{"id":490185,"date":"2026-03-23T01:53:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T01:53:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/490185\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T01:53:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T01:53:12","slug":"report-and-results-the-british-continental-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/490185\/","title":{"rendered":"report and results \u2013 The British Continental"},"content":{"rendered":"

No\u00e9mie Thomson won the 10th ANEXO\/CAMS Women\u2019s CiCLE Classic with a long solo move from the final third of the race, taking a record winning margin in Melton Mowbray and leaving with the first National Series leader\u2019s jersey and Rapha Super-League lead of 2026.<\/p>\n

Featured image: Milan Josy\/The British Continental<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Report<\/p>\n

Compared with recent editions of the Women\u2019s CiCLE Classic, the opening round of both the Rapha Super-League and the Women\u2019s National Road Series unfolded in almost benign conditions. The cold and rain that have so often turned the lanes and sectors around Melton Mowbray into a test of survival were absent. In their place came warmth, dry roads and dust. Even so, CiCLE remained what it always is: the closest thing the British calendar has to a spring classic, a race that rarely rewards anything but strength, nerve and judgement.<\/p>\n

With 97 riders on the start line, representing a mix of elite and junior teams, the opening kilometres were cautious rather than frantic. But once the race reached the sectors it began to take on the selective shape that CiCLE so often imposes.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Milan Josy\/The British Continental<\/p>\n

The first notable move came after the opening ascent of Burrough Berg, where Lucy Gadd (Smurfit Westrock) took maximum points. Tilly McKibben (O\u2019Shea Red Chilli Bikes), second over the climb, used it as a launchpad and quickly carved out a lead of around 15 seconds while the bunch hesitated behind. But as the race passed through Owston for the second time, that early freedom disappeared and the peloton brought her back.<\/p>\n

From there, the race began to fracture under repeated pressure. Two lead groups came together to form a front selection of 38 riders, with Sian Botteley (Brother UK\u2013On Form) among those helping to drive it on. At the second Queen of the Mountains over Cold Overton, Gadd again took maximum points, while Tiffany Keep (DAS\u2013Hutchinson) and Alice McWilliam (DAS\u2013Hutchinson) remained prominent as the pace continued to rise.<\/p>\n

At the Heart of Owston sprint, on the penultimate passage through the village, Jo Tindley (Smurfit Westrock) edged Ruby Oakes (FTP\u2013Fulfill the Potential Racing) and Zoe Roche (camsmajaco) after the trio attacked clear to contest the prize. Their move did not last, but it hinted at how fragile the front of the race had become.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Milan Josy\/The British Continental<\/p>\n

That fragility finally gave way when Lucy Harris (DRAFT Racing), Thomson and Maddie Cooper (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) moved clear. Harris had started as defending champion and one of the obvious reference points for the race, while DAS\u2013Hutchinson had looked one of the strongest teams on paper before the start. As the race opened up, that depth began to tell.<\/p>\n

The move did not stay intact for long. Harris punctured and was removed from contention, leaving Thomson and Cooper together at the front. By then the race had entered the revised closing phase of the route, with a second late passage through Stapleford Park designed to place more demanding terrain deeper into the day. It was there, and on the finishing circuit that followed, that the race broke open.<\/p>\n

Thomson made the winning move on the first climb of the finishing circuit, attacking Cooper and going clear alone with around 33 kilometres still to race. From there, the DAS\u2013Hutchinson rider never faltered. Riding smoothly through the final passage of Stapleford Park and back into Melton Mowbray, she reached the line alone, 3 minutes and 23 seconds ahead of the reduced bunch behind. Race organiser Colin Clews confirmed the margin as a record for the race.<\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Milan Josy\/The British Continental<\/p>\n

Behind her, Melanie Rowe (camsmajaco) proved strongest in the sprint for second, while Morven Yeoman (DAS\u2013Hutchinson) took third to complete a strong afternoon for her team.<\/p>\n

The result carried weight beyond a single afternoon. Thomson left Melton Mowbray with the first National Road Series leader\u2019s jersey of the season and maximum points in the Rapha Super-League, while Rowe moved into second in the standings and claimed the National Road Series under-23 jersey.<\/p>\n

Afterwards, Thomson explained that she had begun the day with some uncertainty, having not recced the course beforehand. \u201cSo at the start of the race, I was a little bit nervous because I hadn\u2019t, like, recced the course or anything, so I wasn\u2019t too sure, like, where I was going, and the tracks are quite narrow and full of, like, potholes and gravelly bits, so I just tried to kind of stay out of trouble,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

\"\"Image: Milan Josy\/The British Continental<\/p>\n

Once Harris punctured, the calculation changed. \u201cAnd I knew that Maddie can finish really strongly, so I wanted to try and drop her. So the first of the climbs on the finishing circuit, I just put in a bit of an attack and saw I had a gap.\u201d The leader\u2019s jersey, she added, meant something too. \u201cIt\u2019s really nice because I never got to be in this jersey at all last year, so it\u2019s nice to be able to wear it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Results<\/p>\n

\tDiscover more from The British Continental<\/p>\n

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