Otley Grand Prix: report and results

Eluned King and Matt Gibson took the victories as the National Circuit Series returned from a pandemic-enforced absence to put on a storming set of races at the Otley Grand Prix.

Spatz Women’s Otley Grand Prix: race summary

At the start, the field remained bunched and then, just as the pace started to increase, the race was stopped temporarily for an ambulance needing access to the course – not for a rider-related reason thankfully – but the pause gave the riders opportunity to reassess strategy for the eventual restart. 

When that came, it was CAMS-Basso’s Jessica Finney who moved to the front along with Lucy Gadd (Storey Racing). Their spell at the front didn’t last long, however, as both April Tacey (Drops-Le Col s/b Tempur) and Abi Smith (Team Breeze) became the first to form a decisive break off the front with nine laps completed. 

Their lead was short-lived though, as the increasingly strung-out peloton upped the pace and reeled the breakaway duo back into the group. 

When they came back together, Tekkerz CC’s Jenny Holl took up the lead but as the field swept downhill from Birdcage Lane and into the final corner, it was Eluned King who powered to the front. 

Coming to the finish with a slender advantage, the Team Breeze rider dug into her remaining energy reserves to hold off Tacey and Holl and secure her first National A victory.

Property Development Men’s Otley Grand Prix: race summary

The men’s race went off on a stormer straight away, with attacking from the very start. 

There were plenty of riders taking turns leading the bunch through the Otley streets – including Frederik Scheske (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling) and Jacob Scott (Canyon dhb SunGod) – and Joe Coukham (Prologue Racing Team) has a brief spell off the front. But it wasn’t until lap eight when a meaningful break was created. 

Junior CiCLE Classic winner Joshua Tarling (FlandersColor Galloo) and Rob Scott (Canyon dhb SunGod) pulled clear while behind both Matt Gibson (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling) and Josh Giddings (Z Junior Race Team) made serious efforts to bridge across. Gibson succeeded where Giddings did not and the decisive trio was formed. They quickly pulled a gap of more than 20 seconds at two-thirds distance in the 23 lap event, working cohesively throughout.

Team Qhubeka NextHash’s Harry Tanfield did his best to marshal the bunch into some sort of chase, and succeeded in pulling the gap down to around the 13-second mark with three laps remaining, but the well-organised lead trio were determined to stay ahead, stretching their lead out to 20 seconds by the following lap.

The chasing bunch began to close fast on the final lap and were hot on the heels of the leading trio by the final corner, but Gibson, Scott and Tarling had enough of a buffer to contest the sprint between them. Gibson was the first rider to hit the finishing straight and maintained his lead and edged out Scott in the sprint, with Tarling a fraction behind in third. Sam Watson (Team Inspired) led in the bunch behind.

Talking points

• Eluned King is on course for greatness. The 18-year-old is one of our under-23 riders to watch this season, and she proved exactly why in Otley. Despite a disrupted 2020, and a 2021 that is just starting to really kick-off, King added to her podium in the Women’s CiCLE Classic with a storming sprint to fend off the chasing group.
• Joshua Tarling is having an amazing start to 2021. Winner in the Junior CiCLE Classic, 4th in the Junior Tour of Yorkshire, 6th at the Return to Racing for Big Dogs and now holding his own in a break with seasoned campaigners Matt Gibson and Rob Scott. What’s even more impressive is that he is only a first-year junior and his ride in Otley was done on junior gearing. The FlandersColor-Galloo rider might just be one of the most exciting juniors on the men’s scene – expect even bigger things from him in the years to come.
• The cycling buzz is back! After a wash-out 2020, things are starting to get back to some sort of normality with regional, and then national, events getting British road racing back into business. Wandering around the Otley streets, the socially-distanced crowds were vocal in their support and happy to be back watching cycling. A return to some sense of normality is hopefully just around the corner…

Results

Women’s race

Rank	#	Name	Team	Time
1	107	Eluned King	Team Breeze	33:26
2	17	April Tacey	Drops-Le Col supported by Tempur	st
3	86	Jenny Holl	Tekkerz CC	st
4	85	Ella Barnwell	Team Breeze	st
5	60	Corinne Side	Pro-Noctis – Redchilli Bikes – Heidi Kjeldsen	st
6	18	Alice Towers	Drops-Le Col supported by Tempur	st
7	72	Amira Mellor	Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus	st
8	117	Francesca Morgans-Slader	University Of Manchester CC	st
9	1	Hannah Bayes	AWOL OShea	st
10	88	Abi Smith	Team Breeze	st
11	63	Jo Tindley	Pro-Noctis – Redchilli Bikes – Heidi Kjeldsen	st
12	83	Ellen McDermott	Team Boompods	st
13	92	Lucy Lee	Team LDN – Brother UK	st
14	8	Megan Barker	CAMS-Basso	st
15	118	Flora Perkins	VC Londres	st
16	28	Imani Pereira-James	Brother U.K – Cycle Team OnForm	st
17	79	Isabel Darvill	Team Boompods	st
18	101	Grace Lister	Cero – Cycle Division Racing Team	st
19	116	Zoe Backstedt	Tormans-ACROG	st
20	75	Lucy Gadd	Storey Racing	st
21	55	Madelaine Leech	PH-MAS – Paul Milnes Cycles	st
22	77	Beth Morrow	Storey Racing	st
23	90	Harriet Dodd	Team LDN – Brother UK	st
24	124	Rebecca Seal	Weston Homes-Torelli-Assure	st
25	89	Francesca Cutts	Team LDN – Brother UK	st
26	58	Samantha Fawcett	Pro-Noctis – Redchilli Bikes – Heidi Kjeldsen	st
27	112	Gabriella Homer	Team Rupelcleaning – Champion Lubricants	st
28	68	Bexy Dew	Saint Piran Womens	st
29	13	Katie Scott	CAMS-Basso	st
30	103	Sophie Thackray	Garden Shed UK-SCOTT-Verge Sport	st
31	33	Lucy Ellmore	Skoda DSI Cycling Academy	st
32	59	Amy Gornall	Pro-Noctis – Redchilli Bikes – Heidi Kjeldsen	st
33	30	Becky Storrie	Brother U.K – Cycle Team OnForm	st
34	11	Illi Gardner	CAMS-Basso	st
35	34	Melissa Greaves	Crimson Orientation Marketing RT	st
36	14	Emma Edwards	CAMS-Basso	st
37	39	Polly Burge	Jadan – Vive le Velo	st
38	71	Xan Crees	Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus	st
39	45	Alderney Baker	Loughborough Lightning TRG	st
40	4	Connie Hayes	AWOL OShea	st
41	94	Nicole Coates	Weston Homes-Torelli-Assure	+10
42	5	Phoebe Martin	AWOL OShea	+24
43	99	Christina Wiejak	Saint Piran Womens	+32
44	73	Abbie Taylor	Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus	+34
45	16	Emily Meakin	Drops-Le Col supported by Tempur	+37
46	119	Jayati Hine		+1:14
47	52	Robyn Clay	Otley CC	st
48	46	Francesca Hall	Loughborough Lightning TRG	st
49	7	Louise Scupham	AWOL OShea	st
50	98	Elizabeth Sanders	Avid Sport	st
51	80	Hannah Farran	Team Boompods	+1:16
52	87	Sophie Lewis	Team Breeze	+2:15
53	82	Georgia Hilleard	Team Boompods	st
54	105	Emma Jeffers	JRC-Shutt-Ridley Race Team	st
55	3	Charlotte Broughton	AWOL OShea	st
56	62	Poppy Thompson	Pro-Noctis – Redchilli Bikes – Heidi Kjeldsen	st
57	47	Flora Knight	Loughborough Lightning TRG	st
58	2	Olivia Bent	AWOL OShea	st
59	74	Erin Avill	Storey Racing	st
60	12	Kate Wootton	CAMS-Basso	st
61	93	Danielle Shrosbree	Team LDN – Brother UK	st
62	56	Lily Young	PH-MAS – Paul Milnes Cycles	st
63	100	Rachel Galler	Blaydon Cycle Club	st
64	26	Daisy Barnes	Brother U.K – Cycle Team OnForm	st
65	81	Amy Graham	Team Boompods	+3:11
66	67	Lucia Bruton	Saint Piran Womens	st
67	102	Lotta Mansfield	Cero – Cycle Division Racing Team	st
68	41	Beth Harley-Jepson	Jadan – Vive le Velo	st
69	64	Sarah Briggs	RFDA	st
70	115	Morven Yeoman	Tofauti Everyone Active	st

Men’s race

Rank	#	Name	Team	Time
1	10	Matthew Gibson	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling	59:16
2	5	Robert Scott	Canyon DHB Sungod	+
3	116	Joshua Tarling	FlandersColor Galloo	st
4	98	Samuel Watson	Team Inspired	st
5	106	Harry Tanfield	Team Qhubeka Assos	st
6	34	Ben Turner	TRINITY Road Racing	st
7	8	Reece Wood	Canyon DHB Sungod	st
8	1	Matthew Bostock	Canyon DHB Sungod	st
9	94	Rhys Britton	Team Inspired	st
10	2	Jim Brown	Canyon DHB Sungod	st
11	12	Frederik Scheske	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling	st
12	105	Tim Shoreman	RT23	st
13	58	Joey Walker	Crimson Orientation Marketing RT	st
14	92	Joshua Price	Spirit Racing Team	st
15	87	Tom Couzens	Spirit Racing Team	st
16	23	Tom Mazzone	Saint Piran	st
17	31	Sam Culverwell	TRINITY Road Racing	st
18	54	Leon Mazzone	Crimson Orientation Marketing RT	st
19	30	Oliver Peckover	SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling	st
20	132	Struan McInnes	Clifton CC	st
21	22	Oliver Maxwell	Saint Piran	st
22	28	Ross Lamb	SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling	st
23	120	Matti Dobbins	RT23	st
24	82	Isaac Mundy	Richardsons-Trek RT	st
25	11	Cameron Jeffers	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling	st
26	79	Peter Cocker	Richardsons-Trek RT	st
27	47	Alistair Slater	Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy	st
28	121	Benjamin Moody	Team Anarto SVK	st
29	75	Tom Nancarrow	Nopinz Motip Race Team	st
30	124	Tyler Hannay	Utmost IOM Junior Cycling Team	st
31	7	Andrew Tennant	Canyon DHB Sungod	st
32	73	James Ashcroft	Nopinz Motip Race Team	st
33	83	Steven Parsonage	Richardsons-Trek RT	st
34	128	Joshua Giddings	Z Junior Race Team	st
35	127	Josh Housley	Willebrord Wil Vooruit	st
36	91	George Kimber	Spirit Racing Team	st
37	51	Toby Barnes	Crimson Orientation Marketing RT	st
38	123	Neil Phillips	Tekkerz CC	st
39	36	Cai Davies	Bikestrong-KTM	st
40	38	Jamison Blain	Bikestrong-KTM	st
41	119	Joe Coukham	Prologue Racing Team	st
42	125	Keiran Savage	VC Corbas Isatis	st
43	56	Chris Sherriffs	Crimson Orientation Marketing RT	st
44	9	William Brown	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling	st
45	15	Joe Wilson	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling	st
46	6	Jacob Scott	Canyon DHB Sungod	st
47	27	Alex Peters	SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling	st
48	46	Michael Chadwick	Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy	st
49	71	Finlay Pickering	Fensham Howes – MAS Design	st
50	131	Travis Bramley	Nopinz Motip Race Team	st
51	57	Ed Beecher	Crimson Orientation Marketing RT	st
52	81	James Jenkins	Richardsons-Trek RT	st
53	45	Graham Briggs	Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy	st
54	142	Dean Watson	Clancy Briggs CA	st
55	80	Aaron Freeman	Richardsons-Trek RT	st
56	4	Charlie Tanfield	Canyon DHB Sungod	st
57	100	Matthew King	Team PB Performance	+16
58	26	Alexander Braybrooke	SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling	st
59	29	Christopher Latham	SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling	st
60	101	George Peden	Team PB Performance	st
61	42	Jack Brough	Cero – Cycle Division Racing Team	st
62	52	Adam Mitchell	Crimson Orientation Marketing RT	st
63	55	Isaac Peatfield	Crimson Orientation Marketing RT	st
64	122	Alec Briggs	Tekkerz CC	st
65	96	Alfred George	Team Inspired	st
66	66	Jack Crook	Dolan Ellesse Race Team	+26
67	3	Damien Clayton	Canyon DHB Sungod	st
68	50	Toby Tanfield	Cleveland Whls RT/Catley Lakeman	+36
69	19	Joe Evans	Saint Piran	+1:18
70	37	Bryn Davies	Bikestrong-KTM	+2:57
71	141	Harvey Stroh	Inflite-Dynamic Rides Race Team	st
72	77	Matt Witts	Nopinz Motip Race Team	st
73	99	James Bentley	Team PB Performance	st
74	18	Matthew Ellis	Saint Piran	st
75	108	Liam Fenner	API-Metrow/Bodyby JR	st
76	24	Jenson Young	Saint Piran	+3:02
77	93	David Bolland	Spirit Racing Team	st
78	20	Iwan Evans	Saint Piran	+3:02
79	86	Farley Barber	Spirit Racing Team	st
80	88	Clay Davies	Spirit Racing Team	+3:04