GVC teams exceed all pre-event expectations

FOUR medals made a haul for Guernsey in the opening event of the Games. Individual gold for Ann Bowditch and an unexpected silver for Paul Brehaut helped make up the total, which was almost beyond belief for the Velo Club fraternity.

Bowditch squeezed home by a hundredth of a second from Bermuda's Lynn Patchett, both women clocking 1 hour 15sec., well inside the Games and course record.

Brehaut, who would have settled for a place in the top five, produced his best-ever ride to take second place behind cycling's Games superman, Andrew Roche of the Isle of Man.

But it was a brilliant all-round team performance from the five men and three women wearing Guernsey colours.

'They have done better than expected,' said team manager and Games veteran, Dave Hobson.

Lynn Coombs rode the time-trial of her life in placing sixth ahead of the classy Manx rider Sharon Watterson and her reward was a team silver behind the impressive Bermudians.

But it was the performances of Bowditch and Brehaut that had the locals shaking heads in disbelief.

'That was too close for comfort, that one,' said Bowditch, who for a long while understood that she had shared the gold with Patchett.

'I think I rode the course as well as I could,' said the 2001 time-trial champion.

'But for the last third I had nothing left and was riding on adrenaline,' she added.

Having dispensed with on-course time checks, Bowditch was never aware of her position.

All she knew was that she was up on Bermuda's Melanie Claude.

'I knew I had to ride my own race and not worry about time checks,' said the winner, who also revealed she was sick twice during the event.

As defending champion it was Bowditch's prerogative to start last of the 12 women and after 24 gruelling miles, she had taken more than two minutes out of the course record.

Brehaut, too, had never rode quicker over the 27-mile course.

'That's the highlight of my career and 10 years' hard work,' said Brehaut post-race.

'I would have been happy with a top five finish because I knew I had the form to be there.'

Until Roche, last of the 43 starters, hurtled over the St Peter's finish line at about 40mph, Brehaut and Sarnian supporters had hoped he would cling on for gold.

The Guernseyman's time of 1-03-12 was 23sec. inside the quick Manx rider Elliott Baxter and a minute 40sec. up on Shetland's Carlos Riise, silver-medallist at the previous three Games.

Brehaut afterwards revealed that he thought he had blown it in the final stages.

'I suffered really badly from L'Eree to the bottom of Pleinmont hill. The Russian got me back on the hill, but I dug in deep as I could and from the Mallard to the finish I just flew.'

Brehaut paid tribute to the crowd around the course.

'They really got behind me at the start and I managed to keep it at 30mph through Torteval.

'I had a great out leg and at halfway I believe I was 5sec. up on Roche.'

Hobson heaped praise on his number one male rider.

'To be that close to Roche was a very good ride. He was around 7min. behind him in the Isle of Man, so to get to within 3min. of him is very impressive,' Hobson added.

With Aaron Bailey placing 15th and Danny Guillemette 16th, the GVC men also took team bronze behind the Manx team and Jersey.

On cumulative time of the top three counters, the Caesareans finished 79sec. up on the Guernsey squad, but positions may well have been reversed but for the unfortunate accident to Terry Wright.

Like Bailey, Wright was on for a 1-05 finish, or quicker, until crashing within sight of the finish.

Bravely, he re-mounted and crossed the line in

1-07-26 but it is estimated he may have lost three minutes or more as a result of the crash.