Under a late-June haze in King’s Cross, 17-year-old Zoe Roche slingshotted out of the final bend and stormed the 200-metre VIA Straight, reversing last week’s defeat to sister Phoebe and pipping Amy Perryman to a landmark win.
The open contest turned into a Tekkerz CC showcase: Ollie Wood swept past 17-year-old teammate Oscar Amey in the closing lap- apparently mistaking him for a lapped rider – while Alec Briggs tidied up third, sealing a one-two-three.
Report
Women’s race
King’s Cross was still shimmering in the late-June heat when the women rolled off the start ramp. Fifty-five minutes later—after a furious, corner-carving chess match in 29 °C air—it was 17-year-old Zoe Roche who burst clear of the final left-hander and arrowed down the 200-metre VIA Straight to claim the biggest win of her fledgling career. Seven days earlier, at the Ronde van Wymeswold, the junior had been rolled by elder sister Phoebe (O’Shea Development) in a sibling showdown; tonight she flipped the script, out-dragging seasoned cyclocross specialist Amy Perryman and punching the air as the London Cycle Festival crowd erupted.
The opening laps were cagey. The 850-metre circuit – six corners, a wooden ramp dubbed Super Ramp and treacherously polished bricks – invited risk, yet nobody fancied towing the bunch into the head-wind funnel of the square. By lap three, though, Roche and Perryman were among those that began to lean on the race, slicing every apex and snapping the elastic. “We’d get a gap coming round these corners, proper sending it,” Roche laughed afterwards, still buzzing from her win. Each acceleration shed more riders until only a select front group remained. The two Roche sisters, Perryman, Charlotte Broughton-Kulset (Torelli), Becky Gardiner (Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco), Lily Brindle (Brother – On Form), Evelina Kamasheva (Private Member), Honor Elliott (Private Member) and Grace Sargeant (London Academy) were among those to make the selection.
Attempts to break clear foundered. “It’s so hard to split a group here because it’s so technical,” Perryman told The British Continental afterwards. “So we tried and we failed, and we tried and we failed, and then actually we realised only the front eight people were rotating … so we just kept the pace high and worked to our own corner-technique.”
With the bell clanging, Perryman hit the front down Stable Street, Roche tucked on her wheel. Through the penultimate kink the junior flicked left, unleashed every remaining watt and instantly carved a bike-length. Perryman clawed but the finish line rushed up too quickly; Roche took the win, Perryman second with Broughton-Kulset a second adrift.
“First crit of the year, and at night – this race is special,” Zoe Roche beamed, still trying to process the victory.
The points haul reshapes the Rapha Super-League table: Roche climbs to third overall, and Perryman’s second place moves her up to eighth.
Open race
As the open race got underway at 9 pm, Coal Drops Yard was alive with thumping basslines and clanging cowbells. Tekkerz CC wasted no time seizing control, their British racing green and fluorescent yellow kits massed at the front. Straight away, Alfie Amey – the elder of Tekkerz’s two Amey brothers – leapt into an early breakaway and forced the pace. With Joshua Horsfield (Reflex Nopinz) and Harry Macfarlane (Ride Revolution Coaching) for company, the trio opened a small gap. They were soon pulled back, but the move put the peloton on notice.
The aggression at the front of the race continued, soon whittling the front of the race down to a select group. Sensing a lull, 17-year-old Oscar Amey – a double national cyclo-cross champion – seized the moment to attack. The younger Amey sprang clear in Tekkerz colours and danced away through the tight corners and down the ramp of the technical King’s Cross circuit. Within minutes he had a lead hovering around 10–15 seconds, drawing roars of approval from the crowd for the fearless youngster. Behind, any counter-move was immediately covered by vigilant Tekkerz riders content to let their precocious teammate stay away.
The gap yo-yoed between ten and sixteen seconds while Alec Briggs – TEKKERZ founder, last year’s winner and self-styled road-captain – patrolled the front of the bunch, discouraging any organised chase. “Oscar did an amazing ride – he’s only seventeen, double national CX champion – and he showed his class today,” Briggs would say afterwards, pride and protective instinct mingling in his voice.
For a long while, it looked as if Amey might carry his solo break all the way. Charles Page (Foran CT) and Frank Longstaff (DAS–Richardsons) were among those who made spirited attempts to chase, but their attempts looked in vein.
With five laps remaining Amey was still alone. But Amey’s teammate, Ollie Wood, a former national circuit race champion, sensed the elastic starting to fray. One brutal acceleration carried away from the chasing group. As the laps ticked rapidly down, the distance between Wood and Amey disappeared just as quickly. Amey still held a slim advantage of Wood as they bell rang out, but on the final lap, Wood overhauled his teammate.
Wood crossed the line alone, Amey three seconds adrift. Briggs won the dash for third, edging DAS Richardsons’ Frank Longstaff and a fast-finishing Kishan Bakrania to complete a remarkable Tekkerz one-two-three. It was a criterium masterclass of attack, control and conquest that left the King’s Cross crowd in raptures.
Speaking to The British Continental afterwards, Briggs could only grin at Tekkerz’ dominance. “Oscar did an amazing ride… he’s only 17… he’s double national champion… and he showed his class today,” the team’s founder-captain said admiringly.
“I think Oscar, after a day in the break, might have got rolled by Ollie,” Briggs laughed. “I’m not sure how that one will go down.
“There were so many lapped riders, I think Ollie got confused with who was where. You know, if you’re not sure, you gotta whack it,” was Briggs’s explanation of Wood’s apparent theft of his young team-mate’s victory.
“Everybody’s looking really good… we’ve gelled together… I’m quite excited for this summer,” Briggs added, with the National Circuit Championships just a week away. On this evidence, Tekkerz CC will roll into Nationals as the team to beat.
The result propels Wood into 4th place in the Rapha Super-League.
Results
Women’s race
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoe Roche | Private Member | 0:49:35 |
| 2 | Amy Perryman | Private Member | s.t. |
| 3 | Charlotte Broughton-Kulset | Torelli | +1″ |
| 4 | Phoebe Roche | O’Shea – Development Team | +1″ |
| 5 | Becky Gardiner | Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco | +3″ |
| 6 | Lily Brindle | Brother UK – On Form | +3″ |
| 7 | Honor Elliott | Private Member | +3″ |
| 8 | Holly Winstone | Private Member | +4″ |
| 9 | Evelina Kamasheva | Private Member | +5″ |
| 10 | Grace Sargeant | London Academy | +5″ |
| 11 | Millie Skinner | Team Boompods | +6″ |
| 12 | Emma Jane Hornsby | London Academy | +6″ |
| 13 | Lauren O’Brien | StolenGoat Race Team | +7″ |
| 14 | Samantha Fawcett | Spectra Racing | +9″ |
| 15 | Anastasia Bowler | FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing | +10″ |
| 16 | Georgina Oakley | Loughborough Lightning | +11″ |
| 17 | Elizabeth Sanders | FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing | +11″ |
| 18 | Rebecca Hair | FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing | +12″ |
| 19 | Laura Senior | SCOTT Pioneer DJ | +12″ |
| 20 | Katie-Anne Calton | Team Boompods | +29″ |
| 21 | Louise Davidson | London Academy | +47″ |
| ⚠️ DNF | Ellen Bennett | Brother UK – On Form | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Lauren Booth | FTP Fusion | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Lexi Brown | Private Member | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Gabriella Butler | Team Boompods | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Theo Clarke | Private Member | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Anuschka Cox | Private Member | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Chloe Elvin | Wolfox CAMS Le Col RT | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Catherine Hadfield | London Academy | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Jayati Hine | Loughborough Lightning | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Trhas Teklehaimanot Tesfay | WCC Team | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Vivienne Tomlin | Private Member | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Esme Wiley | London Academy | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Holly Winstone | Private Member | — |
Open race
| Pos | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oliver Wood | TEKKERZ CC | 0:52:53 |
| 2 | Oscar Amey | TEKKERZ CC | +3″ |
| 3 | Alec Briggs | TEKKERZ CC | +11″ |
| 4 | Frank Longstaff | DAS Richardsons | +11″ |
| 5 | Kishan Bakrania | Private Member | +11″ |
| 6 | Alfie Amey | TEKKERZ CC | +12″ |
| 7 | Harry Macfarlane | Ride Revolution Coaching | +13″ |
| 8 | Connor Sens | VIA | +13″ |
| 9 | Gabriel Turner | Private Member | +13″ |
| 10 | Joshua Horsfield | Reflex Nopinz | +14″ |
| 11 | Oliver Curd | Primo RT | +14″ |
| 12 | Mak Larkin | trainSharp Roman Race Team | +15″ |
| 13 | James Somerfield | Schils – Doltcini Racing Team | +16″ |
| 14 | Charles Page | Foran CT | +25″ |
| 15 | Sam Harding | Private Member | +25″ |
| 16 | Jacob Vaughan | VC Londres | +26″ |
| 17 | Thomas Timberlake | TRASH MILE | +27″ |
| 18 | Dexter Mansel-Thomas | Schils – Doltcini Racing Team | +27″ |
| 19 | Eli Tucker | Private Member | +27″ |
| 20 | Thomas Charles | Team PB Performance | +28″ |
| 21 | Alex Mutter | London Dynamo | +30″ |
| 22 | Harvey Thomas | Reflex Nopinz | +32″ |
| 23 | Lawrence Carpenter | Private Member | +34″ |
| 24 | Benjamin Tuchner | TEKKERZ CC | +54″ |
| 25 | William Metcalf | Ride Revolution Coaching | +1′17″ |
| 26 | Colin Ward | Primo RT | +1′17″ |
| ⚠️ DNF | Thomas Adby | Mud Dock Racing | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Eliecer Alvarez | Speed Pursuit Cycling | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Ed Ayres | Reflex Nopinz | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Max Bolton | Oxford University Cycling Club | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Paddy Chapman | Private Member | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Theo Clarke | Private Member | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Charlie Crawt | Primo RT | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Thomas Dawtrey | Islington Cycling Club | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | William Deely | Mud Dock Racing | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Matteo Disanto | Private Member | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Ben Elvin | Wolfox CAMS Le Col RT | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Alwyn Frank | Brighton Mitre CC | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | William Gilbank | BCC Race Team | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Lukas Gross | Raptor London | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Monte Guerrini | Le Col Race Team | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Peter Hargreaves | GFTL | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Louis Hatchwell | CC London | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Matthew Homa | Clifton CC | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | William Jewitt | Mud Dock Racing | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Joshua Jones | ALL IN Racing | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Jonty King | Wolfox CAMS Le Col RT | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Philip Large | Wold Top Pactimo | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Theodor Obholzer | Obidos Cycling Team | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Charlie Parry | Mud Dock Racing | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Benjamin Peatfield | Vendee U – Pays de la Loire | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Archie Peet | Reflex Nopinz | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Kaine Petrie | Private Member | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Noah Phillips | VC Londres | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Leigh Phillips | VIA | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Lui Pollastrone | Reflex Nopinz | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Joe Reeves | Reflex Nopinz | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Marek Shafer | Brighton Mitre CC | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Sam Shepherd | trainSharp Roman Race Team | — |
| 🚫 DNS | Michael Stanley | Dulwich Paragon CC | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Timothy Strickland | GFTL | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | John Tindell | Brighton Mitre CC | — |
| ⚠️ DNF | Sam Williams | Twickenham CC | — |
