Lucy Harris (Loughborough Lightning) went solo early on to take a comprehensive victory at the Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy, while Toby Barnes attacked from the break to win the Elite Open race for Spectra Racing.
Lucy Harris pulled off a thrilling solo victory to ensure Loughborough Lightning took a home victory as she won the Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy at the Loughborough Cycling Festival.
In the Elite Open race, Toby Barnes attacked his fellow breakaway members on the final lap to take an imperious victory for Spectra Racing.
Pre-race wind and threatening rain clouds broke into blue skies, sunshine and increasing warmth that added extra challenges to what was a hard-fought Women’s Race around the roads of Loughborough University’s campus.
From the off, it was clear Loughborough Lightning were looking to put the race firmly in their grasp with Harris breaking clear alongside Spectra Racing’s Samantha Fawcett and building a slim margin of three seconds over a chasing group headed by Bexy Dew (Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting).
Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting heads the chasing group at the Loughborough Cycling Festival (Credit: Joe Hudson)
Such was the power Harris was putting down, only a lap later she was off the front alone and with a growing margin over a 12-rider group that had taken up the mantle as lead chasers – including Fawcett, Dew and Harris’ team-mate Jenny Holl, who was acting as a lieutenant for the leader.
As the race wound on, anyone watching would be asking the obvious question as to whether Harris could hold on to her lead – she admitted to The British Continental after the race that she was suffering in the early stages having put in such a big initial effort.
With 12 behind, it seemed as though it was a matter of time before Harris – despite her effort – would be absorbed back in to the group. But that didn’t happen. At the halfway mark of the 60-minute race, her lead extended out to 55 seconds and was only increasing from there.
Benefitting from a course that suited her to a tee – “I love a hill, and I love a corner, and this course is only hills and corners.” – she kept on pushing and by the time she heard the bell there was more than a 100 seconds, almost a full lap, between her and the chasing group.
In the battle for the runner-up spot, Holl kicked clear on the bell lap to ensure a Lightning one-two while Mari Porton ensured Tofauti Everyone Active would get some reward for having so many riders marshalling the chase by snatching the last place on the podium with a hard-fought sprint to the line – just pipping Fawcett.
(Left to Right) Jenny Holl, Lucy Harris, and Mari Porton (Credit: Joe Hudson)
Open Race
Heavy rain in the Youth A Open race just before the Elite Open race caused all manner of issues that needed to be dealt with, meaning 15 minutes were trimmed off the 60-minute duration of the race to ensure everyone who’d been working since 8.30 in the morning could get away at a reasonable hour.
That shortened length possibly explained the ferocity at which the field attacked from the very first lap, with a quick pace stringing out the field tackling a course that had pretty much dried out from the rain an hour before – bar a couple of puddles.
That explained why it was hard for anyone to particularly break the elastic early on, with Spectra’s Toby & Dan Barnes, Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli’s Joseph Smith and Joseph Beckingsale (Thriva-SRCT) – amongst others – all taking turns on the front and blowing riders out the back.
Mitchell, Lord & Barnes launch their decisive attack (Credit: Joe Hudson)
It was the same routine until just before the halfway point as Thomas Mitchell (Dolan Ellesse Race Team), Matthew Lord (Richardsons Trek DAS), and Toby Barnes found themselves out front – elastic snapped – and quickly opening a sizeable gap on a chasing pack that seemed caught by surprise and powerless to respond.
The trio quickly stretched their advantage out to more than 30 seconds and imbued in themselves the knowledge that victory was going to go to one of the them three.
Into the final five laps, it was notable that it was Lord that was leading the way through the finish line each time but those repeated turns on the front didn’t do him any favours. Come the bell lap, it was still all to play for but by the time the trio rounded the final left-hand bend it was Barnes who had struck out on his own to take a sensational solo win.
Two seconds behind came Lord, with Mitchell a further three seconds further back – the pair unable to deny Barnes a third victory at Loughborough.
Last year’s winner Callum Laborde (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) prevailed in the sprint for the first of the non-podium positions, pipping Thriva-SRCT pair Joseph Beckingsale & Joshua Price.
Toby Barnes takes his third win at the Loughborough Cycling Festival (Credit: Joe Hudson)
Lucy Harris pulled off a thrilling solo victory to ensure Loughborough Lightning took a home victory as she won the Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy at the Loughborough Cycling Festival.
In the Elite Open race, Toby Barnes attacked his fellow breakaway members on the final lap to take an imperious victory for Spectra Racing.
Featured Image: Joe Hudson
Reports
Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy
Pre-race wind and threatening rain clouds broke into blue skies, sunshine and increasing warmth that added extra challenges to what was a hard-fought Women’s Race around the roads of Loughborough University’s campus.
From the off, it was clear Loughborough Lightning were looking to put the race firmly in their grasp with Harris breaking clear alongside Spectra Racing’s Samantha Fawcett and building a slim margin of three seconds over a chasing group headed by Bexy Dew (Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting).
Such was the power Harris was putting down, only a lap later she was off the front alone and with a growing margin over a 12-rider group that had taken up the mantle as lead chasers – including Fawcett, Dew and Harris’ team-mate Jenny Holl, who was acting as a lieutenant for the leader.
As the race wound on, anyone watching would be asking the obvious question as to whether Harris could hold on to her lead – she admitted to The British Continental after the race that she was suffering in the early stages having put in such a big initial effort.
With 12 behind, it seemed as though it was a matter of time before Harris – despite her effort – would be absorbed back in to the group. But that didn’t happen. At the halfway mark of the 60-minute race, her lead extended out to 55 seconds and was only increasing from there.
Benefitting from a course that suited her to a tee – “I love a hill, and I love a corner, and this course is only hills and corners.” – she kept on pushing and by the time she heard the bell there was more than a 100 seconds, almost a full lap, between her and the chasing group.
In the battle for the runner-up spot, Holl kicked clear on the bell lap to ensure a Lightning one-two while Mari Porton ensured Tofauti Everyone Active would get some reward for having so many riders marshalling the chase by snatching the last place on the podium with a hard-fought sprint to the line – just pipping Fawcett.
Open Race
Heavy rain in the Youth A Open race just before the Elite Open race caused all manner of issues that needed to be dealt with, meaning 15 minutes were trimmed off the 60-minute duration of the race to ensure everyone who’d been working since 8.30 in the morning could get away at a reasonable hour.
That shortened length possibly explained the ferocity at which the field attacked from the very first lap, with a quick pace stringing out the field tackling a course that had pretty much dried out from the rain an hour before – bar a couple of puddles.
That explained why it was hard for anyone to particularly break the elastic early on, with Spectra’s Toby & Dan Barnes, Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli’s Joseph Smith and Joseph Beckingsale (Thriva-SRCT) – amongst others – all taking turns on the front and blowing riders out the back.
It was the same routine until just before the halfway point as Thomas Mitchell (Dolan Ellesse Race Team), Matthew Lord (Richardsons Trek DAS), and Toby Barnes found themselves out front – elastic snapped – and quickly opening a sizeable gap on a chasing pack that seemed caught by surprise and powerless to respond.
The trio quickly stretched their advantage out to more than 30 seconds and imbued in themselves the knowledge that victory was going to go to one of the them three.
Into the final five laps, it was notable that it was Lord that was leading the way through the finish line each time but those repeated turns on the front didn’t do him any favours. Come the bell lap, it was still all to play for but by the time the trio rounded the final left-hand bend it was Barnes who had struck out on his own to take a sensational solo win.
Two seconds behind came Lord, with Mitchell a further three seconds further back – the pair unable to deny Barnes a third victory at Loughborough.
Last year’s winner Callum Laborde (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) prevailed in the sprint for the first of the non-podium positions, pipping Thriva-SRCT pair Joseph Beckingsale & Joshua Price.
Results
Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy
Open Race
Share this:
Discover more from The British Continental
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.