Madison Genesis took their fourth win of the 2015 Pearl Izumi Tour Series at the BAE Systems Barrow round on Friday night, but the real story was 19-year-old Chris Lawless of Team WIGGINS taking his first individual win in front of huge Cumbrian crowds.
Lawless' performance, from a two-rider breakaway in the closing laps with Series stalwart Will Bjergfelt, came the evening after he'd taken a best result of third in Durham.
While the individual result may have been a thriller, with Lawless and Bjergfelt escaping in the final five laps and holding off a charging peloton led home by Steele Von Hoff, the team result was a nail biter.
With all five riders from both Madison Genesis and ONE Pro Cycling in the main bunch times were close, so close in fact that when cumulative riders times were added together Madison Genesis took their fourth team victory by less than a second.
Having been pegged back by a point thanks to ONE Pro Cycling's victory in Durham, win number four helps Madison Genesis into a four three point lead with four rounds to go in Croydon, Canary Wharf, Peterborough and Bath.
The team's Tom Stewart did lose his Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey to Team Raleigh GAC rider Morgan Kneisky, who won the prize on the night and now has a five point lead over Stewart. The French triple World Track Champion also took the Costa Express Fastest Lap trophy on the way to one of this three mid-race sprint victories.
Highlights from Barrow will be shown on ITV4 at 2100 on Sunday 31 May, with a repeat at 0825 on Monday 1 June.
Next week sees two Pearl Izumi Tour Series rounds in London, as the Series visits Croydon for the first time on Tuesday 2 June before returning to Canary Wharf on Thursday 4 June for Round Eight.
Croydon in South London also sees the next round of the women's Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series (Round Three), which gets underway at 1730, with Round Seven of the men's Pearl Izumi Tour Series off at 1930.
Pearl Izumi Tour Series, Round Six, BAE Systems Barrow, Friday 29 May 2015
Team Result
1) Madison Genesis
2) ONE Pro Cycling
3) Pedal Heaven
Individual Result
1) Chris Lawless, Team WIGGINS
2) Will Bjergfelt, SportGrub Kuota
3) Steele Von Hoff, NFTO
Costa Express Fastest Lap
Morgan Kneisky, Team Raleigh GAC, 1:24.061
Chain Reaction Cycles Points, Rd6 Winner
Morgan Kneisky, Team Raleigh GAC
Chain Reaction Cycles Points Standings, Post Rd6
1) Morgan Kneisky, Team Raleigh GAC, 51pts
2) Tom Stewart, Madison Genesis, 46pts
3) Kristian House, JLT Condor presented by Mavic, 43pts
Pearl Izumi Tour Series Standings, Post Rd6
1) Madison Genesis, 75pts
2) ONE Pro Cycling, 72pts
3) Pedal Heaven, 61pts
4) NFTO, 50pts
5) Team Raleigh GAC, 49pts
6) JLT Condor presented by Mavic, 37pts
7) SportGrub Kuota, 36pts
8) Velosure Starley Primal, 36pts
9) Team WIGGINS, 16pts
Source: DSG
