Cheshire Classic Women's Road Race

Sunday 26th April 2009
Supported by Tuula Laries Fashion of Alderley Edge.
Report & Pictures by Richard Robotham plus a report by Jenn O'Connor

Annie Last (centre) with her trophy, Danni King (left) and Penny Rowson (right) along with the event organisers.
 
Annie Last made it a double for the Halfords Bikehut team on Sunday when she won the long running Cheshire Classic womens national series road race. Annie, like Ian Wilkinson who won the CiCle Classic, is a mountain bike and off road specialist but in the Cheshire Classic, showed she is just as fast and strong as she is off road and and beat Vision 1 rider Danni King to the line to claim a well earned victory.

We have two reports from the race, one from a rider in the race, Jenn O’Connor  and the other from Richard Robotham.

Report by Jenn O’Connor


Altura Patterston Training riders Jenn O'Connor (left) and Annabel Simpson lead the bunch up Acton Hill. Pics by Andrew Patterson.

Some say road racing is a lottery whilst others argue that you make your own luck.  The Cheshire Classic (Women’s National Series RR) was another frustrating day for our Altura Patterson Training team, with no results to show for our work, but nonetheless it was an exciting race.

It was a group of about 50 women, ranging from Elites through to 4th cats, who rolled out onto the 10 kilometre Weaverham circuit for the first of eight laps.  Our team comprised me (Jenn O’Connor), Annabel Simpson and Nadine Spearing.  With just three of us, we didn’t have much of a game plan, except that Annabel and I would stay up front, chase breaks and try to get away, whilst Nadine would sit in the bunch and wait to see if it came together for a sprint at the end.

The action started on the first lap, when Paralympic Champion Sarah Storey MBE jumped off the front and headed up the road whilst most of the peloton were still clipping into their pedals.  No-one else wanted to try for a break this early in proceedings, and we half expected Sarah to ride up the road a bit, then sit up.  She didn’t.  We had to pull ourselves together and get composed for a bunch chase as Sarah powered on ahead.

A group of about six of us started the work, with another six to ten doing the occasional turn.  The rest of the bunch were along for the ride.  As such, it took about three laps to bring Sarah back to the peloton, during which time she stretched her lead out to 29 seconds, the biggest gap of the day.  The bunch continued to splinter, and the slower riders were shelled out the back, but the main group stayed together as we moved into the second half of the race.

Weaverham is a difficult circuit for breaks.  There is one short, steep climb, Acton Hill, and the only natural point for a break is at the top of the climb when the bunch is strung out and the weaker and heavier riders are puffing.  However, the circuit then rolls down steadily for about 3km, and inevitably the bunch comes together, gathers momentum, and usually sucks up any plucky riders trying to open a gap.  The next section is a draggy and exposed dual carriageway where the peloton effect is at its greatest, and any lone riders still out in front can be easily brought back by a working bunch.

So it was on Sunday.  There were plenty of plucky riders in the bunch, including our Annabel, Annie Last, Danni King, Hannah Mayo, my good friend Paula Mosely (another mountain biker) and a number of others I didn’t recognise.  We all had a few digs, especially Annabel and Annie Last, who for one lap attacked repeatedly.  The biggest gap was never more than about five seconds however, as the main group was strong and determined to not let anyone go.  On the last lap it looked like a bunch sprint was looming.

It was Sarah Storey again who made the final attack on the last run up the dual carriageway, but this time there was no getting away.  I made a point of sitting on her wheel and the bunch stretched out behind us.  We tossed away our drink bottles in preparation for the sprint up to the finish line and halfway up Acton Hill,  I was in the perfect position. This made me a bit uneasy as I have no sprint to speak of, and I would much rather have had Nadine or Annabel in my place at that point.

Sure enough we rounded the bend at the bottom of the final ramp up and I pulled out around Sarah, hoping my team mates were not boxed in behind me.  Annie Last pulled up beside me and I could feel the rest of the bunch breathing down my neck.  Then I saw a blue and white flash as Nadine, who had managed to get around the bunch, unleashed her sprint and came flying past.  Get in!  She and the rest of the bunch, including our Annabel, streamed past me in the rush to the line. 

But it wasn’t to be.  To my dismay, I saw Nadine start to labour on the pedals and she seemed to almost grind to a halt.  I thought she must have gone too early and blown, but it turns out that, in the heat of the moment, she had started her final sprint with her hands on the brake hoods instead of in the drops.  The force of the sprint had pulled the brake hood over, and jammed the front brake on just 30 meters from the line.  Our Annabel, who had been battling a nagging calf cramp throughout the race, was unable to muster her usual turn of speed and was not in a position to challenge for the line.  We all finished in the bunch.

It was young rider Annie Last, also a mountain biker, who took the win a good couple of bike lengths ahead of Dani King in second.  I have to give Annie full credit for her win, as she worked hard throughout the race and timed her sprint to the line perfectly.  Credit must also go to Sarah Storey, who livened up the race and did more work than anyone, albeit to no avail on the line.

It is apparent that road racing is a trade that must be learned through experience, as well as training.  The “she who pedals fastest wins” approach of XC MTB racing simply doesn’t work on the road.  This is a whole other sport.  The Cheshire Classic was our second race in our first season as a road team, and so far it has been a lot of frustration with little fruition.  But we are fit, and we will get it right!  Next week is the Bedford 2-Day, which is a stage race with two time trials and two road races.  Our team will be more fired up than ever!

Richard Robotham Race Report

Pre Race Quotes:
Sarah Storey (VC St Rapheal): When the Paralympic Beijing Gold medallist was asked about the conditions for the race on Sunday, Sarah said “This race is usually a washout, raining at the start and drying out for the last few laps but there aren’t any clouds today so it should be really nice.” She went on to say that she would have enjoyed riding a Prologue stage as in previous years as it suited her riding style, but she was happy with just the Road Stage and would try her best. With no big Teams in this year’s race, she said she would try and get away as she is not the best sprinter.

Leanne Thompson (Hewitt Racing/Bishop & Partners): Finishing 2nd overall in the 2008 series, Leanne didn’t think she was race favourite today as she didn’t do well in this race last year as she suffered with severe cramp.  She thought she may have a chance as the hills weren’t long enough to split the race, so she would see how the other riders played it. With a nasty corner at the finish, you need to be in the right place to be in contention.

Charlie Blackman (Cyclefit RT): On today’s race Charlie said that she didn’t think that her Elite category, would be an advantage as she thought that there were a lot of good riders here, and this was a tough course. She had ridden a lot last year hence the Elite status which had improved her racing skills and tactics. She said her tactics for today’s race were not to come last and not to fall off!

Riders assembled for the race start

Race Report:
Although a chilly morning, the sun shone down on the beautiful Cheshire countryside around the villages of Weaverham and Acton Bridge, for the Cheshire Classic Women's Road Race the opening race of the season in the National Women’s Road Race series. The race was run over a circuit of 7.7km which the Competitors would cover 10 laps with a total distance of 80 kilometres of racing. With most of the top British women riders on international duties, this race would be a good showcase for up and coming riders, as the field had a good mix of ages, abilities and categories.

The race set off at 10am from the headquarters kindly provided by Weaverham High School. Once the race was started proper by the lowering of the neutralisation flag, Sarah Storey (VC St Raphael/Waites Contractors) made the first move of the race by clipping off the front of the bunch with the rest of the 52 riders following energetically behind. Sarah soon built up a good 30 second lead but the bunch didn’t seem too concerned at her lone effort at this early stage of the race.

Sarah kept an even tempo of around 12 minutes a lap and the gap between her and the main bunch fluctuated when they hit the straights of the A49, but Sarah was finally caught as they climb the hill for the second time. With the bunch tapping out the laps, no one seemed to want to chance an attack on this figure of eight course.


Paralympic Gold medal hero Sarah Storey injects some aggression into the race.

With less than seven laps to go, Jessica Roberts (The Mischief card.com Team) tried to drive the pace forward hoping to split the race a little and maybe create a few chances but the other riders just seemed to want to keep to a safe high tempo and the bunch continued to remain together for a further two laps.

By the half way point of the race, the climb up Acton Lane had started to take its toll on the riders and gaps started to appear in the bunch whilst the tired riders struggled up the steep hill. With riders dropping off the back of the race, it seemed that this would be the ideal point to make an attempt to breakaway. But the chance was lost and even the tired riders managed to regroup and regained the back of the bunch on the long flat sections of the route.

As the race headed down the main A49 towards the Weaverham Roundabout, Hannah Mayho (100% ME) seized her opportunity and broke away from the bunch and gained a 50 metre advantage over the rest of the field but she couldn’t maintain the lead she had built up and was swallowed up by the bunch on the climb. Once again the field came back together after the climb before the Max Gear Road Team took their turn at the head of the race for a while but no significant moves were made.

Into the latter part of the race now, at the top of the climb and with two full laps to go, Julie Cook (Altura RT Panaracer Camelback) attacked and pulled away from the bunch. Seeing the danger of a lone rider away, Anne Ewing (Edinburgh RC/GlenRental/Field & Lawn) chased after her. The bunch didn’t panic and even an attempt by Bernadette Hards (Max Gear RT) to catch the two leading riders didn’t give cause for concern. The bunch though upped the pace soon afterwards and reeled in the attackers and the race came back together on the long drag up to Weaverham Roundabout. Once again the bunch eased back into a moderately high pace managing to lap struggling riders.

With the bell ringing in their ears, none of the riders were enthused to take a chance and head off alone. It was now obvious that the race was going to be won and lost on the last climb to the finish line. The women were altogether as they headed for the finish on that final lap and the race speed was lifted as they prepared for the long sprint to the finish line.

Rounding the final bend at the base of the climb was Halfords Bikehut rider Annie Last. Then the bunch came into view and Annie Last was only metres ahead of the main field but she powered up the hill to take a convincing win. The battle for second was close and every rider at the front of the bunch was sprinting trying to chase down the winner. The front of the Bunch was spread across the full width of the road with Dani King (Vision 1 Racing) pulling away to secure the second place and Penny Rowson (The Mischief Card.com RT) came third by a close margin on the line.

Post Race Quotes:
Annie Last (Halfords Bikehut – Halfords) – Winner. Of her win Annie said she was really pleased as she was quite tired in the second half of the race and she didn’t know if she would have anything left in her legs for the finish but it was good to cross the line. She had expected riders to come past as she had started to suffer up the hill. 

Dani King (Vision 1 Racing) – 2nd place. When asked about the final sprint, Dani said that she wanted to leave it as late as possible before sprinting for the finish. She was 5th at the bottom of the climb when she saw Annie go, and managed to get onto Penny Rowson's wheel. A few riders went a bit too early but Danni held on to get second which she was really happy with.

Penny Rowson (The Mischief Card.com Team) – 3rd Place. Penny was happy with the third place today as she didn’t expect it at all. She said that she had managed to get herself in the right position and on the right wheels. She thought that everyone would come around her as she didn’t think that she would have the strength in her legs to hold on but she carried on sprinting to the finish and crossed the line in third place.


Danni King holds on for second place.

Result
1. Annie Last, Halfords Bikehut – Halfords
2. Dani King, Vision 1 Racing
3. Penny Rowson, The Mischief Card.com Team
4. Anne Ewing, Edinburgh RC/Glen Rental/ Field & Lawn
5. Kara Chesworth, Dysynni CC
6. Katie Fearnehough, GS Surosa/Surosa Cycles
7. Kelly Moore, Squadra Donne – Luciono
8.  Claire Thomas, Edinburgh RC/Glen Rental/ Field & Lawn
9. Marianne Britten, MAX Gear RT
10. Jessica Roberts, The Mischief Card.com Team
11. Hannah Mayho, 100% Me
12. Kate Calvert, Team Zero Four

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