Deetray Jarrett (Vigo–Rías Baixas) soloed to victory in the open race at Capernwray, while Anna Morris (Private Member) edged a three-way uphill sprint to take the women's race, 4 April 2026
Deetray Jarrett (Vigo–Rías Baixas) and Anna Morris (Private Member) took commanding victories at the 2026 Capernwray Road Races on a cold, drizzle-soaked morning in Lancashire. Jarrett soloed to the open race win with 40 seconds in hand on the final ascent of Sunny Bank, while Morris edged a ferocious three-way uphill sprint to take the women’s race ahead of Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT) and Ruby Oakes (FTP–Fulfil the Potential Racing).
Featured image: Joe Hudson
Report
Open race
Cold and damp greeted the open field as they rolled out of Borwick, a fine drizzle settling on wet roads and making an already unforgiving circuit more treacherous still. It did not take long for the racing to ignite. Within the first lap a small group broke clear, with Josh Housley (Ride Revolution Coaching), Henry Hunter (360cycling) and Matt Bostock (Rapha Cycling Club) among those going up the road — only to be reeled in on the run to the church before Sunny Bank, the peloton refusing to let the early move stick.
The second lap produced the move that would shape the race. Five riders broke free and began to build an advantage: Deetray Jarrett (Vigo–Rías Baixas), Mike Chadwick (Doncaster Wheelers CC), Hunter, Ben Pease (Moonglu SpatzWear) and Deetray Jarrett (Vigo–Rías Baixas). Behind them, Tyler Hannay (Manx Viking Wheelers) launched a lone chase and was closing — 19 seconds at Arkholme — but the five out front kept the pressure on. Meanwhile, in the body of the race, the familiar Capernwray attrition was beginning its work on the peloton.
By the third lap the race had reshuffled. George Peden (PB Performance) and Matthew Lord (DAS Richardsons) had moved to the front, with Bostock and Deetray Jarrett just behind — those four then coming together to form the decisive lead group, working with enough cohesion to hold the field at arm’s length. The peloton sat six or seven seconds back, close enough to threaten but unable to make the catch.
Image: Joe Hudson
The fourth lap settled into a pattern of controlled aggression up front and mounting desperation behind. Eight riders had broken from the peloton to form a chase — among them Housley, Chadwick, Magnus Denwood (Prologue Racing Team) and Dexter Leeming-Sykes (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) — but the lead quartet had the situation in hand, their advantage extending to 27 seconds over the chasers and 47 to the peloton by the start of lap five. A split at the front of the peloton brought a further six riders — Alexander Foster (Cycling Sheffield), Nathan Smith (Cycling Sheffield), Hunter, Hannay, Tom Martin (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) and Huw Owen (Clwb Beicio Egni Eryri) — across to join the eight, narrowing the gap to the leaders to around 11 seconds. It was enough to alarm, but not enough to threaten. Then, before the chase could consolidate its position, Lord and Jarrett attacked off the lead group — and the race changed shape again.
Through lap six, with two laps remaining, the two leaders worked in concert and the race was as good as settled. The gap to the peloton had stretched to one minute thirty seconds, the 14-rider chase group sitting between them and the field, with two further riders some 25 seconds off that pack. Lord and Jarrett, briefly allies, were about to become rivals.
The decisive moment came at the end of the penultimate lap, on the ascent of Sunny Bank. Jarrett accelerated and Lord could not hold the wheel. Behind them, Peden had been moving through the chase, and where Lord faded, Peden found another gear — coming through to take second on the podium. Lord held on for third.
Image: Joe Hudson
Jarrett told The British Continental after the race: “I was so cold, so just trying to keep active.” On the decisive move with Lord, he says: “We just worked really well together for the next lap. And then I could see Matt was struggling with the lap to go, so I thought I’ve got to go solo, because I don’t want to get caught.” Once clear, there was no looking back: “Once I had the gap, I knew — if I put my head down, I won’t get caught again.”
Women’s race
The women’s field rolled out in drizzle, the pace measured and the field intact in the opening stages. The wind had built throughout the morning and would prove decisive. The race fractured at the end of the first lap, over the Sunny Bank climb: Grace Sargeant (London Academy) launched a strong attack up the finish climb, Phoebe Taylor (Shibden Apex RT) following, before the move stalled over the top.
Anna Morris (Private Member), Ruby Oakes (FTP–Fulfil the Potential Racing) and Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT) kept the pressure on through the wind change and came through together — three riders clear, the race already broken. Behind them, a chase group formed — Daisy Taylor (The Hera Project), Jihanna Bonilla-Allard (Paralloy RT), Kim Baptiste (Pafgio Cycling Club) and Ruby Blanc (360cycling) among those pressing — but the lead trio would not be caught.
Image: Joe Hudson
By the third lap the gap stood at one minute forty-five seconds at Arkholme. Lydia Louw (Solas Cycling) attempted to animate the peloton behind, but the effort came to nothing on the run out of the village and the leaders pressed on, extending their advantage to over two minutes. Through laps four and five the three worked smoothly together, the gap to the chasers growing to two minutes fifty as they crossed the line to begin the final ascent of Sunny Bank.
What followed was perhaps the closest finish Capernwray has seen. Oakes led the three-way group around the final bend, seemingly poised for the win. But Morris — the individual pursuit world champion, a rider of rare finishing intelligence — came through in the closing metres to take the victory. Henchoz held on for second, Oakes third in a sprint that will take some time to separate on the photo.
Morris said afterwards she had been surprised by how early the race split. “I think with the change in the wind direction over the top, we split — I was surprised at how early that went,” she explains. The trio’s advantage grew because all three committed fully to the work. “Fair play to Amy and Ruby — we were all committed, and I think that’s why it grew to a couple of minutes.”
Image: Joe Hudson
On the sprint, she adds, there was a moment of confusion: a 200-metre sign had been blown around and was pointing to the feed zone rather than the line, leaving Morris and Henchoz briefly double-guessing their timing. “It was a late sprint to the line. I wasn’t sure — I’d not sprinted against Amy and Ruby before.”
Deetray Jarrett (Vigo–Rías Baixas) and Anna Morris (Private Member) took commanding victories at the 2026 Capernwray Road Races on a cold, drizzle-soaked morning in Lancashire. Jarrett soloed to the open race win with 40 seconds in hand on the final ascent of Sunny Bank, while Morris edged a ferocious three-way uphill sprint to take the women’s race ahead of Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT) and Ruby Oakes (FTP–Fulfil the Potential Racing).
Featured image: Joe Hudson
Report
Open race
Cold and damp greeted the open field as they rolled out of Borwick, a fine drizzle settling on wet roads and making an already unforgiving circuit more treacherous still. It did not take long for the racing to ignite. Within the first lap a small group broke clear, with Josh Housley (Ride Revolution Coaching), Henry Hunter (360cycling) and Matt Bostock (Rapha Cycling Club) among those going up the road — only to be reeled in on the run to the church before Sunny Bank, the peloton refusing to let the early move stick.
The second lap produced the move that would shape the race. Five riders broke free and began to build an advantage: Deetray Jarrett (Vigo–Rías Baixas), Mike Chadwick (Doncaster Wheelers CC), Hunter, Ben Pease (Moonglu SpatzWear) and Deetray Jarrett (Vigo–Rías Baixas). Behind them, Tyler Hannay (Manx Viking Wheelers) launched a lone chase and was closing — 19 seconds at Arkholme — but the five out front kept the pressure on. Meanwhile, in the body of the race, the familiar Capernwray attrition was beginning its work on the peloton.
By the third lap the race had reshuffled. George Peden (PB Performance) and Matthew Lord (DAS Richardsons) had moved to the front, with Bostock and Deetray Jarrett just behind — those four then coming together to form the decisive lead group, working with enough cohesion to hold the field at arm’s length. The peloton sat six or seven seconds back, close enough to threaten but unable to make the catch.
The fourth lap settled into a pattern of controlled aggression up front and mounting desperation behind. Eight riders had broken from the peloton to form a chase — among them Housley, Chadwick, Magnus Denwood (Prologue Racing Team) and Dexter Leeming-Sykes (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) — but the lead quartet had the situation in hand, their advantage extending to 27 seconds over the chasers and 47 to the peloton by the start of lap five. A split at the front of the peloton brought a further six riders — Alexander Foster (Cycling Sheffield), Nathan Smith (Cycling Sheffield), Hunter, Hannay, Tom Martin (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) and Huw Owen (Clwb Beicio Egni Eryri) — across to join the eight, narrowing the gap to the leaders to around 11 seconds. It was enough to alarm, but not enough to threaten. Then, before the chase could consolidate its position, Lord and Jarrett attacked off the lead group — and the race changed shape again.
Through lap six, with two laps remaining, the two leaders worked in concert and the race was as good as settled. The gap to the peloton had stretched to one minute thirty seconds, the 14-rider chase group sitting between them and the field, with two further riders some 25 seconds off that pack. Lord and Jarrett, briefly allies, were about to become rivals.
The decisive moment came at the end of the penultimate lap, on the ascent of Sunny Bank. Jarrett accelerated and Lord could not hold the wheel. Behind them, Peden had been moving through the chase, and where Lord faded, Peden found another gear — coming through to take second on the podium. Lord held on for third.
Jarrett told The British Continental after the race: “I was so cold, so just trying to keep active.” On the decisive move with Lord, he says: “We just worked really well together for the next lap. And then I could see Matt was struggling with the lap to go, so I thought I’ve got to go solo, because I don’t want to get caught.” Once clear, there was no looking back: “Once I had the gap, I knew — if I put my head down, I won’t get caught again.”
Women’s race
The women’s field rolled out in drizzle, the pace measured and the field intact in the opening stages. The wind had built throughout the morning and would prove decisive. The race fractured at the end of the first lap, over the Sunny Bank climb: Grace Sargeant (London Academy) launched a strong attack up the finish climb, Phoebe Taylor (Shibden Apex RT) following, before the move stalled over the top.
Anna Morris (Private Member), Ruby Oakes (FTP–Fulfil the Potential Racing) and Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT) kept the pressure on through the wind change and came through together — three riders clear, the race already broken. Behind them, a chase group formed — Daisy Taylor (The Hera Project), Jihanna Bonilla-Allard (Paralloy RT), Kim Baptiste (Pafgio Cycling Club) and Ruby Blanc (360cycling) among those pressing — but the lead trio would not be caught.
By the third lap the gap stood at one minute forty-five seconds at Arkholme. Lydia Louw (Solas Cycling) attempted to animate the peloton behind, but the effort came to nothing on the run out of the village and the leaders pressed on, extending their advantage to over two minutes. Through laps four and five the three worked smoothly together, the gap to the chasers growing to two minutes fifty as they crossed the line to begin the final ascent of Sunny Bank.
What followed was perhaps the closest finish Capernwray has seen. Oakes led the three-way group around the final bend, seemingly poised for the win. But Morris — the individual pursuit world champion, a rider of rare finishing intelligence — came through in the closing metres to take the victory. Henchoz held on for second, Oakes third in a sprint that will take some time to separate on the photo.
Morris said afterwards she had been surprised by how early the race split. “I think with the change in the wind direction over the top, we split — I was surprised at how early that went,” she explains. The trio’s advantage grew because all three committed fully to the work. “Fair play to Amy and Ruby — we were all committed, and I think that’s why it grew to a couple of minutes.”
On the sprint, she adds, there was a moment of confusion: a 200-metre sign had been blown around and was pointing to the feed zone rather than the line, leaving Morris and Henchoz briefly double-guessing their timing. “It was a late sprint to the line. I wasn’t sure — I’d not sprinted against Amy and Ruby before.”
Results
Open race
Women’s race
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