Ruth Shier (Hutchinson-Brother UK) took a mercurial win at the Dave Peck Memorial road race on Sunday 23 April – the opening round of the British Women’s Team Cup – finishing minutes clear of a much-reduced bunch.
The bunch stayed together on the early laps of the Valley End and Staple Hill circuits, Hutchinson-Brother UK keen to keep the pace high to whittle the bunch down in the testing conditions.
LDN-Academy’s Jess Prior was one of the few riders to temporarily break clear, although her escape was ended prematurely as she overcooked a roundabout.
There were a number of crashes in the wet conditions, with Becky Hair (LAKA Pedal Mafia RT) and Georgina Oakley (Tactic UK WRT) being two of the riders affected.
As the laps progressed, the bunch fractured with the rain, a tailwind on the Staple Hill climb, and the high pace.
Hutchinson-Brother UK’s Ruth Shier took her opportunity, launching a solo move off the front of the bunch. She quickly etched out a good lead. It ballooned, in fact. The combination of her concerted effort and the lack of a coherent chase behind meant that her lead stretched out to minutes.
By the time Shier crossed the line for a superlative solo win, her lead was almost six minutes. Behind Shier, a group of around 25 riders approached the bottom of the Staple Hill for the final time. Shier’s teammate Lydia Watts lead out the sprint from a long way out and held her lead to the line, securing a 1-2 for Hutchinson-Brother UK.
Le Col RT’s Emily Proud rounded out the podium, with junior Awen Roberts (Liv Cycling Club – Halo Films) finishing a fine fourth.
Ruth Shier (Hutchinson-Brother UK) took a mercurial win at the Dave Peck Memorial road race on Sunday 23 April – the opening round of the British Women’s Team Cup – finishing minutes clear of a much-reduced bunch.
Featured image: Calum Brookes
Report
The Twickenham CC Dave Peck Memorial road race was a rain-sodden affair, a wet course making for a tough day out.
The bunch stayed together on the early laps of the Valley End and Staple Hill circuits, Hutchinson-Brother UK keen to keep the pace high to whittle the bunch down in the testing conditions.
LDN-Academy’s Jess Prior was one of the few riders to temporarily break clear, although her escape was ended prematurely as she overcooked a roundabout.
There were a number of crashes in the wet conditions, with Becky Hair (LAKA Pedal Mafia RT) and Georgina Oakley (Tactic UK WRT) being two of the riders affected.
As the laps progressed, the bunch fractured with the rain, a tailwind on the Staple Hill climb, and the high pace.
Hutchinson-Brother UK’s Ruth Shier took her opportunity, launching a solo move off the front of the bunch. She quickly etched out a good lead. It ballooned, in fact. The combination of her concerted effort and the lack of a coherent chase behind meant that her lead stretched out to minutes.
By the time Shier crossed the line for a superlative solo win, her lead was almost six minutes. Behind Shier, a group of around 25 riders approached the bottom of the Staple Hill for the final time. Shier’s teammate Lydia Watts lead out the sprint from a long way out and held her lead to the line, securing a 1-2 for Hutchinson-Brother UK.
Le Col RT’s Emily Proud rounded out the podium, with junior Awen Roberts (Liv Cycling Club – Halo Films) finishing a fine fourth.
Results
Standings
To follow once available.
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