2024 Duncan Murray Wines Road Race: report and results

17-year-old Ruby Oakes (Shibden Apex RT) highlighted the strength in depth of the British junior ranks by winning the Duncan Murray Wines Road Race ahead of fellow junior Mari Porton (Tofauti Everyone Active) in a sprint finish.

Featured image: Matt de-Beger | Matt de-B Photography

Report

The Duncan Murray Wines Road Race, Round 6 of the British Team Cup, proved to be a tightly fought, tense contest that ultimately came down a bunch sprint. Held by the Welland Valley Cycling Club, the National B road race challenged riders with four laps of the undulating 20 km Naseby circuit.

The race was intense, with repeated attempts to break away thwarted by the vigilant peloton. Riders such as Lizzie Hermolle (Team Boompods), Harriet Evans (FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing), Floren Scrafton (FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing), Katie Ann-Calton (Saint Piran WRT), and Lydia Watts (The Phoenix Collective) all made valiant efforts to escape, only to be reeled back in.

With one lap to go eventual winner Ruby Oakes (Shibden Apex RT) attacked up the hill to the finish, pursued by Mari Porton (Tofauti Everyone Active), winner of the previous round in Inkberrow. The pair tried to make it stick, but like the other moves before them, they were caught.

Despite the aggressive moves, the cohesive nature of the peloton ensured that no breakaway gained significant ground, setting up an explosive final sprint.

The uphill finish added an extra layer of challenge, demanding not just speed but excellent positioning and a strong punch. Oakes emerged victorious, two or three bike lengths of her rivals. Porton secured second place, with Hermolle completing the podium in third.

Reflecting on her performance, Porton shared, “It was a good solid race for me off the back of racing junior national track champs last week. The finish line was at the top of a short steep climb, making the sprint a bit more difficult. In the end I couldn’t quite get around Ruby, but I’m pleased to take second on some tired legs.”

FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Racing increase their leading in the team standings, not 63 points ahead of Loughborough Lightning with one round remaining at Hillingdon on 1 September. With 150 points for an individual winning a race, and up to four riders per team scoring in each round, the competition is still all to play for.

Pos	Team	Points	Previous position
1	FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Racing	1028	1
2	Loughborough Lightning	965	2
3	Brother UK – On Form	910	3
4	Jadan Vive le Velo Glasdon	799	4
5	The Phoenix Collective	721	5
6	London Academy Orange Race Team	659	7
7	DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK	646	6
8	Pro-Noctis – 200º Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting Ltd	484	8
9	Team Boompods	382	14
10	Doltcini – O’Shea	362	9

Results

Pos	Bib	Rider	Age	Team	Pts
1	40	Ruby Oakes	Junior	Shibden Apex RT	60
2	44	Mari Porton	Junior	Tofauti Everyone Active	52
3	27	Elizabeth Hermolle	Senior	Team Boompods	45
4	45	Floren Scrafton	Senior	FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing	40
5	14	Penny Colloff	Senior	Loughborough Lightning	35
6	5	Sian Botteley	Senior	DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK	31
7	54	Maddie Heywood	Senior	Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting	27
8	53	Rosie Wayland	Senior	FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing	23
9	17	Elena Day	Senior	Loughborough Lightning	20
10	55	Isabella Johnson	U23	Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Glasdon	17
11	37	Tuva Mauland	Junior	Brother UK – On Form	15
12	19	Sasha Dyke	Senior	London Academy	13
13	20	Harriet Evans	Senior	FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing	11
14	8	Lily Brindle	Junior	Brother UK – On Form	9
15	3	Charlotte Berry	Senior	The Phoenix Collective	7
16	4	Anna Boniface	Senior	FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing	6
17	51	Beth Watson	Junior	Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Glasdon	5
18	42	Clare Parkin	Senior	FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing	3
19	9	Miriam Bullock	Senior	London Academy	2
20	52	Lydia Watts	Senior	The Phoenix Collective	1
21	28	Cecilia Hime	Senior	Paradigm Cycles	0
22	22	Laura Furness	Senior	Army Cycling Union	0
23	13	Rebecca Clowes	Senior	Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Glasdon	0
24	38	Gemma Mitchell	Senior	Team Boompods	0
25	31	Olivia Kelly	Senior	Loughborough Lightning	0
26	11	Emily Chilton	Senior	Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Glasdon	0
27	47	Rosie Simmons	U23	Brother UK – On Form	0
28	39	Lucy Neatham	Senior	London Academy	0
29	35	Jennifer Lemen	Senior	PDQ Cycle Coaching Property Elite	0
30	23	Olivia Gardner	Senior	Team V-Sprint Racing	0
31	7	Anna Brearley	Senior	London Academy	0
32	30	Amber Junker-Brameld	U23	Brother UK – On Form	0
33	29	Ellen Inglis	U23	Brother UK – On Form	0
34	25	Elektra Georgiakakis	Senior	FTP Fusion	0
35	21	Alison Fovargue	Senior	Team Empella	0
36	41	Georgina Oakley	Senior	Loughborough Lightning	0
37	10	Katie-Anne Calton	U23	Saint Piran WRT	0
38	46	Helena Shapton	Senior	Contiki Velo Bavarian RT	0
39	43	Kimmae Payn	Senior	Army Cycling Union	0
40	16	Louisa Cooper	Senior	PDQ Cycle Coaching Property Elite	0
41	48	Peggy Simpkins	U23	Doltcini – Cycle Division	0
42	12	Hannah Clough	Senior	University of Nottingham Cycling Club	0
43	1	Claire Ablett	Senior	PDQ Cycle Coaching Property Elite	0
44	56	Zoe Parker	Senior	Solihull CC	0
45	49	Elaine Simpson	Senior	Nottingham Clarion CC	0
46	24	Ingrid Gascoigne	Junior	Team Empella	0
DNF	26	Rebecca Hair	Senior	FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing	0
DNF	32	Jacqueline Kinsey	U23	Doltcini – Cycle Division	0
DNF	6	Isabella Boyles	Junior	Banbury Star CC	0
DNS	2	Alderney Baker	U23	Team Empella	0
DNS	15	Alice Connor	Senior	London Academy	0
DNS	18	Ruth Dunstan	Senior	PDQ Cycle Coaching Property Elite	0
DNS	33	Roisin Lally	U23	Loughborough Lightning	0
DNS	34	Georgia Lancaster	Junior	Loughborough Lightning	0
DNS	50	Lindsay Toy	U23	Doltcini – Cycle Division	0
DNS	36	Nicola Lynch	Senior	Newmarket Cycling &Triathlon Club	0