Noémie Thomson and Matthew Holmes took the victories as the National Road Series returned to Devon for the first time this century for the Witheridge Grand Prix - Sunday 27 July
The green and rolling hills of North Devon played host to the first National Road Series race in the county for decades, and the inaugural Witheridge Grand Prix proved to be a thriller as Noémie Thomson (DAS-Hutchinson) added to an incredible debut road racing season with a solo victory in the Women’s race.
In the Open race, climbing specialist Matthew Holmes (One Good Thing – Factor Racing) took his first National Road Series win of the season as he attacked into Witheridge to take the success.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWPix.com
Report
TJ Smith Women’s Witheridge Grand Prix
On a warm but overcast morning in the rolling Devonshire countryside, 61 riders took to the grippy roads around Witheridge for the fifth round of the National Road Series.
Despite some recons taking place on Saturday, the route itself was a journey into the unknown but what was apparent from the start was that the constant climbing and descending was going to animate things from the off – add in the grippy roads and it was a race where stamina and determination were going to win out.
For the first lap of the 43km circuit, the peloton kept itself together. Such was the strain this circuit was placing on riders, no one wanted to burn too many matches so early on.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Indeed, it was the first run through the line that the race started to spark into life as Thomson – prepped in advance for the potential of a chance to attack – noticed she had a slight gap to the pack behind and decided to go full gas and launch a move.
Such was the speed of her attack, that by the time the race approached the outskirts of Tiverton her lead had gone over 30 seconds and despite attempts to close her down from the peloton – including Kate Richardson (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) – it looked like she was going to clear.
But then news came across that a rider had broken off the front of the peloton and was starting to establish a lead. It was quickly confirmed that the bridger was Dawlish Grand Prix winner Anna Morris (Private Member) and she gained an advantage of more than a minute over the peloton. She couldn’t, though, immediately eat into Thomson’s lead which was hovering around the half-a-minute mark for quite some time.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
It was only within the final 10km that the race started to animate again. With Thomson continuing to go as hard as possible at the front, Morris’s pursuiting experience was starting to come to the fore and the world champion was slowly reeling in her target.
With 3km to go, the lead had been slashed down to just over six seconds and it was looking like the race was going to end in a two-up sprint to the line.
Heading into Witheridge with the finish in sight, Thomson kept her head down and sprinted all the way to the line – not daring a glance behind and losing momentum. She took the flag with about five seconds in hand, Morris needing perhaps another kilometre to mount a challenge.
Behind, a late charge off the front of the peloton by Tammy Miller (DAS-Hutchinson) was one of the only attacks off an increasingly fractious peloton that stuck. She crossed the line third, only a handful of seconds ahead of a peloton that fell just short of swallowing her back up.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Thomson’s victory marks a steady climb up Nat As. Taking sixth at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, she was pipped to Tour of the Reservoir victory by future DAS-Hutchinson teammate Robyn Clay before success here in Devon.
Speaking of Clay, her 11th has kept her in the National Road Series leaders jersey, with her DAS-Hutchinson squad remaining at the top of the team standings.
But in the Rapha Super-League, it’s all change! Morris’s second place has propelled her to the top of the Women’s standings by one point over Clay. Richardson is still in third, while Thomson’s latest triumph has moved her up to fourth – two points behind the Alba rider.
Noémie Thomson speaks to Joe Hudson after her Witheridge Grand Prix victory
RD Johns Open Witheridge Grand Prix
After a captivating Women’s race in the morning, the forecast rain mercifully dodged the Witheridge area and set up the Open race as a potential thriller. With three laps to take in, just over 120km of riding, it wasn’t the longest of National Road Series races but with plenty of climbing it was a race that offered plenty of options for how to tackle it.
Indeed, unlike the Women’s event, the race wasn’t static for long as Harry Macfarlane (Ride Revolution Coaching) launched an early attack which elicited half-a-dozen or so seconds of a lead over Primera-TeamJob’s Josh Housley, who himself had a few seconds over the peloton.
Macfarlane was allowed to grow his advantage to about 10 seconds before a party of six was dispatched off the front of the peloton to bring him back into the fold.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
With one lap completed, everything was as it was with a large peloton being led by Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli, Reflex-NoPinz, and Ride Revolution. They were motoring along at such a speed that riders were shelling out the back – unable to match the watts being put out up the climbs.
Past the halfway point of the race, things started to get more heated with riders not wanting to leave things to a final sprint and tried to animate the race. At first, it was Will Truelove (MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK) and James Satoor (Bridgnorth Cycling Club) who had attacked but coming toward the line to hear the bell, they’d been pulled back in.
Instead, it was Truelove and the Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli duo of Tom Martin and Tom Armstrong who were providing the engine for a peloton that had strung out through the tight village roads but had contracted back into a large pack come the climb out past the start/finish line.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Into the final lap and attacks started to fly off the front, early on a move that included Gabriel Dellar (Primera-TeamJobs) lasted for a time but was closed down heading into the last half-lap. In its place, a move including Holmes, Truelove, Macfarlane – who still had energy to spare after his earlier machinations – and Jake Edwards (360Cycling) broke clear of the peloton.
Working well together, the quartet build a lead stretching to half-a-minute and with the resolve of the peloton seemingly broken by this final assault, the race win was down to who of the four had the best legs after the gruelling slog round the South West.
Closing in on Witheridge for the final time, Holmes – who told The British Continental after the race that he saved his legs should an opportunity to attack to the flag revealed itself – unleashed his decisive move. Powering up the hill, he took an untroubled victory to add another National Road Series success to his palmarès.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Behind, a ferocious sprint from Edwards allowed him to move clear of Truelove within spitting distance of the chequered flag to take the runner-up position. Fourth went to Macfarlane, something of a reward for being so active throughout the race.
13th was enough for Adam Howell to retain his National Road Series Leader’s jersey for MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK with just two races remaining, while his squad stay at the top of the team standings.
Despite not racing today, Matt Bostock’s (TEKKERZ CC) National Circuit Series campaign bagged him enough points to maintain his lead at the top of the Rapha Super-League over Will Truelove. But the latter’s third place today has seen Bostock’s advantage narrowed to 88 points.
The next National Road Series race is the Curlew Cup and Beaumont Trophy in Northumberland on Sunday 17 August.
Matt Holmes talks to Joe Hudson after his success at the Witheridge Grand Prix
The green and rolling hills of North Devon played host to the first National Road Series race in the county for decades, and the inaugural Witheridge Grand Prix proved to be a thriller as Noémie Thomson (DAS-Hutchinson) added to an incredible debut road racing season with a solo victory in the Women’s race.
In the Open race, climbing specialist Matthew Holmes (One Good Thing – Factor Racing) took his first National Road Series win of the season as he attacked into Witheridge to take the success.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWPix.com
Report
TJ Smith Women’s Witheridge Grand Prix
On a warm but overcast morning in the rolling Devonshire countryside, 61 riders took to the grippy roads around Witheridge for the fifth round of the National Road Series.
Despite some recons taking place on Saturday, the route itself was a journey into the unknown but what was apparent from the start was that the constant climbing and descending was going to animate things from the off – add in the grippy roads and it was a race where stamina and determination were going to win out.
For the first lap of the 43km circuit, the peloton kept itself together. Such was the strain this circuit was placing on riders, no one wanted to burn too many matches so early on.
Indeed, it was the first run through the line that the race started to spark into life as Thomson – prepped in advance for the potential of a chance to attack – noticed she had a slight gap to the pack behind and decided to go full gas and launch a move.
Such was the speed of her attack, that by the time the race approached the outskirts of Tiverton her lead had gone over 30 seconds and despite attempts to close her down from the peloton – including Kate Richardson (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) – it looked like she was going to clear.
But then news came across that a rider had broken off the front of the peloton and was starting to establish a lead. It was quickly confirmed that the bridger was Dawlish Grand Prix winner Anna Morris (Private Member) and she gained an advantage of more than a minute over the peloton. She couldn’t, though, immediately eat into Thomson’s lead which was hovering around the half-a-minute mark for quite some time.
It was only within the final 10km that the race started to animate again. With Thomson continuing to go as hard as possible at the front, Morris’s pursuiting experience was starting to come to the fore and the world champion was slowly reeling in her target.
With 3km to go, the lead had been slashed down to just over six seconds and it was looking like the race was going to end in a two-up sprint to the line.
Heading into Witheridge with the finish in sight, Thomson kept her head down and sprinted all the way to the line – not daring a glance behind and losing momentum. She took the flag with about five seconds in hand, Morris needing perhaps another kilometre to mount a challenge.
Behind, a late charge off the front of the peloton by Tammy Miller (DAS-Hutchinson) was one of the only attacks off an increasingly fractious peloton that stuck. She crossed the line third, only a handful of seconds ahead of a peloton that fell just short of swallowing her back up.
Thomson’s victory marks a steady climb up Nat As. Taking sixth at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, she was pipped to Tour of the Reservoir victory by future DAS-Hutchinson teammate Robyn Clay before success here in Devon.
Speaking of Clay, her 11th has kept her in the National Road Series leaders jersey, with her DAS-Hutchinson squad remaining at the top of the team standings.
But in the Rapha Super-League, it’s all change! Morris’s second place has propelled her to the top of the Women’s standings by one point over Clay. Richardson is still in third, while Thomson’s latest triumph has moved her up to fourth – two points behind the Alba rider.
RD Johns Open Witheridge Grand Prix
After a captivating Women’s race in the morning, the forecast rain mercifully dodged the Witheridge area and set up the Open race as a potential thriller. With three laps to take in, just over 120km of riding, it wasn’t the longest of National Road Series races but with plenty of climbing it was a race that offered plenty of options for how to tackle it.
Indeed, unlike the Women’s event, the race wasn’t static for long as Harry Macfarlane (Ride Revolution Coaching) launched an early attack which elicited half-a-dozen or so seconds of a lead over Primera-TeamJob’s Josh Housley, who himself had a few seconds over the peloton.
Macfarlane was allowed to grow his advantage to about 10 seconds before a party of six was dispatched off the front of the peloton to bring him back into the fold.
With one lap completed, everything was as it was with a large peloton being led by Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli, Reflex-NoPinz, and Ride Revolution. They were motoring along at such a speed that riders were shelling out the back – unable to match the watts being put out up the climbs.
Past the halfway point of the race, things started to get more heated with riders not wanting to leave things to a final sprint and tried to animate the race. At first, it was Will Truelove (MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK) and James Satoor (Bridgnorth Cycling Club) who had attacked but coming toward the line to hear the bell, they’d been pulled back in.
Instead, it was Truelove and the Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli duo of Tom Martin and Tom Armstrong who were providing the engine for a peloton that had strung out through the tight village roads but had contracted back into a large pack come the climb out past the start/finish line.
Into the final lap and attacks started to fly off the front, early on a move that included Gabriel Dellar (Primera-TeamJobs) lasted for a time but was closed down heading into the last half-lap. In its place, a move including Holmes, Truelove, Macfarlane – who still had energy to spare after his earlier machinations – and Jake Edwards (360Cycling) broke clear of the peloton.
Working well together, the quartet build a lead stretching to half-a-minute and with the resolve of the peloton seemingly broken by this final assault, the race win was down to who of the four had the best legs after the gruelling slog round the South West.
Closing in on Witheridge for the final time, Holmes – who told The British Continental after the race that he saved his legs should an opportunity to attack to the flag revealed itself – unleashed his decisive move. Powering up the hill, he took an untroubled victory to add another National Road Series success to his palmarès.
Behind, a ferocious sprint from Edwards allowed him to move clear of Truelove within spitting distance of the chequered flag to take the runner-up position. Fourth went to Macfarlane, something of a reward for being so active throughout the race.
13th was enough for Adam Howell to retain his National Road Series Leader’s jersey for MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK with just two races remaining, while his squad stay at the top of the team standings.
Despite not racing today, Matt Bostock’s (TEKKERZ CC) National Circuit Series campaign bagged him enough points to maintain his lead at the top of the Rapha Super-League over Will Truelove. But the latter’s third place today has seen Bostock’s advantage narrowed to 88 points.
The next National Road Series race is the Curlew Cup and Beaumont Trophy in Northumberland on Sunday 17 August.
Results
TJ Smith Women’s Witheridge Grand Prix
RD Johns Open Witheridge Grand Prix
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