British Cycling - Road British Cycling National Road Race Championships

British National Road Race Championship 2012 – Women

British Cycling -National Road Race Championships – Women

Author: Chris Maher, Pictures courtesy of: Chris Maher | Photography

2008 Champion           –           Ryedale                       –           Nicole Cooke

2008 U23 Champion   –           Ryedale                       –           Joanna Rowsell

2009 Champion           –           Abergavenny               –           Nicole Cooke

2009 U23 Champion   –           Abergavenny               –           Lizzie Armitstead

2010 Champion           –           Pendle                         –           Emma Pooley

2010 U23 Champion   –           Pendle                         –           Lizzie Armitstead

2011 Champion           –           Stamfordham              –           Lizzie Armitstead

2011 U23 Champion   –           Stamfordham              –           Laura Trott

 

Ryedale Grand Prix 2012

The 2012 British Cycling National Road Championships returned to the NE of England again this year. The race was run over seven circuits of 15.6km around Ampleforth,North Yorkshire, including a climb up Yearsley Moor Bank. The Women’s event started at 9.15am heading anticlockwise out of the switch back at the Abbey through Ampleforth Village, turning left towards Yearsley. The narrow rough road smooth’s out across the top before turning left towards East Gilling, dropping all the while. Turning left once again at the crossroads in East Gilling, the road becomes very narrow and begins to drag the final two kilometres to the finish line. The course runs through the grounds of the college, the base for the weekends event, and finishes in front of the 18th Centaury Benedictine Abbey.

 

Race

 

The race set of with 46 riders, and the first split came in lap one across Yearsley Moor. AA Drink leontien.nl riders Emma Pooley,  Lizzie Armitstead and Sharon Laws pulled away, with Young Telenet Fidea’s Nikki Harris and For Viored’s Sarah Storey tagging behind. Nikki Harris soon joined the trio and it was game over for the rest of the riders.

Sarah Storey almost caught the leaders up at one point, but spent the rest of the race soloing around the course to a well respected fifth place.

Current Olympic champion and ten times National champion Nicole Cooke missed the break, with not much assistance from the six strong chasers, the leaders began to pull away. The bunch included AA Drink’s team mate Lucy Martin and HTC High Road’s Katie Colclough. Emma Trott (Dolmans Boels) and Catherine Williamson (Team Bizhub-SCF) also amongst the chasers, should of been strong enough to reel the leaders back in. But the effort never came, and splintered on the final run up to the line, as Cooke sprinted into sixth place.

Sharon Laws tried attacking off the front, but Harris marked her move. Laws then went off on the final lap and rode all the way to the finish to become the 2012 National Champion.

Katie Colclough was the first under 23 year old back in eighth place, with Penny Rowson and Annabel Simpson (Matrix Fitness – Prendas) further back to claim the remaining medals.

 

Senior Result

 

  1. SharonLaws          –           AA Drink leontien.nl
  2. Lizzie Armitstead  –           AA Drink leontien.nl
  3. Emma Pooley         –           AA Drink leontien.nl
  4. Nikki Harris           –           Young Telenet Fidea Cycling Team
  5. Sarah Storey           –           For Viored
  6. Nicole Cooke         –           Team Faren – Honda
  7. Catherine Williamson         –           Team Bizhub-SCF
  8. Katie Colclough     –           HTC – High Road
  9. Emma Trott            –           Dolmans Boels

10.Natalie Creswick    –           Mulebar Girl

 

Under 23’s Result

 

  1. Katie Colclough    –           HTC – High Road
  2. Penny Rowson      –           Matrix Fitness – Prendas
  3. Annabel Simpson  –           Matrix Fitness – Prendas

 

Archived Reports & Pictures (Look)

Flickr Photo Set (Here)

Thanks to race director Bob Howden

Share
Shares
error: Content is protected !!