18-year-old junior Georgia Lancaster (Brother UK-Orientation Marketing) took the biggest win of her short career as she triumphed in a bunch sprint at the Solihull CC Women’s British Team Cup Road Race, round 4 of the British Team Cup.
Round 4 of the British Team Cup, saw riders take on 100km on an undulating circuit in wet conditions.
The race was cagey. While there were several attacks off the front, they were brought back fairly rapidly. The aggression did result in splits in the field, however, with eventual race winner Georgia Lancaster (Brother UK-Orientation Marketing) one of the riders to get caught out.
“From the start I could tell I had heavy legs and I ended up dropping the bunch on lap two or three,” Lancaster told us after the race. “Someone went off the front around one of the corners and I was just too far back so ended up having to fight back on by myself.”
Despite the splits, however, still no break could establish itself. At this stage, Lancaster, a handy sprinter, remained unsure she could even complete the race, let alone be a contender.
“I was sure at that point that I wasn’t going to make it to the finish but I re-fuelled and started to think about the places where I was struggling the most and how I could utilise my positioning, ride smarter,” she said.
“It’s one of the things our team manager Mark [Botteley] always tells us about and is probably the biggest lesson I’ve learnt since being with the team. I pushed myself forwards to give me the best shot at staying on and just gritted my teeth.”
By the final lap, it was becoming apparent that a bunch sprint would ensue. Lancaster, still in touch, now began to reframe her outlook.
“There were a few attacks throughout rest of the race, I just made sure I stayed in touch,” she recalled. “I got towards the end of last lap and thought, I’ve done what I set out to do, now let’s see what I have left.”
“One of my stronger points at the minute is my sprint but I’ve been struggling recently with my positioning and timing. I had a teammate on my wheel so I knew if I went and didn’t have it, it would be a good lead out for her. I pushed up to the front and sat behind some wheels that I knew were going to be fast.
“As it all started to kick I ended up on Frankie [Hall’s] wheel, I knew she’s a strong rider so I just stayed on it. A gap opened up quite early but it just felt right so I took it and didn’t stop driving. I was sure someone would come around me but I kept on getting closer and no one was there. I couldn’t believe it over the line.”
A surprise win, then for the junior, her first ever National B road race win. A first Nat B road race win of the season for her team too. Hall crossed the line in second, with Lucy Lee (DAS-Handsling) pipping Penny Colloff (LAKA-Pedal Mafia) for the final podium spot.
The win caps a rapid rise for the 18-year-old, who only rode her first road race last year.
“I’d have never thought then I’d be on this amazing team getting results like this only a year later,” she said. “A massive thanks to Mark Botteley and Simon Howes for taking a chance on me. They’ve opened up so many opportunities for me which have helped me learn and experience so much.
“Today’s race was a massive surprise for me. I was racing yesterday at the Wales junior national. As a team we had a really good race with some strong results but it meant I left my house this morning knowing that today would be tough. Before the race, both me my Dad said I’d give it my all but a peloton finish would ultimately be a positive.”
The result may have been a surprise for everyone, but with Lancaster beating experienced and fast-finishing riders like Hall and Lee, her victory indicates Lancaster’s name could become a regular feature at the top of the results sheets in races to come.
18-year-old junior Georgia Lancaster (Brother UK-Orientation Marketing) took the biggest win of her short career as she triumphed in a bunch sprint at the Solihull CC Women’s British Team Cup Road Race, round 4 of the British Team Cup.
Featured image: Huw Williams
Summary
Round 4 of the British Team Cup, saw riders take on 100km on an undulating circuit in wet conditions.
The race was cagey. While there were several attacks off the front, they were brought back fairly rapidly. The aggression did result in splits in the field, however, with eventual race winner Georgia Lancaster (Brother UK-Orientation Marketing) one of the riders to get caught out.
“From the start I could tell I had heavy legs and I ended up dropping the bunch on lap two or three,” Lancaster told us after the race. “Someone went off the front around one of the corners and I was just too far back so ended up having to fight back on by myself.”
Despite the splits, however, still no break could establish itself. At this stage, Lancaster, a handy sprinter, remained unsure she could even complete the race, let alone be a contender.
“I was sure at that point that I wasn’t going to make it to the finish but I re-fuelled and started to think about the places where I was struggling the most and how I could utilise my positioning, ride smarter,” she said.
“It’s one of the things our team manager Mark [Botteley] always tells us about and is probably the biggest lesson I’ve learnt since being with the team. I pushed myself forwards to give me the best shot at staying on and just gritted my teeth.”
By the final lap, it was becoming apparent that a bunch sprint would ensue. Lancaster, still in touch, now began to reframe her outlook.
“There were a few attacks throughout rest of the race, I just made sure I stayed in touch,” she recalled. “I got towards the end of last lap and thought, I’ve done what I set out to do, now let’s see what I have left.”
“One of my stronger points at the minute is my sprint but I’ve been struggling recently with my positioning and timing. I had a teammate on my wheel so I knew if I went and didn’t have it, it would be a good lead out for her. I pushed up to the front and sat behind some wheels that I knew were going to be fast.
“As it all started to kick I ended up on Frankie [Hall’s] wheel, I knew she’s a strong rider so I just stayed on it. A gap opened up quite early but it just felt right so I took it and didn’t stop driving. I was sure someone would come around me but I kept on getting closer and no one was there. I couldn’t believe it over the line.”
A surprise win, then for the junior, her first ever National B road race win. A first Nat B road race win of the season for her team too. Hall crossed the line in second, with Lucy Lee (DAS-Handsling) pipping Penny Colloff (LAKA-Pedal Mafia) for the final podium spot.
The win caps a rapid rise for the 18-year-old, who only rode her first road race last year.
“I’d have never thought then I’d be on this amazing team getting results like this only a year later,” she said. “A massive thanks to Mark Botteley and Simon Howes for taking a chance on me. They’ve opened up so many opportunities for me which have helped me learn and experience so much.
“Today’s race was a massive surprise for me. I was racing yesterday at the Wales junior national. As a team we had a really good race with some strong results but it meant I left my house this morning knowing that today would be tough. Before the race, both me my Dad said I’d give it my all but a peloton finish would ultimately be a positive.”
The result may have been a surprise for everyone, but with Lancaster beating experienced and fast-finishing riders like Hall and Lee, her victory indicates Lancaster’s name could become a regular feature at the top of the results sheets in races to come.
Results
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