Jess Roberts (Team Breeze) and Matt Bostock (Canyon DHB p/b Bloor Homes) were the victors as the HSBC UK | National Circuit Series took in the Otley Grand Prix this evening.
Roberts – the former national road race champion – completed a memorable week after winning gold on the track at the European Games, while Bostock outsprinted Tom Pidcock (Team Wiggins Le Col) to take the narrowest of victories as the last daylight of a stunning summer evening in West Yorkshire began to fade.
The women’s race – 15 laps of the town centre circuit – stayed mostly together until the final four laps, when the pace increased and the peloton became strung out. Storey Racing duo Chanel Mason and Monica Dew worked well together on the front of the race, but as the bell sounded, the group had come back together and the pace had dropped as the riders gathered themselves for the final lap.
It was Roberts who had the most in the tank, leading Brother UK Tifosi – p/b OnForm’s Rebecca Durrell – the current national road series leader – over the line, as Elizabeth Bennett (Campinense – Velo Performance) claimed third.
Afterwards, Roberts said:
“Having just come back from the European Games on the track it was nice to get back on the road and get a win. Minsk was a great event – I was gutted not to be at the national road championships, but getting the gold in Minsk made up for it!”
The top ten was completed by Jayati Hine (University of Sheffield CC), Manon Lloyd and Abby-Mae Parkinson (both Drops), Jo Tindley (Campinense – Velo Performance), Anna Shackley (Team 22), Abi Smith (RFDA) and Jennifer Powell (Bianchi Dama).
The mens’ race – over 20 laps of the same course – began to split with eight laps to go, as the likes of Charlie Tanfield (Canyon DHB p/b Bloor Homes, Pidcock, Alistair Slater (Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK) and Ian Bibby (Madison Genesis) began to push the pace at the front.
Matt Holmes (Madison Genesis) then established a small gap off the front, but was soon reeled back in as the riders took the bell. In what was a breathless finish, it was Bostock who lunged for the line inches ahead of Pidcock, with Reece Wood (Zappi Racing Team) completing the podium.
Bostock said:
“I thought I had it when I crossed the line but I didn’t want to celebrate – it’s always tough when you’re going that fast and the margin was that small. Tom took that last corner fast, and it’s quite a short finish straight, so I was running out of room, but he’s a good person to beat to first!”
Chris Latham (Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK), reigning national champion Matt Gibson (Burgos B-H), Joe Nally (Team Inspired), Ben Turner (Correndon-Circus), Jim Brown (Team Inspired), George Wood (SwiftCarbon Pro Cyclin) and Ollie Wood (Canyon DHB p/b Bloor Homes) also claimed top ten places.
Otley represented round 1 of the men’s HSBC UK | National Circuit Series, meaning that Bostock takes an immediate overall series lead, while Bennett now leads the women’s standings after what was the second of three rounds.
Both races were available to watch live on the British Cycling YouTube channel, you can watch them back here.
Round two of the men's 2019 HSBC UK | National Circuit Series continues on Friday 5 July at The Wales Open Criterium in Abergavenny.
