2024 Guildford Town Centre Races: report and results
Eilidh Shaw (Alba Development Road Team) won the Parcours Guildford Women’s Grand Prix, while Rob Scott (Tekkerz CC) triumphed in the The Cycling Exchange Guildford Open Grand Prix, 3 July 2024
19-year-old Eilidh Shaw (Alba Development Road Team) continued her remarkable breakthrough season with her maiden National Circuit Series victory, beating WorldTour rider Alex Morrice (CANYON//SRAM) and junior Lucy Benezet-Minns (Tofauti Everyone Active) in a three-up sprint.
In the open race, Rob Scott put on a circuit racing masterclass to take a dominant solo triumph, his second win of the 2024 National Circuit Series, putting his Tekkerz CC team 2-1 up in their Series battle with Ribble Rebellion.
Featured image:Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Report
The Parcours Guildford Women’s Grand Prix
After the hilly opening rounds of the National Circuit Series up in Yorkshire, the Series moved south on Wednesday night for a shorter, flatter, more technical circuit featuring a cobbled climb on the finish line.
From the outset, the typical strategy was evident, with no early attacks to test the riders’ resolve. Instead, defending champion Alex Morrice (CANYON // SRAM Racing Team) surged to the front, joined by Eilidh Shaw (Alba Development Road Team), Danni Watkinson (Jadan Vive Le Velo Glasdon), and Lucy Glover (Shibden Apex RT), setting a high tempo that began stringing out the peloton early on.
The CANYON Guildford Town Centre Races – Guildford, Surrey, England – Women’s Grand Prix – Emily Proud of Le Col Race Team. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Making significant moves was local rider Emily Proud (Le Col Race Team) – on her comeback from Covid – who moved from the bottom-end of the top 20 to sixth, and then onto the front as she took long turns in the opening third of the 50-minute race.
While there were no big attacks, the pace at the front was relentless, gradually thinning the group. After 20 minutes, the lead group was reduced to 19 riders, all within just over four seconds of each other.
The race was enlivened – for all the wrong reasons – just before halfway when the British-Bolivian rider Floren Scrafton (FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing) clipped the curb going into the fast right-hander after the hairpin, having found her initial racing line cut off as riders squabbled for the optimal position ahead. Leaving Scrafton with nowhere to go, she went down, with Alice Colling (Shibden Apex RT) also caught up. Both riders were fortunately unharmed – with Scrafton putting in a great recovery to 13th – but the incident caused a split in the lead group.
The CANYON Guildford Town Centre Races – Guildford, Surrey, England – Women’s Grand Prix – Floren Scrafton of FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Quite quickly, a select group of ten pulled a gap of almost five seconds on a chase headed by Lucy Harris (Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting Ltd). For a time, you would have been excused for thinking that this ten were building an insurmountable lead, but as lapped riders started to inter-mingle with the leaders the deficit would yo-yo – stretching out to as much as 10 seconds, before shrinking to just a handful.
With the speed ramping up, what proved to be the decisive move was made with 10 minutes to go as Morrice and Shaw put in a significant dig up the cobbled climb to leave junior Lucy Benezet-Minns (Tofauti Everyone Active) and Beth Morrow (Alba Development Road Team) as a lone pair of chasers, having also gapped Isabel Darvill (Doltchin-O’Shea), Glover, Proud, Corinne Side (Unattached), and Shaw’s teammate Keira Bond.
Morrice was left to do most of the work, with Shaw happy to sit on the back wheel and preserve her energy. There was, though, a late addition to the lead group as Minns put in a remarkable lap to bridge over a five-second gap and create a trio at the front.
2024 The CANYON Guildford Town Centre Races – Guildford, Surrey, England – Women’s Grand Prix – Eilidh Shaw of Alba Development Road Team wins. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Despite Morrice’s efforts, Shaw remained steadfastly on her wheel, only taking a slight turn on the downhill from the hairpin on the final lap. Morrice attacked going into the penultimate left turn and took a slight lead on the final climb, but Shaw’s conserved energy paid off. She powered up the cobbles to cross the line with half a second to spare. Morrice secured second place, while Minns finished third.
Fifth place for Darvill moves her to the top of the individual standings in the National Circuit Series, just two points ahead of Side, who was sixth, and 20 points in front of Watkinson, who finished 15th.
With three riders in the top ten, Alba Development Road Team move up to second place in the team standings, closing the gap to leaders DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK to 73 points with four rounds remaining.
In stark contrast to the steady, intense buildup of the women’s race, the open race started with an explosion of energy, marked by relentless attacks from the very beginning.
Rob Scott set the pace from the start, driving the action at the front with Will Roberts (Saint Piran) also making attempts to break clear, but the peloton remained tightly packed, riding aggressively over the cobbles.
The first to try a move were Toby Barnes (Spectra Racing) and William Truelove (THRIVA-SRCT) who attacked out of the hairpin. They gained a couple of seconds over a pack headed by Tom Couzens (Ribble Rebellion). But their brief stint at the front lasted all of a few minutes before they were swallowed back into the peloton.
The CANYON Guildford Town Centre Races – Guildford, Surrey, England – Open Grand Prix. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
With 40 minutes remaining, Scott launched a decisive attack from the hairpin, aided by his TEKKERZ CC teammate Alec Briggs, who disrupted the chase from the pack. Scott’s lead quickly extended beyond 10 seconds and remained stable, as disorganised attempts to close the gap failed to gain momentum. Couzens made a valiant effort to bridge the gap, but while he distanced himself from the 14-rider chase group, he couldn’t significantly cut into Scott’s lead.
Despite the presence of strong riders in the chase group, no one was able or willing to commit to a concerted effort to close the gap. Barnes managed to bridge to Couzens, however, forming a two-rider chase, but soon found himself alone as Couzens dropped back having been caught up in a lapped rider hitting the floor.
The CANYON Guildford Town Centre Races – Guildford, Surrey, England. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
As the chase behind well and truly gave up with under 10 minutes go, Scott and Barnes found themselves comfortably taking first and second with the focus instead shifting to who would end up in third.
For the longest time, Foran CT’s Ryan Christensen and Dom Jackson were putting in massive efforts on the front as the team looked to secure itself a result that feels like it’s been coming for some time with Jackson taking 13th at the National Road Championships road race.
However, as the pace continued to rise, it looked as though the pair’s early exertions had taken too much out of their legs and coming round the final two 90-degree corners for the last time it was a battle between Briggs and Truelove for the third spot on the podium.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 03/07/2024 – British Cycling – National Circuit Series – The CANYON Guildford Town Centre Races – Guildford, Surrey, England – Open Grand Prix – Robert Scott of TEKKERZ CC wins
Briggs’ effort was clearly visible as he powered his way up cobbles moistened by spitting rain in the last half-a-dozen laps and he pipped the Thriva-SRCT rider to the line by two-tenths of a second – relegating Truelove to his second fourth place of the series, after also missing out on the podium at Otley.
Scott’s second win in succession extends his lead in the individual National Circuit Series standing to 32 points over Matt Bostock (Ribble Rebellion) – who was 17th on the night – with Briggs moving into third, just four points behind. Ribble Rebellion are ahead in the team classification, however, sitting on 335 points, a lead of 37 over TEKKERZ CC.
19-year-old Eilidh Shaw (Alba Development Road Team) continued her remarkable breakthrough season with her maiden National Circuit Series victory, beating WorldTour rider Alex Morrice (CANYON//SRAM) and junior Lucy Benezet-Minns (Tofauti Everyone Active) in a three-up sprint.
In the open race, Rob Scott put on a circuit racing masterclass to take a dominant solo triumph, his second win of the 2024 National Circuit Series, putting his Tekkerz CC team 2-1 up in their Series battle with Ribble Rebellion.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Report
The Parcours Guildford Women’s Grand Prix
After the hilly opening rounds of the National Circuit Series up in Yorkshire, the Series moved south on Wednesday night for a shorter, flatter, more technical circuit featuring a cobbled climb on the finish line.
From the outset, the typical strategy was evident, with no early attacks to test the riders’ resolve. Instead, defending champion Alex Morrice (CANYON // SRAM Racing Team) surged to the front, joined by Eilidh Shaw (Alba Development Road Team), Danni Watkinson (Jadan Vive Le Velo Glasdon), and Lucy Glover (Shibden Apex RT), setting a high tempo that began stringing out the peloton early on.
Making significant moves was local rider Emily Proud (Le Col Race Team) – on her comeback from Covid – who moved from the bottom-end of the top 20 to sixth, and then onto the front as she took long turns in the opening third of the 50-minute race.
While there were no big attacks, the pace at the front was relentless, gradually thinning the group. After 20 minutes, the lead group was reduced to 19 riders, all within just over four seconds of each other.
The race was enlivened – for all the wrong reasons – just before halfway when the British-Bolivian rider Floren Scrafton (FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing) clipped the curb going into the fast right-hander after the hairpin, having found her initial racing line cut off as riders squabbled for the optimal position ahead. Leaving Scrafton with nowhere to go, she went down, with Alice Colling (Shibden Apex RT) also caught up. Both riders were fortunately unharmed – with Scrafton putting in a great recovery to 13th – but the incident caused a split in the lead group.
Quite quickly, a select group of ten pulled a gap of almost five seconds on a chase headed by Lucy Harris (Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting Ltd). For a time, you would have been excused for thinking that this ten were building an insurmountable lead, but as lapped riders started to inter-mingle with the leaders the deficit would yo-yo – stretching out to as much as 10 seconds, before shrinking to just a handful.
With the speed ramping up, what proved to be the decisive move was made with 10 minutes to go as Morrice and Shaw put in a significant dig up the cobbled climb to leave junior Lucy Benezet-Minns (Tofauti Everyone Active) and Beth Morrow (Alba Development Road Team) as a lone pair of chasers, having also gapped Isabel Darvill (Doltchin-O’Shea), Glover, Proud, Corinne Side (Unattached), and Shaw’s teammate Keira Bond.
Morrice was left to do most of the work, with Shaw happy to sit on the back wheel and preserve her energy. There was, though, a late addition to the lead group as Minns put in a remarkable lap to bridge over a five-second gap and create a trio at the front.
Despite Morrice’s efforts, Shaw remained steadfastly on her wheel, only taking a slight turn on the downhill from the hairpin on the final lap. Morrice attacked going into the penultimate left turn and took a slight lead on the final climb, but Shaw’s conserved energy paid off. She powered up the cobbles to cross the line with half a second to spare. Morrice secured second place, while Minns finished third.
Fifth place for Darvill moves her to the top of the individual standings in the National Circuit Series, just two points ahead of Side, who was sixth, and 20 points in front of Watkinson, who finished 15th.
With three riders in the top ten, Alba Development Road Team move up to second place in the team standings, closing the gap to leaders DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK to 73 points with four rounds remaining.
The Cycling Exchange Guildford Open Grand Prix
In stark contrast to the steady, intense buildup of the women’s race, the open race started with an explosion of energy, marked by relentless attacks from the very beginning.
Rob Scott set the pace from the start, driving the action at the front with Will Roberts (Saint Piran) also making attempts to break clear, but the peloton remained tightly packed, riding aggressively over the cobbles.
The first to try a move were Toby Barnes (Spectra Racing) and William Truelove (THRIVA-SRCT) who attacked out of the hairpin. They gained a couple of seconds over a pack headed by Tom Couzens (Ribble Rebellion). But their brief stint at the front lasted all of a few minutes before they were swallowed back into the peloton.
With 40 minutes remaining, Scott launched a decisive attack from the hairpin, aided by his TEKKERZ CC teammate Alec Briggs, who disrupted the chase from the pack. Scott’s lead quickly extended beyond 10 seconds and remained stable, as disorganised attempts to close the gap failed to gain momentum. Couzens made a valiant effort to bridge the gap, but while he distanced himself from the 14-rider chase group, he couldn’t significantly cut into Scott’s lead.
Despite the presence of strong riders in the chase group, no one was able or willing to commit to a concerted effort to close the gap. Barnes managed to bridge to Couzens, however, forming a two-rider chase, but soon found himself alone as Couzens dropped back having been caught up in a lapped rider hitting the floor.
As the chase behind well and truly gave up with under 10 minutes go, Scott and Barnes found themselves comfortably taking first and second with the focus instead shifting to who would end up in third.
For the longest time, Foran CT’s Ryan Christensen and Dom Jackson were putting in massive efforts on the front as the team looked to secure itself a result that feels like it’s been coming for some time with Jackson taking 13th at the National Road Championships road race.
However, as the pace continued to rise, it looked as though the pair’s early exertions had taken too much out of their legs and coming round the final two 90-degree corners for the last time it was a battle between Briggs and Truelove for the third spot on the podium.
Briggs’ effort was clearly visible as he powered his way up cobbles moistened by spitting rain in the last half-a-dozen laps and he pipped the Thriva-SRCT rider to the line by two-tenths of a second – relegating Truelove to his second fourth place of the series, after also missing out on the podium at Otley.
Scott’s second win in succession extends his lead in the individual National Circuit Series standing to 32 points over Matt Bostock (Ribble Rebellion) – who was 17th on the night – with Briggs moving into third, just four points behind. Ribble Rebellion are ahead in the team classification, however, sitting on 335 points, a lead of 37 over TEKKERZ CC.
Results
The Parcours Guildford Women’s Grand Prix
The Cycling Exchange Guildford Open Grand Prix
National Circuit Series standings
Women
Individual
Team
Open
Individual
Team
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