by Chris Maher | Jun 29, 2015
Peter Kennaugh and Lizzie Armitstead took the road race titles at today’s British Cycling National Road Championships in Lincolnshire.
Peter Kennaugh took his second successive British men’s road title in a remarkable race while Lizzie Armitstead delivered a stunning solo effort to win the women’s title.
Team Sky’s Kennaugh finally distanced a courageous Mark Cavendish on the ninth and final climb of Michaelgate in Lincoln. Ian Stannard completed the podium behind Cavendish.
After crosswinds saw the peloton ripped apart in the early stages, Kennaugh and Team Sky colleague Stannard escaped leaving Mark Cavendish, Luke Rowe, Scott Thwaites and Adam Blythe in pursuit.
Thwaites and Blythe dropped back before Luke Rowe decided to work with Cavendish to shut down the gap on his Team Sky associates with only three laps remaining.
They cut down the 40-second gap on the duo and bridged on Michaelgate – the eighth of nine ascents of the cobbles.
On the final 13-kilometre lap Stannard burst free but was caught before Kennaugh and Cavendish accelerated away leaving Rowe and 2012 champion Stannard to contest bronze.
It was fittingly left for the final climb of Michaelgate for the title to be decided and although Cavendish kept with Kennaugh the 26-year-old eventually pulled away to become the first British male to win back-to-back road titles since Roger Hammond in 2003 and 2004.
Team Wiggins’ Owain Doull impressed to finish seventh and with it take the under-23 men’s championship.
“The atmosphere is incredible and something I’ll never forget,” Kennaugh said.
“Obviously last year it meant everything – it was the first time – I’d been on the podium about four times before that so I really enjoyed this last year.
“I’m over the moon just to stay in white with my white bike and my white accessories!
“It means a lot to me and it gives you that extra motivation with that added pressure of carrying the jersey in the pro peloton – you can’t just get away with sitting at the back and stuff. You’re easily spotted.
“It’s good for the motivation – it’s good for the morale going forward for the rest of the year.”
Armitstead won her third British road title – after victories in 2011 and 2013 – with a solo attack on the penultimate climb of the famous Michaelgate. Alice Barnes, just 19 years of age, was second with Laura Trott third.
No rider was able to match Armitstead’s effort on the fourth of five times up the cobbled climb and the Boels Dolmans Cycling Team rider completed the last lap alone before crossing the finish line to the backdrop of Lincoln Cathedral.
“It means I get to be proud of being British in all the races that I do,” Armitstead said of being able to wear the British champion’s jersey.
“It means a lot – it means new kit for a start! I go to the Giro on Friday so it will be a quick turnaround for them.
“I had some good people around me before the start who told me to believe in myself and I listened.
“It was a difficult race. The longer the race went on the better I started to feel.”
Team Betch NL Superior-Brentjens rider Alice Barnes took a superb second, in her first elite road championships, to win the under-23 women’s champion title with defending champion Laura Trott, of Matrix Fitness, third.
While Armitstead savoured the win, behind her the race for silver and bronze came down to the final corners as Alice Barnes showed her huge potential in holding off the challenge of defending champion Laura Trott.
Full results from the women’s race can be found here and from the men’s race here.
Highlights of the championships will be broadcast on ITV4 at 6pm on Monday 29 June.
Women’s Top Ten
1 Lizzie Armitstead 02.51.14
2 Alice Barnes U23 @1.52
3 Laura Trott
4 Molly Weaver U23
5 Nikki Harris @2.01
6 Katie Archibald U23
7 Hannah Barnes U23
8 Lucy Coldwell
9 Sharon Laws
10 Hayley Simmonds
Men Top Ten
1 Peter Kennaugh 04.27.33
2 Mark Cavendish MBE @0.05
3 Ian Stannard @0.39
4 Luke Rowe
5 Scott Thwaites @3.00
6 Adam Blythe
7 Owain Doull U23 @6.29
8 Yanto Barker
9 Steve Lampier
10 Jonathon Mould
15 Sam Lowe U23 @8.26
18 Matt Gibson U23 @8.45
by Anna Magrath | Jun 21, 2015
All images ©www.chrismaher.co.uk / CyclingShorts.cc
Lisa Brennauer clinched the overall victory in the Aviva Women’s Tour, surviving an attacking final day of racing through the Chiltern Hills from Marlow to Hemel Hempstead, won by Hannah Barnes.
The UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling rider sprinted to victory in the Premier Inn Best British Rider Jersey as the peloton once again caught the day’s break of Claudia Lichtenberg and Audrey Cordon inside the final kilometre.
The duo were finally reeled in by a fast charging peloton on the arrow straight final 500-metres, setting up an exciting finish with Barnes coming through to claim her biggest victory to date, along with both the Premier Inn Best British Rider and SweetSpot Best Young Rider prizes by virtue of her fifth overall.
Behind Barnes Stage Two winner Jolien D’hoore took second with Simona Frapporti third, while General Classification Contenders Brennauer, Majerus and Johansson took fourth, fifth and seventh respectively.
The World Time Trial Champion’s consistent finishing of top six places on all five stages earned her the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey to pair with her Aviva Yellow Jersey, finishing with a six second advantage over D’hoore with Majerus a further second back.
Lisa Brennauer of Team Velocio SRAM talks after her dominant performance and taking the overall win in GC in the 2015 Aviva Women’s Tour. A well deserved Yellow jersey win!
“This Tour is one of the biggest events on the women’s calendar, so this victory means a lot to me. It was a great victory for me, but also for the whole team – big thanks to all my team mates,” said the Velocio SRAM rider afterwards
“I have to thank my team mates, it wasn’t easy today – a tough stage with all the hills and a lot of hard attacks.
“I worked hard yesterday to get the jersey back. I missed some of the intermediate sprints. I wanted to get to the point where I could give back to my team-mates for all their hard work.”
Having started amidst the biggest crowds of the week in Marlow in Buckinghamshire, riders headed into the Chiltern Hills for a stage of attacking racing. A lead group of four riders, including eventual YodelDirect Combativity Winner Gracie Elvin, formed early on but were caught by the top of the first Strava Queen of the Mountains climb of Cryers Hill as the General Classification contenders fought for bonus seconds at the first Chain Reaction Cycles Sprint at Prestwood, which came almost immediately afterwards.
Lichtenberg then attacked on one of the day’s, many, unclassified climbs with many riders trying to cross to her, but Wiggle Honda’s Cordon was the only one to make the junction with thirteen kilometres remaining.
Yet again though in the Aviva Women’s Tour the escape would not prevail, setting up Barnes for a highly popular win in Hemel Hempstead
Hannah Barnes of Team UnitedHealthcare talks to the media after taking the U23 and Best British Rider Jerseys in the 2015 Aviva Women’s Tour and topping it all off with the final stage win!
“This was the biggest aim of the year, so I’m happy to have pulled it off.
“I knew it would be hard in the Chilterns and what to expect. The sprint was crazy, very difficult. I got boxed at 100m to go but thankfully got free. The team are normally used to the American peloton & wide roads,” continued Barnes, before praising teammate Alexis Ryan for protecting her in “the Alexis bubble”.
With breakaway riders sweeping up the big points at both Strava Queen of the Mountains climbs Orica AIS rider Melissa Hoskins extended her lead by a point to keep hold of the orange polka dot jersey ahead of Elise Delzenne.
The Boels Dolmans team added the Aviva Team Classification to their two stage wins with Elisa Longo Borghini claimed the Overall YodelDirect Combativity Award having been at the front of the action on several stages.
An excellent Women’s Tour bring on 2016!
Highlights of Stage Five will be shown by ITV4 at 8pm on Sunday 21 June with a repeat at 11.15am on Monday 22 June and available on demand via the ITV Player for 30-days after broadcast.
Stage 5 Results
Final GC Podium for the 2015 Aviva Women’s Tour
U23: Hannah Barnes
Best British: Hannah Barnes
Points: Lisa Brennauer
Queen of the Mountains: Melissa Hoskins
Team: Boels Dolmans Cycling Team
For full results and final overall standings please click here.
by Anna Magrath | Jun 17, 2015
All Image ©www.chrismaher.co.uk / CyclingShorts.cc
The start of the Aviva Womens Tour 2015 got off to a ‘smashing’ start for Lizzie Armitstead and members of the media, not quite the finish everyone was anticipating.
With the profile of the 110km stage it looked like it would end in a bunch sprint but with QoM’s points to contest just before the finish there could be an upset.
Some of the big name riders in the hunt for a win were Bronzini and Armitstead, with their teams Wiggle Honda and Boels Dolman respectively keeping the pace high.
Katie Archibald, Pearl Izumi, “I think this race has been designed with the TV in mind with possible bunch sprint finishes. Stage 4 has a really technical finish but we hope to have everyone fighting it out to the end. My role in the team will be to sprint with the other Katie [Curtis], we will be looking for that kick at the end, Sarah Storey and Ciara Horne will be our main climbers.”
Archibald hit the deck approaching the first QoM (Queen of the Mountains) but Joanna Rowsell hung back to help her Pearl Izumi sprinter back into the pack, once she’d been seen by the race doctor. Armitstead looked to control the pace heading towards the QoM with Sharon Laws (last years QoM winner). Susanna Zorzi of Lotto Soudal unfortunately got a flat at the bottom of the climb.
6 pojnts went to Melissa Hoskins of Orica with Anouska Koster hot on her heels for the 5 points.
Lizzie Armitstead, “My form is good, I had a mini season break in May came back with two wins, I won the Tour of Qatar, I’ll take that confidence into the sprints but a much more lumpy race would really suit me.”
Orica AIS rider Emma Johansson, “ I’ve just come out of a tour in Spain that was really successful for me, I came away with 3 wins, I don’t feel like there is any pressure on me, I’m just gonna enjoy every day.”
The first sprint points were contested by a group of four riders but Coryn Rivera (UHC) won the sprint gaining the first 3 points of the tour followed by Marta Tagliaferro (2 points) and Elinor Barker (1 point).
Hannah Barnes UHC, “ I’m mostly looking at stage wins this Tour, last year was good with two top fours, Coryn and I are on form so the team is hoping to have a really good week.”
USA’s Heather Fischer took a nasty fall in the race for the second sprint, Tagliaferro took maximum points followed by Barker and Rivera.
Laura Trott, Matrix Fitness, “It went well at the Tour Series and the Milk Race for me, these stages are a bit longer than an hour race, two of the stages are 140km which isn’t what we train for, as long as I can get to the finish I think I can do ok.”
A five rider breakaway was established as the second QoM loomed ahead, the group consisted of the previous sprint contest riders, they were joined by Katie Archibald, and Coryn Rivera’s UHC team mate Katie Hall who was sitting on the back wheel waiting to pounce. The peloton chase was being led by Wiggle Honda with a 3 minute gap to the leaders at one point. Another gap developed as Katie Archibald struggled with the climb and was distanced from her breakaway companions. The UHC riders took the top two points available as the QoM summit (Katie Hall 6pts and Coryn Rivera 5pts). Archibald was last over the line for the breakaway taking 2 points as she started to slip slowly backwards, eventually when the peloton arrived at the QoM’s Sharon Laws mopped up the remaining point uncontested.
Giorgia Bronzini, Wiggle Honda, “For me and my team this race is a big goal, we are here with good riders and we are prepared for every solution that can be in the race.”
The leading group was down to four riders with 10km’s to go. Orica snd Wiggle had raised the pace on the front of the peloton and the lead groups advantage of 2 minutes 45 was eroded to 55 seconds.
Lisa Brennauer of Velcro SRAM, “I think there are more possibilities for a sprinter than just the bunch sprint this tour, I hope it’s going to be exciting and not predictable as to who’s going to win.”
With 5km’s to go the lead group were dangling like a carrot in front of the hungry peloton.
With 2km to go the race became exposed to the crosswinds of the coast with those hiding in the peloton at an advantage.
Under the Flame rouge and the breakaway was hanging in by a thread. They were quickly absorbed into the peloton. The sprinters came to the front and immediately Armitstead, Frapporti, Brennauer and Johansson showed their form. Crossing the line first was Lizzie Armitstead with Lisa Brennauer 2nd, and Emma Johansson 3rd.
The days spills didn’t end there, moments after the win Lizzie appeared to swerve to her left and in doing so hit a number of the press photographers, CyclingShorts.cc Chris Maher was one of them, they fell like a pack of cards. The photographers were in their correct position along with race organisers. Currently nothing is known about why Lizzie lost control of her bike but she went down very hard. She was rushed to hospital with a suspected broken femur, she was released later luckily with nothing more serious than bruises. Lizzie thanked everyone for their concern and also thanked the NHS staff who treated her.
Armitstead has a 4 second lead after stage one with a time of 2h39’43”. We wish Lizzie well and hope she’s able to defend her jersey tomorrow.
Stage One | Bury St Edmonds to Alderburgh
U23 – Coryn Rivera
Best British – Lizzie Armitstead
Points – Lizzie Armitstead
Queen of the Mountains – Katie Hall
Team – UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling
Useful Links…
Twitter www.twitter.com/thewomenstour Event Hashtag #AvivaWT2015
Facebook www.facebook.com/thewomenstour
Instagram www.instagram.com/thetourcycling
YouTube www.youtube.com/thetourcycling
Aviva Women’s Tour Women’s Tour
Thursday 18th June 2015 | Stage Two | Braintree to Clacton
Words by Anna, Images by Chris Maher
by Chris Maher | May 28, 2015
Images ©www.chrismaher.co.uk / CyclingShorts.cc
JLT Condor presented by Mavic clinch the 1-2 on the cobbled streets of round 5 in Durham.
Arguably the toughest round of the Pearl Izumi Tour Series, the cobbled climb is every two minutes or so, and is a circuit you either love or loath!
Ed Clancy “I love the City, but I hate the circuit” he told the crowd after the finish.
Returning to the Cathedral City of Durham for the sixth consecutive year. It’s one of the most popular rounds for the spectators to watch.
The race got underway with two neutral laps, before starting the 30 or so expected ascends of South Street!
Several attempts were made by ONE Pro Cycling, Starley Primal & JLT Condor to make a break stick.
JLT Condor’s Richard Handley made that break, easing away every lap until he started picking up back markers.
Jon Mould, ONE Pro Cycling lead the peloton around, with Madison Genesis also helping to reel-in the escapee, whilst Round Four winner and team-mate Kristian House marshalled the moves.
Team WIGGINS strongest man Chris Lawless, helped chase down Handley, as the group dwindled down to ten.
With three laps left, the back markers were with-drawn, leaving only ten riders on the circuit.
Handley had almost caught the main group on the final lap, but House & Lawless were around half a lap behind.
An easy win for Handley in the end, with House sprinting into second, to make it a JLT Condor presented by Mavic 1-2. Lawless resigned his-self to third, whilst Scully beat Mould to the line for fourth.
Clancy, losing steam early on, in the race, gathered enough strength to blast around the course for the Quickest Lap contest. Whilst Handley had mopped up the Chain Reaction Points leading most of the nights race.
Madison Genesis retain the Pearl Izumi Leaders Jerseys once more going into tomorrows Round Six, in Barrow-in-Furness.
Durham Individual Top Ten Results
1: Richard Handley JLT Condor presented by Mavic
2: Kristian House JLT Condor presented by Mavic
3: Chris Lawless Team WIGGINS
4: Tom Scully Madison Genesis
5: Jon Mould ONE Pro Cycling
6: Marcin Bialoblocki ONE Pro Cycling
7: Tom Stewart Madison Genesis
8: Adria Moreno Sala Velosure Starley Primal
9: Steve Lampier Team Raleigh GAC
10: Stephen WilliamsPedal Heaven
Durham Team Classification
1: ONE Pro Cycling
2: Madison Genesis
3: Pedal Heaven
4: NFTO Pro Cycling
5: Velosure Starley Primal
6: JLT Condor presented by Mavic
7: Team Raleigh GAC
8: SportGrub Kuota
9: Team WIGGINS
Costa Express Fastest Lap: Ed Clancy – JLT Condor presented by Mavic 2:00.560
Chain Reaction Cycles Points: Richard Handley – JLT Condor presented by Mavic
Team Leader board after round 5
1: Madison Genesis
2: ONE Pro Cycling
3: Pedal Heaven
Full Official Race Results http://www.tourseries.co.uk/home.php
by Chris Maher | May 26, 2015
All images ©www.chrismaher.co.uk / CyclingShorts.cc
Local girl Katie Archibald rode off the front of the bunch, to win round two of the Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series.
Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International’s Katie Archibald made her move after the first Sprint in Motherwell. Team-mate Gabby Shaw had begun to stretch the peloton out in the early laps of the race.
Race leader by default, Nikki Juniper had won the Sprint Jersey in Round one. So Jessie Walker (RST Racing Team) will wear the Sprint Jersey in Motherwell.
With round one winner Laura Trott (Matrix Fitness) not present, meant Juniper was the next placed highest rider to wear the Leaders Jersey.
Juniper, Walker and Eileen Roe (Wiggle Honda) made the uphill sprint towards the line for the first three places, with Shaw taking fourth place.
Archibald didn’t contest the sprint, and this gave her the advantage of riding off the front for the bunch as they all recovered from that effort.
Gaining twenty to thirty meters along the top flatter part of the course, Archibald, a supreme pursuiter, rode steadily away. Roe & Juniper were unable to match her pace.
Archibald took the next set of Points, with Emily Nelson (Team USN) and Annasley Park (Team Giordana Triton) taking second and third.
As Archibald approached the finish line, the chasing bunch of eighteen girls where almost a lap down.
Riding over the line with ease, the main bunch where left to sprint it out for the remaining positions.
In a big bunch Sprint, Nikki Juniper took second place with Eileen Roe third. Lydia Boylan (Team WNT) took fourth and Katie Curtis (Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International, fifth.
Nikki Junipers Reaction: “We were only going to attain the Sprints Jersey”, “and we got the first prime”. “But no one heard the klaxon for the next prime”. “We knew Katie had probably got the next one”. “There was a bit of confusion on the Points Jersey”. “But apparently I’m still in it”.
Nikki Juniper of Team Giordana Triton talks to Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc about her current lead in the Matrix Fitness GP Series 2015 after round two in Motherwell.
Results: Motherwell
1: Katie Archibald Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International 0:39:33.541
2: Nikki Juniper Team Giordana Triton 0:41:02.815
3: Eileen Roe Wiggle Honda
4: Lydia Boylan Team WNT
5: Katie Curtis Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International
6: Jessie Walker RST Racing Team
7: Emily Kay Team USN
8: Annasley Park Team Giordana Triton
9: Lucy Martin Matrix Fitness
10: Gabriella Shaw Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International
11: Henrietta Colborne Team Jadan
12: Rebecca Nixon Fusion RT Gearclub Bike Science
13: Jennifer George Les Filles
14: Charline Joiner Team WNT
15: Hannah Walker Team WNT
16: Manon Lloyd Team USN
17: Genevieve Whitson WV Avanti
18: Mel Lowther Matrix Fitness
19: Lauren Creamer Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International
20: Emily Nelson Team USN
Overall after Round Two
1 Nikki Juniper 37 Team Giordana Triton
2 Katie Archibald 36 Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International
3 Lydia Boylan 31 Team WNT
4 Jessie Walker 30 RST Racing Team
5 Annasley Park 24 Team Giordana Triton
6 Laura Trott 20 Matrix Fitness
7 Charline Joiner 19 Team WNT
8 Dani King 19 Wiggle Honda
9 Eileen Roe 18 Wiggle Honda
10 Manon Lloyd 18 Team USN
Team Rankings after Round 2
1 Team Giordana Triton 78
2 Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International 72
3 Team WNT 56
4 Matrix Fitness 45
5 Team USN 33
6 Team Jadan 18
7 IKON Mazda 8
Sprint Rankings after Round 2
1 Nikki Juniper 14 Team Giordana Triton
2 Jessie Walker 12 RST Racing Team
3 Katie Archibald 7 Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International
4 Elinor Barker 4 Matrix Fitness
4 Emily Nelson 4 Team USN
Next race in the Matrix Fitness GP Series is on June 02nd in Croydon.
by Anna Magrath | May 26, 2015
Nikki Juniper of Team Giordana Triton talks to Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc about her current lead in the Matrix Fitness GP Series 2015 after round two in Motherwell.
Nikki Juniper of Team Giordana Triton talks to Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc about her current lead in the Matrix Fitness GP Series 2015 after round two in Motherwell.
Read the race report here.
