2024 RCR FatCreations road race: report and results
Rowan Baker (Saint Piran) and Caitlin Dimbleby (FTP-Fulfil the Potential-Racing were the victors at the third edition of the RCR FatCreations road race
Rowan Baker (Saint Piran) won the third edition of the Open RCR FatCreations road race (National B) on a mild spring day in Goodwood. In the women’s race, round one of the British Team Cup, Caitlin Dimbleby (FTP-Fulfil the Potential- Racing) sprinted to victory from a select group.
Featured image: Ian Wrightson/The British Continental
Report
Open race
The men’s race opened the day’s proceedings, greeted by mild conditions and sunny spells. Taking on seven laps of the Goodwood course used for the world championships in 1982, the early laps were marked by hard, attritional racing, which had the effect of thinning out the bunch without any break yet being established.
With the pressure building, the race had exploded by lap three, the race now defined by two large groups separated by around 45 seconds. This gap grew, with the lead group of around 15-20 riders expanding its advantage to nearly a minute and a half by the next lap. Richardsons Trek DAS, Saint Piran, Taap Kalas, RideRevolution, Stolen Goat RT and Thriva-SRCT were among the teams represented in the lead group at this stage, along with individual riders such as Mattie Dodd (Tirol KTM Cycling Team), Tom Couzens (Ribble Rebellion) and Jamie Whitcher (BmthCycleworks VitecFire FordCE) also in the mix.
As they crossed the line with two laps remaining, four riders had punched clear: Whitcher, Conor McGoldrick (Richardsons Trek DAS), Rowan Baker (Saint Piran) and Ollie Hurdle (Stolen Goat RT) had an advantage of 30 seconds over what remained of the previous leaders.
With teammates in the chase group, Baker played the ‘team orders’ card, leaving McGoldrick and Whitcher to do the work. A tiring Hurdle, recently graduated as a doctor, lost contact with quartet on the main climb to the line, so as they took the bell, McGoldrick, Whitcher, and especially Baker, were left in the hot seat for the win.
Baker’s tactics paid off. On the final ascent. McGoldrick pushed the pace to drop Whitcher, but Baker emerged strongest, going in the final metres to cross the line with several seconds to spare. McGoldrick claimed second, with 19-year-old Whitcher third.
“I managed to get off the front with three others and we had a small gap of around 20-30s or so,” Baker told The British Continental about the establishment of the winning break.
“So I sat up and said I was waiting for a teammate to come across, as that’s what we normally try and do. Credit to the other riders in the break who pressed on to get the gap out. I just waited in the wheels until the final kick of the climb on the final lap to go. And by being able to sit in meant I was pretty fresh. So great teamwork by the team all round – and good to see Sam and Dylan picking up the next best spots post our breakaway.”
Baker races the Stars of the South West next weekend, the first round of the Open U23 National Road Series, before heading to France for the Tour du Loir-et-Cher.
Women’s race
Temperatures were rising as the women’s race began on what felt like the hottest day of the year so far.
The pace was high from the off, Loughborough Lightning one of the teams apparently keen to push. The peloton completed a blisteringly fast 25 minute opening lap on the relentless course. The result was riders going out the back from the very first lap. By the second lap, the bunch had splintered, a group of 15 riders now 30 seconds ahead of a larger second group.
Lucy Harris (Loughborough Lightning) attacked on the climb up to the line on the second lap and this whittled down the front group further, leaving nine leaders: Katy Hill (London Academy), Lucy Lee (DAS-Huthinson-Brother UK), Bexy Dew (Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Consulting), Caitlin Dimbleby (FTP-Fulfil the Potential- Racing), Elizabeth Hermolle (Team Boompods), Harris and her Lightning teammate Anya Tamplin and Molly Patch (Phoenix Collective) and Lucy Gadd (Le Col RT). Behind, the race was in pieces.
With the leaders collaborating well, they carved out a comfortable advantage over the fragmented race behind. It soon became clear that it would be from this select front group that the winner would emerge. Attacks flew in the final laps but nothing would stick.
On the final lap, Tamplin drifted off the front and had a sizeable gap as they hit the base of the finishing climb, but Dimbleby attacked to close the gap, taking five riders with her. She then put in a blistering attack on the steepest section of the climb, holding on to edge Hermolle in a closely contested sprint to the line.
“It was all pretty much together into the climb,” Dimbleby told The British Continental after the race about the race finale. “And then Anya from Loughborough just drifted off the from and we all kind of let it go.
“No-one was really closing it. I think Lucy Gadd began to close it. We all went past her and I kind of attacked there but it was still quite far out. There were about five of us at that point. I attacked again, pretty early, just before the right turn as it kicks up to the finish and I was just praying that I could hold on to the end!”
Rowan Baker (Saint Piran) won the third edition of the Open RCR FatCreations road race (National B) on a mild spring day in Goodwood. In the women’s race, round one of the British Team Cup, Caitlin Dimbleby (FTP-Fulfil the Potential- Racing) sprinted to victory from a select group.
Featured image: Ian Wrightson/The British Continental
Report
Open race
The men’s race opened the day’s proceedings, greeted by mild conditions and sunny spells. Taking on seven laps of the Goodwood course used for the world championships in 1982, the early laps were marked by hard, attritional racing, which had the effect of thinning out the bunch without any break yet being established.
With the pressure building, the race had exploded by lap three, the race now defined by two large groups separated by around 45 seconds. This gap grew, with the lead group of around 15-20 riders expanding its advantage to nearly a minute and a half by the next lap. Richardsons Trek DAS, Saint Piran, Taap Kalas, RideRevolution, Stolen Goat RT and Thriva-SRCT were among the teams represented in the lead group at this stage, along with individual riders such as Mattie Dodd (Tirol KTM Cycling Team), Tom Couzens (Ribble Rebellion) and Jamie Whitcher (BmthCycleworks VitecFire FordCE) also in the mix.
As they crossed the line with two laps remaining, four riders had punched clear: Whitcher, Conor McGoldrick (Richardsons Trek DAS), Rowan Baker (Saint Piran) and Ollie Hurdle (Stolen Goat RT) had an advantage of 30 seconds over what remained of the previous leaders.
With teammates in the chase group, Baker played the ‘team orders’ card, leaving McGoldrick and Whitcher to do the work. A tiring Hurdle, recently graduated as a doctor, lost contact with quartet on the main climb to the line, so as they took the bell, McGoldrick, Whitcher, and especially Baker, were left in the hot seat for the win.
Baker’s tactics paid off. On the final ascent. McGoldrick pushed the pace to drop Whitcher, but Baker emerged strongest, going in the final metres to cross the line with several seconds to spare. McGoldrick claimed second, with 19-year-old Whitcher third.
“I managed to get off the front with three others and we had a small gap of around 20-30s or so,” Baker told The British Continental about the establishment of the winning break.
“So I sat up and said I was waiting for a teammate to come across, as that’s what we normally try and do. Credit to the other riders in the break who pressed on to get the gap out. I just waited in the wheels until the final kick of the climb on the final lap to go. And by being able to sit in meant I was pretty fresh. So great teamwork by the team all round – and good to see Sam and Dylan picking up the next best spots post our breakaway.”
Baker races the Stars of the South West next weekend, the first round of the Open U23 National Road Series, before heading to France for the Tour du Loir-et-Cher.
Women’s race
Temperatures were rising as the women’s race began on what felt like the hottest day of the year so far.
The pace was high from the off, Loughborough Lightning one of the teams apparently keen to push. The peloton completed a blisteringly fast 25 minute opening lap on the relentless course. The result was riders going out the back from the very first lap. By the second lap, the bunch had splintered, a group of 15 riders now 30 seconds ahead of a larger second group.
Lucy Harris (Loughborough Lightning) attacked on the climb up to the line on the second lap and this whittled down the front group further, leaving nine leaders: Katy Hill (London Academy), Lucy Lee (DAS-Huthinson-Brother UK), Bexy Dew (Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Consulting), Caitlin Dimbleby (FTP-Fulfil the Potential- Racing), Elizabeth Hermolle (Team Boompods), Harris and her Lightning teammate Anya Tamplin and Molly Patch (Phoenix Collective) and Lucy Gadd (Le Col RT). Behind, the race was in pieces.
With the leaders collaborating well, they carved out a comfortable advantage over the fragmented race behind. It soon became clear that it would be from this select front group that the winner would emerge. Attacks flew in the final laps but nothing would stick.
On the final lap, Tamplin drifted off the front and had a sizeable gap as they hit the base of the finishing climb, but Dimbleby attacked to close the gap, taking five riders with her. She then put in a blistering attack on the steepest section of the climb, holding on to edge Hermolle in a closely contested sprint to the line.
“It was all pretty much together into the climb,” Dimbleby told The British Continental after the race about the race finale. “And then Anya from Loughborough just drifted off the from and we all kind of let it go.
“No-one was really closing it. I think Lucy Gadd began to close it. We all went past her and I kind of attacked there but it was still quite far out. There were about five of us at that point. I attacked again, pretty early, just before the right turn as it kicks up to the finish and I was just praying that I could hold on to the end!”
Results
Open race
Women’s race
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