Wood heading for a brutal finale

Torbay’s young WorldTour cycling pro Harrison Wood is set to finish his first top-flight season with five gruelling races in nine days covering more than 600 miles.
All five races are in Italy, starting with the Copa Agostini and finishing with the marathon Tour of Lombardy on October 7.
The 147-mile Lombardy classic is one of pro cycling’s five one-day ‘Monument’ races, starting with Milan-San Remo in the Spring and also including the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Liege- Bastogne-Liege.
Wood, 23, from Torquay, says: “It’s going to be tough – I knew I was going to do at least three of the Italian races, but now it’s five including Lombardia.
“It’ll be my second ‘monument’, and I’m really excited to do it.“
Two of Wood’s best performances of his ‘rookie’ season were also in Italy – he was Cofidis’ leading rider at Strade Bianche and he also impressed in the 190-mile Milan-San Remo.
Not long back from three races in North America, the former Mid-Devon CC starlet has ridden all year as a ‘domestique’ for his senior teammates.
But Cofidis, who gave Wood a two-year contract last winter, are expected to give him some leeway to try and make a mark on his own account now.
Meanwhile, South Wales’ Ed Laverack returned to the scene of his 2019 UK National Hill Climb Championship victory to win the MDCC’S Haytor HC at the weekend.
Laverack, 29, couldn’t quite match the record 11mins 37secs time he recorded four years ago, but he still covered the three miles from just below Edgmoor to the Rocks carpark in 12.32, nearly a minute and a half quicker than his nearest rival.
The action then switched to the shorter, but much steeper Widecombe climb.
Current national champion Andrew Feather, 37, from Bath stormed up the near-1mile ascent in 4mins 38secs, beating Laverack by four seconds.
Neither man threatened the remarkable course record of 4.10 set 33 years ago when Olympic champion Chris Boardman won the UK title there (1990).
Durham’s Olivia French was the fastest woman on both climbs, clocking 17.57 on Haytor and 6.49 on Widecombe.