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Sam Culverwell attacked on the steep final climb to take the opening race of the British road season.
Racing on a circuit near to where he now lives in Hampshire, Culverwell attacked from the break and with his teammate in third, it was a good day out for his Saint Piran team at the Portsdown Classic.
Sam Culverwell (Saint Piran) wins the 2024 Portsdown Classic ahead of Jamie Whitcher ????
— The British Continental (@BritishConti) February 11, 2024
Culverwell’s teammate Rowan Baker was third ????
Report and results to follow ???? pic.twitter.com/cazORNTbfX
“The main thing was to come away with a win, we’re the only conti team here so we knew everyone would be looking at us and fortunately we came away with the win, so mission accomplished really and especially to get Rowan a podium was really nice as well,” he told VeloUK.
Saint Piran fielded riders from its Continental and USKIS Development squad in the race.
“Each of the riders had what I call the Musketeer ethos, ‘one for all and all for one’," said Saint Piran Director of Cycling John Trott.
“They were at the race to win it but if they didn't, they wanted their teammate to do so and so it played out during the race culminating with a great win by Sam Culverwell and finishing off the podium with Rowan Baker in third place.”
Jamie Whitcher (Bournemouth Cycleworks) was second.
The race was previously known at The Perfs Pedal and was first held in 1964. It became the unofficial curtain raiser to the British domestic season.
Pictured: The Portsdown Classic podium, Jamie Whitcher (second), Sam Culverwell (first) and Rowan Baker (third). Picture by Larry Hickmott, VeloUK.
Last year, Jack Rootkin-Gray led home a Saint Piran 1-2-3.
There is a prestigious list of former winners, including Sean Yates and Alex Dowsett.
But in October, former organiser Mick Waite announced that it would not continue, and called on others to pick up the vacant date.
Seb Ottley, a former amateur racer and race organiser, did so and stayed true to Waite’s wishes that if it continued it did so under a new name.
Pictured top: Sam Culverwell celebrates on the final climb of the Portsdown Classic. Picture by Larry Hickmott, VeloUK.
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