He walked away from last season’s Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic with his bodyweight in beer.
But this Sunday he will be targeting bubbles of a different kind with his BIKE Channel Canyon team-mates.
And Rory Townsend reckons glory in the UCI 1.2 contest, which boasts a parcours unique on these shores, is well within his outfit’s grasp.
The 21-year-old has been named in the team’s six-man squad for the 189km battle, which features a mixture of wide roads and treacherous sectors of farm tracks.
And with impressive showings in the Chorley Grand Prix and Tour of the Wolds in the past two weeks, he is champing at the bit to get stuck into a race he loves.
Townsend, who spent much of last season’s race on his own up the road as he scooped the alcoholic bonus prize, said:
“I love Rutland. It is such a epic race. The first sector you come to takes you back to when you first learnt to ride a bike.
“It’s mental. You get such an exciting feeling when each sector approaches. You know you are going to go on it and anything can happen.
“I feel like a naughty boy when I’m on there! I think I shouldn’t be riding on this but there I am, it is one of a kind.
“It is very similar to something like Tro Bro Leon, which we saw at the weekend. The fans really love to see those images of guys coming across the line in bits.
“They have picked up so much of the land on their faces, it looks like they have been to hell and back. It tells a great story.”
Chris Opie, Sam Lowe, Harry Tanfield, Jake Womersley and Matt Nowell complete the exciting squad for the race, which begins in Oakham and finishes in Melton.
And Townsend believes BIKE Channel Canyon have all bases covered as they approach the race dubbed Britain’s answer to the Belgian Classics. He added:
“I believe we have a really strong squad for it. Two years ago Opie was second and Harry was third.
“I think Matt will surprise a few people outside of the team. A course like Rutland will really suit him.
“He came to prominence last year at the Edinburgh round of the Tour Series, so we know he can handle the rough stuff. And he’ll float up these climbs no problem.
“Then you have Jake, who is a former GB junior cross rider. When we were younger, he was just brilliant at cyclocross. An absolute monster. He will be very solid.
“It is one of my favourite races and Sam has massive pedigree as well, having gone well at Paris-Roubaix before.
“We are not putting all our eggs in one basket. We have lots of options and, for a race like this when anything can happen, that is really important.
“If we were riding for different teams, we are all capable of filling the podium. So that is very exciting for Sunday.”
Click here to find out more about the Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic. You can follow the action live via the official race Twitter, with regular updates on the BIKE Channel Canyon account.
