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.
Featured photo: SWpix.com 2021 HSBC UK National Circuit Series – LOGCO Otley GP, Otley, England – Team Ribble Weldtite’s Matt Gibson wins the Otley GP.
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.
2021 HSBC UK National Women’s Circuit Series – Spatzwear Women’s Otley Grand Prix – Otley, Yorkshire, England – Eluned King of Team Breeze wins. Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
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.
2021 HSBC UK National Men’s Circuit Series – The Property Development Mens Otley Grand Prix – Otley, Yorkshire, England – Ribble Weldtite’s Matt Gibson wins. Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
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…
2021 HSBC UK National Men’s Circuit Series – The Property Development Men’s Otley Grand Prix – Otley, Yorkshire, England – Joshua Tarling of FlandersColor Galloo. Photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
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.
Featured photo: SWpix.com 2021 HSBC UK National Circuit Series – LOGCO Otley GP, Otley, England – Team Ribble Weldtite’s Matt Gibson wins the Otley GP.
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
Results
Women’s race
Men’s race
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