Kate Richardson and Handsling Alba Development Road Team turned strength in numbers into victory, splitting the women’s Tour of the Reservoir early before Richardson attacked alone on the tailwind run towards Consett, Sunday 7 June
On a windswept afternoon above Derwent Reservoir, Kate Richardson and Handsling Alba Development Road Team turned strength in numbers into victory, splitting the women’s Tour of the Reservoir early before Richardson attacked alone on the tailwind run towards Consett.
Sixty-five riders rolled out for the Tour of the Reservoir on Sunday, the fourth round of the women’s National Road Series, on the exposed roads above Derwent Reservoir. The race took in two laps of a revised 37-kilometre circuit, forming part of a 96-kilometre route, with a fierce wind blowing across the moor and cutting across the fast run down to Edmundbyers. On a day like this, numbers mattered.
The startlist told much of the story before a wheel turned. Most teams arrived short-handed, and DAS–Hutchinson, the squad that has set the terms of so much of the domestic season, started just three riders from an entry of eight: Tiffany Keep, Lucy Lee and series leader Morven Yeoman. Only Handsling Alba Development Road Team came with anything like full strength.
The break. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
It showed early. Coming up the climb from Consett onto the circuit, first three riders, then four, then a group of seven prised themselves off the front, opening around 17 seconds as the road tipped down towards Edmundbyers. Three of the seven were Alba — Beth Morrow, Kate Richardson and Arianne Holland — joined by Peggy Knox of the Great Britain junior team, Amelia Cebak (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team) and two of DAS–Hutchinson’s three starters, Lee and Keep. Yeoman, the rider DAS most needed up the road, was not among them.
There was activity at the front of the peloton, but by the lap board at Meadows Edge the race had pulled itself apart. The lead group was down to six, with Keep dropping back into a chasing group built around Yeoman. Aalia Clay and Melanie Rowe of the Great Britain junior team, Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning), Jennifer Powell (Performance Development Team) and Elena Day (Smurfit Westrock CT) were also there.
Yeoman follows Keep in the chase group. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
The closing lap hardened the order at the front. The six leaders stretched their advantage to 2:05 by the midpoint, three Alba riders among them and Lee the lone DAS–Hutchinson presence. Behind, the chase fragmented. Martin attacked out of it and set off alone after the leaders, while Yeoman, Clay, Rowe and Day were timed at 3:20 down.
Ahead of Martin, the leaders came over the top of the final climb together before Richardson went, attacking onto the tailwind descent towards Consett. Lee was first to respond and, with Knox, set off after the Alba rider. But Richardson held the gap and rode clear to win alone. Behind her, Lee won the two-up sprint with Knox to take second, the junior third.
Yeoman eventually finished tenth, 5:51 down. She remains the women’s National Road Series leader after four rounds on 146 points, ahead of Rowe on 114 and teammate Katie Scott on 106. In the team standings, DAS–Hutchinson still lead, on 408 points, but Alba’s performance at the Reservoir tightened the picture, moving them to 345.
Kate Richardson wins Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
For Richardson, the win was the product of a plan made the night before, and a settling of accounts after Lincoln. “I’m so happy with how we executed that as a team,” she said. “We discussed it last night — we’ve got strength in numbers here. I think we were on the receiving end of that with DAS at Lincoln. They were super strong there, so we really wanted to come back fighting today.”
The aim, she explained, was to force an early move that suited the course. “We wanted to be the strongest team at the front in the break, and we wanted it to be a break early on, because that really favours this sort of riding. We formed that group perfectly, and then it was just about full commitment.”
Richardson knew early that she had the legs to make the plan count. “You kind of know when you start a race if you’re on a good one or not,” she said. “I could tell I was on a good one today.”
The decisive move came over the top of the last climb. “I saw my opportunity over the top, for the tailwind descent, and it was just full gas from there,” she said. She did not expect the run-in to last as long as it did: her computer had her three kilometres from the line while the roadside boards read six. “I should have done my research a bit more there. I was a bit scared when it got harder into the finish, but it paid off in the end.”
She never counted Lee and Knox out behind. “You can never underestimate those girls. They were so strong all day.”
The course, Richardson reflected, left little margin for the rider who tries to go it alone in the wind. “This is the hardest national series road route — up and down all day, really hard climbs, and when you add the crosswind it makes it really hard to get away alone. You need to pick your right moment. That’s why I went for the tailwind. I can’t be fighting off the crosswinds on my own — I need the girls for that, for the echelon action.”
On a windswept afternoon above Derwent Reservoir, Kate Richardson and Handsling Alba Development Road Team turned strength in numbers into victory, splitting the women’s Tour of the Reservoir early before Richardson attacked alone on the tailwind run towards Consett.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
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Report
Women’s race
Sixty-five riders rolled out for the Tour of the Reservoir on Sunday, the fourth round of the women’s National Road Series, on the exposed roads above Derwent Reservoir. The race took in two laps of a revised 37-kilometre circuit, forming part of a 96-kilometre route, with a fierce wind blowing across the moor and cutting across the fast run down to Edmundbyers. On a day like this, numbers mattered.
The startlist told much of the story before a wheel turned. Most teams arrived short-handed, and DAS–Hutchinson, the squad that has set the terms of so much of the domestic season, started just three riders from an entry of eight: Tiffany Keep, Lucy Lee and series leader Morven Yeoman. Only Handsling Alba Development Road Team came with anything like full strength.
It showed early. Coming up the climb from Consett onto the circuit, first three riders, then four, then a group of seven prised themselves off the front, opening around 17 seconds as the road tipped down towards Edmundbyers. Three of the seven were Alba — Beth Morrow, Kate Richardson and Arianne Holland — joined by Peggy Knox of the Great Britain junior team, Amelia Cebak (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team) and two of DAS–Hutchinson’s three starters, Lee and Keep. Yeoman, the rider DAS most needed up the road, was not among them.
There was activity at the front of the peloton, but by the lap board at Meadows Edge the race had pulled itself apart. The lead group was down to six, with Keep dropping back into a chasing group built around Yeoman. Aalia Clay and Melanie Rowe of the Great Britain junior team, Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning), Jennifer Powell (Performance Development Team) and Elena Day (Smurfit Westrock CT) were also there.
The closing lap hardened the order at the front. The six leaders stretched their advantage to 2:05 by the midpoint, three Alba riders among them and Lee the lone DAS–Hutchinson presence. Behind, the chase fragmented. Martin attacked out of it and set off alone after the leaders, while Yeoman, Clay, Rowe and Day were timed at 3:20 down.
Ahead of Martin, the leaders came over the top of the final climb together before Richardson went, attacking onto the tailwind descent towards Consett. Lee was first to respond and, with Knox, set off after the Alba rider. But Richardson held the gap and rode clear to win alone. Behind her, Lee won the two-up sprint with Knox to take second, the junior third.
Yeoman eventually finished tenth, 5:51 down. She remains the women’s National Road Series leader after four rounds on 146 points, ahead of Rowe on 114 and teammate Katie Scott on 106. In the team standings, DAS–Hutchinson still lead, on 408 points, but Alba’s performance at the Reservoir tightened the picture, moving them to 345.
For Richardson, the win was the product of a plan made the night before, and a settling of accounts after Lincoln. “I’m so happy with how we executed that as a team,” she said. “We discussed it last night — we’ve got strength in numbers here. I think we were on the receiving end of that with DAS at Lincoln. They were super strong there, so we really wanted to come back fighting today.”
The aim, she explained, was to force an early move that suited the course. “We wanted to be the strongest team at the front in the break, and we wanted it to be a break early on, because that really favours this sort of riding. We formed that group perfectly, and then it was just about full commitment.”
Richardson knew early that she had the legs to make the plan count. “You kind of know when you start a race if you’re on a good one or not,” she said. “I could tell I was on a good one today.”
The decisive move came over the top of the last climb. “I saw my opportunity over the top, for the tailwind descent, and it was just full gas from there,” she said. She did not expect the run-in to last as long as it did: her computer had her three kilometres from the line while the roadside boards read six. “I should have done my research a bit more there. I was a bit scared when it got harder into the finish, but it paid off in the end.”
She never counted Lee and Knox out behind. “You can never underestimate those girls. They were so strong all day.”
The course, Richardson reflected, left little margin for the rider who tries to go it alone in the wind. “This is the hardest national series road route — up and down all day, really hard climbs, and when you add the crosswind it makes it really hard to get away alone. You need to pick your right moment. That’s why I went for the tailwind. I can’t be fighting off the crosswinds on my own — I need the girls for that, for the echelon action.”
Open race
To follow.
Results
Women’s race
Open race
To follow.
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