So do you remember just a few weeks ago I brought you the news that our writer Heather Bamforth had been shortlisted for the #BeAGameChangerWomen’s Sport Trust – Ambassador of Women’s Sport Award? Well the talented lady has only gone and beaten some formidable talent to the final (Judy Murray being one well know name who has fallen by the wayside). Heather will line up against two very well respected women; Ebony Rainford-Brent (cricketer) and Maureen McGonigle (Scottish Women in Sport advocate) for the final.
But lets not sit back… Heather needs all the support we can muster in the cycling community from both men and women to enable her to lift the trophy to represent all cyclists. So please take two seconds to drop by the Women’s Trust website and cast a well deserved vote in Heather’s direction. We can do this!
If my nagging hasn’t persuaded you here is a bit more about Heather:
Heather Bamforth has worked tirelessly behind the scenes to increase the number of opportunities for women in competitive cycling, and has done so as a volunteer in her spare time.
She joined the Cyclingshorts.cc writing team in 2012 where she actively promotes women’s cycling, and the inaugural North West women’s series in 2013, which featured groundbreaking grassroots road racing for women, this was Heather’s brainchild.
In 2014, along with three others Heather established The Racing Chance Foundation, a registered charity which provides women with a pathway in competitive cycling from novice to elite level.
Racing Chance has already coached over 200 women and inspired similar series across the UK that have resulted in British Cycling seeing an increase in female membership, with female racing licences increasing from 800 in 2012 to over 1,500 in 2015.
Heather spends an enormous amount of time helping to get women cycling by running training rides, with training sessions on closed circuits to help novices build confidence and skills before venturing onto the roads, along with events which are suitable for women who want to try road racing for the first time.
During the day Heather has a full time career, working in Restructuring Services for Mazars LLP, an international accountancy and business advisory firm.
About the Women’s Sports Trust:
Women’s Sports Trust are a charity that identifies and promotes a diverse range of role models, they find ways to shift the funding landscape for women’s sport and increase the percentage and quality of media coverage women receive.
Aunt Bessie’s unveiled as sponsor of Queen of the Sprint jersey
Flybe and Doncaster Sheffield Airport unveiled as co-sponsors of the Team Classification jersey
Aunt Bessie’s has been announced as the sponsor of the Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race. The two-year deal will see Aunt Bessie’s secure exclusive rights of the race’s coveted Queen of the Sprint jersey.
There are two sprints at Scholes and Warmsworth during the 135km stage between Otley and Doncaster.
This is Aunt Bessie’s first sponsorship of a professional cycling race which came about after the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire in 2015 inspired a group of Aunt Bessie’s employees to cycle across the country for charity.
Aunt Bessie’s is part of 165-year-old family business, the William Jackson Food Group. They started making Yorkshire puddings for Butlin’s Holiday Camps in 1974 and has been based in Yorkshire ever since. Aunt Bessie’s has grown considerably and now offers a range of tasty food enjoyed by millions of people up and down the country every week.
Lorraine Rothwell, Marketing Director for Aunt Bessie’s, said:
“At Aunt Bessie’s we’re proud of our Yorkshire roots and of the food that we make. We were avid supporters of the first Tour de Yorkshire and we’re really excited to be sponsoring the Women’s Sprint this year in what will no doubt prove to be another fantastic cycling event.”
Following the news that Doncaster Sheffield Airport and Flybe have become the official airport and airline partner for Welcome to Yorkshire and the unveiling of a cycling themed plane, flying between Yorkshire and European destinations, the airport and airline have teamed up to sponsor the Team Classification jersey.
This jersey will be awarded to the women’s team with the highest ranking total team finish and was selected by Doncaster Sheffield Airport and Flybe to symbolise the fantastic partnership between the two companies that has resulted in an extra 42 flights per week departing from the airport. The one year deal will see Doncaster Sheffield Airport and Flybe secure exclusive rights of the Team Classification jersey.
Steve Gill, Managing Director of Doncaster Sheffield Airport, said:
“We are excited to be sponsoring the Team Classification jersey for the Women’s Race in the Tour De Yorkshire along with Flybe.
“This will be a fantastic event for Yorkshire and we are delighted to be further strengthening our relationship with Welcome to Yorkshire to provide our support to this event.
“We are really pleased that through our new Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam routes with Flybe, we can offer international spectators an easy way to come to watch the race and then hopefully stay on for a longer break in Yorkshire.”
Sir Gary Verity, Chief Executive of Welcome to Yorkshire said:
“We already know that the Asda Tour de Yorkshire Women’s Race is going to take professional women’s cycling in this country to another level and I am delighted to have signed up three more fantastic partners for the race.
“Aunt Bessie’s are a Yorkshire company that takes their community engagement extremely seriously and their new commitment to women’s cycling is an important part of that. The sprint classification will be decided over two challenging sprint sections and I’m sure Aunt Bessie’s will make their presence felt on that part of the race as they join the crowds to cheer on the riders.
“I am thrilled that we have been able to take our partnership with Doncaster Sheffield Airport and Flybe, which is already flying high, to the next level. Their commitment to the Team Classification means that we can showcase some of the superstars of tomorrow.”
Aunt Bessie’s and Doncaster Sheffield Airport/ Flybe will have a vehicle in the Tour de Yorkshire Caravan which will travel in between the women’s and men’s races on Saturday 30 April stopping in approximately six locations along the route, details of which will be announced shortly.
A cracking start on Easter Sunday for Fusion RT Fierlan’s Angela Hibbs at the MuleBar Tour of Northumberland 2016 Two Day event.
Sprinting up-to the line after a gruelling seventy-seven kilometre Circuit of Whalton four lap race. Angela had timed her effort to perfection to clinch the stage victory over Podium Ambition Pro Cycling p/b Club La Santa’s Amy Gornall and Team Vertex-pedalpowersport.com’s Karen Poole, picking up a five-second bonus too, with three for second and two for third.
The blustery winds and threat of torrential downpours all added to the drama as the race un-folded.
The race had set-off hard, but then brought to a halt a couple of miles after the official start that delayed the race for five minutes before re-starting neutralised. The women’s race had been incorporated with-in the third/fourth category race.
They set of again, but not as hard. Once they went up the first drag the group split, leaving many of the third/ forth Cat lads and most of the women in little groups behind.
The trio of women rode the rest of their race in a group of around thirty, rolling through and helping to drive the peloton along.
A couple of the lads went off the front of the group, but strong headwinds made it too difficult to try and bridge any gap alone. So stayed in the shelter of the main group.
As the final kilometre approached, the women were allowed to contest their finish and they looked at each other before Angela set about her final charge to the line. Amy and Karen were close behind, but didn’t have the power to reel her back-in.
Amy Gornall, “I’ll see how my legs feel. I’ll try and hang in as it’s a little hillier and a bit of a harder race tomorrow.”
Karen Poole, “I’ll re-evaluate my strategy for tomorrow, I could have done things better today. My legs are good, and I feel good.”
Angela Hibbs “With half a lap to go two guys went on the attack so I went with them. Then they sat-up and I though ahh! I kept going. When I looked behind, they were on my wheel dragging Amy and Karen along”.
The guys were asked hang back and let the Women contest their race unimpeded on the final run up-to the finish line.
“I didn’t want it to come down to a sprint, I wanted to avoid that at all costs! I just kept the pace high and the power high”, I got to the farm and just upped the pace and the power and hoped they wouldn’t come around”.
Stage One Results
1: Angela Hibbs Fusion RT Fierlan +00.05
2: Amy Gornall Podium Ambition p/b Club La Santa +00.03
3: Karen Poole Team Vertex-pedalpowersport.com +00.02
4: Anna Turvey Tyneside Vagabonds
5: Rachel Crighton Team22 WRT
6: Sarah Bradford Team Jadan Weldtite
7: Charli Alston Team22 WRT
8: Gemma Sargent Aprire HSS Hire
9: Jennifer Batey Team Vertex-pedalpowersport.com
10: Hannah Farran Manilla Cycling
11: Libby Denby Team22 WRT
12: Katharine Broadbent GB Cycles.co.uk
13: Flora Gillies Team22 WRT
14: Nikki Metcalf Manilla Cycling
15: Jessica Millar Johnstone Wheelers CC
Stage Two Results
1: Angela Hibbs Fusion RT Fierlan +00.05
2: Karen Poole Team Vertex-pedalpowersport.com +00.03
3: Gemma Sargent Aprire HSS Hire +00.02
4: Anna Turvey Tyneside Vagabonds
5: Sarah Bradford Team Jadan
6: Rachel Crighton Team22 WRT
7: Hannah Farran Manilla Cycling
8: Charli Alston Team22 WRT
9: Jennifer Batey Team Vertex-pedalpowersport.com
10: Katharine Broadbent GB Cycles.co.uk
11: Nikki Metcalfe Manilla Cycling
12: Jessica MillarJohnstone Wheelers CC
General Classification
1: Angela Hibbs Fusion RT Fierlan
2: Karen Poole Team Vertex-pedalpowersport.com
3: Gemma Sargent Aprire HSS Hire
4: Anna Turvey Tyneside Vagabonds
5: Sarah Bradford Team Jadan
6: Rachel Crighton Team22 WRT
7: Charli Alston Team22 WRT
8: Jennifer Batey Team Vertex-pedalpowersport.com
9: Hannah Farran Manilla Cycling
10: Katharine Broadbent GB Cycles.co.uk
11: Nikki Metcalfe Manilla Cycling
12: Jessica MillarJohnstone Wheelers CC
A double win gives Fusion RT Fierlan’s Angela Hibb the General Classification Victory in the MuleBar Tour of Northumberland 2016. Riding safely within the main bunch on this testing course in the wind, Angela set her plan in motion and executing her move perfectly to add momentum to her early season programme. Angela will be tackling the Manx International GP Feminin Women’s Road Series Season opener, before returning to Northumberland and round two of the Women’s Road Series, the Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir.
Angela Hibbs “We had a similar set-up to yesterday, there were three of us [Angela, Karen & Gemma Sargent] in the main group, but we had Gemma this time. The men didn’t seem to have the power to go, and they came back straight away.
On the last lap I kind of knew when I wanted to go! Which was after the climb and you turn left. It was fast with a few up-to drags. I wanted to go with a mile and a half or two miles to go, same as yesterday. My “TT” legs felt good and I wanted to avoid the sprints, so I just went hard”.
“I’m dead chuffed” said Angela afterwards. “I’m doing the Isle of Man in two weeks and the Tour of the Reservoir after that”.
A great effort by Team Jadan Weldtite’sSarah Bradford in race two sticking with the main bunch until a mechanical on the second lap climb, when her chain dropped hampering her progress. Quickly getting going, Sarah found a difficult head wind and her lower gearing working against her in her effort to catch the main bunch, eventually settling into a small group until the end.
“That was fun” she chuckled heading back to HQ after the race. Sarah had hoped for the weather to deteriorate a little, saying the she preferred slightly harsher conditions.
A good ride by the Team22WRT girls completing the two day event with some good miles in their legs, and practice for the Alexandra Women’s Tour of the Reservoir just along the road in a couple of weeks. That race has a full Women’s field and is part of the 2016 Women’s Road Series.
A great ride by Johnstone Wheelers CC Jess Millar completing her first big race, gaining valuable experience on this demanding course so early in the Season. Jess has also signed up for the Alexandra Women’s Tour of the Reservoir too!
The route for the 2016 edition of the Tour of Britain, British Cycling’s premier road cycling event, has been launched in Bristol this evening [Thursday 25 February] featuring an overall start in Glasgow and finale in the centre of London plus three stages in the South West of England, including a return to the summit finish of Haytor on Dartmoor, and a challenging individual time trial and circuit race split stage in the heart of Bristol on the penultimate day.
Having last welcomed the Tour of Britain in 2008, Glasgow will host the Grand Depart of the opening stage on Sunday 4 September, building on the success of hosting the Commonwealth Games and British National Road Race Championships in recent years.
The opening stage will finish in Dumfries and Galloway’s Castle Douglas, last visited by the Tour of Britain in 2006, before the second stage takes place in Cumbria and the Lake District between Carlisle and Kendal, including the iconic climbs of Whinlatter Pass and The Struggle, before the uphill finish on Beast Banks.
The third stage of the Tour of Britain will feature a first visit to Cheshire East with a stage from Congleton to Tatton Park outside Knutsford, which will feature a spectator friendly loop giving fans at the finish the chance to see the race twice. The stage will also tackle the iconic 10-kilometre climb of the Cat and Fiddle in Cheshire’s Peak District.
Denbighshire will host its first stage start as Stage Four begins in Denbigh, heading south through Mid-Wales before Powys hosts a first stage finish, on the Royal Welsh Showground at Builth Wells.
Stage Five begins in Wales in Rhondda Cynon Taf at Aberdare, heading across South Wales and through the Forest of Dean into Gloucestershire before the finish in Bath, a first for the city.
This will begin three days of racing in the South West after a one-year absence for the area from the Tour of Britain route that will see the world’s top teams head to Devon for a repeat of the 2013 summit finish at Haytor in the Dartmoor National Park.
Bristol will host the penultimate stage of the race, which will be a split stage with riders contesting an 15-kilometre individual time trial in the morning before a 5-lap circuit race in the afternoon. Both stages will take place entirely on a proposed 15.3-kilometre circuit finishing atop the Bristol Downs. The 600-metre SKODA King of the Mountains climb of Bridge Valley Road, which averages 9%, will feature in the final kilometres of a both stages.
London will again host the final stage, presented by Transport for London, on Sunday 11 September, which will use the same circuit as in 2015, focused on Regent Street, the Heart of London and the Northbank, with a repeat of the finish on Regent Street St James just below Piccadilly Circus.
Commenting on the route announcement, Tour of Britain Race Director Mick Bennett said;
“We are confident that this year’s route for the Tour of Britain will provide the opportunity for eight exciting days of racing and a multitude of opportunities for riders and teams to be aggressive and make the race. We believe that with the combination of longer stages of over 200-kilometres, the tough circuit and time trial in Bristol and the summit finish at Haytor we have not just a great preparation for the World Championships but also a fantastic race that will showcase the British countryside and stands alone in its own right as a race riders will want to win.”
“The route includes major cities such as Glasgow, Bristol, Bath and London, and visits each of Scotland, England and Wales, while at the same time touching many smaller communities and areas where we know the passion and support for cycling is so great.”
Jonny Clay, British Cycling director of cycle sport and membership, said:
“We are proud to announce the 2016 route for Britain’s national tour. Every year the Tour of Britain offers a chance for the public to see some of the world’s best road riders racing through their local area. Last year’s race had a bit of everything; fast flat sections, rolling roads and a great hill top finish which led to exciting racing for the competitors and fans alike. .This year’s route has all the same ingredients, so promises to be a great event.”
Chain Reaction Cycles continue their partnership with the race and sponsorship of the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Classification, won in 2015 by Team WIGGIN’s Owain Doull, while UK parcel carrier Yodel will continue to sponsor the daily intermediate YodelDirect Sprints classification, which Peter Williams of ONE Pro Cycling won last September.
ŠKODA remain official car suppliers and sponsors of the King of the Mountains jersey, also won by Williams in 2015.
For the fifth successive year fans can look forward to enjoying daily live coverage of all eight stages on ITV4, with the channel broadcasting a three-hour live programme from each stage, plus one-hour of highlights every evening during the race.
Commenting on the 2016 event, Hugh Roberts, Chief Executive of Tour of Britain organisers SweetSpot said; “This year’s Tour of Britain features a fantastic combination of major cities like Glasgow, Bristol and London, smaller communities across Scotland, England and Wales and the stunning scenery and testing climbs of the Lake District and Dartmoor. With hundreds of thousands of fans at the roadside and millions more watching via live television in the UK and around the world, the 2016 Tour of Britain is a fantastic showcase for the brands involved in the event.
“We thank our jersey partners Chain Reaction Cycles, SKODA and Yodel and all our other Official Partners and Suppliers for their continued support.”
The Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their door step.
About the Tour of Britain
Re-launched in 2004 after a five year absence from the calendar, the Tour of Britain is British Cycling’s premier road cycling event giving cycling fans the opportunity to see the world’s best teams and riders competing on their doorstep. The Tour of Britain is the UK’s highest ranked professional stage race and the country’s largest free-to-watch sporting event, organised annually by SweetSpot Group.
Ranked at the 2.HC level by the UCI, the Tour of Britain attracts the world’s top cyclists, including Olympic and World Champions and Tour de France stage winners, to compete on British roads each September, with three-hours of live coverage a day on ITV4.
The 2016 Tour of Britain takes place from Sunday 4 to Sunday 11 September.
CyclingShorts.cc has championed women’s cycling at grass roots level and those involved in the sport who offer cyclists the opportunity to race and move to the next level for many years, whether that be gaining the confidence to ride a sportive or race as a professional. This year we are proud to be sponsors and the media partner for Team22 WRT and we continue to sponsor the unique work by the Racing Chance Foundation. Browsing the internet the other night I was pleased to see nominations are now open for the Women’s Sport Trust Awards also known as #BeAGameChanger Awards. The awards have been set up to recognise those individuals and organisations doing the most to progress women’s sport.
The Women’s Sport Trust #BeAGameChanger awards 2016 are supported by Microsoft and they showcase the irresistible nature of women’s sport and inspire others to take action (full details of the awards and categories at the bottom of this article).
With this in mind I’m going to take this opportunity to champion our very own Heather Bamforth who is often overlooked and regularly copied by those with higher profiles in the sport.
Heather reporting from the Cheshire Classic.
Heather has been a longstanding member of the CyclingShorts.cc writing team; covering international races like the Tour de France but also taking the majority of her time to write about and report on grass roots cycling and development – take a look at her extremely popular Women’s Guide to Racing which has been used by many a newcomer to the sport.
For those that don’t know already… since returning to the sport of cycling in 2011, Heather has been working behind the scenes to increase the number of opportunities for women in competitive cycling. In 2013, the inaugural North West Women’s Series was promoted by Heather, which featured groundbreaking road racing for women.
In 2014, along with three others, she established The Racing Chance Foundation, a registered charity which helps to provide women with a pathway in competitive cycling from novice to elite level.
In 2014 & 2015, Racing Chance coached over 200 women, and following Heather’s lead, other women around the country set up similar series to that in the North West. As a result of Heather’s original initiative and the subsequent additional series, British Cycling have seen an increase in female membership with a racing licence increasing from 800 in 2012 to over 1500.
Heather’s vision has enabled the sport of road racing in cycling to become more than just a dream for women. Without her there would be far fewer women racing, especially at the important grass roots level.
So, as many of you already know who have benefitted from Heather’s input/support she is going to cringe at this praise, but I think we all owe it to her to give her the props she’s due. Heather earns nothing from cycling, she has a totally unrelated full on full time career, but I can assure you every spare minute of the day and night she’s thinking of the next thing she can do to raise women’s cycling higher. I can attest to this with the many hours the two of us spend chatting through her plans… and trust me she has big plans in the pipeline!
Ladies, Heather has your back so lets return the favour give her the pat on the back she deserves and get her crowned as an Ambassador of Women’s Sport.
Let’s try and do this!!!
Nominations for the awards are now open across nine categories. Follow this link to nominate the athlete, team, organisation or individual who has made a positive contribution to women’s sport.
The categories are:
Ambassador of Women’s Sport
Journalist of the Year
Media Initiative of the Year
Inspiring Initiative – Local/Grassroots
Inspiring Initiative – National
National Governing Body of the Year
Sponsor Partnership of the Year
Sporting Role Model/s
Imagery of the Year
Closing date 21st February 2016 – so get your skates on!
A great new blog post on keeping your options open by our very own Heather Bamforth for The Racing Chance Foundation, excellent advice I felt we had to share it with CyclingShorts.cc readers.
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In 2014, along with three others Heather established The Racing Chance Foundation, a registered charity which provides women with a pathway in competitive cycling from novice to elite level.
The blustery winds and threat of torrential downpours all added to the drama as the race un-folded.
Stage One Results
Stage Two Results
Angela Hibbs “We had a similar set-up to yesterday, there were three of us [Angela, Karen & Gemma Sargent] in the main group, but we had Gemma this time. The men didn’t seem to have the power to go, and they came back straight away. 
“That was fun” she chuckled heading back to HQ after the race. Sarah had hoped for the weather to deteriorate a little, saying the she preferred slightly harsher conditions.
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