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21-Jun-91

MANX INTERNATIONAL ROAD RACE

Mengin Storms to Glory at Last

IT was third time lucky for Christophe Mengin of France when he won the Cycling Weekly Manx International on Friday, the 22-year-old having finished second last year and the year before.

Mengin finished 17 seconds clear of the British champion Simeon Hempsall, with Russia's Andre Dolgnikh third.

The Frenchman had launched himself off the tramlines at the Bungalow on the descent of the mountain, with Hempsall, Dolgnikh and Ian Gilkes (Wembley RC) in hot pursuit.

Hempsall and Dolgnikh closed to within 10 yards of the Frenchman, but he attacked again to come in for a deserved win.

The race was always lively, from the moment the 250-strong field set off from The Grandstand on roads wet from heavy, overnight rain.

Within the first seven miles the field had fragmented, and a crash in the bunch brought clown Darren Jinks (Manchester Wheelers), Colm Maye (Clonard Wheelers), Ian Chivers (Paragon RT) and Andrew Perks (England).

Chivers came off worst, physically, cutting his hand, while Perks came off worst mechanically, his wheel bent into a figure of eight.

Maye, Chivers and Perks got back, just before a 21-strong break formed. In there were Chris Boardman, Pete Longbottom and Scott O'Brien (Manchester Wheelers), Paul Curran and Steve Farrell (Great Britain), Russia's Dolgnikh, Oleg Polovnikov and Viktor Abramov, Gilkes, Kevin Kimmage (Ireland), and Andrew Roche (Ellan Vannin CC).

With the lead at 50 seconds a chase had been set up by John Tanner (Dinnington RC), Stuart Lowe (New Zealand) and Chivers, his early crash now forgotten as the race warmed up.

Dolgnikh took the Ramsey prime from Curran and O'Brien as the riders glimpsed the mountain covered in low cloud.

The lead was 1-15 on the three chasers and 2-30 on the bunch as Dolgnikh took the Guthries Memorial prime from Polovnikov and Abramov.

On the summit the mist was coming down with just 200 yards visibility, then 50 yards at the Mountain Box and the temperature getting colder.

It was another Russian clean sweep on the Bungalow prime, Dolgnikh this time winning from Abramov and Pulovnikov.

As the race turned at Windy Corner, so the mist cleared, but thickened again on the descent to Kate's Cottage, then cleared at Cregny-Baa.

The chasers had been caught when the three Russians broke clear at Creg Willys from the break with Marcel Lema (Australia) and Longbottom.

Boardrnan and Roche joined, but many more were on their way up and the break came back to its original 20 riders again.

The lead was 1-5 and 10 riders were chasing. They were almost on the break on the May Hill climb at Ramsay, but couldn't quite make it and the gap opened again.

At the Guthries Memorial Dolgnikh attacked, chased down by Boardman, and then by Curran. This second lap effort had split the front group in four, some sliding out of the break to the chasers, and some of the chasers making their way to the leaders.

The pattern of the race was changing constantly as was the weather, thick mist on the mountain, blue skies and sunshine off it.

With all the chopping and changing there were now seven in the lead:

Dolgnikh, Boardman, Polovnikov, Gilkes, Curran, Jeff Wright (Tyne Velo) and Abramov.

That total increased to 15 as more got across, and it was the turn of Dolgnikh and Boardman to duel once more at Cregny-Baa as the race came into Onchan to start the last lap.

Curran, Ireland's David Hourigan and Dolgnikh gained 15 seconds, then 25 seconds as they left the front group at Glen Helen.

Again, more riders made it across, and with 90 miles covered there were now 15 serious contenders out front thinking of victory.

Boardman had gone, selling out after his earlier efforts, but this new break still had Curran, Hourigan, Dolgnikh, Simeon Hempsall, Darryl Webster (De Montfort BC), Gilkes, Polovnikov, Mengin, Farrell, Viktor Chelkovski (USSR), Barry Charley (Stourbridge CC), Wright, Neil Cameron (Scotland), Patrick Callady (Ireland) and Andrew Young (Scotland).

The group were joined by five more: Dmitiri Tcherkachine (USSR), Glenn Wilson (Australia), Eric Rigby (Calder Clarion), Mark Gornall (Manchester Wheelers) and Robert Power (Ireland), then Tim Hall (Ace RT), Longbottom and Dean Peterkin (New Zealand) were next to join.

The Russians had played their usual game of cycling chess and had four men in the break.

On the climb of Waterworks the pressure finally began to bite and Wilson, Peterkin, Cameron, Gornall, Rigby, Charley and Young were shed in ones and twos from the break. Hourigan ran out of road and had to be helped back on his bike as the gradient increased. Longbottom, Power, Gilkes and Webster were the next casualties.

The Russians now occupied the first four places on the front. Riding like a team time trial squad they powered up the climb with Curran on their wheel from Hempsall and Farrell. It brought back memories of the Milk Race in the Seventies when the Soviets dominated for so long.

Longbottom, Power, Gilkes and Webster made it back to the break. A tremendous piece of riding with

Gilkes looking like he was suffering.

Through the mist on top of the mountain, Mengin suddenly attacked. Quick as a flash Hempsall, Gilkes and Dolgnikh were on to him, but on the descent the Frenchman left them.

Dolgnikh and Hempsall chased. They got tantalisingly close, then the Frenchman got away again, this time for good.

He crossed the line to generous applause from a crowd that had remembered his disappointment in 1989 and 1990 when he had lost to Wayne Randle and Tim Hall. There were some who remembered 1971 and the last French winner, Bernard Bourreau, who later went on to a successful pro career with Peugeot, but Mengin had done enough to be remembered for a ride to be ranked along with a list of great winners in this toughest of races, which only rewards the best riders.

RESULTS

1. CHRISTOPHE MENGIN (France) 113.75m in 4-57-46
2. S. Hempsall (GB) at 17sec
3. Dolgnikh (USSR) at 47sec
4. Gilkes (Wembley RC) at 48sec
5. S. Farrell (GB) at 55sec
6. P. Callady (Ire) at 1-0
7. V. Chelkovski (USSR) at 1-2
8. D. Webster (De Montfort BC) at 1-6
9. J. Wright (Tyne Velo) at 1-21
10. D. Tcherkachine (USSR) at 1-38
11. O. Polovnikov (USSR)
12. D. Hourigan (Ire)
13. P. Longbottom (Manchester Wh)
14. T. Hall (Ace RT)
15. P. Curran (GB) all st
16. R. Power (Ire) at 2-22
17. M. Gornall (Manchester Wh) at 2-57
18. Charley (Stourbridge CC) at 6-2
19. Roche (Ellin Vannin CC)
20. Peterkin (NZ), both st.

Mountains.- Dolgnikh, 3lpt; 2, Tcherkachme, 27; 3, Abramov,11.

Team.- USSR (Dolgnikh, Tcherkachine, Abramov).

Club team.- Manchester Wh-Trumanns Steel (Longbottom, Curran, Gornall)