Olympic hopeful takes first three stages (From Free Press Series)

Olympic hopeful takes first three stages

ABERGAVENNY pro-cyclist Julian Winn proved just why he is one of the country's leading riders with an immaculate display in the UCI ranked Tour of Arab Emirates.

The Olympic hopeful was gunning for glory in the Arab States showpiece event knowing the more UCI points he picked up the better chance he stands of securing a place in the British squad for Athens.

Only Scotland's world time trial champion David Miller is guaranteed a place in the UK team with the rest of the places well-and-truly up for grabs.

That means Winn is facing stiff competition from the likes of fellow pro-cyclers Jeremy Hunt and Roger Hammond. The more UCI points he can score over the next few months means a much better chance of a place on the plane to Greece later this year.

Winn will be satisfied with his performances so far though. In the Tour of Arab Emirates, the Welsh team rider won the three opening stages and was fourth in Monday's fifth stage. The benefits of riding last year with Danish pro-outfit Team Fakta showed as the Welshman displayed a new-found belief in the saddle.

He did put a lot of his success down to his Welsh team mates though, including rising Abergavenny star Nick Kenwright, who was racing for only the second time with the team.

Speaking after his first stage win, which saw Winn come from behind to take the yellow jersey, the British Road Race winner said: "I owe the top position to my team as it was a joint effort.

"We knew that there were some good riders from Slovakia, Iran and New Zealand and we had planned to tackle them one by one. The circuit was flat and fast so the idea was to save the legs and keep the best for last."

Winn, now riding with Italian bike makers Pinarell, has made some big inroads into the sport over the last 18-months. He defied his underdog status to finish the gruelling Giro Italia - the world's second-most prestigious cycling race after the Tour de France - and also finished 20th overall in the Tour of Majorca with the GB team.

Now selectors at the British Olympic head quarters will be noting Winn's recent display in the Middle East.

His dad Chris reckons he stands a good chance of making the final squad. "If he can keep doing the big races like he is and keep putting in these kinds of displays then he has every chance of doing it," he said.

Winn is scheduled to join his Pinarell team mate Malcom Eliot next in a series of Premier Calendar races in the UK over the next few weeks.

You can keep a check on Julian Winn's progress in the last stages of the Tour of Arab Emirates by logging on to www.britishcycling.org.uk for the final results.