Jessica Roberts and Joshua Giddings took the wins at Otley on a night that tightened the Rapha Super-League picture and reshaped the National Circuit Series standings.
Otley sharpened the Rapha Super-League picture across both competitions, as Jessica Roberts went long to win the Santini Women’s Otley Grand Prix and Joshua Giddings held off Ollie Wood in the final metres of the Martin House Open Otley Grand Prix.
Morven Yeoman and Tom Armstrong retained their Rapha Super-League leads, while Maddie Cooper and Wood moved to the top of the women’s and open National Circuit Series standings.
Featured image:Milan Josy/The British Continental
Report
Santini Women’s Otley Grand Prix
The Santini Otley Women’s Grand Prix arrived just days after the National Championships, and carried some of that same charge. Megan Barker (Rapha Cycling Club) lined up in the national champion’s jersey, fresh from her title-winning ride in Aberystwyth, while others came to Otley either buoyed by recent form or with something to correct after a less-than-perfect championships weekend.
From the start, Sophie Lewis (DAS-Hutchinson) and Handsling Alba Development Road Team positioned themselves at the front of the field, with April Tacey (Hitec Products–Fluid Control) and Eilidh Shaw (UAE Development Team) adding further weight to a race that was hard from the drop of the flag.
Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
The first move of substance, however, came from elsewhere. After a DRAFT rider launched a dig off the front, Amy Perryman (Rapha Cycling Club) and Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT) countered, building a small advantage before being absorbed back into the bunch.
A couple of laps later, Anna Morris (Private Member) gave the first sign of what was to come, attacking on Birdcage Walk. She was brought back after a lap, but the fuse had been lit. With 35 minutes remaining, Morris attacked through the line and finally snapped the elastic.
Alone for a lap, Morris was joined by Jessica Roberts (Private Member), who put the hammer down and bridged across from the peloton. Early on, it seemed as though Morris, having already animated the race, was not quite operating at the same level as Roberts. Flicks of the elbow went unanswered and the pace began to drop.
Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
With 10 laps completed, Roberts took a swig from her bottle and launched the decisive move. Attacking on the climb up Barras Lane, she quickly distanced Morris, the team pursuit world champion using all her track experience to settle into a consistently high pace and ride clear of her breakaway companion.
From there, Roberts’ victory began to feel increasingly secure. With under 20 minutes remaining, her advantage stretched to 24 seconds as the peloton struggled to organise a threatening chase. Loughborough Lightning and O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes put riders towards the front, while the resolve of DAS-Hutchinson and Handsling Alba Development Road Team began to fray.
Roberts crossed the line with arms aloft, 19 seconds clear of the peloton. Behind, Morris found a second wind to lead the bunch home and pip Madeline Cooper (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) to the runner-up spot. Barker, who had told The British Continental before the race that the course did not perfectly suit her, took fourth, while Monica Greenwood (Macclesfield Wheelers) rounded out the top five.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
The result also tightened the wider standings picture. In the Rapha Super-League, Yeoman retained the women’s lead on 91 points, with Cooper moving up to second on 69 and Anna Morris rising to fourth after her runner-up finish. In the National Circuit Series, Barker leads after two rounds on 92 points, just ahead of Cooper on 90 and Roberts on 88, while Handsling Alba Development Road Team sit clear at the top of the team standings.
Martin House Open Otley Grand Prix
The Martin House Open Otley Grand Prix was a race that refused to settle. Across 55 minutes on the West Yorkshire town-centre circuit, attacks came almost as soon as the bunch had been brought back together, with the winning move only taking shape in the final laps and the result still in doubt deep into the finishing straight.
The race was alive almost immediately. Ollie Cadin (DRAFT) attacked up the Barras Lane climb on the opening lap, forcing an early chase before the bunch had been given any chance to settle.
Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
He was away for a lap before the chase, marshalled by national champion Matt Bostock and Cam Mason (Alpecin–Premier Tech Development Team), brought him back. Mason then launched a brief attack of his own, testing the resolve of Bostock and those around him, but was unable to gain any meaningful distance before sitting back into the peloton.
After a brief lull, four riders broke clear: Tom Martin (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), Olivier Mangham (DAS Richardsons), James Hartley (Team Bricquebec Cotentin) and Joe Shillabeer (Private Member). The quartet built a small buffer over the chase behind, but never looked likely to take the move all the way to the line, especially once Mason tried to bridge across and brought the peloton with him.
As soon as that move was closed down, Ollie Wood (Rapha Cycling Club) launched a solo attack of his own — a sign of the race’s restless, fractious rhythm. He spent a lap out front before Seb Grindley (Lidl–Trek Future Racing) snuffed out the move.
By halfway, Aaron King (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), Dan Barnes (Wold Top Pactimo) and Oliver Dawson (JAKROO Handsling Racing) had taken advantage of a splintering peloton and Bostock’s withdrawal with an apparent mechanical issue to attack clear.
Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
With Bostock out of the race, Mason became the principal force in the bunch. He bridged across with Ben Tuchner (TEKKERZ CC), Tom Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) and eventual winner Joshua Giddings. Just as the move began to look threatening, however, the momentum went out of it, and the group allowed itself to be reabsorbed by the charging peloton.
The decisive move came with four laps remaining. Mason went from policing the peloton to attacking from it, going clear with Shillabeer and Harper Johnson (360 Junior Race Team). A lap later, Giddings dug deep to make it a quartet, but even then the race was not quite settled.
Behind, Wood was still looming. He produced a huge effort of his own to reach the front group as the bell sounded for the final lap. Just as he made contact, at the base of the Barras Lane climb, Giddings spotted his opportunity and went clear.
As Giddings rode away, Wood launched one final pursuit. The Rapha rider closed rapidly as Giddings flew down the hill and into the final corner, and for a moment it looked as though the race might end in a two-up sprint. Instead, Giddings found just enough to hold him off, crossing the line narrowly ahead of Wood.
Image: Mathew Wells/SWpix.com
Shillabeer took third, with Johnson holding off Mason for fourth. Tom Armstrong had enough left to take sixth, leading home what remained of the main peloton.
The result leaves Oliver Wood (Rapha Cycling Club) top of the National Circuit Series after two rounds on 92 points, ahead of Frank Longstaff (DAS Richardsons) on 84 and Cameron Mason (Alpecin–Premier Tech Development Team) on 80, with Wheelbase CabTech Castelli leading the team standings from DAS Richardsons and Cycling Sheffield.
In the Rapha Super-League, meanwhile, Thomas Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) continues to lead on 106 points, with Wood up to second on 84 and national circuit champion Matthew Bostock (Rapha Cycling Club) third on 63.
Otley sharpened the Rapha Super-League picture across both competitions, as Jessica Roberts went long to win the Santini Women’s Otley Grand Prix and Joshua Giddings held off Ollie Wood in the final metres of the Martin House Open Otley Grand Prix.
Morven Yeoman and Tom Armstrong retained their Rapha Super-League leads, while Maddie Cooper and Wood moved to the top of the women’s and open National Circuit Series standings.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
Report
Santini Women’s Otley Grand Prix
The Santini Otley Women’s Grand Prix arrived just days after the National Championships, and carried some of that same charge. Megan Barker (Rapha Cycling Club) lined up in the national champion’s jersey, fresh from her title-winning ride in Aberystwyth, while others came to Otley either buoyed by recent form or with something to correct after a less-than-perfect championships weekend.
From the start, Sophie Lewis (DAS-Hutchinson) and Handsling Alba Development Road Team positioned themselves at the front of the field, with April Tacey (Hitec Products–Fluid Control) and Eilidh Shaw (UAE Development Team) adding further weight to a race that was hard from the drop of the flag.
The first move of substance, however, came from elsewhere. After a DRAFT rider launched a dig off the front, Amy Perryman (Rapha Cycling Club) and Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT) countered, building a small advantage before being absorbed back into the bunch.
A couple of laps later, Anna Morris (Private Member) gave the first sign of what was to come, attacking on Birdcage Walk. She was brought back after a lap, but the fuse had been lit. With 35 minutes remaining, Morris attacked through the line and finally snapped the elastic.
Alone for a lap, Morris was joined by Jessica Roberts (Private Member), who put the hammer down and bridged across from the peloton. Early on, it seemed as though Morris, having already animated the race, was not quite operating at the same level as Roberts. Flicks of the elbow went unanswered and the pace began to drop.
With 10 laps completed, Roberts took a swig from her bottle and launched the decisive move. Attacking on the climb up Barras Lane, she quickly distanced Morris, the team pursuit world champion using all her track experience to settle into a consistently high pace and ride clear of her breakaway companion.
From there, Roberts’ victory began to feel increasingly secure. With under 20 minutes remaining, her advantage stretched to 24 seconds as the peloton struggled to organise a threatening chase. Loughborough Lightning and O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes put riders towards the front, while the resolve of DAS-Hutchinson and Handsling Alba Development Road Team began to fray.
Roberts crossed the line with arms aloft, 19 seconds clear of the peloton. Behind, Morris found a second wind to lead the bunch home and pip Madeline Cooper (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) to the runner-up spot. Barker, who had told The British Continental before the race that the course did not perfectly suit her, took fourth, while Monica Greenwood (Macclesfield Wheelers) rounded out the top five.
The result also tightened the wider standings picture. In the Rapha Super-League, Yeoman retained the women’s lead on 91 points, with Cooper moving up to second on 69 and Anna Morris rising to fourth after her runner-up finish. In the National Circuit Series, Barker leads after two rounds on 92 points, just ahead of Cooper on 90 and Roberts on 88, while Handsling Alba Development Road Team sit clear at the top of the team standings.
Martin House Open Otley Grand Prix
The Martin House Open Otley Grand Prix was a race that refused to settle. Across 55 minutes on the West Yorkshire town-centre circuit, attacks came almost as soon as the bunch had been brought back together, with the winning move only taking shape in the final laps and the result still in doubt deep into the finishing straight.
The race was alive almost immediately. Ollie Cadin (DRAFT) attacked up the Barras Lane climb on the opening lap, forcing an early chase before the bunch had been given any chance to settle.
He was away for a lap before the chase, marshalled by national champion Matt Bostock and Cam Mason (Alpecin–Premier Tech Development Team), brought him back. Mason then launched a brief attack of his own, testing the resolve of Bostock and those around him, but was unable to gain any meaningful distance before sitting back into the peloton.
After a brief lull, four riders broke clear: Tom Martin (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), Olivier Mangham (DAS Richardsons), James Hartley (Team Bricquebec Cotentin) and Joe Shillabeer (Private Member). The quartet built a small buffer over the chase behind, but never looked likely to take the move all the way to the line, especially once Mason tried to bridge across and brought the peloton with him.
As soon as that move was closed down, Ollie Wood (Rapha Cycling Club) launched a solo attack of his own — a sign of the race’s restless, fractious rhythm. He spent a lap out front before Seb Grindley (Lidl–Trek Future Racing) snuffed out the move.
By halfway, Aaron King (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), Dan Barnes (Wold Top Pactimo) and Oliver Dawson (JAKROO Handsling Racing) had taken advantage of a splintering peloton and Bostock’s withdrawal with an apparent mechanical issue to attack clear.
With Bostock out of the race, Mason became the principal force in the bunch. He bridged across with Ben Tuchner (TEKKERZ CC), Tom Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) and eventual winner Joshua Giddings. Just as the move began to look threatening, however, the momentum went out of it, and the group allowed itself to be reabsorbed by the charging peloton.
The decisive move came with four laps remaining. Mason went from policing the peloton to attacking from it, going clear with Shillabeer and Harper Johnson (360 Junior Race Team). A lap later, Giddings dug deep to make it a quartet, but even then the race was not quite settled.
Behind, Wood was still looming. He produced a huge effort of his own to reach the front group as the bell sounded for the final lap. Just as he made contact, at the base of the Barras Lane climb, Giddings spotted his opportunity and went clear.
As Giddings rode away, Wood launched one final pursuit. The Rapha rider closed rapidly as Giddings flew down the hill and into the final corner, and for a moment it looked as though the race might end in a two-up sprint. Instead, Giddings found just enough to hold him off, crossing the line narrowly ahead of Wood.
Shillabeer took third, with Johnson holding off Mason for fourth. Tom Armstrong had enough left to take sixth, leading home what remained of the main peloton.
The result leaves Oliver Wood (Rapha Cycling Club) top of the National Circuit Series after two rounds on 92 points, ahead of Frank Longstaff (DAS Richardsons) on 84 and Cameron Mason (Alpecin–Premier Tech Development Team) on 80, with Wheelbase CabTech Castelli leading the team standings from DAS Richardsons and Cycling Sheffield.
In the Rapha Super-League, meanwhile, Thomas Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) continues to lead on 106 points, with Wood up to second on 84 and national circuit champion Matthew Bostock (Rapha Cycling Club) third on 63.
Results
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