2024 Curlew Cup and Beaumont Trophy: report and results
Robyn Clay and Ollie Rees were the victors at the Curlew Cup and Beaumont Trophy as Eilidh Shaw and George Kimber secured the individual National Road Series titles, 15 September 2024
Robyn Clay (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) sprinted to Curlew Cup victory after a late breakaway of 18 riders went to the line after a tense race in the Northumbrian countryside. Eilidh Shaw’s second place ensured she added the National Road Series title to her National Circuit Series crown.
George Kimber (Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling) overcame the adversity of a puncture and a crash to claim the National Road Series title at the Beaumont Trophy, as Ollie Rees (Sabgal Anicolor) sprinted to victory from the breakaway.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Report
Curlew Cup
With the race getting underway in chilly, autumnal conditions from Stamfordham early this morning, naturally, it took until the famous climb of the Ryals, towards the end of the mammoth 40km lap, for the action to heat up.
Lauren Dickson, the revelation of this year’s series with podiums in both the Lancaster and Rydale GPs, demonstrated her climbing ability in the colours of the Alba Development RT, splitting the race up as she tried to unsettle the rivals to teammate Eilidh Shaw’s series lead, taking the opening QoM points in the process.
With the race coming back together on the descent, a large peloton crossed the finish line for the first of three laps.
The sedate pace continued with the race travelling at a touch over 35km/h, the main protagonists unwilling to gamble with two ascents of the Ryals and a long way to the finish line still to race. It was Dickson again who lit up proceedings on the Ryals, claiming the QoM points again, but forcing a split in the peloton; the gap extending to 20 seconds with 44km to go.
2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series Women’s – The Curlew Cup – Stamfordham, Northumberland. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Through the finish line as the riders took the bell the big names began to assemble towards the front of the race, Molly Patch (The Phoenix Collective) finding herself with round one winner Eluned King (Lifeplus-Wahoo) at the head of the race.
Crucially, however, Dickson’s effort had put some of her teammates in trouble, Abi Plowman and Keira Bond putting in a big effort at the front of the second group, almost closing the gap to as they crossed the finish line, desperate to get back to series leader Shaw.
With the status quo resumed, the race would be decided on the final lap; a group of six including Dickson, who would take the Ryals climb for the final time to confirm her status as Queen of the Mountains, Shaw, Frankie Hall (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK), Carys Lloyd (Tofuati Everyone Active) and Katy Hill (London Academy) going clear late on.
They were joined by a chasing group of 12, who bridged the ten second gap to set up a thrilling last 3km. Molly Patch made her move, surging off the front, although when she was caught in the final kilometre a sprint beckoned.
2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series Women’s – The Curlew Cup – Stamfordham, Northumberland – Robyn Clay of DAS Hutchinson takes celebrates the win. Image:
Clay, on the comeback from a horror crash in Belgium earlier in the season proved fastest, powering to the line with enough time to sit up and raise her arms in victory, a second National Road Series win for the 2023 Lincoln GP winner.
Shaw sprinted to second, confirming her overall series victory, while junior Esther Wong (Shibden-Apex) rounded out the podium to seal third place in the overall standings. Lucy Harris (Pro-Noctis – 200º Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting Ltd) finished 10th to secure second place overall in the Series.
2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series Women’s – The Curlew Cup – Stamfordham, Northumberland – Overall winner National Road Series – Podium – Eilidh Shaw. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Clay’s win confirmed DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK as the team classification winners for the series.
Beaumont Trophy
The start of the race was delayed by 45 minutes due to the race medical provision dealing with a crash in the women’s race, the heavens opening as riders waited for an update.
Finally underway under blue skies with a modified route cutting out the fifth, and final, (short) lap, making a race distance just north of 160km, the race was off to a typically aggressive start with no move allowed to take a hold over the race.
2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series Open/Men’s – The Beaumont Trophy – Stamfordham, Northumberland. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Steven Parsonage (Richardsons Trek-DAS) did manage to slip off the front of the race, taking maximum points over the first ascent of the Ryals, before the peloton took hold of the race once again at the end of the first lap.
It was a case of all four seasons in one afternoon in the North East as bellowing winds brought a further downpour on the second of the four laps, a contributing factor to the peloton briefly splitting, with Gabe Dellar (Stolen Goat RT) putting himself on level terms in the KoM classification with Parsonage. As the peloton came back together, Dellar continued to press on; joined by Oliver Snodden (SN Vitae Huub pb BimBam Coaching) as the pair held a thin advantage as the race reached the halfway mark. Back in the bunch there was drama for series leader Kimber, who suffered a puncture and a crash; domestique Logan Maclean exiting the race through fatigue in the third lap after chasing down moves and patrolling the front of the peloton on his behalf.
2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series Open/Men’s – The Beaumont Trophy – Stamfordham, Northumberland. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
With the pace high and a number of riders finding the changeable conditions testing, the race split wide open on the third lap, a strong group of eight including Dylan Westley (Saint Piran), Tom Martin (Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli), Alex Ball (Project1) and Ollie Rees (Sabgal Anicolor) took a 35 second advantage over solo chaser Damien Clayton (Le Col RT), Cycling Sheffield’s Jack Hartley crashing out of it on the wet roads as the low sun showed itself again. Following Clayton was a small group led by France bound James Hartley (Cycling Sheffield), before a large peloton rolled across, Kimber back on the bike and locked together with his series rival James McKay of Saint Piran.
On the final lap the leading group solidified their advantage, a number of skirmishes happening within it late on, as a group of three riders moved clear with 3km to go. However, the seven were back together for the run to the line, Ollie Rees getting the better of Will Truelove (Thriva-SRCT) and Thomas Armstrong (Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli).
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 15/09/2024 – British Cycling – The 2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series Open/Men’s – The Beaumont Trophy – Stamfordham, Northumberland – Oliver Rees, Sabgal Anicolor wins
Kimber managed to take third in the bunch sprint to take 10th, enough to seal the overall National Road Series crown.
Rees’ work in the break was enough to bring him the King of the Mountains prize, while Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli took the team prize on the day.
The day ultimately belonged to Kimber however, who few would have predicted would have won the series at the start of the season.
2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series Open/Men’s – The Beaumont Trophy – Stamfordham, Northumberland. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Saint Piran retained their team classification prize, holding on to it from the first round where Rowan Baker took victory in the East Cleveland Classic.
Robyn Clay (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) sprinted to Curlew Cup victory after a late breakaway of 18 riders went to the line after a tense race in the Northumbrian countryside. Eilidh Shaw’s second place ensured she added the National Road Series title to her National Circuit Series crown.
George Kimber (Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling) overcame the adversity of a puncture and a crash to claim the National Road Series title at the Beaumont Trophy, as Ollie Rees (Sabgal Anicolor) sprinted to victory from the breakaway.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Report
Curlew Cup
With the race getting underway in chilly, autumnal conditions from Stamfordham early this morning, naturally, it took until the famous climb of the Ryals, towards the end of the mammoth 40km lap, for the action to heat up.
Lauren Dickson, the revelation of this year’s series with podiums in both the Lancaster and Rydale GPs, demonstrated her climbing ability in the colours of the Alba Development RT, splitting the race up as she tried to unsettle the rivals to teammate Eilidh Shaw’s series lead, taking the opening QoM points in the process.
With the race coming back together on the descent, a large peloton crossed the finish line for the first of three laps.
The sedate pace continued with the race travelling at a touch over 35km/h, the main protagonists unwilling to gamble with two ascents of the Ryals and a long way to the finish line still to race. It was Dickson again who lit up proceedings on the Ryals, claiming the QoM points again, but forcing a split in the peloton; the gap extending to 20 seconds with 44km to go.
Through the finish line as the riders took the bell the big names began to assemble towards the front of the race, Molly Patch (The Phoenix Collective) finding herself with round one winner Eluned King (Lifeplus-Wahoo) at the head of the race.
Crucially, however, Dickson’s effort had put some of her teammates in trouble, Abi Plowman and Keira Bond putting in a big effort at the front of the second group, almost closing the gap to as they crossed the finish line, desperate to get back to series leader Shaw.
With the status quo resumed, the race would be decided on the final lap; a group of six including Dickson, who would take the Ryals climb for the final time to confirm her status as Queen of the Mountains, Shaw, Frankie Hall (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK), Carys Lloyd (Tofuati Everyone Active) and Katy Hill (London Academy) going clear late on.
They were joined by a chasing group of 12, who bridged the ten second gap to set up a thrilling last 3km. Molly Patch made her move, surging off the front, although when she was caught in the final kilometre a sprint beckoned.
Clay, on the comeback from a horror crash in Belgium earlier in the season proved fastest, powering to the line with enough time to sit up and raise her arms in victory, a second National Road Series win for the 2023 Lincoln GP winner.
Shaw sprinted to second, confirming her overall series victory, while junior Esther Wong (Shibden-Apex) rounded out the podium to seal third place in the overall standings. Lucy Harris (Pro-Noctis – 200º Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting Ltd) finished 10th to secure second place overall in the Series.
Clay’s win confirmed DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK as the team classification winners for the series.
Beaumont Trophy
The start of the race was delayed by 45 minutes due to the race medical provision dealing with a crash in the women’s race, the heavens opening as riders waited for an update.
Finally underway under blue skies with a modified route cutting out the fifth, and final, (short) lap, making a race distance just north of 160km, the race was off to a typically aggressive start with no move allowed to take a hold over the race.
Steven Parsonage (Richardsons Trek-DAS) did manage to slip off the front of the race, taking maximum points over the first ascent of the Ryals, before the peloton took hold of the race once again at the end of the first lap.
It was a case of all four seasons in one afternoon in the North East as bellowing winds brought a further downpour on the second of the four laps, a contributing factor to the peloton briefly splitting, with Gabe Dellar (Stolen Goat RT) putting himself on level terms in the KoM classification with Parsonage. As the peloton came back together, Dellar continued to press on; joined by Oliver Snodden (SN Vitae Huub pb BimBam Coaching) as the pair held a thin advantage as the race reached the halfway mark. Back in the bunch there was drama for series leader Kimber, who suffered a puncture and a crash; domestique Logan Maclean exiting the race through fatigue in the third lap after chasing down moves and patrolling the front of the peloton on his behalf.
With the pace high and a number of riders finding the changeable conditions testing, the race split wide open on the third lap, a strong group of eight including Dylan Westley (Saint Piran), Tom Martin (Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli), Alex Ball (Project1) and Ollie Rees (Sabgal Anicolor) took a 35 second advantage over solo chaser Damien Clayton (Le Col RT), Cycling Sheffield’s Jack Hartley crashing out of it on the wet roads as the low sun showed itself again. Following Clayton was a small group led by France bound James Hartley (Cycling Sheffield), before a large peloton rolled across, Kimber back on the bike and locked together with his series rival James McKay of Saint Piran.
On the final lap the leading group solidified their advantage, a number of skirmishes happening within it late on, as a group of three riders moved clear with 3km to go. However, the seven were back together for the run to the line, Ollie Rees getting the better of Will Truelove (Thriva-SRCT) and Thomas Armstrong (Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli).
Kimber managed to take third in the bunch sprint to take 10th, enough to seal the overall National Road Series crown.
Rees’ work in the break was enough to bring him the King of the Mountains prize, while Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli took the team prize on the day.
The day ultimately belonged to Kimber however, who few would have predicted would have won the series at the start of the season.
Saint Piran retained their team classification prize, holding on to it from the first round where Rowan Baker took victory in the East Cleveland Classic.
Results
Curlew Cup
Beaumont Trophy
National Road Series standings
Women
Individual
Team
Men
Individual
Team
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