Tour of Britain: Tiernan-Locke on Team Sky wish list after upstaging Olympians

Columnist and Senior Features Writer

Monday 17 September 2012

JONATHAN Tiernan-Locke made history yesterday by becoming the first home rider in almost two decades to win the Tour of Britain.

Jonathan Tiernan-Locke celebrates victory yesterday in traditional fashion . . .

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Susan Swarbrick

The rider with Endura Racing, the Livingston-based team, clinched overall victory after a dramatic final stage and became the only British man to do so since Chris Lillywhite won the Milk Race in 1993.

Tiernan-Locke, 27, has dazzled in in recent days with his punchy and fearless climbing style. His win caps a stellar breakthrough year for the Plymouth-born rider, in which he also won the Tour Mediterraneen, Tour du Haut Var and Tour of Alsace.

He said: "It's fantastic. It has not really sunk in yet. It was a tough day today, a lot tougher than we thought. So I feel more relief than anything."Australia's Nathan Haas (Garmin-Sharp), finished second overall, 18 seconds behind Tiernan-Locke with Italy's Damiano Caruso (Liquigas-Cannondale) third.This time last year, Tiernan-Locke was a relatively unknown name even within cycling circles, before an impressive performance in the 2011 Tour of Britain saw him win the king of the mountains title and earn a fifth-place finish overall.Then with Rapha Condor-Sharp, he was signed by Endura. Tiernan-Locke spent four months on top of the UCI Europe Tour rankings this year, before being sidelined with a fractured collarbone in May.A number of World Tour pro cycling teams have been wooing the rider in recent months, with Sky rumoured to have secured him for 2013.Tiernan-Locke is a dark horse for the road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Limburg, Netherlands, next Sunday, with the rolling 267km course well suited to his explosive puncheur style.His Tour of Britain achievement is all the more remarkable as he had considered quitting the sport altogether a few years ago. He contracted the Epstein-Barr virus which forced him to stop racing for three years. However, after making a full recovery, Tiernan-Locke's confidence was high going into this year's Tour of Britain. He told Herald Sport a fortnight ago that he believed he possessed the ability and form to win it.Endura built a strong squad around the rider, comprising Russell Downing, Ian Bibby, Paul Voss, Jonny McEvoy and Zak Dempster, who have worked tirelessly for their leader in recent days.Tiernan-Locke's success is testament, too, to the ambitions of the Livingston team which has enjoyed a steady rise through cycling's ranks since it launched two years ago.Earlier this month Endura announced a merger with German-based outfit NetApp which will see it achieve pro-continental status for 2013. The move means the team is now in prime position to gain wildcard entry to a grand tour, such as the Giro d'Italia or Vuelta a Espana next season. Their goal is to compete in the Tour de France within two years.Mark Cavendish (Sky) took the win on the 147km final stage into Guildford. Boy van Poppel (United Healthcare) was second with Fabio Sabatini (Liquigas-Cannondale) third.The eight-day event has attracted record crowds this year, with thousands turning out to line roadsides across the country to see Tour de France and Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins in action. Wiggins was forced to withdraw on Friday, citing a stomach bug.World champion Cavendish, in his final outing in the rainbow jersey, has won three stages.He said: "It was absolutely incredible. The amount of people out on the road has been like the Olympic Games. They have turned out all week, rain or shine."I thought I'd been forgotten about and everyone was about sideburns now," he joked."It's my last day in the rainbow jersey and I wanted to finish it off in style. The team were incredible, they rode hard all day. I'm really happy."Kristian House (Rapha Condor-Sharp) won the king of the mountains competition, with fellow British rider Peter Williams (Node4-Giordana) claiming the sprints title. Van Poppel of the Netherlands topped the final points classification.

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Tour of Britain: Tiernan-Locke on Team Sky wish list after upstaging Olympians

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