In a town famed for its pork pies, it was grit, not gristle, that defined the ninth edition of the ANEXO CAMS Women’s CiCLE Classic. Under grey Leicestershire skies, Lucy Harris delivered a performance to savour, going solo in the closing kilometres to claim her maiden National Road Series victory – and a third consecutive win for her rampant Smurfit Westrock squad this season.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Report
This is a race that has always celebrated the attritional. The 105km route, chopped into three distinct sections, snakes through the punishing farm tracks and gravelled paths that define the British calendar’s closest thing to a Continental classic. With sectors like StaplePark, Manor Farm, and the Somerberg- ridden twice, in both directions – this was a course that demanded both nous and nerve. The forecasted rain fell overnight, soaking the gravel and softening the ground, but a preceding week of dry weather meant the race dodged the worst of the mudbath conditions that have swallowed riders whole in past editions.
2025 ANEXO CAMS Women’s CiCLE Classic. The peloton in action. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
The early laps, including the first trip through the labyrinthine lanes of Owston, were controlled but purposeful. Smurfit Westrock were prominent from the gun, with recent Peaks 2 Day GC winner Lucy Gadd setting a tempo that was anything but leisurely. Gadd had company up front from UAE Development Team’s Eilidh Shaw, a model of consistency in the opening phases, and it was Shaw who swept up the first QOM points atop Burrough Berg.
On the first climb of Manor Farm, Arabella Blackburn (Shibden Apex RT) and Jo Tindley (Smurfit Westrock) powered to the fore, the former showing her typical punch on short ramps, the latter anchoring a team whose strength in numbers would prove decisive.
It wasn’t until the third passage of Owston that the race truly fractured. Katie Scott (CJ O’Shea Racing) and Alice McWilliam (Private Member) at the head of a select group of 25. Behind them, the peloton began to disintegrate, the sharp climbs and heavy sectors draining resistance from the legs and organisation from the chase.
Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
By the fourth pass of the village – where the spectators once again brought the atmosphere to life – Tindley surged to claim the Heart of Owston sprint ahead of DAS-Hutchinson’s Lucy Lee. The lead group had swelled to 35, with more red-and-black Smurfit jerseys flooding the front. A second group of 15 hovered a minute behind, but it was clear by now: the winner would come from the front.
The race seemed to be setting up for a reduced bunch sprint. That illusion was shattered on the final lap.
Smurfit Westrock went on the offensive once more. Over the two ascents of the Cuckooberg, the front group became stretched and ragged. By the final sector through StaplePark, Gadd was again driving the pace, leading a leading group of 45. Notably absent by this point were the reigning champion El King (Handsling-Alba Development RT), who was forced to abandon, and Eilidh Shaw, who faded late on after animating the early exchanges.
Inside the final 15 kilometres, Lucy Harris and Holly Ramsey (Hess Cycling Team) chipped off the front, carving out a slender 10-second gap. Within the closing kilometres Harris made her move – dropping Ramsey and surging clear. There was no catching her. By the time she swept into Melton Mowbray, solo and mud-flecked, she had 30 seconds in hand. Despite a brief moment of confusion as she mistakenly headed for the deviation, Harris corrected herself and powered onwards to a victory that marked the biggest result of her young career.
Behind, Alice McWilliam took the sprint for second—a step up from her third-place finish last year – while former winner Neah Evans (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) rounded out the podium. Gadd was rewarded for her day-long aggression with the QOM title.
For Smurfit Westrock, it was a third straight National Road Series win in 2025 – one at each of the North Lincolnshire Classic, the Peaks 2 Day, and now the CiCLE Classic.
For Harris, it was a breakout moment, confirming her place among the peloton’s rising elite on one of the hardest courses in the calendar. She also now leads the National Road Series ahead of Round 2 next month in East Cleveland. And for the race itself, it was another muddy, magnificent chapter in its growing legend.
In a town famed for its pork pies, it was grit, not gristle, that defined the ninth edition of the ANEXO CAMS Women’s CiCLE Classic. Under grey Leicestershire skies, Lucy Harris delivered a performance to savour, going solo in the closing kilometres to claim her maiden National Road Series victory – and a third consecutive win for her rampant Smurfit Westrock squad this season.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Report
This is a race that has always celebrated the attritional. The 105km route, chopped into three distinct sections, snakes through the punishing farm tracks and gravelled paths that define the British calendar’s closest thing to a Continental classic. With sectors like StaplePark, Manor Farm, and the Somerberg- ridden twice, in both directions – this was a course that demanded both nous and nerve. The forecasted rain fell overnight, soaking the gravel and softening the ground, but a preceding week of dry weather meant the race dodged the worst of the mudbath conditions that have swallowed riders whole in past editions.
The early laps, including the first trip through the labyrinthine lanes of Owston, were controlled but purposeful. Smurfit Westrock were prominent from the gun, with recent Peaks 2 Day GC winner Lucy Gadd setting a tempo that was anything but leisurely. Gadd had company up front from UAE Development Team’s Eilidh Shaw, a model of consistency in the opening phases, and it was Shaw who swept up the first QOM points atop Burrough Berg.
On the first climb of Manor Farm, Arabella Blackburn (Shibden Apex RT) and Jo Tindley (Smurfit Westrock) powered to the fore, the former showing her typical punch on short ramps, the latter anchoring a team whose strength in numbers would prove decisive.
It wasn’t until the third passage of Owston that the race truly fractured. Katie Scott (CJ O’Shea Racing) and Alice McWilliam (Private Member) at the head of a select group of 25. Behind them, the peloton began to disintegrate, the sharp climbs and heavy sectors draining resistance from the legs and organisation from the chase.
By the fourth pass of the village – where the spectators once again brought the atmosphere to life – Tindley surged to claim the Heart of Owston sprint ahead of DAS-Hutchinson’s Lucy Lee. The lead group had swelled to 35, with more red-and-black Smurfit jerseys flooding the front. A second group of 15 hovered a minute behind, but it was clear by now: the winner would come from the front.
The race seemed to be setting up for a reduced bunch sprint. That illusion was shattered on the final lap.
Smurfit Westrock went on the offensive once more. Over the two ascents of the Cuckooberg, the front group became stretched and ragged. By the final sector through StaplePark, Gadd was again driving the pace, leading a leading group of 45. Notably absent by this point were the reigning champion El King (Handsling-Alba Development RT), who was forced to abandon, and Eilidh Shaw, who faded late on after animating the early exchanges.
Inside the final 15 kilometres, Lucy Harris and Holly Ramsey (Hess Cycling Team) chipped off the front, carving out a slender 10-second gap. Within the closing kilometres Harris made her move – dropping Ramsey and surging clear. There was no catching her. By the time she swept into Melton Mowbray, solo and mud-flecked, she had 30 seconds in hand. Despite a brief moment of confusion as she mistakenly headed for the deviation, Harris corrected herself and powered onwards to a victory that marked the biggest result of her young career.
Behind, Alice McWilliam took the sprint for second—a step up from her third-place finish last year – while former winner Neah Evans (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) rounded out the podium. Gadd was rewarded for her day-long aggression with the QOM title.
For Smurfit Westrock, it was a third straight National Road Series win in 2025 – one at each of the North Lincolnshire Classic, the Peaks 2 Day, and now the CiCLE Classic.
For Harris, it was a breakout moment, confirming her place among the peloton’s rising elite on one of the hardest courses in the calendar. She also now leads the National Road Series ahead of Round 2 next month in East Cleveland. And for the race itself, it was another muddy, magnificent chapter in its growing legend.
Results
Share this:
Discover more from The British Continental
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.