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 26, 2015
DOWSETT, SIMMONDS AND DAVIES TAKE TIME TRIAL TITLES AT BRITISH CYCLING NATIONAL ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Alex Dowsett, Hayley Simmonds and Scott Davies took the time trial titles at the 2015 British Cycling National Road Championships in Lincolnshire today.
Alex Dowsett produced a world-class performance at Cadwell Park to equal Stuart Dangerfield’s record of four British time trial titles, while earlier in the day, Hayley Simmonds and Scott Davies took the women’s and under-23 men’s crowns.
Dowsett set a scorching time of 1:00.11 over the testing 44.8-kilometre course that combined the open roads of Lincolnshire and the swooping tarmac of the Cadwell Park motor racing circuit.
SportGrub Kuota Cycling Team’s Ryan Perry set a marker of 1:04.28 before NFTO’s Edmund Bradbury dropped below the 1:04 mark with a 1:03.42 as title favourites Bottrill and Dowsett ploughed around the three laps of the open road sector of the Lincolnshire course, two of just six riders remaining with a chance of challenging for the medals.
As Dowsett passed Bottrill, it became clear that the 26-year-old Movistar pro was headed for a record-equalling fourth title – it was just a case how big the winning margin would be.
In the end Dowsett’s win was emphatic, a time of 1:00.11, ensuring that the British title was added to his remarkable year of UCI Hour record and Bayern Rundfahrt stage race triumphs.
Bottrill eventually finished fourth, four minutes and 20 seconds down on Dowsett, with Bradbury taking silver and Perry taking bronze.
Speaking after regaining the National Title, Alex Dowsett told British Cycling:
“It’s lovely to get it back,” said Dowsett. “It’s really significant being national champion. Now every time I do a time-trial I get to wear this!”
“I couldn’t have lost it to a more talented guy last year in Brad (Sir Bradley Wiggins) but it’s nice to have it back.
“That was tough. I didn’t have a radio so I had no idea where I was in relation to anyone else.
“The course itself – in training, I thought it would be easier in the race but it was actually harder, so I had no idea how well I was going out there. But when I saw Matt (Bottrill) I knew that either he was on a horrendous day or I was on a good one.
“I had a bit of a moment on the second to last corner around here. I’ve got quite a few friends who race British Superbike and I’m not going to hear the end of it from missing that apex!”
All images ©www.chrismaher.co.uk / CyclingShorts.cc
Team Velosport’s Hayley Simmonds produced a superb ride to take the British women’s title, defying the form book and finishing over a minute ahead of silver medallist Molly Weaver and bronze medallist Dame Sarah Storey.
Simmonds, who moved from rowing in 2009, took the lead from early pacesetter Ciara Horne over the 33.6-kilometre course. Posting a time of 51:39.89, the 2014 10-mile and 50-mile time-trial champion, threw the gauntlet down in resounding fashion, with Katie Archibald and Dame Sarah Storey still out on the course.
Liv Plantur’s Molly Weaver soon pushed Horne into third with a 52.58.18 time and within minutes, the pundits’ favourite was dropping out of medal contention.
Molly Weaver of Team Liv Plantur chats to Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc about her podium result in the 2015 British Cycling National Road Time Trial 2015.
Dame Sarah Storey couldn’t challenge the time of Simmonds, the multiple Paralympic champion stopping the clock at 53.00.61 and dropping into third with just a few challengers left out on course.
Storey’s team-mate Katie Archibald, who took silver in 2014, was the last challenger to finish but could only manage sixth, handing the women’s crown to a delighted Simmonds.
Hayley Simmonds was crowned British Cycling National Road Time Trial Champion 2015 on the 25th June. She chats to Chris Maher of CyclingShorts.cc about her win.
“It’s completely overwhelming – I’ve worked really hard for this,” said Simmonds. “I hoped it was going to be really close and I just went out and did the ride that I thought I could, did the effort I thought I could and obviously it paid off.
“I was just trying to focus on getting out the ride that I was capable of and not necessarily concentrating on the other big names that were starting after me.”
“After I finished and I was half collapsing over my bike I could just hear the commentator say my time and then say ‘will anyone go under 50 minutes’. Dame Sarah and Katie Archibald are both capable of going under 50 and at that point I wasn’t even sure that I was in the lead, let alone that I was going to win by a minute.”
Cycling Shorts caught up with Hayley after her ride to victory.
She told me that the race had went really well for her. After spending time looking around the course outside of Cadwell Park, She knew that she would be capable of setting a competitive time by sticking to her plan.
Hayley has won a few Time Trial Championships over different lengths in recent years. Coming into this race, she had recently won the Holme Valley Wheelers 2 Day in early June, beating the likes of Dame Sarah Storey and National Road Race Champion Laura Trott. This had gave her confidence to trust her ability, and ride the race at a pace that suited her.
She is currently studying for her PhD, and should have it submitted by March next year. Once that’s out of the way, Hayley said that she would like to take up professional bike riding full-time.
I asked her about the National Road Race coming up on Sunday in Lincoln. “Yes” she told me, “I’m riding it”. But she went on to say that her main objective this week, had been the Time Trial today. That’s were all her focus has been recently. Going out and checking out the course route, the twists and turns, and figuring out the best way to approach each corner, each climb.
For the near future, Hayley said she was going to have a go at a 100, something she’s not attempted before. So it won’t be long before you get to see the Red & Blue Strip Jersey on the road again somewhere around the UK.
Earlier in the day, 100%ME’s Scott Davies successfully defended his British under-23 time trial title.
The 19-year-old from Carmarthen fought off a strong challenge from fellow Welshman, Team Wiggins’ Owain Doull, recording a time of 47:20.32 to retain the jersey he won in Monmouthshire 12 months ago.
Axeon Cycling Team’s Tao Geoghegan Hart had been the first to break into the 47-minute times with 47:37.90, only for Doull to immediately strike back with a stunning 47:26.53.
But Davies, continuing the stellar form demonstrated earlier in the year at Tour de Yorkshire, did not falter, besting Doull’s time by six seconds with a 47:20.32 masterclass, joining Alex Dowsett and Sam Harrison as only the third rider to win back-to-back under-23 time trial titles.
A relieved Davies commented after the race:
“It was pretty tough – I think the nature of the course meant holding a rhythm wasn’t that easy today,” said Davies following his effort.
“It’s quite rolling so there’s no real stretch where you can hold the same pace. It’s up, down and up. That steep hill is quite tough as well – quite a testing course.
“Relieved is the word that I’d use to describe how today went. I came up to it with a bit more pressure than last year – relieved to have defended it.”
Top Three Results
Under-23 men
1. Scott Davies
2. Owain Doull
3. Tao Geoghegan Hart
Women
1. Hayley Simmonds
2. Molly Weaver
3. Dame Sarah Storey
Men
1. Alex Dowsett
2. Edmund Bradbury
3. Ryan Perry
Highlights of the time trials will be shown on British Eurosport 2 tomorrow (Friday 26 June) at 6pm.
The 2015 British Cycling National Road Championships continue on Sunday 28 June with the road races, which start and finish in Lincoln city centre. The women’s and men’s race will be broadcast live on British Eurosport from 11:30am with highlights on ITV4 on Monday evening at 6pm.
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 19, 2015
All images ©www.chrismaher.co.uk / CyclingShorts.cc
Luxembourg national champion Christine Majerus sprinted to victory in Kettering on Friday afternoon to take the lead of the Aviva Women’s Tour heading into the weekend’s final two stages.
“I was so well protected by my team-mated that I couldn’t not win! We had a close look at the finish in advance and that last chicane suited me because I am pretty good at cornering. When I got through the corner and saw the gap I realised this might be my day so I just went for it.”
Post Stage 3 of the Aviva Women’s Tour 2015 Christine Majerus of Boels Dolmans talks to the press about her stage win and taking the yellow jersey.
The Boels Dolmans rider rounded the final corner atop a stiff drag up to the finish line at the head of a peloton, heading home Barbara Guarischi and young British duo Lucy Garner and Hannah Barnes.
Majerus’ two second advantage on the Northamptonshire finish line moved her into the Aviva Yellow Jersey, four seconds ahead of overnight leader Lisa Brennauer.
Garner’s strong ride also saw her head up the SweetSpot Best Young Riders competition and take the Premier Inn jersey for the top placed British rider thanks to her sixth place overall.
Lisa Brennauer held on to the Chain Reaction Cycles Points Jersey, having finished in the top six on every stage, while Melissa Hoskins keeps the lead, by four points over Elise Delzenne, in the Strava Queen of the Mountains classification.
Bigla Pro Cycling’s Sharon Laws won the YodelDirect Combativity Award for an attacking display that saw her only caught by the peloton on the outskirts of Kettering. Last year’s Strava Queen of the Mountains had bridged across to a two-rider break of Heather Fischer and Chloe McConville, but the trio’s lead was finally snuffed out with three kilometres to go.
Highlights of Stage Three are on ITV4 at 8pm on Friday 19 June, with a repeat at 11.10am on Saturday morning and also available via the the ITV Player for 30 days.
Stage 3 Results
GC after Stage 3
U23: Lucy Garner
Best British: Lucy Garner
Points: Lisa Brennauer
Queen of the Mountains: Melissa Hoskins
Team: Velocio SRAM
For full Stage Three Results click here.
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Aviva Women’s Tour Women’s Tour
The Aviva Women’s Tour resumes with Stage Four from Waltham Cross to Stevenage in Hertfordshire at just over 103-kilometres, getting underway from Waltham Cross at 10am.
Saturday’s Stage Four, a 103.4km run between Waltham Cross and Stevenage has the look of another sprint but with the overall general classification race for the Aviva Yellow Jersey so close and bonus second up for grabs every second counts. Majerus is just three second ahead of Jolien D’hoore with Lisa Brennauer just one second further back in third place. Indeed the 20th place rider on GC, Majerus’ Boels Dolmans teammate Amelie Dideriksen, is still only 20 seconds behind the leader.
by Anna Magrath | Jun 18, 2015
All images ©www.chrismaher.co.uk / CyclingShorts.cc
Jolien d’Hoore sprinted to victory in Clacton to move within one second of the race leader, Lisa Brennauer, as the fancied general classification riders began to flex their muscles.
“I feel good, I’m getting stronger but I also have a good team around me and that makes a difference. You can never win a race alone. I don’t know about GC but I did want to win a stage. I have that now and I can stay relaxed. Let’s see how I go.”
The reigning Belgian national road race champion of Wiggle Honda showing her liking for tough uphill sprints with a fine win on Marine Parade in Clacton.
Aviva Yellow jersey Brennauer also looked in ominously good form sprinting to second place while Christine Majerus of the Boels Dolmans team was in third place with another big overall contender Emma Johansson in close attendance in fourth place.
With the peloton catching the break four kilometres from the finish in Clacton, the multi-talented d’Hoore, a former World Junior Champion on the road, positioned herself perfectly coming up the long drag into the Essex seaside resort to win by a wheel to record her latest win in an increasingly impressive season.
Jolien D,Hoore (Wiggle Honda) & Elinor Barker (Matrix Fitness) talk to the press after stage 2 of the Women’s Tour 2015.
“It was pretty close in the end,”admitted d’Hoore.“I went form the last corner but it was uphill and into the wind so I didn’t know if I could make it. I was hoping GIorgia Bronzini was in my wheel, in fact the original plan was for me to lead her out but she wasn’t there. She told me to go from the corner and she would try and stay in the wheel so I just gave everything until the finish.
“I feel good, I’m getting stronger but I also have a good team around me and that makes a difference. You can never win a race alone. I don’t know about GC but I did want to win a stage. I have that now and I can stay relaxed. Let’s see how I go.
“I had two weeks complete off the bike and then I had a five week training period which was pretty tough. It’s a little bit of a risk when you rest like that but I was confident that my form was good. I am happy.”
D’Hoore has all sort of options ahead of her and objectively she must be a contender for the World Road Race Championship in Richmond, Virginia which she has seen and describes as a very up and down “Belgian style” course with a few comforting cobbles for good measure.
But Rio 2016 is possibly and even bigger focus and in particular the Omnium on the track where she could yet prove the strongest rival to the triumvirate of Laura Trott, Annette Edmondson and Sarah Hammer who have dominated the event in recent years. D’Hoore finished fifth at London 2012 but was an outstanding winner at the World Cup at the Lee Valley Velodrome last year.
“For Rio I am going 100% for the track and my road season next year will be short to plan for that,” insists d’Hoore. My goal is the Omnium for sure”
Meanwhile Brennauer, the World Time Trial champion, is revealing an unexpected talent for sprint finishes with her second runners up spot in two days confirming her in the Aviva Yellow Jersey that she wore today in place of the absent Armitstead, who, as she had announced the previous night, decided not to continue after her nasty crash after her stage win in Aldeburgh.
Lisa Brennauer of team Velcro SRAM talks post Stage 2 of the Aviva Womens Tour 2015 as she tops the GC podium.
“It felt quite weird for me to be wearing the yellow jersey today. I feel really sorry for what happened to Lizzie yesterday, it’s never nice when somebody gets hurt in a crash
“I’m not really concentrating on my sprinting despite the two second places. I think perhaps I am just getting a better athlete. I’m not a pure sprinter and probably never will be but I can be fast especially when I get a nice lead out and the finishes on the last two days have suited me.
“It was pretty hectic today with a lot of teams trying to set their sprinters up, my team did a really great job setting me up around the last left hand corner when we hit the coast. The sprint opened up and I just did my best. I want to fight or this yellow jersey but the GC is close, so much can happen.”
Brennauer also retains her lead in the Chain Reactions Cycles Points competition, with second overall d’Hoore wearing that jersey for Friday’s stage in Nothamptonshire, while Melissa Hoskins of Orica AIS leads the Strava Queen of the Mountains competition having picked up points on both classified climbs.
UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling kept hold of the SweetSpot Best Young Rider jersey with Coryn Rivera while Elinor Barker of Matrix Fitness, currently in ninth position overall, wears the Premier Inn Best British Rider Jersey.
After her starring role in the day’s breakaway, and repeated attempts to escape, Bigla Pro Cycling’s Vera Koedooder took the day’s YodelDirect Combativity Award while the UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling team also lead the Aviva Team Classification.
Stage 2 Results
GC after Stage 2
U23: Coryn Rivera
Best British: Elinor Barker
Points: Lisa Brennauer
Queen of the Mountains: Melissa Hoskins
Team: UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling
Highlights of Stage Two are on ITV4 at 8pm on Thursday 18 June, with a repeat at 11.05am on Friday morning.
Stage Three sees the race return to Oundle, the Grand Depart town for last year’s inaugural Women’s Tour, which this year acts as the start for a demanding 139.2km run to Kettering through the Northamptonshire countryside. With the most demanding terrain so far and a stage length just 800m short of the maximum allowed by the UCI, this should be where the Aviva General Classification race kicks off in earnest, especially off the back of a long and hard ridden Stage Two in Suffolk and Essex.
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Aviva Women’s Tour Women’s Tour
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
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Aviva Women’s Tour Women’s Tour
Thursday 18th June 2015 | Stage Two | Braintree to Clacton
Words by Anna, Images by Chris Maher
