Anna Henderson of Team Visma – Lease a Bike stormed to victory in the Elite Women’s time trial at the National Road Championships, reclaiming the title she won previously back in 2021 in Lincoln. Meanwhile, Josie Nelson of Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL clinched victory in the U23 Women’s time trial.

In the men’s events, European ITT champion Josh Tarling once again confirmed his outstanding time trialling pedigree, setting a blistering pace to defend his elite national time trial crown, while first-year under-23 Tomos Pattison (Team Visma – Lease a Bike Development) secured the U23 Men’s title in a closely fought contest.

The event, held on a challenging 15km circuit in Catterick, North Yorkshire, saw the riders tackle a series of rolling hills that tested their endurance and time-trialling prowess.

• U23 Women report and results
• Elite Women report and results
• Elite Men report and results
• U23 Men report and results

Reports

U23 Women

The U23 Women’s time trial kicked off the National Road Championships at the Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire, with nine starters competing for the prestigious national jersey.

Facing two laps of a 15km lumpy circuit, Isabella Johnson of Jadan Vive le Velo was the first rider off the virtual start ramp. The race saw Josie Nelson (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) dominate both the split and final times, clocking an impressive 24:01.48 at the halfway mark and finishing with a time of 47:58.97. Her average speed of 37.53 km/h was unmatched, securing her a decisive win.

Defending champion Maddie Leech from Lifeplus Wahoo fought valiantly but had to settle for second place. Leech’s split time of 24:32.27 had her in contention, but she finished the race in 49:52.50, trailing Nelson by 1 minute and 53 seconds.

Flora Perkins of Fenix-Deceuninck rounded out the podium with a solid performance, completing the course in 50:11.48. Despite her strong start with a split time of 25:05.69, Perkins couldn’t close the gap, finishing 2 minutes and 12 seconds behind Nelson. Perkins was third in last year’s event too.

Nelson’s victory marks another significant achievement in her career in a season when she took her first professional win with a stage victory at the Tour de Normandie Féminin.

“It was hard but it was a really good course, I enjoyed it,” Nelson told The British Continental post-race. “I’ve not done much TTing so it’s a really good result for me.”

Nelson executed her pacing strategy perfectly, earning her a time which would have secured her fifth place in the elite women’s race. “My team did a pacing plan for me because obviously with a TT this long you can go quite hard on the first lap and be blown up for the second, but I did a stronger second lap, so I’m happy with that.”

Results

Pos	Bib	Name	Team	15km Split	Time	Gap
1	108	Josie Nelson	Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL	0:24:01.48	47:59.0
2	101	Madelaine Leech	Lifeplus Wahoo	0:24:32.27	49:52.5	+1:53.53
3	102	Flora Perkins	Fenix-Deceuninck	0:25:05.69	50:11.5	+2:12.51
4	105	Ellie Parry	Watersley R & D Road Team	0:24:55.56	50:26.4	+2:27.46
5	113	Niamh Murphy	Doltcini – O’Shea	0:26:12.14	53:12.8	+5:13.84
6	110	Ella Jamieson	Lifeplus Wahoo	0:26:56.28	53:52.1	+5:53.12
7	111	Matilda McKibben	Doltcini – O’Shea	0:27:15.17	54:30.7	+6:31.71
8	114	Isabella Johnson	Jadan Vive le Velo Glasdon	0:28:34.93	57:50.2	+9:51.19
9	112	Lowri Richards	Pro-Noctis – 200º Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting Ltd	0:28:30.65	58:06.8	+10:07.79

Elite Women

This startlist for the elite women’s race was marked by the absence of Lizzie Holden, the defending champion, who did not start, leaving the field open for a new champion to be crowned.

The race saw Lucy Lee (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) set an early benchmark with a finishing time of 50:26.3. Her early pace was not enough to sustain her position at the top, however, and she ultimately finished 8th.

For a while it looked like Claire Steels (Movistar), not known for her time trialling prowess but nonetheless at clearly at home on the punchy course, might be the day’s winner as she set the fastest split time of 23:14.82. No-one seemed able to beat this until 2021 national time trial champion Anna Henderson (Visma Lease-A-Bike) came storming through with an impressive split time of 22:45.90, 29 seconds faster than Steels.

Henderson, who secured a fourth-place finish at the World Championships ITT in 2023, solidified her dominance on the second lap of the circuit to finish in 46:07.0 at an average speed of 39.03 km/h.

Steels continued her commendable performance, clocking a finish time of 46:39.9. Her consistent pace earned her second place, narrowly ahead of Elinor Barker MBE (Uno-X Mobility), who completed the course in 47:08.7.

Reigning national road race champion Pfeiffer Georgi of Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL put in a strong display, finishing fourth with a time of 47:42.0. And in what is her final appearance at the National Road Championships, 2019 national time trial champion Alice Wood (Human Powered Health), who recently announced that she will retire at the end of this season, finished tenth.

“I think I went out a bit hard on the first lap because on the second lap I really really suffered,” Henderson told The British Continental after the race. “I just had to keep going and keep pushing on.”

Success was even sweeter for Henderson given the tough start she’s had to the season, breaking her collarbone twice. “2024 has been a bit up and down, a bit rough at times,” Henderson reflected. “I just want to say thank you to the team, they’ve come all the way over from the Netherlands to support me and the rest of the guys”.

Henderson hopes her first race in her new national time trial jersey will be at the Tour de France Femmes in August. “I’ve always wanted to wear the national stripes at the Tour and this year, hopefully, will be my year,” she said.

Results

Pos	Bib	Name	Team	15km Split	Time
1	206	Anna Henderson	TEAM VISMA – LEASE A BIKE	0:22:45.90	46:07.0
2	217	Claire Steels	Movistar Team	0:23:14.82	46:39.9
3	203	Elinor Barker MBE	Uno-X Mobility	0:23:32.73	47:08.7
4	204	Pfeiffer Georgi	Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL	0:23:44.11	47:42.0
5	205	Elynor Backstedt	Lidl-TREK	0:24:26.02	48:14.5
6	202	Anna Morris	WardPerformanceUK.com	0:23:44.26	48:57.2
7	208	Hayley Simmonds	Doltcini – O’Shea	0:24:24.33	49:27.9
8	222	Lucy Lee	DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK	0:25:12.48	50:26.3
9	214	Dame Sarah Storey	Storey Racing	0:25:10.86	50:36.5
10	209	Alice Wood	Human Powered Health	0:24:58.98	50:42.7
11	212	Tamsin Miller	DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK	0:25:25.05	51:03.0
12	221	Alex Morrice	CANYON // SRAM Racing Team	0:25:29.12	51:08.0
13	225	Dannielle Watkinson	Jadan Vive le Velo Glasdon		51:30.0
14	211	Monica Greenwood	Team Coop Repsol	0:25:34.29	51:41.3
15	215	April Tacey	Team Coop Repsol	0:25:41.89	51:49.5
16	230	Rachel Brown	Brother UK – On Form		52:13.0
17	213	Miriam Jessett	Loughborough Lightning	0:25:43.10	52:24.3
18	220	Lucy Harris	Loughborough Lightning	0:26:15.85	53:02.2
19	229	Victoria Smith	Alba Development Road Team		54:19.2
20	223	Laura Pittard	FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing	0:27:00.99	54:50.1
21	227	Anna Weaver	Team Kirkley Cycles		54:56.1

Elite Men

Defending champion Joshua Tarling of Ineos Grenadiers set a blistering pace early on, clocking the fastest split time of 19:21.42, demonstrating from the outset why the European time trial was the outstanding favourite once again. His time was almost a minute ahead of his closest challenger, Samuel Watson of Groupama – FDJ, who posted a time of 20:15.30.

With Tarling seemingly set for another time trial title, a fierce battle for was developing for the remaining podium places, with four riders clocking split times within ten seconds of Watson’s mark. Hot on his heels was Ethan Hayter, also from Ineos Grenadiers, with a near-identical split of 20:15.62.

Astana Qazaqstan Development Team’s Max Walker secured the fourth-fastest split with 20:17.98, followed closely by another Ineos Grenadiers rider, Connor Swift, at 20:19.55. Ethan Vernon of Israel – Premier Tech completed the top six with a split time of 20:23.00, maintaining a competitive pace.

As the race progressed, Tarling’s dominance only became more apparent. He not only maintained his fearsome pace but also caught and passed his two-minute man, Charlie Tanfield (Saint Piran), a feat that underscored his exceptional performance. Tarling ultimately crossed the finish line with a winning time of 39:21.5, averaging a remarkable speed of 45.74 km/h, solidifying his status as the national champion.

Walker secured a surprise silver medal with a final time of 40:35.4, the Manxman securing one of his finest results yet, only ceding 18 seconds to Tarling on lap two.

The battle for the final podium spot was intensely contested, with Vernon of Israel – Premier Tech emerging victorious. Vernon clocked a final time of 40:45.7, edging out early contender Watson, who finished fourth with a time of 40:58.3 and an average speed of 43.94 km/h.

Connor Swift of Ineos Grenadiers finished in fifth place with a time of 41:09.4, followed by Oliver Knight of Cofidis, who clocked 41:19.5. Hayter, who had been in contention for a podium spot at the halfway mark, slipped to seventh, finishing with a time of 41:34.4.

“It was hard,” Tarling told The British Continental after he’d won. “It was a lot longer than last year, not in k but just in effort, it was a lot grippier. There wasn’t a lot of recovery because even the descent, it was messy, so you’re still concentrating. It was, like, being switched on for 40 minutes.”

What does the immediate future hold for Tarling? “Hopefully the Olympics,” he said, “and we’ll see from there. Maybe worlds, maybe the Vuelta I’d like to do. I know there’s a prologue in that, but it’s a bit of a grim one, so we’ll see!”

Results

Pos	Bib	Name	Team	15km Split	Time
1	301	Joshua Tarling	Ineos Grenadiers	0:19:21.42	39:21.5
2	312	Max Walker	Astana Qazaqstan Development Team	0:20:17.98	40:35.4
3	304	Ethan Vernon	Israel – Premier Tech	0:20:23.00	40:45.7
4	308	Samuel Watson	GROUPAMA – FDJ	0:20:15.30	40:58.3
5	305	Connor Swift	Ineos Grenadiers	0:20:19.55	41:09.4
6	319	Oliver Knight	Cofidis	0:20:56.13	41:19.5
7	303	Ethan Hayter	Ineos Grenadiers	0:20:15.62	41:34.4
8	310	Finlay Pickering	Bahrain-Victorious	0:20:49.05	41:36.2
9	302	Charlie Tanfield	Saint Piran	0:20:52.42	42:22.3
10	316	Zeb Kyffin	TDT-UNIBET	0:21:13.04	42:23.6
11	309	Michael Gill	Richardsons Trek DAS	0:21:54.10	43:24.8
12	311	William Perrett	Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling	0:21:56.45	43:58.4
13	320	William Roberts	Saint Piran	0:21:59.32	43:58.8
14	314	Oliver Rees	Sabgal/Anicolor	0:22:13.39	43:59.5
15	317	Toby Tanfield	Club Ciclista Padronés-Equipo-Alumínios Cortizo	0:22:03.50	44:04.2
16	322	Alexander Pritchard	Richardsons Trek DAS	0:22:28.16	44:43.3
17	327	Ben Pease	Moonglu Race Team	0:22:20.00	44:51.2
18	325	Nicholas Trbovic	Elysium Kalas Race Team	0:22:42.74	45:34.3
19	321	Oliver Hucks	TAAP Kalas	0:22:46.08	45:54.0
20	315	Timothy Torrie	trainSharp Orro Elite	0:22:46.29	46:13.2
21	323	William Bjergfelt	Pronto Bikes	0:23:17.56	46:44.0
22	326	Finlay Graham	Para-T	0:23:11.73	46:46.6
23	318	Paul Burton	Paceline RT	0:23:08.76	46:52.8
24	329	Joshua Knowles	TAAP Kalas	0:23:17.49	47:43.7
–	306	John Archibald	HUUB WattShop		Withdrawal

U23 Men

The U23 Men’s time trial was a nail bitingly close contest. At the halfway split, only a slim margin separated the top seven riders, emphasising the highly competitive nature of the event.

First year under-23 Ben Wiggins of Hagens Berman Jayco CT, son of racing legend Bradley, led the charge with a split time of 20:57.35, showcasing his strong form early in the race. Hot on his heels was Jamie Whitcher from BmthCycleworks VitecFire FordCE, trailing by just over four seconds with a time of 21:01.68.

The battle for the podium was intensely close, with Cormac Nisbet of Soudal-Quickstep Devo Team clocking in at 21:07.55, securing the third spot at the halfway point. Following closely were Tomos Pattinson of Team Visma-Lease a Bike Development and Rowan Baker of Saint Piran, separated by a mere second at 21:08.98 and 21:09.41, respectively.

Mattie Dodd from Tirol KTM Cycling Team and Joshua Giddings of Lotto Dstny Development Team rounded out the top eight, with Dodd posting a time of 21:09.57 and Giddings at 21:12.17. Remarkably, just under fifteen seconds spanned the gap between the leader and the eight-placed rider, underlining the razor-thin margins that defined the early stages of this time trial.

Jack Brough (AVC Aix en Provence) and the defending champion Josh Charlton (TRINITY Racing) rounded out the halfway top ten, all within 20 seconds of Wiggins’ benchmark.

Wiggins couldn’t hold on, however, as Pattinson emerged victorious after a powerful final lap to complete the course in stellar final time of 42:06.9, averaging an impressive speed of 42.76 km/h, a result which could have earned him a top ten in the elite race. Pattinson, who was in fifth place at the halfway split with a time of 21:08.98, only stepped up to the under-23 ranks this season and this marks his first win since leaving the juniors.

Wiggins finished strong to secure silver with a final time of 42:16.6, another impressive ride from an under-23 debutant. Golliker maintained his third-place position from the halfway split, finishing with a time of 42:24.2, while another Joshua, Giddings, who was in eighth place at the halfway mark, made a significant push in the final stretch to finish fourth with a time of 42:26.1.

Our journal contributor Mattie Dodd rounded out the top five, finishing with a time of 42:31.9.

Victory came as a surprise to Pattinson, who wasn’t expecting to come out on top, considering his opposition, telling The British Continental: “The fact that I didn’t expect to win here makes it feel even better. There were some really good riders like Ben and Josh on the podium with me.”

Success also affirmed his decision to refine his time trialling technique. Having trailed at the 15km split, holding his nerve – and pace – proved key. He explained: “Before, even last year in the Juniors, I used to go out and hit it. So I made sure that I was quite relaxed on the first climb but at a decent pace so I knew the second time round that I could do the same and yeah, I did that and it was really good!”

Results

Pos	Bib	Name	Team	15km Split	Time
1	416	Tomos Pattinson	Team Visma-Lease a Bike Development	0:21:08.98	42:06.9
2	408	Ben Wiggins	Hagens Berman Jayco CT	0:20:57.35	42:16.6
3	402	Joshua Golliker	Groupama-FDJ La Conti	0:21:07.24	42:24.2
4	405	Joshua Giddings	Lotto Dstny Development Team	0:21:12.17	42:26.1
5	433	Mattie Dodd	Tirol KTM Cycling Team	0:21:09.57	42:31.9
6	417	Cormac Nisbet	Soudal-Quickstep Devo Team	0:21:07.55	42:36.2
7	410	Rowan Baker	Saint Piran	0:21:09.41	42:55.8
8	409	Jamie Whitcher	BmthCycleworks VitecFire FordCE	0:21:01.68	42:56.5
9	403	Jack Brough	AVC Aix en Provence	0:21:15.44	42:59.5
10	404	Noah Hobbs	Groupama-FDJ La Conti	0:21:27.73	43:19.6
11	401	Josh Charlton	Trinity Racing	0:21:16.37	43:21.2
12	421	Tyler Hannay	Saint Piran	0:21:57.31	43:41.6
13	407	Matthew Brennan	Team Visma-Lease a Bike Development	0:21:25.40	43:42.2
14	436	Alex Pickering	Elysium Kalas Race Team	0:21:27.87	43:43.1
15	425	Hamish Armitt	PROJECT 1 Cycling Team	0:21:31.52	43:44.2
16	423	Lucas Jowett	KSV Deerlijk VZW	0:21:54.26	43:53.0
17	411	Alex Beldon	Trinity Racing	0:21:42.11	43:53.2
18	414	Oliver Peace	Development Team DSM–Firmenich PostNL	0:21:41.87	43:53.5
19	422	Ben Marsh	PROJECT 1 Cycling Team	0:21:44.75	43:54.1
20	415	Matthew Cole	Hagens Berman Jayco CT	0:21:39.42	43:59.9
21	428	Tom Williams	THRIVA-SRCT	0:21:54.76	44:29.3
22	412	Jed Smithson	Team Visma-Lease a Bike Development	0:22:08.92	45:29.5
23	426	Dexter Leeming-Sykes	Team U Charente-Maritime	0:22:49.62	45:30.4
24	435	Sam Chaplin	Cycling Sheffield		45:43.9
25	429	Joe Shillabeer	Shibden-A.Fawcett RT	0:22:18.87	45:52.4
26	437	Harry Codd	University of Bath Cycling Club	0:22:43.68	45:53.5
27	434	Ewan Mackie	EFC – L&R – Van Mossel	0:22:53.65	46:16.6
28	431	Aaron Freeman	London Dynamo	0:23:10.13	46:23.7
29	438	Ollie Cadin	Cardiff University	0:23:08.99	48:53.5
30	419	Reuben Corlett	AC Pays de Baud	0:24:43.45	51:12.5
–	427	Jack REED			Withdrawal
–	424	William Lowden	HUUB WattShop		Withdrawal