Wiggle Honda's Amy Roberts took the honours in the Hillingdon Grand Prix, round three of the British Cycling Women’s Road Series, at the London circuit on Sunday.
Roberts played a cool hand to take the bunch sprint from Harriet Owen (Matrix Fitness) and Abbie Dentus (Team De Ver) in a race that was reduced in length after a serious crash that saw Fusion's Amy Hill taken to Hospital with neck and shoulder injuries.
Wyndy Milla-Reynolds team made their intentions clear from the gun that they were not going to be carried around the race with Kiera McVitty attacking as soon as the flag was dropped, the field soon responded and the race settled into a steady pace.
The relatively flat circuit at Hillingdon always proves to be difficult to get a gap and stay away but with 15 minutes gone it was McVitty's team mate Tamiko Butler who went on the attack but again, time on the front was short lived.
Elise Sherwell took a turn with an attack but Fusion RT's Gillian Taylor had an eye on the prime and the field was brought back together. With 30 minutes of the race completed Roberts and Charline Joiner took to the front.
Joiner, who was recently selected for the Commonwealth Games, proved to be finding her race legs after a career-threatening injury earlier in the year. It looked as though her and Roberts could make a useful break but as the bunch closed ranks a non-racing incident saw Amy Hill crashing to the floor leaving the commissaires no choice but to black flag the race.
The race restarted from 24 laps to go, reduced by eight laps, and after a handful of laps to stretch the legs the urgency of the race looked to increase with attacks from Annasley Park making a gap up the long finish straight. But with National points on offer for the prime the field were taking no prisoners and series leader Nicola Juniper popped out of the bunch to take the points from Gabby Shaw.
Again Kiera McVitty went off the front but couldn't make the gap stick, with the lap board decreasing the bunch was becoming itchy and attacks were flying off the front every few hundred metres.
Team Matrix rider Harriet Owen tried to get away with Mulebar's Natalie Creswick but Wyndy Milla worked well to bring the two escapees back. Jessie Walker went over the top and made a gap but with four laps remaining Emma Towers and Louise Borthwick had taken the race on but again the bunch brought the race back together.
Laura Greenhalgh tried her luck with three laps remaining and looked to have got the measure of the field. Crossing the line with two laps remaining the Twickenham CC rider was still away, but approaching the bell lap it was Tamiko Butler who took the field into the final lap and coming out of the last bend the bunch was back together, Amy Roberts just getting the better of a final lunge from Harriet Owen and Abbie Dentus.
Results:
1 Amy Roberts Wiggle/Honda Pro RT
2 Harriet Owen Matrix Fitness - Vulpine
3 Abigail Dentus Team De ver
4 Jasmine Dotti Velosport - Pasta Montegrappa
5 Gillian Taylor Fusion RT Gearclub Bike Science
6 Charline Joiner Pearl Izumi-Sports Tours International
7 Natalie Creswick Team Mulebar Girl - Sigma Sport
8 Anna Marie Hughes Bike Pure-LeMond-Aspire Velotech
9 Mary Costelloe WyndyMilla - Reynolds
10 Bethany Hayward Matrix Fitness - Vulpine
11 Keira McVitty WyndyMilla - Reynolds
12 Katie Curtis Starley Primal Pro Cycling
13 Lydia Boylan Velosport - Pasta Montegrappa
14 Sophie Faulkner Fusion RT Gearclub Bike Science
15 Nicola Juniper Team Echelon
16 Bethany Taylor Fusion Development Racing Team
17 Flora Gillies Speg - Project 51
18 Elise Sherwell Look Mum No Hands!
19 Hannah Payton WyndyMilla - Reynolds
20 Gabriella Shaw Pearl Izumi-Sports Tours International
21 Laura Cheesman RP Racing Team
22 Annasley Park RST Racing Team
23 Louise Moriarty Look Mum No Hands!
24 Clemence Copie Mulebar Girl - Sigma Sport
25 Adele Martin VC St Raphael
26 Rebecca Womersley WyndyMilla - Reynolds
27 Lowri Thomas M&D Cycles/Scimitar Sports/ Fusion RT
28 Lili McLean Felt-Colbornes-Hargroves RT
29 Juliet Milward High Wycombe Cycling Club
30 Jessie Walker Matrix Fitness - Vulpine
31 Lucy Harper Bike Pure-LeMond-Aspire Velotech
32 Brit Tate GB Cycles.co.uk
33 Louise Borthwick Matrix Fitness - Vulpine
34 Jessica Stoddart PM
35 Laura Greenhalgh Twickenham CC
36 Bonito Squadra Corse
37 Rose Osborne High Wycombe Cycling Club
38 Jo Tindley Matrix Fitness - Vulpine
39 Rosemary Homer Newport Shropshire CC
40 Jennifer Crouch London Dynamo
41 Tamiko Butler WyndyMilla - Reynolds
42 Dani Christmas Speg - Project 51
43 Chloe Weller Norwood Paragon CC
44 Claire Richardson London Dynamo
45 Sarah Short Bonito Squadra Corse
46 Abigail Van Twisk WXC World Racing
47 Amy Gornall RST Racing Team
48 Rebecca Carter WyndyMilla
49 Francesca Morgans-Slader Bike Pure-LeMond-Aspire Velotech
50 Mathilde Mathijjse Bonito Squadra Corse
51 Lucy Chittenden PM
52 Abbey Norman Lichfield City CC
53 Lydia Brookes GS Henley
54 Alexandra Sheehan Merlin Cycles
55 Victoria Williams Team WNT
56 Eleanor Jones VC St Raphael
57 Wiebke Rietz 1st Chard Whls
