National Road Championships 2021 Lincoln – Report & Images

VICTORIES FOR SWIFT AND GEORGI ON THE FINAL DAY IN LINCOLN

Reigning national champion Ben Swift retained his national road race title on the final day of the 2021 HSBC UK | National Road Championships in Lincoln, following Pfeiffer Georgi’s victory in the women’s race earlier in the day.

The Team Ineos Grenadiers rider fought hard all day in numerous breakaway groups to secure another year in the famous red, white and blue jersey, having first won the crown in Norwich in 2019.

Pfeiffer Georgi stormed to victory in the elite women’s race earlier in the day, coming from a strong 12-rider group that went clear on the first ascent of the Michaelgate climb.

The young rider also won the under-23 championship at the same time as she defeated a crop of experienced riders to take home the jersey.

At the top of the cobbled climb with one lap complete a total of 12 riders would go clear never to be caught again, eight riders alongside the four riders from Drops-Le Col; Alice Barnes (CANYON – SRAM RACING), Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM), Anna Henderson (Team Jumbo-Visma), Josie Nelson (Team Coop-Hitec Products), Anna Shackley (Team SD Worx), Danielle Shrosbree (Team LDN – Brother UK), Jo Tindley (Pro-Noctis – Redchilli Bikes – Heidi Kjeldse) and Sophie Wright (Alè BTC Ljubljana).

The time gap would grow each time around and up the cobbled climb, and by the time the lead group reached the halfway point in the race (four laps remaining), the group of 12 had over a minute on the peloton behind.

Various attacks would come and go, a notable one for four riders, however a solo effort by Leah Dixon (Team TIBCO-Silicon Valley Bank) looked to do the most damage to the time split, but nothing would come of it.

At the head of the race and with two laps to go, Pfeiffer Georgi produced the first attack out of the leading group on the climb through Lincoln, with only Henderson and Lowden being able to follow.

Behind, it would be Anna Shackley chasing hard to pull back the leading three riders a few kilometres later, Barnes, Nelson, and Wright alongside her making it a group of seven. A brief counter-attack over the top immediately by reigning national champion Alice Barnes was then pulled back.

The group would become 12 once again towards the end of the penultimate lap, with the remaining five riders re-joining the leaders, and with one lap to go they would cross the line and hear the final lap bell altogether.

The final lap saw attack after attack, firstly by Anna Christian at 10 kilometres to go, swiftly chased down by Jo Tindley and Pfieffer Georgi, the pair riding straight past her to launch their own attack.

Another Drops-Le Col attack saw a last-minute dig by April Tacey at three kilometres to go, and she would ride all the way to the lower slopes of the final ascent of the Michaelgate climb on her own.

However, Georgi flew past Tacey, attacking on the right-hand side of the climb – Josie Nelson fighting hard on the left aiming to match her speed.

Only two bike lengths separated them as they turned left onto Wordsworth Street, the final rise with just 100 metres to go to the finish line, and Anna Henderson was just three bike lengths behind Nelson with Joss Lowden chasing down the Team Jumbo-Visma rider.

Pfeiffer Georgi would ride out of sight to take the win in front of a rapturous Lincolnshire crowd, with Josie Nelson finishing second just three seconds behind. Lowden fought hard, pipping Henderson in the final 100 metres to taking bronze, seven seconds behind Georgi.

Georgi and Nelson both being under-23 also took the top two steps of that podium, Anna Shackley took home bronze, with the Team SD Worx rider fifth overall ahead of the valiant April Tacey in sixth.

A total of 129 riders started the men’s race in Lincoln, amongst them three previous winners in Mark Cavendish MBE, Connor Swift and Ben Swift.

The earliest attack came on the first ascent of the Michaelgate climb, a solo effort from Lewis Askey (GROUPAMA – FDJ), who was only 12 when Cavendish won the race in 2013.

The attack would come to nothing, however the counterattack past Askey by Dan Bigham (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling), and Sam Watson (Team Inspired) would spark the first big move of the day.

A lap later a further four riders would join them: Harry Tanfield (Team Qhubeka Nexthash), Jake Stewart (GROUPAMA – FDJ), Dan McClay (Team Arkea-Samsic) and Ben Swift (Team Ineos Grenadiers), creating a 15-second gap as they started their sixth lap out of 13.

A couple of laps of back and forth in the war of attrition that is the national championships, with two laps to go only Ethan Hayter, Lewis Askey, Connor Swift and Sam Watson remained with one new member to the chasing group, Alex Richardson (Alpecin-Fenix), who jumped across to the chasing group on lap 10.

The penultimate time up the Michaelgate climb saw fireworks when Fred Wright decided to show his hand, powering over the cobbles as his competitors fought for the smooth gutter section at the side of the road.

Only Swift and Tanfield could follow, Dan McClay suffering for his earlier effort. In the group behind Ethan Hayter barely looked out of breath as he took Lewis Askey over the top of the climb with him, the duo in pursuit of the three riders ahead.

Ben Swift went first, Fred Wright chasing his wheel as Tanfield dropped away behind them hugging the gutter for smooth road. The duo pressed on ahead in a thrilling final sprint up the climb, shoulder to shoulder into the penultimate corner and left-hand turn to the 100 metres to go sign.

Wright was holding his wheel all the way around the final corner and onto the tarmac before his head slumped, absolutely spent, allowing Swift to ride away to victory.

Behind Hayter had flown past Tanfield on the climb in the final metres to steal third, seven seconds behind his teammate.

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