2025 Duncan Murray Wines Road Race: preview and startlist
Round 5 of the British Women’s Team Cup takes place on Sunday (10 August) in Northamptonshire, as the Duncan Murray Wines Road Race returns to its 20 km circuit around Naseby. Organised by Welland Valley CC and backed by local merchant Duncan Murray Wines, the National B event covers four laps of rolling, wind-exposed lanes before finishing on the rising straight beside Fairfax’s View.
Round 5 of the British Women’s Team Cup takes place on Sunday in Northamptonshire, as the Duncan Murray Wines Road Race returns to its 20 km circuit around Naseby. Organised by Welland Valley CC and backed by local merchant Duncan Murray Wines, the National B event covers four laps of rolling, wind-exposed lanes before finishing on the rising straight beside Fairfax’s View.
Defending champion Ruby Oakes (DAS–Hutchinson) lines up against Banbury Star winner Sophie Holmes (CJ O’Shea Racing), London Academy pair Lily Martin and Grace Sargeant, and a strong contingent of under-23s including Elena Day, Hannah Clough, Phoebe Roche and Carys Blowers.
The Duncan Murray Wines Road Race is fiercely-contested National B women’s road race run by Welland Valley Cycling Club on the rolling lanes around Naseby, Northamptonshire. Now a fixture on the domestic scene, it is backed by Market Harborough’s independent wine merchant Duncan Murray Wines – proprietor Duncan Murray is a long-standing member of the club – and forms a round of the British Women’s Team Cup. In 2025 it will be Round 5 of the series.
Ruby Oakes – still only 17 and racing for Shibden Apex RT at the time – sprinted up the Naseby finish straight to win the 2024 Duncan Murray Wines Road Race on 4 August 2024, out-kicking fellow junior Mari Porton and Elizabeth Hermolle in a select uphill dash. Oakes is back again this year, now in DAS-Hutchinson colours.
The race is four laps of the undulating 20 km Naseby circuit, roughly equidistant between Rugby to the west and Kettering to the east. The total race distance is 80 km and at only 162 m of elevation per lap, this is not a race for the climbers.
The circuit is a wind-worrying rectangle through the Welland Valley’s high hedges and open ridge-tops. From the village hall the bunch drops into Haselbech, scoots south on the exposed A508 past Kelmarsh and Great Oxendon, then cuts left onto narrower farm roads towards East Farndon. Re-joining the B4036, it drags through Clipston before tilting up again into Naseby.
The finish sits on the rising straight by “Fairfax’s View” – a flag-topped mound that overlooks the 1645 battlefield where Sir Thomas Fairfax routed King Charles I. This final 300-metre grind rewards timing and tenacity.
Riders to watch
Sophie Holmes (CJ O’Shea Racing) leads the list of contenders after a demonstration of climbing prowess earlier this season. The 25-year-old detonated the bunch on the very first ascent of the Banbury Star Road Race, surging clear solo on a 15 % slope and never looking back. That dominant victory showcased Holmes’ strength as an aggressive rider unafraid to go long. In the same vein, last year’s winner Ruby Oakes (DAS-Hutchinson) has been forging an equally impressive path. The 19-year-old Manx rider’s season included a baptism on the sport’s biggest stages – she even lined up at WorldTour spring classics like the Tour of Flanders – and, back on home roads, she has translated that experience into results. Oakes most recently sprinted to second place at the hilly Bath CC National B Road Race in early August, underscoring her superb form and marking her out as one of the race’s prime favourites.
Lily Martin (London Academy) is another emerging force, channelling her rowing-honed power into cycling success. The former junior rower showed her strength by breaking away from the chasers to claim a superb runner-up finish at Banbury Star in May – a breakthrough result that confirmed the promise of her athletic engine. Alongside Martin, team-mate Grace Sargeant provides a steady, all-round presence for London Academy. The 26-year-old Sargeant has quietly notched strong results of her own, including a top-ten in the gruelling Witheridge Grand Prix (10th place) – a tough National Road Series road race in Devon – showing she can survive hard courses and still be in the mix when it counts. Together, Martin’s raw power and Sargeant’s consistency give their team a potent one-two punch.
On hillier terrain, few riders look as poised as Elena Day (Loughborough Lightning) and Hannah Clough (University of Nottingham CC). Day thrives when the road tilts upward – she placed fourth on the steep Kennel Hill Classic circuit earlier this year and went on to seize a silver medal at the BUCS Road Race Championships, once again proving her class on a punishing uphill finish. An indefatigable pace-setter on selective circuits, Day is the type of rider who can shred a bunch on the climbs. Clough, last year’s BUCS runner-up, is fast adapting to senior racing and has already displayed significant climbing prowess of her own. A seventh place over the brutal climbs of Capernwray this spring underlined her ability to hang with the best. Clough has continued to attack and animate races since, suggesting she could excel if the Duncan Murray course proves
For sheer racing nous, Karla Boddy (Brighton Mitre CC) brings veteran savvy to the field. The 39-year-old former professional has returned to domestic racing with remarkably consistent results – including 7th at the Banbury Star Women’s Road Race and 6th at the London Dynamo National B (Regional Championship) – reminding the peloton that her sprint and tactical acumen remain as sharp as ever. Boddy’s wealth of experience and cagey racing style could see her sniffing out any opportunity in an open race.
In contrast, younger rival Isabella Johnson (Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Gladden) has been one of this season’s most consistent performers. The 22-year-old all-rounder opened her account with a close runner-up finish at the Florrie Newbery Classic in April – the Team Cup season opener – and has regularly featured near the sharp end since. Johnson has multiple top-ten results to her name – for instance, 9th at the Owen Blower Memorial Road Race in June – marking her out as a fast-finishing rider who can handle an array of course profiles. Her knack for positioning and consistency could pay dividends in a race that rewards race craft as much as power.
Finally, a trio of fearless younger riders could also spring a surprise. Phoebe Roche (O’Shea Development) has already shown a winning touch this year: the U23 rider used a well-timed late kick to steal victory at the Witham Hall Grand Prix on 4 May, out-sprinting and outwitting more seasoned competitors. Roche is a punchy finisher and opportunist; if the race comes back together late or turns tactical, she has the turn of speed to take it. Meanwhile, Carys Blowers (Liv CC – Halo Films) is one of the youngest in the field and rides with a fearless streak. Still a junior, Blowers announced herself by animating the women’s Welsh Road Race Championship in June – joining an early break on the hilly Llandrindod Wells course – and then hanging on brilliantly to finish sixth against elite senior competition. That result, achieved at just 17 years old, spoke volumes about her climbing grit and tenacity. Not to be outdone, Zoe Roche (Private Member) – Phoebe’s 17-year-old younger sister – has emerged as one of Britain’s most exciting young talents on all surfaces. Racing unattached, Roche snatched her first senior win in June by storming the women’s VIA Criterium in London with a daring last-corner surge past national-level opponents. It came only a week after a sibling showdown in which she pushed her older sister hard at the Ronde van Wymeswold.
Round 5 of the British Women’s Team Cup takes place on Sunday in Northamptonshire, as the Duncan Murray Wines Road Race returns to its 20 km circuit around Naseby. Organised by Welland Valley CC and backed by local merchant Duncan Murray Wines, the National B event covers four laps of rolling, wind-exposed lanes before finishing on the rising straight beside Fairfax’s View.
Defending champion Ruby Oakes (DAS–Hutchinson) lines up against Banbury Star winner Sophie Holmes (CJ O’Shea Racing), London Academy pair Lily Martin and Grace Sargeant, and a strong contingent of under-23s including Elena Day, Hannah Clough, Phoebe Roche and Carys Blowers.
Here is our preview.
Featured image: Matt de-B Photography
What is it?
The Duncan Murray Wines Road Race is fiercely-contested National B women’s road race run by Welland Valley Cycling Club on the rolling lanes around Naseby, Northamptonshire. Now a fixture on the domestic scene, it is backed by Market Harborough’s independent wine merchant Duncan Murray Wines – proprietor Duncan Murray is a long-standing member of the club – and forms a round of the British Women’s Team Cup. In 2025 it will be Round 5 of the series.
Ruby Oakes – still only 17 and racing for Shibden Apex RT at the time – sprinted up the Naseby finish straight to win the 2024 Duncan Murray Wines Road Race on 4 August 2024, out-kicking fellow junior Mari Porton and Elizabeth Hermolle in a select uphill dash. Oakes is back again this year, now in DAS-Hutchinson colours.
The racing begins at 10.00.
Route
The race is four laps of the undulating 20 km Naseby circuit, roughly equidistant between Rugby to the west and Kettering to the east. The total race distance is 80 km and at only 162 m of elevation per lap, this is not a race for the climbers.
The circuit is a wind-worrying rectangle through the Welland Valley’s high hedges and open ridge-tops. From the village hall the bunch drops into Haselbech, scoots south on the exposed A508 past Kelmarsh and Great Oxendon, then cuts left onto narrower farm roads towards East Farndon. Re-joining the B4036, it drags through Clipston before tilting up again into Naseby.
The finish sits on the rising straight by “Fairfax’s View” – a flag-topped mound that overlooks the 1645 battlefield where Sir Thomas Fairfax routed King Charles I. This final 300-metre grind rewards timing and tenacity.
Riders to watch
Sophie Holmes (CJ O’Shea Racing) leads the list of contenders after a demonstration of climbing prowess earlier this season. The 25-year-old detonated the bunch on the very first ascent of the Banbury Star Road Race, surging clear solo on a 15 % slope and never looking back. That dominant victory showcased Holmes’ strength as an aggressive rider unafraid to go long. In the same vein, last year’s winner Ruby Oakes (DAS-Hutchinson) has been forging an equally impressive path. The 19-year-old Manx rider’s season included a baptism on the sport’s biggest stages – she even lined up at WorldTour spring classics like the Tour of Flanders – and, back on home roads, she has translated that experience into results. Oakes most recently sprinted to second place at the hilly Bath CC National B Road Race in early August, underscoring her superb form and marking her out as one of the race’s prime favourites.
Lily Martin (London Academy) is another emerging force, channelling her rowing-honed power into cycling success. The former junior rower showed her strength by breaking away from the chasers to claim a superb runner-up finish at Banbury Star in May – a breakthrough result that confirmed the promise of her athletic engine. Alongside Martin, team-mate Grace Sargeant provides a steady, all-round presence for London Academy. The 26-year-old Sargeant has quietly notched strong results of her own, including a top-ten in the gruelling Witheridge Grand Prix (10th place) – a tough National Road Series road race in Devon – showing she can survive hard courses and still be in the mix when it counts. Together, Martin’s raw power and Sargeant’s consistency give their team a potent one-two punch.
On hillier terrain, few riders look as poised as Elena Day (Loughborough Lightning) and Hannah Clough (University of Nottingham CC). Day thrives when the road tilts upward – she placed fourth on the steep Kennel Hill Classic circuit earlier this year and went on to seize a silver medal at the BUCS Road Race Championships, once again proving her class on a punishing uphill finish. An indefatigable pace-setter on selective circuits, Day is the type of rider who can shred a bunch on the climbs. Clough, last year’s BUCS runner-up, is fast adapting to senior racing and has already displayed significant climbing prowess of her own. A seventh place over the brutal climbs of Capernwray this spring underlined her ability to hang with the best. Clough has continued to attack and animate races since, suggesting she could excel if the Duncan Murray course proves
For sheer racing nous, Karla Boddy (Brighton Mitre CC) brings veteran savvy to the field. The 39-year-old former professional has returned to domestic racing with remarkably consistent results – including 7th at the Banbury Star Women’s Road Race and 6th at the London Dynamo National B (Regional Championship) – reminding the peloton that her sprint and tactical acumen remain as sharp as ever. Boddy’s wealth of experience and cagey racing style could see her sniffing out any opportunity in an open race.
In contrast, younger rival Isabella Johnson (Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Gladden) has been one of this season’s most consistent performers. The 22-year-old all-rounder opened her account with a close runner-up finish at the Florrie Newbery Classic in April – the Team Cup season opener – and has regularly featured near the sharp end since. Johnson has multiple top-ten results to her name – for instance, 9th at the Owen Blower Memorial Road Race in June – marking her out as a fast-finishing rider who can handle an array of course profiles. Her knack for positioning and consistency could pay dividends in a race that rewards race craft as much as power.
Finally, a trio of fearless younger riders could also spring a surprise. Phoebe Roche (O’Shea Development) has already shown a winning touch this year: the U23 rider used a well-timed late kick to steal victory at the Witham Hall Grand Prix on 4 May, out-sprinting and outwitting more seasoned competitors. Roche is a punchy finisher and opportunist; if the race comes back together late or turns tactical, she has the turn of speed to take it. Meanwhile, Carys Blowers (Liv CC – Halo Films) is one of the youngest in the field and rides with a fearless streak. Still a junior, Blowers announced herself by animating the women’s Welsh Road Race Championship in June – joining an early break on the hilly Llandrindod Wells course – and then hanging on brilliantly to finish sixth against elite senior competition. That result, achieved at just 17 years old, spoke volumes about her climbing grit and tenacity. Not to be outdone, Zoe Roche (Private Member) – Phoebe’s 17-year-old younger sister – has emerged as one of Britain’s most exciting young talents on all surfaces. Racing unattached, Roche snatched her first senior win in June by storming the women’s VIA Criterium in London with a daring last-corner surge past national-level opponents. It came only a week after a sibling showdown in which she pushed her older sister hard at the Ronde van Wymeswold.
Provisional startlist
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