Women's Tour de Yorkshire

Women’s Tour de Yorkshire 2015

Women’s Tour de Yorkshire 2015

 

York 80Km Closed Circuit Road Race.

 

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

 

02nd May 2015

 

It All Comes Down To A Bunch Sprint Along The Knavesmire In The Inaugural Women’s Tour De Yorkshire!

 

Dame Sarah Storey heads the race, 2 laps to go!
Dame Sarah Storey heads the race, 2 laps to go!

 

 T he inaugural Women’s Tour De Yorkshire cycling road race took place on a closed four lap, 20 kilometre circuit. Open to Elite, First, Second and Third cat ladies, gave opportunity, for the girls to ride safely through the streets of York. Looping out beyond the A64 to the East, before returning, the race completed the circuit on the Knavesmire near the Race Course entrance.

 

Likened to a Belgium Kermesse by the girls, rather than a City Centre Criterium. The technical at times course, twisted & turned through the streets of York, passing several well known landmarks, through ancient City Walls, and over cobbled roads, before entering the more exposed windier sections outside of town.

 

Flagged off by British Cycling President, Bob Howden, the Race got underway at 10.30am by an eighty strong field of riders.

 

Crowds had already built-up around the City streets, and the race got off to an aggressive start. There were many attacks on the back-end of the circuit, but each and every one were brought back on the run into the City Centre. At times the peloton were very strung-out, that showed the pace indeed was quite high averaging nearly 40kmph. Wiggle Honda’s Eileen Roe had several goes escaping the clutches of a strong Pearl Izumi – Sports Tours Int’l Team and the Team USN squads. They all had goes of firing riders off the front. But as the final lap approached, it became clear that it would end with a bunch sprint.

 

Approaching the final kilometres, last minute efforts were made to escape, but lead-out trains were formed for the Sprinters, and it was a case of “surfing the wheels” (Louise Mahѐ), and picking the best line or wheel to come off!

 

In the end, IKON Mazda’s Louise Mahѐ lunged across the line firstly, followed very closely by Wiggle Honda’s Eileen Roe and Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int’l’s Katie Curtis in a big bunch sprint. Fifty-seven girls completed the race.

 

Women's Tour De Yorkshire 2015 - Bunch Sprint
Women’s Tour De Yorkshire 2015 – Bunch Sprint

 

I spoke to Louise Mahѐ after the race: “It was a fast race from the off” “At times when you look back, the whole bunch were strung-out, so you knew the pace was high”, “I left it quite late, found a gap, and went for it”. Louise said that she liked the circuit. It was flat, so you race hard. She enjoyed the closed circuit, and said the crowds were awesome!

 

On Twitter Louise posted: “Blimey, I won a bike race! Thanks for the support everyone”

 

I spoke to Eileen Row after the race: “It was a really good race”,  “It was a really aggressive actually, the race!”, “Unfortunately it did come down to a bunch sprint”, “I was in several breaks that went up the road, that never really came to much up the back-end of the circuit”.

 

On Twitter Eileen posted: “Thank you @letouryorkshire #WTdY was amazing, what a crowd. Honoured to be on the podium of the women’s first edition”.

 

Women's Tour De Yorkshire 2015 - Podium
Women’s Tour De Yorkshire 2015 – Podium

 

Top 10:

  1. Louise Mahé – IKON Mazda – 80 kilometres in 2:00:36.4
  2. Eileen Roe – Wiggle Honda
  3. Katie Curtis – Pearl Izumi Sports International
  4. Charline Joiner – Team WNT
  5. Alice Barnes – Betch.NL-Superior-Brentjens MTB RT
  6. Grace Garner – Team Giordana-Triton
  7. Emily Kay – Team USN
  8. Amy Hill – Team Rytger
  9. Nicola Juniper – Team Giordana-Triton
  10. Abigail Dentus – Team Velosport

 

Sprints

Katie Archibald – Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International

 

2nd Category riders

  1. Alice Cobb – Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire
  2. Annasley Park – Team Giordana-Triton
  3. Hayley Simmons – Team Velosport

 

3rd Category riders

  1. Alice Barnes – Betch.NL-Superior-Brentjens MTB RT
  2. Beth Crumpton – North West Cycling Club
  3. Ella Hopkins – IKON-Mazda

 

Full Rider Classification WTdY 2015 – York

 

1,         24        Mahe,Louise – IKON – Mazda 10:35:18

2,         99        Roe,Eileen – Wiggle Honda

3,         40        Curtis,Katie – Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int

4,         87        Joiner,Charline – Team WNT

5,         11        Barnes,Alice – Betch.NL-Superior-Brentjens

6,         65        Garner,Grace – Team Giordana – Triton

7,         77        Kay,Emily – Team USN

8,         75        Hill,Amy – Team Rytger

9,         67        Juniper,Nicola – Team Giordana – Triton

10        ,81       Dentus,Abigail – Team Velosport

11,       64        Dickinson,Eleanor – Team Giordana – Triton

12,       33        Shaw,Lucy – Matrix Fitness Development

13,       35        Crumpton,Beth – North West Cycling Club

14,       66        Holden,Elizabeth – Team Giordana

15,       5          Cobb,Alice – Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire

16,       37        Archibald,Katie – Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Intl

17,       44        Shaw,Gabriella – Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Intl

18,       85        Boylan,Lydia – Team WNT

19,       23        Hopkins,Ella – IKON – Mazda

20,       71        Parkinson,Abby-Mae – Team Giordana – Triton

21,       70        Park,Annasley – Team Giordana – Triton

22,       94        De Quint,Pia – Velosure Starley Primal

23,       36        Mellor,Amira – Paul Milnes – Bradford Olympic

24,       18        Simpson,Annabel – Hope Factory Racing

25,       82        Simmonds,Hayley – Team Velosport

26,       21        Grant,Emma – IKON – Mazda

27,       76        Coster,Ellie – Team

28,       25        Rimmington,Rebecca – IKON – Mazda

29,       15        Hall,Lucy – Crosstrax

30,       39        Creamer,Lauren – Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Intl

31,       78        Lloyd,Manon – Team USN 32,       20        Erskine,Julie – IKON – Mazda

33,       42        Horne,Ciara – Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Intl

34,       79        Nelson,Emily – Team USN

35,       32        Walker,Jessie – Matrix Fitness

36,       41        Hayward,Bethany – Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Intl

37,       68        McVitty,Keira – Team Giordana – Triton

38,       46        Turvey,Anna – Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Intl

39,       49        Kinloch,Alison – PH-MAS VCUK Womens Cycling Team

40,       69        OBrien,Lauren – Team Giordana – Triton

41,       6          Gornall,Amy – Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire

42,       45        Storey,Dame Sarah – Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Intl

43,       97        Christian,Anna – Wiggle Honda

44,       22        Hall,Corrine – IKON – Mazda

45,       88        Tate,Brit – Team WNT

46,       19        Brand,Melissa – IKON – Mazda

47,       90        Walker,Hannah – Team WNT

48,       10        Chappell,Ruby – Behind The Bikeshed

49,       59        Dixon,Eve – Team 22

50,       91        Stedman,Elizabeth – University of Sheffield CC

51,       12        Verdegaal,Madeline – Boston Whls CC

52,       3          Thompson,Seonaid – Albarosa Cycling Club

53,       4          Brogan,Kayleigh – Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire

54,       83        Poole, Karen – Team WattCycle

55,       61        Riley,Gina – Team 22

56,       1          Richards,Suzie – Albarosa Cycling Club

57,       27        Beddis,Delia – Les Filles Racing Team

58,       2          Botteley,Sian – Velosure Starley Primal

 

For more information on the Tour de Yorkshire please visit; www.letouryorkshire.com

 

Contributor to http://www.cyclingshorts.uk.com/

 

My photos are regularly updated on https://www.flickr.com/photos/23913935@N07/

 

Official photographer 2014 for http://teamjadan.com/

 

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