The 2015 British Cycling Women’s Road Series moves to Cheshire on 26 April for round two of the series, the Cheshire Classic.
After superb racing at round one, the two-day Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir, Dani King leads the overall standings on 58 points, but with the Wiggle Honda rider absent, the door is open for one of her challengers to stamp their authority on the nine-round series.
Form guide
With Dani King at the Dwars door de Westhoek UCI 1.1 event in Flanders, the challenge for series supremacy is likely to come from last year’s winning team, Pearl Izumi Sports Tours International.
After a dominant performance in the 2014 edition, winner Katie Archibald will return to Cheshire with a team featuring multiple Olympic, Paralympic and world champions.
Archibald soloed to victory in 2014, a minute-and-a-half ahead of her teammate Hayley Jones. This year the 21-year-old from Milngavie once again has a formidable team around her.
Joanna Rowsell showed her form on stage two of the Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir, taking a solo victory in challenging conditions in Northumberland.
Dame Sarah Storey adds further firepower along with Ciara Horne, who currently lies in second in the standings on 44 points.
Key threats are likely to come from Matrix Fitness, who send a strong squad to Cheshire, including double Olympic champion Laura Trott and Elinor Barker.
Trott, who will arrive race-sharp after riding Fleche Wallonne midweek, snatched third place in Cheshire last year from series winner Nicola Juniper, who races this time as part of a five-strong Team Giordana – Triton line-up and lies fifth in the series rankings on 40 points.
Mountain bikers Annie Last, Bethany Crumpton and Alice Barnes impressed on the road at an international level at the recent Energiewacht Tour, while Last showed superlative form at the round two of the British Cycling MTB Cross-Country Series in Plymouth a week prior to the race.
Last won the event back in 2009.
Emily Kay, Emily Nelson and Manon Lloyd are also fresh from the Energiewacht Tour and are joined by Team USN squad-mate Ellie Coster. Kay took third in the event in 2013.
IKON – Mazda send a full complement of eight riders to Cheshire including Karla Boddy and Emma Grant, who took a 1-2 in 2013.
Along with King, other notable absentees are King’s Wiggle Honda teammate Anna Christian (third overall on 43 points) and IKON – Mazda’s Corrine Hall, who lies fourth on 42 points.
The course
The Cheshire Classic has been a fixture on the women’s racing calendar for over 30 years with previous winners including Lizzie Armitstead, Nicole Cooke and Lucy Garner.
The race takes place in the picturesque Vale Royal of Cheshire, with the event HQ based in Hartford near Weaverham.
The race circuit is 7.7-kilometres in length with riders tackling 12 laps (92.4 kilometres in total), with the key climb at Acton Bridge, known locally as ‘The Cliff’, doubling as the finish and intermediate sprint line.
How to follow the race
