Tammy Miller (Hutchinson-Brother UK) and Ollie Peckover (trainSharp elite) took overall honours after a scintillating final day of racing at the Peaks 2 Day that saw stage wins for Jacob Smith (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), Zoe Langham (Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee) and Damien Clayton (Embark Spirit BSS).
We would like to extend a huge thanks to Tom Hutchison for drafting this report and providing race updates on our Instagram stories for this race. And to Emma Wilcock and Bob MacGregor for kindly supplying the race images.
Report
Men’s race
Stage 2
The men began proceedings on day two of the Peaks 2 Day, with just the minor challenge of a road bike time trial up Holme Moss to tackle. Conditions were similar to the day previous, with damp roads and a mild temperature.
As our preview highlighted, the early part of the three-kilometre course was flat, before the road rose upwards two kilometres of climbing on an average gradient of 9.5%. To add to the challenge, a strong head wind awaited the riders on the exposed climb. Thomas Andrews (Lifting Gear Cycling Motion) was first out the gates, providing a benchmark for following riders.
In the general classification battle, all eyes were on overnight leader Toby Barnes (Unattached), and second overall Jenson Young (ROKiT-SRCT), who was tied on time with Barnes after stage 1.
Barnes, not known as natural climber, finished in a strong third in his defence of the leader’s jersey in a time of 8:20.5. Young, however, went seven seconds quicker to move into the race lead with one stage remaining.
Jacob Smith (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) storms up Holme Moss. Image ELW PhotographyOvernight leader Toby Barnes on his way to third on stage 2. Image ELW PhotographyJenson Young took another second place on stage 2 to secure the leader’s jersey. Image ELW Photography
Jacob Smith (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) stole the stage glory though, finishing a full six seconds ahead of Young. 19-year-old Smith was. one of the revelations of the Capernwray road race and, by all recent indications, is a young climber to keep tabs on. Speaking of youngsters, Matthew Cole (Zappi Junior RT) was the fastest junior in 12th.
The general classification race was still open ahead of stage 3 with only small gaps separating the leading riders.
Stage 3
Stage 3 of the men’s race was the last event of the day, following the women’s final stage (see below). Taking place on the exposed, 6.5 kilometre Hade Edge circuit, the race was a gruelling affair in strong winds, including a roaring tailwind to the finish line.
Splits already formed by the 3rd of 16 laps, with Tom Martin (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) accompanied by Damien Clayton (Embark Spirit BSS) in a two man move, with a small chasing group not far behind. By lap four, the chasers had caught Clayton and Smith to create a nine-rider break, that featured Capernwray road race winner Ollie Peckover (trainSharp), Alex Peters (Richardsons Trek DAS), Matthew Warhurst (ROKiT-SRCT) and last year’s winner George Peden (Team PB Performance), among others.
Behind, race leader Jenson Young and his nearest challenger on GC, Toby Barnes, had instigated the chase. By lap 8, they were 1’35 seconds behind the leaders, but that had dwindled to just 40 seconds a lap later.
On the finish line with just 4 laps remaining, the lead group was down to just five riders, Clayton, Peckover and Warhurst among them. Behind, Jenson Young had attacked in an attempt to bridge across.
The whittling of the front group continued in the attritional conditions, and as they took the bell, just three riders were out front, and with a clear lead too: Clayton, Peckover and Warhurst.
The trio stayed together setting up a fearsome sprint for the line. It was mighty close, but Clayton pipped Warhurst, with Peckover in third.
Clayton pips Warhurst and Peckover to the win. Image ELW Photography
GC leader Young finished 4th at 51 seconds, alongside Wales Racing Academy’s Huw Buck Jones.
Young’s brave efforts to close the gap to the leaders were in vein, as Peckover claimed enough time to claim the overall win; a superb follow-up to his Capernwray road race win last weekend. Young – the best-placed under-23 – finished second overall just 11 second back, with his teammate Warhurst in third at 12 seconds.
Matthew Cole was the best of the juniors with an impressive 9th overall.
Barnes, meanwhile, he had been second overall before the stage start, rolled in in 16th, a full 4 minutes and 15 seconds behind stage winner Clayton, demonstrating just how fragmented the race was. He ended the race 12th overall.
Peden may not have been successful in regaining his race crown from last season, but he still ended the race with a jersey, winning the KOM competition.
The final stage of the women’s race followed the men’s time trial up Holme Moss, featuring 12 laps of the Hade Edge circuit.
Overnight general classification leader Tammy Miller (Hutchinson-Brother UK) began the stage with the luxury of a 43 second lead over second-placed Connie Hayes (AWOL O’Shea), with Zoe Langham, Bexy Dew (both Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee), Frances Owen (Wahoo – Le Col) the other riders in the top five, with none having much more than a minute’s deficit to Miller. With strong winds blowing across the exposed circuit, all was still to play for.
The pace of the peloton remained steady for the opening few laps with no signs of anyone wanting to make the first move. Stage 2 winner Lucy Lee (DAS-Handsling) almost ended her race early on lap 2, missing her breaking point and running straight on at one of the major turns, but she quickly rejoined the rear of the peloton.
Lucy Harris (AWOL O’Shea) – 6th on GC – and Lizi Brooke (Wahoo – Le Col) were the first riders to try and force a break. With Lucy Lee in hot pursuit, Katie Archibald (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team) chose to chase the trio down. By lap 6 it was all back together, albeit with a reduced bunch.
The lead group stayed intact for the remaining laps, taking the bell together. A bunch sprint was on the cards, or so it seemed. Langham had other ideas, however, and attacked at the bottom of last ascent to the finish line, taking a small advantage over the top. With the tailwind nullifying aiding her escape of the chasing bunch, she was able to hold onto her advantage all the way to the finish line.
Two bike lengths behind, the remainder of the peloton was lead in by Lee closely followed by race leader Miller. The result confirmed Miller was the overall winner of the second women’s Peaks 2 Day race, an impressive start in the colours of her her new team, Hutchinson-Brother UK.
Zoe Langham takes the stage win. Image: Bob MacGregor
Hayes lost 13 seconds to Langham as the lead group split in the final run-in to the line, allowing Langham to leapfrog Hayes in the general classification. Hayes remained the leading under-23 rider however. Meanwhile, Sammie Stuart mopped up enough points to seal the QOM competition win.
Preview, startlist and route details.
Day one report and results.
Tammy Miller (Hutchinson-Brother UK) and Ollie Peckover (trainSharp elite) took overall honours after a scintillating final day of racing at the Peaks 2 Day that saw stage wins for Jacob Smith (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), Zoe Langham (Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee) and Damien Clayton (Embark Spirit BSS).
We would like to extend a huge thanks to Tom Hutchison for drafting this report and providing race updates on our Instagram stories for this race. And to Emma Wilcock and Bob MacGregor for kindly supplying the race images.
Report
Men’s race
Stage 2
The men began proceedings on day two of the Peaks 2 Day, with just the minor challenge of a road bike time trial up Holme Moss to tackle. Conditions were similar to the day previous, with damp roads and a mild temperature.
As our preview highlighted, the early part of the three-kilometre course was flat, before the road rose upwards two kilometres of climbing on an average gradient of 9.5%. To add to the challenge, a strong head wind awaited the riders on the exposed climb. Thomas Andrews (Lifting Gear Cycling Motion) was first out the gates, providing a benchmark for following riders.
In the general classification battle, all eyes were on overnight leader Toby Barnes (Unattached), and second overall Jenson Young (ROKiT-SRCT), who was tied on time with Barnes after stage 1.
Barnes, not known as natural climber, finished in a strong third in his defence of the leader’s jersey in a time of 8:20.5. Young, however, went seven seconds quicker to move into the race lead with one stage remaining.
Jacob Smith (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) storms up Holme Moss. Image ELW Photography
Jacob Smith (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) stole the stage glory though, finishing a full six seconds ahead of Young. 19-year-old Smith was. one of the revelations of the Capernwray road race and, by all recent indications, is a young climber to keep tabs on. Speaking of youngsters, Matthew Cole (Zappi Junior RT) was the fastest junior in 12th.
The general classification race was still open ahead of stage 3 with only small gaps separating the leading riders.
Stage 3
Stage 3 of the men’s race was the last event of the day, following the women’s final stage (see below). Taking place on the exposed, 6.5 kilometre Hade Edge circuit, the race was a gruelling affair in strong winds, including a roaring tailwind to the finish line.
Splits already formed by the 3rd of 16 laps, with Tom Martin (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) accompanied by Damien Clayton (Embark Spirit BSS) in a two man move, with a small chasing group not far behind. By lap four, the chasers had caught Clayton and Smith to create a nine-rider break, that featured Capernwray road race winner Ollie Peckover (trainSharp), Alex Peters (Richardsons Trek DAS), Matthew Warhurst (ROKiT-SRCT) and last year’s winner George Peden (Team PB Performance), among others.
Behind, race leader Jenson Young and his nearest challenger on GC, Toby Barnes, had instigated the chase. By lap 8, they were 1’35 seconds behind the leaders, but that had dwindled to just 40 seconds a lap later.
On the finish line with just 4 laps remaining, the lead group was down to just five riders, Clayton, Peckover and Warhurst among them. Behind, Jenson Young had attacked in an attempt to bridge across.
The whittling of the front group continued in the attritional conditions, and as they took the bell, just three riders were out front, and with a clear lead too: Clayton, Peckover and Warhurst.
The trio stayed together setting up a fearsome sprint for the line. It was mighty close, but Clayton pipped Warhurst, with Peckover in third.
GC leader Young finished 4th at 51 seconds, alongside Wales Racing Academy’s Huw Buck Jones.
Young’s brave efforts to close the gap to the leaders were in vein, as Peckover claimed enough time to claim the overall win; a superb follow-up to his Capernwray road race win last weekend. Young – the best-placed under-23 – finished second overall just 11 second back, with his teammate Warhurst in third at 12 seconds.
Matthew Cole was the best of the juniors with an impressive 9th overall.
Barnes, meanwhile, he had been second overall before the stage start, rolled in in 16th, a full 4 minutes and 15 seconds behind stage winner Clayton, demonstrating just how fragmented the race was. He ended the race 12th overall.
Peden may not have been successful in regaining his race crown from last season, but he still ended the race with a jersey, winning the KOM competition.
Men’s race results.
Women’s race
Stage 3
The final stage of the women’s race followed the men’s time trial up Holme Moss, featuring 12 laps of the Hade Edge circuit.
Overnight general classification leader Tammy Miller (Hutchinson-Brother UK) began the stage with the luxury of a 43 second lead over second-placed Connie Hayes (AWOL O’Shea), with Zoe Langham, Bexy Dew (both Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee), Frances Owen (Wahoo – Le Col) the other riders in the top five, with none having much more than a minute’s deficit to Miller. With strong winds blowing across the exposed circuit, all was still to play for.
The pace of the peloton remained steady for the opening few laps with no signs of anyone wanting to make the first move. Stage 2 winner Lucy Lee (DAS-Handsling) almost ended her race early on lap 2, missing her breaking point and running straight on at one of the major turns, but she quickly rejoined the rear of the peloton.
Lucy Harris (AWOL O’Shea) – 6th on GC – and Lizi Brooke (Wahoo – Le Col) were the first riders to try and force a break. With Lucy Lee in hot pursuit, Katie Archibald (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team) chose to chase the trio down. By lap 6 it was all back together, albeit with a reduced bunch.
The lead group stayed intact for the remaining laps, taking the bell together. A bunch sprint was on the cards, or so it seemed. Langham had other ideas, however, and attacked at the bottom of last ascent to the finish line, taking a small advantage over the top. With the tailwind nullifying aiding her escape of the chasing bunch, she was able to hold onto her advantage all the way to the finish line.
Two bike lengths behind, the remainder of the peloton was lead in by Lee closely followed by race leader Miller. The result confirmed Miller was the overall winner of the second women’s Peaks 2 Day race, an impressive start in the colours of her her new team, Hutchinson-Brother UK.
Hayes lost 13 seconds to Langham as the lead group split in the final run-in to the line, allowing Langham to leapfrog Hayes in the general classification. Hayes remained the leading under-23 rider however. Meanwhile, Sammie Stuart mopped up enough points to seal the QOM competition win.
Women’s race results.
Men’s race results
Stage 2
Stage 3
General classification
King of the mountains
Women’s race results
Stage 3
General classification
Queen of the mountains
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