Words & Images by Chris Maher
Massey wins the final HSBC-UK National Women’s Road Series event, the Ryedale Grand Prix.
Laura Massey, Drops Pro Cycling powered up-to the finish line in the grounds of Ampleforth Abbey and College just ahead of Alice Sharpe, NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli and the overall Series Winner Lizzy Banks, Storey Racing in a thrilling climax to the ninth and final round in the Road Series.
Sixty-one riders took the start-line in the 2017 edition of the Ryedale GP, one of the toughest courses in the calendar.
Missing from the start list was second place in the Series, Melissa Lowther, Team Breeze who was away racing in Europe prior to today’s race, and Banks only rival close enough to steal her glory.
Massey had started a little further back, but moved up into second after today’s win and furthermore securing the Team classification for Drops Pro Cycling at the same time.
The first and only real move of the day came on the second lap of the big circuit when Steph Mottram, NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli went clear on the climb to Yearsley and quickly established a thirty-five second lead.
With no reaction from the peloton, Mottram found herself out-front and alone with her lead extending every pedal stroke and by the thirty-six kilometre marker had extended to fifty seconds.
Starting the first of the smaller laps, Mottram’s lead had grown to one-forty-two reaching the fifty-kilometer-marker out of ninety-four-point-one kilometre race.
The gap remained around the one-thirty mark for the second small circuit before the signs of small attacks began and the peloton split with seventeen riders breaking free including the usual favourites’ and four members of Storey Racing.
Mottram took the bell with her lead diminishing and Chanel Mason, Storey Racing whom had held the Series lead at one point clipped off the front briefly.
With only five kilometres remaining it was the end of Mottram’s lead being caught on the final climb, opening up the opportunity for one of the chasing bunch to claim the race win, and as they sped towards the drag up towards the Abbey only the strongest rider would seal the victory.
National Series Winner Lizzy Banks, Storey Racing
CS: Beginning the season you won the Tour of the Wolds. Did you think, come the end of the season you would be here and now wearing the leader’s jersey?
“Once I’d won that it was a real incentive going into the second round, you have the leaders jersey, so be as consistent at as possible – which is something I always aim to do”.
“Then once I had the jersey, I had my eyes on the prize!
It would have been really nice to take the win here today, but Laura was too strong and she played the perfect race. She was on her own, she’s a nice sprinter – credit to her – I was really pleased to get on the podium today in third. A good day’s work all-in-all.”
CS: You’ve switched teams since beginning the season in the Wolds, the support from Storey must really have helped a lot.
“Yeh, absolutely. Just from the first race – the amount I learnt immediately was absolutely amazing. What about thinking about this, about this, (as the team rallied around) and about this?
Yeh, having the support of the team mates, they are such a strong group of girls and really, really lovely group of girls – and it’s just nice to be part of that. Sarah and Barney just ouse knowledge and yeh, it’s brilliant!”
Race Winner Laura Massey, Drops Pro Cycling
“The girl was off the front and she was really going well, she had two minutes at one point. But it was windy out there and five laps it’s going to take its toll.
I think the peloton was being fairly patient, her team doing some of the work.”
“It got a bit frisky on that last lap, there were a few attacks, but I just followed their wheel and then the uphill-kick. I can do that”.
Steph Mottram, NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli spent most of the race out front, alone.
“I needed an extra 7K didn’t I”.
“I was only moving out of the way for the motorbike on the hill, and then I had a gap. I thought well… I might as well have a go. You just push, don’t you”.
“When I came to the last lap, I thought if I can get up the hill with everything going on, I thought I would be able to hold it.”
“I was hoping at one point (That someone would come across) especially after the first big lap and I had a minute. I was hoping one or two might come join me”.
“This time last year I would of never of managed that”
Alice Sharpe NCC Groupe-Kuota-Torelli sprinted into second place in Ampleforth.
CS: How tough is that final uphill kick to the finish line?
“It’s horrible cos you can see it, and its 300 meters, 250 meters and you have been going for ages! How is it still 200 meters to go? But yeh, it’s hard.”
Knowing when to go, obviously everyone’s also dying behind you- you have to stay out of the wind”.
“I was sad for her (Steph) when she got caught, I felt I needed to carry on and do something”.
“Very pleased”. With her second place said Alice.
Race Result Round Nine – Ryedale GP
1 23 Laura Massey Drops 2:50:40
2 42 Alice Sharpe NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli st
3 49 Elizabeth Banks Storey Racing st
4 53 Elizabeth-Jane Harris Storey Racing +4
5 79 Natalie Grinczer Team WNT st
6 34 Genevieve Whitson Isorex Cycling Team +5
7 16 Julie Erskine Cycle Team OnForm st
8 17 Anna Henderson Cycle Team OnForm st
9 9 Emma Cockcroft Bianchi Dama UK st
10 13 Georgina Panchaud Bianchi Dama UK st
11 78 Gabriella Shaw Team WNT st
12 21 Sian Bottlerly Cycle Team OnForm +10
13 54 Chanel Mason Storey Racing st
14 71 Jennifer Powell Team Ford Ecoboost st
15 4 Rebecca Johnson Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire st
16 30 Jennifer Hudson Fusion RT Fierlan +13
17 40 Stephanie Mottram NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli +16
18 50 Bethany Crumpton Storey Racing +17
19 6 Emma Lewis Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire +1:00
20 72 Jo Tindley Team Ford Ecoboost +1:04
21 25 Alana Prior EDCO Continental +1:40
22 19 Gemma Sargent Cycle Team OnForm +1:42
23 46 Amy Gornall Secret-Training.cc +1:49
24 35 Helen Jackson Kendal Cycle Club +4:10
25 83 Rebecca Goodson Velo Schils – Interbike RT +7:02
26 64 Savannah Morgan Team 22 +7:04
27 67 Melissa Brand Team Ford Ecoboost +8:12
28 27 Florence Cox Equipe Flamme Rouge +8:17
29 3 Lauren Humphreys Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire +9:50
30 70 Charmaine Porter Team Ford Ecoboost +9:53
31 18 Amy Hill Cycle Team OnForm +9:56
32 57 Gabriella Nordin SunSport Velo +9:58
33 56 Elizabeth Burrows SunSport Velo +10:00
34 24 Hetty Niblett EDCO Continental +10:06
35 22 Jessica Woodworth Cycle Team OnForm +10:09
36 20 Charlotte Redden Cycle Team OnForm +10:11
37 80 Anna Badegruber Team WNT +10:16
38 51 Monica Dew Storey Racing +10:18
39 38 Rhiannon Gornall NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli +10:22
40 26 Hannah Righini-Brand EDCO Continental +10:27
41 43 Sophie Thackray NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli +13:45
42 74 Lucinda Kerr Team Jadan-Weldtite OTL
43 63 Phoebe Martin Team 22 OTL
44 55 Mercy Webb Storey Racing OTL
45 28 Tina Hartwright Fusion RT Fierlan OTL
46 1 Melissa Greaves All Terrain Cycles Ride In Peac OTL
47 66 Ellie Park Team 22 OTL
Overall Team Classification
1 Drops Pro Cycling 380
2 Storey Racing 329
3 Cycle Team OnForm 308
4 Team WNT 260
5 Team Breeze 205
6 Team Ford Ecoboost 141
7 Bianchi Dama UK 100
8 NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli 68
9 Wiggle High5 63
10 SunSport Velo 60
11 Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire 60
12 Strada Sport 47
13 Fusion RT Fierlan 46
14 Isorex Cycling Team 46
15 Team Vision Innovative Leisure 32
16 Team Corley Cycles 29
17 Abergavenny Road Club 29
18 Liv Cycling Club – Epic Coachin 23
19 Team Vertex-Biemme RT 16
20 EDCO Continental 11
21 Team Jadan-Weldtite 9
22 Team 22 8
23 Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 4
23 Matrix Pro Cycling 4
25 Portsmouth North End CC 3
Individual Points after Round Nine
1 Elizabeth Banks Storey Racing 172
2 Laura Massey Drops 140
3 Melissa Lowther Team Breeze 135
4 Chanel Mason Storey Racing 112
5 Natalie Grinczer Team WNT 107
6 Hannah Payton Drops 101
7 Julie Erskine Cycle Team OnForm 84
8 Sian Botteley Cycle Team OnForm 84
9 Joscelin Lowden Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire 76
9 Hayley Simmonds Team WNT 76
11 Elizabeth-Jane Harris Storey Racing 72
12 Anna Henderson Cycle Team OnForm 72
13 Alice Sharpe NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli 68
14 Sophie Wright Strada Sport 61
15 Grace Garner Wiggle High5 56
16 Genevieve Whitson Isorex Cycling Team 54
17 Georgina Panchaud Bianchi Dama UK 53
18 Annasley Park Drops 52
19 Katie Archibald Team WNT 50
20 Emily Nelson Team Breeze 50
21 Jennifer Powell Team Ford Ecoboost 50
22 Charmaine Porter Team Ford Ecoboost 47
23 Rebecca Durrell Drops 44
24 Emma Cockcroft Bianchi Dama UK 42
25 Annabel Simpson Drops 40
26 Rose Osborne Drops 40
27 Jennifer George Storey Racing 35
28 Gabriella Shaw Team WNT 34
29 Jennifer Holden Fusion RT Fierlan 32
30 Ffion James Abergavenny Road Club 31
31 Alice Barnes Drops 30
32 Amy Hill Cycle Team OnForm 30
33 Karla Boddy Team Corley Cycles 29
34 Anna Christian Drops 28
35 Madeleine Gammons Team Vision Innovative Leisure 28
36 Abigail Van Twisk Drops 27
37 Lydia Boylan Team WNT 26
37 Nicola Juniper Team Ford Ecoboost 26
39 Alicia Speake Cycle Team OnForm 25
40 Manon Lloyd Team Breeze 22
41 Charlotte Broughton Team Ford Ecoboost 20
42 Megan Barker Team Breeze 20
43 Eleanor Dickinson Team Breeze 19
44 Rebecca Womersley Drops 18
45 Neah Evans Storey Racing 18
46 Jennifer Hudson Fusion RT Fierlan 18
47 Charlotte Redden Cycle Team OnForm 16
48 Lauren Murphy Liv Cycling Club – Epic Coachin 14
49 Anna Kay EDCO Continental 14
50 Lucy Horrocks Team Vertex-Biemme RT 13
51 Sian Bottlerly Cycle Team OnForm 9
52 Elizabeth Bennett Liv Cycling Club – Epic Coachin 9
53 Becca Carter Team WNT 9
53 Bethany Crumpton Storey Racing 9
55 Savannah Morgan Team 22 8
56 Amy Roberts Wiggle High5 7
56 Rhona Callander Team Jadan-Weldtite 7
58 Rebecca Johnson Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire 6
59 Jessica Woodworth Cycle Team OnForm 5
60 Charlotte Colclough Bianchi Dama UK 5
61 Lorna Bowler Team Backstedt/Hotchillee 4
61 Tamara Davenne Team Vision Innovative Leisure 4
61 Gabriella Nordin SunSport Velo 4
61 Stephanie Mottram NCC Group-Kuota-Torelli 4
61 Amira Mellor Matrix Pro Cycling 4
66 Jessica Finney Portsmouth North End CC 3
66 Bethany Taylor Team Vertex-Biemme RT 3
68 Emma Lewis Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire 2
68 Josie Knight Team WNT 2
68 Holly Flannery Team Jadan-Weldtite 2
68 Elizabeth Burrows SunSport Velo 2
68 Eileen Roe Team WNT 2
73 Kelly Murphy Team Ford Ecoboost 1
73 Jo Tindley Team Ford Ecoboost 1
73 Monica Dew Storey Racing 1
73 Bethany Hayward Team Ford Ecoboost 1
