The B-side: a closer look at National B road racing
Summary
Isabel Darvill of Pro Noctis-Rotor-Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen sprinted to the win at the Dave Peck Memorial road race on Sunday 27 March, making the best possible start to her team’s defence of their 2021 British Women’s Team Cup title.
The Dave Peck Memorial, organised by Lisa West and her Twickenham CC team, is the traditional opener to the British Women’s Team Cup series. It was held in progressively cold windy weather after the glorious sunshine of the previous day.
The early laps saw no clear breaks. The main action came when they stopped the race to warn the riders not to cross the centre line for their own safety. The bunch continued to stay together as the laps clocked up, with the pace progressively ratcheting up. With the bunch still together as they approached the finish line at the top of the Staple Hill climb, it was clear a mass sprint would decide the honours.
Darvill propelled herself ahead of her rivals in the final few metres to take the biggest win of her career. Emily Proud (Grinta Coaching) finished second, with new Bianchi HUNT Morvélo signing Alice McWilliam in third.
Isabel Darvill with her arm in the air as she crosses the finish line. Photo: Ian Wrightson
“It was not a race really where anyone wanted to just go”, Darvill explained after the race. “Charlotte Berry had a go which got riders to up the pace a bit. We weren’t going really fast, but with three laps to go the pace just kept creeping. I had a couple of problems with my gears but it got sorted.
“On the last lap, we got to the bottom of the climb, the sprint started right at the bottom of that final hill. I did this race in 2019 so knew what to expect when we came round that left bend people just put their foot down and it was a long sprint. It is one of those climbs that there is not enough time from the top of the hill to the finish line to start a sprint so you have got to just go”.
Results
#
Name
Team/Club
1
Isabel Darvill
Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen
2
Emily Proud
Grinta Coaching
3
Alice McWilliam
BIANCHI HUNT MORVELO
4
Sian Botteley
Team LDN – Brother UK
5
Helen Ralston
Paceline RT
6
Madeleine Gammons
Saint Piran WRT
7
Suzetta Guerrini
Jadan – Vive le Velo
8
Lucy Harris
LAKA Pedal Mafia RT
9
Gabriella Homer
Saint Piran WRT
10
Charlotte Berry
Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus
11
Olivia French
Storey Racing
12
Ellen Bennett
Brother UK-Orientation Marketing
13
Sophie Holmes
Datalynx-Parenesis Cycling
14
Charlotte Dexter
Grinta Coaching
15
Emily Chilton
Saint Piran WRT
16
Ruth Fisher
Abingdon Race Team
17
Abigail Cooper
Brother UK-Orientation Marketing
18
Bethany Barnett
AWOL Worx Galliard
19
Penny Colloff
LAKA Pedal Mafia RT
20
Dannielle Watkinson
Team LDN – Brother UK
21
Poppy Thompson
Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen
22
Sannah Zaman
Brother UK-Orientation Marketing
23
Gabriella Nordin
Jadan – Vive le Velo
24
Molly Renfer
Ellmore Digital Composite Team
25
Laura Senior
LAKA Pedal Mafia RT
26
Charlotte Matthews
Onyx Racing Team
27
Fran Bratt
LAKA Pedal Mafia RT
28
Libby Smithson
AWOL Worx Galliard
29
Hope Inglis
Brother UK-Orientation Marketing
30
Bexy Dew
Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen
31
Harriet Dodd
Team LDN – Brother UK
32
Katarzyna Madej
Onyx Racing Team
33
Marie-Louise Kertzman
LAKA Pedal Mafia RT
34
Amber Junker-Brameld
Ellmore Digital Composite Team
35
Rebecca Stubbs
Avid Sport
36
Polly Milsom
Team Watto-LDN
37
Lydia Watts
AWOL Worx Galliard
38
Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne
StolenGoat Race Team
39
Eloise Singham
Abingdon Race Team
40
Kate Voller Browning
Paceline RT
41
Laura Cunningham
Grinta Coaching
42
Sophie Earl
Saint Piran WRT
43
Laura Starmer
Team Watto-LDN
44
Hannah Graveney
AWOL Worx Galliard
45
Savannah Morgan
Abingdon Race Team
46
Francesca Cutts
Team LDN – Brother UK
47
Anastasia Bowler
Cowley Road Condors
48
Faith Hammond
Grinta Coaching
49
Jessica Holloway
Team Watto-LDN
50
Laura Pittard
Brother UK-Orientation Marketing
51
Freya Eccleston
Brother UK-Orientation Marketing
52
Lucia Bruton
Saint Piran WRT
53
Georgia Fife-Wright
Abingdon Race Team
54
Ella Roper
Abingdon Race Team
55
Amy Harvey
Ellmore Digital Composite Team
56
Gemma Hayes
1904 RT
57
Grace Davies
Ellmore Digital Composite Team
58
Jonna de Vries
Grinta Coaching
59
Jamie-Lee Wright
Team Watto-LDN
DNF
Jennifer Andrews
1904 RT
DNF
Vivienne Tomlin
FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing
DNF
Lena Kane
LAKA Pedal Mafia RT
DNS
Helen Bridgman
1904 RT
DNS
Philippa Jenkins
1904 RT
DNS
Mathilde Pauls
1904 RT
DNS
Carolyn Swan
1904 RT
DNS
Matea Deliu
Jadan – Vive le Velo
DNS
Lauren Higham
Team LDN – Brother UK
Competition standings
#
Team
Points
1
Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen
The B-side: a closer look at National B road racing
Summary
Isabel Darvill of Pro Noctis-Rotor-Redchilli Bikes p/b Heidi Kjeldsen sprinted to the win at the Dave Peck Memorial road race on Sunday 27 March, making the best possible start to her team’s defence of their 2021 British Women’s Team Cup title.
The Dave Peck Memorial, organised by Lisa West and her Twickenham CC team, is the traditional opener to the British Women’s Team Cup series. It was held in progressively cold windy weather after the glorious sunshine of the previous day.
The early laps saw no clear breaks. The main action came when they stopped the race to warn the riders not to cross the centre line for their own safety. The bunch continued to stay together as the laps clocked up, with the pace progressively ratcheting up. With the bunch still together as they approached the finish line at the top of the Staple Hill climb, it was clear a mass sprint would decide the honours.
Darvill propelled herself ahead of her rivals in the final few metres to take the biggest win of her career. Emily Proud (Grinta Coaching) finished second, with new Bianchi HUNT Morvélo signing Alice McWilliam in third.
“It was not a race really where anyone wanted to just go”, Darvill explained after the race. “Charlotte Berry had a go which got riders to up the pace a bit. We weren’t going really fast, but with three laps to go the pace just kept creeping. I had a couple of problems with my gears but it got sorted.
“On the last lap, we got to the bottom of the climb, the sprint started right at the bottom of that final hill. I did this race in 2019 so knew what to expect when we came round that left bend people just put their foot down and it was a long sprint. It is one of those climbs that there is not enough time from the top of the hill to the finish line to start a sprint so you have got to just go”.
Results
Competition standings
Featured photo: Ian Wrightson
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