Eluned King clinched the Women’s CiCLE Classic crown for Lifeplus Wahoo as she improved from her previous best of third in 2022 to prevail in a close sprint in the opening round of the National Road Series.
Featured Image:Olly Hassell/SWPix
Report
More than 12 hours of rain overnight and into the morning submerged what was already a deluged course and added an extra challenge to what is already a tough opener to the National Road Series.
With good chunks of the route – including the already challenging Somerberg – under lake-like puddles, 119 riders took to the start with a good sense of excitement of what they might encounter.
Churned up already by the Junior CiCLE Classic race in the morning – won by HUUB BCC RT’s Ahron Dick – the women’s encounter resembled an extra long winter cyclocross event rather than a Spring road race, with one off-road sector having to be removed because of the conditions. The rain abated by the start, and bikes became the preference over canoes but that didn’t make any of the sectors any less of a slog.
Straight from the gun, two riders chanced their arms to see what sort of response they’d get from the pack behind. Sian Marsh (Team Boompods) and Katy Hill (London Academy) were the two to break clear and built up an advantage of almost 30 seconds coming through Owston.
By the second of the loops around the Somerberg and into Owston, however, Marsh was left on her own after a crash for Hill. Marsh didn’t let the pace slacken as she extended her lead to 70 seconds.
Seemingly imperious out front, it was up to an increasingly muddy chase group behind to try and blunt Marsh’s advantage with Sophie Thackray leading a chain of fellow DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK riders. And then lap later it was Nicole Frain (Hess Cycling Team) trying to marshal the pursuit.
Frain’s efforts seemed to be key. Marsh’s advantage was getting nibbled down and come the third passage of Owston – flying down the Manorberg sector – she’d been absorbed into a lead group of about 16 riders, with another dozen split off the back about 10 seconds further back.
She was still fighting though, and with the two groups merging to create a leading group of 26, it wasn’t clear who was actually going to come out on top, with plenty of strength in numbers from a number of squads – including DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK, Hess, Alba Development Road Team, and Marsh’s Team Boompods.
Eilidh Shaw (Alba Development Race Team) was the pacesetter through Owston for the fourth time as she picked up the Heart of Owston sprint prize, but leaders were rotating throughout as the pack looked to thin its numbers.
With the pressure building, the group was never going to last in any decent numbers and heading into Melton Mowbray to take the sprint for the ‘world’s biggest pork pie’, the group split again into a leading bunch of 12 and a chase of eight – the former headed up by Lifeplus Wahoo’s Eluned King – while defending race winner Jessica Finney (Doltcini-O’Shea) found herself on the other side of the divide.
The final 18km loop back into the finish didn’t see too much change, with no one wanting to really burn their matches and risk not making it through to the line. That meant, come the long run to the finish, it was still all to play. Launching her attack marginally earlier than the rest allowed King to pull a couple of bike lengths clear and gave her the opportunity to raise her hands in the air – a much celebrated win after finishing third in 2022 for Team Breeze.
King said after the race, her attack on the first lap into Melton Mowbray had been a tester to see what she’d need to do – and how much space she’d have – come the finish.
A close second was Eilidh Shaw while Alice McWilliam rounded out the podium for Hess Cycling Team – the squad lifting the team of the day prize on its debut in the National Road Series.
Capping a great day for King, she also secured the Best Young Rider category and the Queen of the Bergs competition in what was a mud bath of a race.
The next round of the National Road Series is the East Cleveland Classic on 14 April, which is also the opening round for the Open category.
Eluned King clinched the Women’s CiCLE Classic crown for Lifeplus Wahoo as she improved from her previous best of third in 2022 to prevail in a close sprint in the opening round of the National Road Series.
Featured Image: Olly Hassell/SWPix
Report
More than 12 hours of rain overnight and into the morning submerged what was already a deluged course and added an extra challenge to what is already a tough opener to the National Road Series.
With good chunks of the route – including the already challenging Somerberg – under lake-like puddles, 119 riders took to the start with a good sense of excitement of what they might encounter.
Churned up already by the Junior CiCLE Classic race in the morning – won by HUUB BCC RT’s Ahron Dick – the women’s encounter resembled an extra long winter cyclocross event rather than a Spring road race, with one off-road sector having to be removed because of the conditions. The rain abated by the start, and bikes became the preference over canoes but that didn’t make any of the sectors any less of a slog.
Straight from the gun, two riders chanced their arms to see what sort of response they’d get from the pack behind. Sian Marsh (Team Boompods) and Katy Hill (London Academy) were the two to break clear and built up an advantage of almost 30 seconds coming through Owston.
By the second of the loops around the Somerberg and into Owston, however, Marsh was left on her own after a crash for Hill. Marsh didn’t let the pace slacken as she extended her lead to 70 seconds.
Seemingly imperious out front, it was up to an increasingly muddy chase group behind to try and blunt Marsh’s advantage with Sophie Thackray leading a chain of fellow DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK riders. And then lap later it was Nicole Frain (Hess Cycling Team) trying to marshal the pursuit.
Frain’s efforts seemed to be key. Marsh’s advantage was getting nibbled down and come the third passage of Owston – flying down the Manorberg sector – she’d been absorbed into a lead group of about 16 riders, with another dozen split off the back about 10 seconds further back.
She was still fighting though, and with the two groups merging to create a leading group of 26, it wasn’t clear who was actually going to come out on top, with plenty of strength in numbers from a number of squads – including DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK, Hess, Alba Development Road Team, and Marsh’s Team Boompods.
Eilidh Shaw (Alba Development Race Team) was the pacesetter through Owston for the fourth time as she picked up the Heart of Owston sprint prize, but leaders were rotating throughout as the pack looked to thin its numbers.
With the pressure building, the group was never going to last in any decent numbers and heading into Melton Mowbray to take the sprint for the ‘world’s biggest pork pie’, the group split again into a leading bunch of 12 and a chase of eight – the former headed up by Lifeplus Wahoo’s Eluned King – while defending race winner Jessica Finney (Doltcini-O’Shea) found herself on the other side of the divide.
The final 18km loop back into the finish didn’t see too much change, with no one wanting to really burn their matches and risk not making it through to the line. That meant, come the long run to the finish, it was still all to play. Launching her attack marginally earlier than the rest allowed King to pull a couple of bike lengths clear and gave her the opportunity to raise her hands in the air – a much celebrated win after finishing third in 2022 for Team Breeze.
King said after the race, her attack on the first lap into Melton Mowbray had been a tester to see what she’d need to do – and how much space she’d have – come the finish.
A close second was Eilidh Shaw while Alice McWilliam rounded out the podium for Hess Cycling Team – the squad lifting the team of the day prize on its debut in the National Road Series.
Capping a great day for King, she also secured the Best Young Rider category and the Queen of the Bergs competition in what was a mud bath of a race.
The next round of the National Road Series is the East Cleveland Classic on 14 April, which is also the opening round for the Open category.
Result
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