Jadan Press Women’s Circuit Race
Sponsored by Jadan Press for Elite 1st, 2nd & 3rd Category Riders
Words & Images by Chris Maher for Cycling Shorts
Ellen McDermott wins the forth edition of the Jadan Press Women’s Circuit Race in Beverley, Part of the East Yorkshire Classic weekend ahead of defending champion Gabby Shaw.
Georgia Bullard (Team Jadan-Weldtite p/b Vive Le Velo) finished a respectable third after breaking free in the closing stages of the race.
Georgia went away, and Gaby chased her down. I was going to hang onto Gaby’s tail. Said Ellen: Then I realised, hang-on – I can get by Gaby here – she’s not going up the cobbles as fast as I think I can – then I caught Georgia.
Twenty-three riders took part in this year’s race, flagged away by Isobelle after a neutral lap on a beautiful evening in Beverley’s Market Street.
Amy Gornall (Secret Training CC) took the first sprint prime before McDermott (EDCO Continental) tried her luck off the front of the peloton on lap five.
They were all back together soon after and the race settled into its pace and the second sprint prime approached.
Lighting up the peloton in Pink and Blue, came a move off the front by Louise Scupham (Team Jadan-Weldtite p/b Vive Le Velo). This was enough to take the second prime, also setting the quickest lap time so far at 1.47.735.
Ten laps to go and it was Amy Monkhouse’s (Team Jadan-Weldtite p/b Vive Le Velo) turn to pull the group across the line, but no sign’s of team-mate Louise whom had suffered a mechanical.
We’ve also got one of our youth riders, who’s got special dispensation tonight to race with the women, and she is only fifteen. That’s Amy [Monkhouse]. I think she’ll do pretty well if I’m honest. They have all got good bike handling skills which a circuit like this needs.
Shaw piled on the pressure once more, this time splitting the group in half with seven riders forming the lead group.
(23 Georgia Bullard, 33 Gaby Shaw, 24 Holly Flannery (Team Jadan-Weldtite p/b Vive Le Velo), 29 Amy Monkhouse, 18 Lily Greenhalgh Team22 WRT, 7 Ellen McDermott and 32 Amy Gornall)
Gornall was back on the front once more keeping the pace high as she had done two nights earlier in the HSBC-UK National Women’s Circuit Race in Sheffield, but they were all back together once more.
Shaw took over the pace for the third sprint prime and only five laps remaining, then Gornall took the lead once more with two laps to go.
The bell rang for the final lap and Sarah King (Bianchi Dama UK) tried a long dash for the line, but it was McDermott whom had the legs for the final sprint for glory, setting the quickest lap on the night with a 1.41.772.
When I was coming into the race I didn’t really know what to expect. It’s my first race back since doing the Czech Republic Tour a couple of weeks ago. So I didn’t really know what my legs were like.
It’s rock-hard! But I tried to attack after five-or-six laps – then it settled down.
I though (to myself) I might get away, and I got away on the cobbles, but then I died a death – so – right, that’s not going to work!
I chased down a couple of attacks and tried by best to stay with the group and not get distanced.
Talking to Team Jadan Weldtite p/b Vive le Velo’s owner and manager Vix Hood, I asked her about her thoughts about the Jadan Press Women’s Circuit Race in Beverley, now in it’s forth year.
So originally the East Yorkshire Classic was just men. There had never been a women’s race.
We went and spoke to them and said how we thought we could develop women’s racing in the area, in Yorkshire particularly if we could put on a women’s race.
We have had to stick with it and each year it has just grown and grown, there’s not an unbelievable amount of licence holders around the area, so we had to be aware and speak to the organisers all the time, and be prepared that there might be lower numbers, but now four years in, it’s what we expect – and we are getting a really strong field. We’ve got a good field tonight.
It’s almost the end of the Road Season, are you planning to ride the track – the Revolution Series? Yes, we are riding the Revs. We have to wait and see what’s happening.
We are a development squad and our original Youth Riders who came through with us – a lot of them now represent GB a lot of the time – which is a testament to what we have done, so that’s great.
But obviously if they are representing GB they might ride for GB in Revs or they might ride for Jadan. We will just have to work out who we will have riding that, but we will be putting a team in the Revs.
I asked Ellen about Georgia’s brilliant third place and she went on to say that Georgia rode very well, competing against elite riders, she did what she had to do to win the race – but went way too early (in her opinion). She went with half a lap to go!
I don’t really know why she stayed away (as she approached the cobbles for the final time). I was on-it.
Georgia went away, and Gaby chased her down. I was going to hang onto Gaby’s tail.
Then I realised, hang-on-a-mo, I can get by Gaby here – she’s not going up the cobbles as fast as I think I can – then I caught Georgia.
It takes a lot to keep the girls out on the road or in the Velodromes around the Country. We caught up with sponsor Ed, from Vive le Velo in nearby North Ferriby.
We’ve dabbled with sponsoring Team Jadan for a couple of years now to see what it’s done for us.
Women’s cycling as a recreational side is on the up, it’s the largest increase in market share. So for Vive le Velo, women’s cycling is important and it was an idea to try and promote it via Team Jadan.
The sport needs bringing on, is been vastly underdeveloped and left alone for far too long. For us, we thoroughly recommend it. It’s something we will look to continue with next year and see where we go.
Results
1 Ellen McDermott EDCO Continental 1st 38.43
2 Gabriella Shaw Team WNT 1st 38.43
3 Georgia Bullard Team Jadan Weldtite p/b Vive le Velo 2nd 38.43
4 Amy Gornall Secret Training CC 2nd 38.43
5 Holly Flannery Team Jadan Weldtite p/b Vive le Velo 2nd 38.43
6 Amy Monkhouse Team Jadan Weldtite p/b Vive le Velo Youth A 38.43
7 Lily Greenhalgh Team 22 2nd 38.43
8 Sarah King Bianchi Dama UK 2nd 38.43
9 Nicola Moore Squadra RT 2nd 38.47
10 Rebecca Longthorp Cliff Pratt Racing 2nd 38.51
11 Melissa Greaves All Terrain Cycles Ride In Peace 2nd
12 Sarah Cramoysan Prima Team Racing 2nd 38.55
13 Felicity Gledhill SunSport Velo 2nd 40.08
14 Ava Oxley PH-MAS/Paul Milne/ Oldfield ERT Youth A39.39 +1 Lap
15 Hannah Bayes LIV AWOL 3rd 40.16 +1 Lap
16 Nicola Greenwood Holmfirth Cycling Club 3rd 40.19 +1 Lap
17 Amanda Leach Cliff Pratt Racing 4th 40.28 +1 Lap
18 Jessica O’Brien Sheffield Hallam Cycling Club 4th 38.52 +2 Laps
19 Penny Trinder Cliff Pratt Racing 4th 38.57 +2 Laps
20 Lucy Khan Cliff Pratt Racing 4th +2 Laps
21 Louise Scupham Team Jadan Weldtite p/b Vive le Velo 2nd 39.50 +2 Laps
DNF 9 Hannah Righini-Brand EDCO Continental 2nd
DNF 30 Debra Charlesworth Cliff Pratt Racing 3rd
2016 Gabriella Shaw Podium Ambition p/b Club la Santa
2015 Abby-Mae Parkinson Team Giordana Triton
2014 Iona Sewell Team GB Cycles
Chris Maher
Photographer & Writer
Based in the North East of England; photographer Chris Maher specialises in sports photography with his main interests in Cycling and Super Bikes. Chris has covered sports events from local and national level right up to the Olympics for CyclingShorts.cc.
Website: www.ChrisMaher.co.uk
