Lloyd’s Bank National Road Race Championships | 2024
Press Releases, Images by Chris Maher 23rd June 2024
GEORGI AND HAYTER TAKE NATIONAL TITLES ON SALTBURN BANK ON FINAL DAY OF LLOYDS BANK NATIONAL ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Pfeiffer Georgi made it a hat-trick of national road race titles in the Saltburn sunshine, while Ethan Hayter was victorious in a fiercely contested men’s race, as the 2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Championships came to a close.
Flora Perkins and Bob Donaldson were the under-23 winners, and joined this year’s other national champions in collecting the coveted red, white and blue national champion’s jersey.
Taking in the iconic Saltburn Bank climb, the women’s race was contested over five laps and 130km, with the men’s race decided over seven laps and 182km, as thousands descended onto the seaside to see our winners crowned.
Women’s race
The first break of the day was formed by Miriam Jessett (Loughborough Lightning), Sian Botteley (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) and Lizi Brooke (Pro-Noctis – 200º Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting), who quickly established a lead of a minute on the three chasers and two minutes on the peloton after the first lap.
The trio battled well throughout the first half of the race and built up a lead of more than four and a half minutes, but as the peloton sparked into life and the pace quickened, Jessett and Botteley were dropped by the defiant Brooke.
Brooke continued her time-trial to hold off the chasing peloton, and still enjoyed a considerable lead of 35 seconds as the race entered its final lap. However, with 33km to go Anna Henderson (TEAM VISMA – LEASE A BIKE) stepped up the pace, going past Brooke and splitting the peloton in two, with only 13 riders able to match the newly-crowned national time-trial champion’s pace.
As the reduced peloton scaled Saltburn Bank once again, Claire Steels (Movistar Team) surged off the front, closely followed by former champion Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-TREK). This whittled down the front group further to just nine riders, with two more former champions in Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) and Alice Towers (CANYON // SRAM Generation) among them.
A mechanical on the climb looked to have ruled Steels out of contention, but some valiant riding alongside Frankie Hall (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) and Sophie Wright (Fenix-Deceuninck) saw them bridge back to the leaders to form a group of 11 as the race entered the final 20km.
With 11km to go, Elinor Barker (Uno-X Mobility) was the first to burst off the front, with Henderson following closely. While their effort briefly stretched the reduced peloton, the group managed to hold together, with Towers next to test their resolve with two attacks in quick succession.
It was Wright who was first to gain a significant gap, capitalising on some hesitancy in the bunch to quickly build a 16 second advantage. With the national champion’s jersey coming into view in the final kilometres, disaster struck with a back wheel puncture at the worst possible moment to take her out of the running.
As the group entered Saltburn for the final time, Georgi set a blistering pace on the final climb to the finish which nobody could follow, despite the best efforts of Henderson and Deignan, who were forced to settle for second and third behind.
A brilliant finish saw Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck), Millie Couzens (Fenix-Deceuninck) and Towers take fourth, fifth and sixth on the road, and the top three places in the under-23 standings, while Hall kept pace with the front group superbly to take 10th place, and the highest finish of the British UCI Continental team riders.
Afterwards, Georgi said:
“It’s really special, I actually didn’t expect to win. I wasn’t feeling the best during the race – there was a lot of attacks and I was suffering. The team really supported me and Josie [Nelson] set me up perfectly. I just sprinted as hard as I could up the climb and I didn’t look back until the top. It’s just as special every time and it’s an honour to wear the jersey. National champs is always such a hard race to win with so many different dynamics. Once is hard, but to win it three times is really special.”
Perkins added:
“It feels really cool actually – my first national jersey! I’m just happy with the race in general, I’m pleased with the result and pleased with the performance.”
Men’s race
A flurry of attacks kicked off the men’s race, with no time to waste over the 180km, as British UCI Continental team Saint Piran looked to control the pace and keep the bunch together.
Looking to ascend Saltburn Bank for the first time, a group of six put the hammer down to form a breakaway, including former national champion Connor Swift and Thursday’s national time-trial champion Josh Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers), as well as last year’s under-23 winner Sam Watson (GROUPAMA – FDJ).
The six were soon joined by the likes of Friday’s national circuit champion Lewis Askey (GROUPAMA – FDJ), Jake Stewart (Israel-Premier Tech), Ollie Wood (Saint Piran), Owain Doull (EF Education – EasyPost), Tom Martin (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), Matthew Brennan (Team Visma-Lease a Bike Development) and Bob Donaldson (Trinity Racing) – all of who continued to be active throughout the race.
Drives from Ben Swift (INEOS Grenadiers) and Finlay Pickering (Bahrain-Victorious) saw them bridge over, before a fractured peloton closed the gap as they descended back into Saltburn at the end of the second lap. Capitalising on a tired bunch, Connor Swift attacked up Saltburn Bank, but was unable to establish a good gap on the formidable peloton as the race split into two.
The front of the race continued to ebb and flow, with attacks from Ben Swift, Brennan, Dan Mclay (Team Arkea-Samsic) and Askey causing a 30 second split to the chasers, and 50 second gap to the peloton.
Time-trial silver medallist Max Walker (Astana Qazaqstan Development Team) spearheaded the front group of approximately 15 riders up Saltburn Bank coming into the fourth lap, forging a small advantage before being reeled back in. The leading group continued to push on, racking up a gap of one minute 30 seconds to the chasing group.
Having ridden conservatively in the first four laps, Ethan Hayter (INEOS Grenadiers) made his presence known in lap five with a move off the front with Askey, Stewart, Donaldson and Walker, sharing the workload to establish over a minute’s gap.
Joe Blackmore (Israel – Premier Tech) and Connor Swift managed to bridge over on the sixth lap to join their teammates, applying pressure which saw Stewart distanced from the group. Hayter, Walker and Askey went hard off the front in the penultimate lap, forcing a 45 second gap on Swift, Donaldson and Blackmore.
A last gasp effort from Swift saw him put in a monster attack with 14km to go as the gap to the top trio hit a minute and nine seconds.
Hayter and Askey distanced 22-year-old Walker, before he fought back to get the wheel as the three hit Saltburn Bank for the final time. Askey attacked first and put in a huge effort off the front, but Hayter was hot on his wheel and stormed past as they reached the steepest part of the climb, forcing enough distance to cross the line unchallenged with his arms outstretched.
Speaking after his win, Hayter said:
“It’s really nice with my family being here. I’ve not won a race for a while so it’s really nice. As a team, we really worked together quite well. I was a bit nervous but at the end when you can sprint up a climb like that and it’s so fast but I just lapped up the crowd. I’ve been jealous of [Fred Wright] all year in the stripes so it’s nice to take them off him!”
A six place for Donaldson saw him take the under-23 title, while seventh and eighth for Tarling and Blackmore sealed the podium.
Donaldson said:
“It feels really cool actually. First national jersey! I’m just happy with the race in general, I’m pleased with the result and pleased with the performance.”
We’d like to say a huge thank you to our partners at Tees Valley Combined Authority, our event staff and volunteers, and the thousands who have come out to watch this year’s championships on the roadside.
Our 2024 winners
Time trial:
• Under-23 men’s time-trial: Tomos Pattinson
• Under-23 women’s time-trial: Josie Nelson
• Men’s time-trial: Josh Tarling
• Women’s time-trial: Anna Henderson
Circuit:
• Women: Emma Jeffers
• Open: Lewis Askey
Road:
• Under-23 men’s road race: Bob Donaldson
• Under-23 women’s road race: Flora Perkins
• Men’s road race: Ethan Hayter
• Women’s road race: Pfeiffer Georgi
21st June 2024
JEFFERS AND ASKEY STORM TO NATIONAL TITLES AT LLOYDS BANK NATIONAL CIRCUIT CHAMPIONSHIPS
Emma Jeffers and Lewis Askey sealed their first elite national titles at the 2024 Lloyds Bank National Circuit Championships, with commanding performances in front of a bumper crowd in Darlington.
Riders battled it out over a race of 55 minutes plus five laps on the tight and technical town centre circuit, with the coveted national champion’s jersey up for grabs for the winners.
Women’s race
The tight Darlington circuit saw riders jostling for position from the off, and within the first 10 minutes the formidable duo of Sophie Lewis (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) and Emma Jeffers (Liv AlUla Jayco) establish the first break of the race.
The pair were soon brought back, before Jenny Holl (Loughborough Lightning) then struck out on her own, but was reeled back too.
Quick to sense an opportunity, Lewis then made the first meaningful move of the race, building up an eight-second lead on the hesitant bunch behind. With Lewis eventually caught, a cagey race ensued, with no rider able to escape.
With the 45-minute mark approaching, Monica Greenwood (Team Coop-Hitec Products) spearheaded a group of three riders to get away, including Esther Wong (Shibden Apex RT) and Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women breakthrough star Lucy Lee (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK).
With 50 minutes up the bunch was all back together as the riders approached the line, and with five laps to go Maddie Leech (Lifeplus Wahoo) and Amy Gornall (Pro-Noctis – 200º Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting Ltd) looked to seize the initiative.
Despite their best efforts, the riders entered the final lap of the race all together, with many of the favourites well placed. With the finish line in sight Eilidh Shaw (Alba Development Road Team) found herself with a gap, but 19-year-old Jeffers was winding up for a huge final burst behind her, and passed Shaw with ease to cross the line with her arms in the air to take her first ever national title.
Isabel Darvill (Doltcini – O’Shea) was the strongest of the trailing bunch to take an impressive third place finish, with Greenwood fourth and Alice Colling (Shibden Apex RT) fifth.
Speaking afterwards, Jeffers said:
“It feels amazing. Honestly it means everything, especially in the crit as that’s what made me fall in love with cycling. It’s really nice. I loved the course and the fans made it even better. I’m lost for words, I can’t believe it!”
Open race
A field of 70 then lined up to contest the open championship, in a race packed with the country’s best emerging talent, and the Groupama – FDJ trio of Sam Watson, Lewis Askey and Noah Hobbs all made their presence felt towards the front of the race.
Watson quickly established a gap on the bunch with circuit race specialist Rob Scott (TEKKERZ CC), and the pair were soon joined by Askey to establish a dominant position in the race.
With the trio’s lead approaching 20 seconds, former champion Matt Bostock (Ribble Rebellion) sought to close the gap, but as the halfway point of the race neared the gap only extended further out to 36 seconds.
Eventually recognising the danger, the bunch stepped up the pace with big efforts from Max Rushby (Ribble Rebellion), Daniel Barnes (Spectra Racing) and Bostock, but their coordination was still lacking as the 50-minute mark approached.
After withstanding a first attack from Watson, Scott was powerless to defend a second burst from Askey, with the 2021 bronze medallist looking unstoppable as he powered ahead into a 13-second lead.
With Watson reluctant to close the gap on his teammate, he and Scott were soon back in the sights of the chasing bunch as the race entered its final five laps.
Despite enjoying a commanding lead, Askey continued to put the hammer down and eased to victory, and in the bunch sprint for the remaining Matt Walls and Hobbs took second and third to seal a memorable night for Groupama-FDJ in Darlington.
Speaking after his victory, Askey said:
“It’s incredible. I really wanted to do well and this weekend and it’s perfect going into the weekend and shows the form is there. I’ve been feeling good the last few weeks and I really wanted to show what I could do today. To bring it home, it’s been a while, so feels great.
“It’s always incredible to win a race and to have a stripey jumper at the end of it makes it so special.”
19th June 2024
TARLING AND HENDERSON CROWNED CHAMPIONS ON OPENING DAY OF LLOYDS BANK NATIONAL ROAD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Josh Tarling and Anna Henderson blitzed to the elite time-trial wins on the first day of the 2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Championships in North Yorkshire, while Tomos Pattinson and Josie Nelson took the under-23 victories.
Riders in all four categories took on two laps of the 15km course in Catterick, scaling 500m of climbing to test the rider’s legs in the race of truth.
Elite men
Josh Tarling (INEOS Grenadiers) stormed to back-to-back national titles in the elite men’s time-trial, a year on from making history as the youngest ever winner of the event.
The 20-year-old clocked 39:21.50 to finish over a minute ahead of his nearest rivals Max Walker (Astana Qazaqstan Development Team) and Ethan Vernon (Israel – Premier Tech).
As the final rider to set off, Tarling went all guns blazing on the first 15km lap to set a time of 19:21.42, just under a minute ahead of Sam Watson (GROUPAMA – FDJ).
Scaling over 500m of climbing over the two laps, the Welshman continued to push on ferociously, and crossed the line in his European stripes to claim a second elite national time-trial title.
Walker finished superbly to take second place in 40:35.37 and secure another national medal, having won bronze in the under-23 road race last year, and looks in fine form ahead of Sunday’s return to Saltburn Bank.
Vernon claimed secured the bronze medal in a time of 40:45.70, after a strong second lap effort, pushing him up from sixth into the medal places.
Speaking after his victory, Tarling said:
“I was a bit nervous coming into it – there are a few guys on good form and everything is getting close to the Olympics and it’s a last chance to get a TT in so I was a bit stressed. I just committed and hung on. Last year, if you blew up, you could still roll fast, but the second lap this year I was three or four km an hour slower. It was way harder this year, but it’s all going well. I’m going to try and knuckle down after this and go to altitude for a few weeks. I need to sharpen up a bit, but I’m excited about the rest of the season.”
Elite women
Anna Henderson (Team Visma – Lease a Bike) took home the elite women’s victory, clocking a time of 46:07.02 in the 30km time-trial to get her first win of the year.
With defending champion Lizzie Holden withdrawing from competition, the field was wide open for the 23 riders to compete for the coveted red, white and blue jersey.
Former champion Henderson was quickest at the half-way mark in a time of 22:45.90, as she set her sights on regaining the jersey she won in Lincolnshire in 2021.
A formidable group were out to stop her however, with Claire Steels (Movistar), Elinor Barker (Uno-X Mobility), Pfeiffer Georgi (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) and Anna Morris (WardPerformanceUK.com) all finishing the first lap within a minute of the leader’s time.
Henderson continued to set a blistering pace and extend her lead on the second lap, taking her second elite national time-trial title by a margin of almost 33 seconds, with an average pace of 39.03km/h.
Behind her, an impressive ride saw Steels seal second place in 46:39.92, while Barker took home third place for the second consecutive year with a time of 47:08.71.
Henderson said:
“I’m over the moon! It was a really, really tough course out there today so I’m really happy that everything came together, and I can pull on the stripey jersey. It’s been a really rough few years – last year with the crash, and the year before with sickness – so this year everything came together and was perfect. It’s great to get a white jersey and I’m really excited to wear it at the Tour [de France Femmes].”
Under-23 women
Josie Nelson (Team DSM-Firmenich PostNL) won the under-23 women’s time-trial in North Yorkshire, taking the victory by almost two minutes.
All eyes were on defending champion Maddie Leech (Lifeplus Wahoo) as the riders left the start line for the first time at this year’s championships.
In a high-calibre field of nine riders, Nelson set the quickest time at the end of the first lap in 24:01.48, 30 seconds quicker than Leech, with Ellie Parry (Watersley R & D Road Team) a further 23 seconds further behind.
Nelson was the first of the contenders to finish, in a time of 47:58.97, and the 2022 national circuit champion then faced an agonising wait for Leech, Parry and Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck) to stop the clock.
Despite their best efforts, nobody could get close to Nelson on the day, with Leech taking second place almost two minutes behind on 49:52.50. The final lap did see Perkins overhaul Parry to take third place in a time of 50:11.48 to round off the podium, equalling her result at last year’s championships.
Speaking on her win, Nelson said:
“It feels really good to take the win. Time-trialling hasn’t always been my strongest point and I’m glad to finally be improving. It was a really good course and it suited me quite a lot with it being a little bit technical and quite up and down.”
Under-23 men
Tomos Pattinson (Team Visma-Lease a Bike Development) held on to take the under-23 men’s title in a hotly contested end to the day’s racing.
Pattinson came back from fifth place at the halfway point to take the victory in a time of 42:06.87 ahead of Ben Wiggins (Hagens Berman Jayco CT) and Joshua Golliker (Groupama-FDJ La Conti).
Wiggins finished 10 seconds behind Pattinson on 42:16.62, having been the fastest rider at the halfway point, to take a deserved silver medal. A delighted Golliker crossed the line in third place on 42:24.22 to take the final podium spot, just two seconds ahead of Josh Giddings (Lotto Dstny Development Team).
Speaking afterwards, Pattinson said:
“It feels good, I’m really happy. I really didn’t expect the win when I came here yesterday but I thought the course suited me and I gave it a good go. I used the climb well and that’s where I put the time in. It feels good to be in the stripey jersey in really good company. I’m really looking forward to the road race and another hilly course!”
