning Star readers for the tremendous support they had given to the 2nd edition of the Cycle Challenge.

“With your help and solidarity we are confident of reaching our £10,000 sponsorship target,” he said.

“The Challenge originated in Merseyside but has now grown into a national event. Our aim is not only to raise money, but to actively promote the working class and socialist politics of the paper. 

“We are already planning next year’s 3rd Edition and it will be the biggest and best yet,” he promised.  

The penultimate Thursday 55-miles stage from Forges-les-Eaux to Bray-et-Lu resulted in victory for finisseur Matthew Tollit (right) as he outsprinted diesel-engine Mark David-Gray in the final yards of the race.

Still smarting from Wednesday’s surprise defeat at the wheels of novice rider Dan Smith, David-Gray delivered on his promise to set a blistering pace from the outset at Forges-les-Eaux in order to burn off weaker riders. 

By the time the leaders had reached Neuf-March, the peloton had shrunk to an elite group of five riders, which included all the General Classification favourites. 

Sensing victory, Tollit refused to take his turn on the front, forcing others to do the work while he wisely kept his legs fresh for the finish.

A late surge from Pete Middleman as the group slowed on the approach to Guerny provoked no reaction from David-Gray and the bunch soon regrouped for the inevitable sprint finish.

As the afternoon sunshine beat down on the exhausted riders, one-day specialist Bernie Wentworth shot clear at the zinc foundry on the outskirts of Bray-et-Lu. But David-Gray was soon on his wheel, closely followed by the race-savvy Tollit.

At 300 yards from the finish, Tollit put the hammer down and deservedly took it on the line by half a wheel, while the nearly-man of the tour, David-Gray, had to settle for runners-up spot on the podium.

EMBEDDED REPORTER CALVIN TUCKER