BIKE Channel Canyon endured a night to forget as the Tour Series landed in Northwich.
Misfortune seemed to have followed the team from Stoke as they once again bore the brunt of crashes which this time split the race to pieces within minutes of the flag drop.
Madison Genesis were the only team to avoid problems and, with a heavy numerical advantage in a tiny front group, controlled the race from start to finish to take their second successive round win.
Enrique Sanz kept his power dry to take individual honours, sprinting to glory for Team Raleigh GAC ahead of Madison’s Johnny McEvoy and Ed Clancy, of JLT Condor, from a nine-man bunch.
Harry Tanfield was next home in 10th, while Northwich-born Matt Nowell had to settle for 30th in his home race.
Chris Opie, Clancy and McEvoy had all been prominent during another blistering start to the Tour Series action. However, the greasy streets soon took their toll and saw the race explode.
Opie was involved in one crash, with his team-mates among those who were caught up behind, leaving BIKE Channel Canyon firmly on the back foot.
McEvoy and his Madison team-mates Alex Paton and Matt Cronshaw crossed the line first in the opening Wiggle sprint of the night, while only Tanfield remained at the front of the race for Tim Elverson’s team as the lead group had been decimated to just 14 riders.
Madison held the whip hand, with all five of their riders safe. And they sat on the pointy end, sweeping up the second sprint points through Tobyn Horton, Cronshaw and McEvoy.
Behind them, JLT were the only other team with more than one rider in the first group (Jon Mould and Clancy), while Opie & Co were having an evening to forget, with three bike changes by the halfway mark.
Madison had stretched the leaders’ advantage to 44 seconds over a small chase group before Horton, Paton and Gruff Lewis completed their clean sweep of the sprint points.
And as the race entered its final lap, just nine men remained to scrap out the individual victory and it was the Spaniard Sanz who prevailed, bagging the Brother fastest lap in 1min 53.192sec, too.
BIKE Channel Canyon remain third in the overall standings on 30 points. Madison Genesis lead the way on 36, with JLT Condor second on the same tally. Team Raleigh are on 29 and ONE Pro Cycling have 28. The next round is Wembley Park on Tuesday.