Great Britain National Women's Circuit Race Championship - NE

Eastway, July 28, 2001

Charlotte Hopkinson (Deeside Cycles) was the fastest to react to avoid a crashing Frances Newstead (AC Slumberland) on the last corner to win by two bike lengths the Women's National Circuit Race Championship very organised by the Lea Valley Youth Cycling Club.

Held on the unusual clockwise direction at Eastway in brilliant sunshine with hardly any wind, the race was anything but dull. With 30 laps to cover the action started with 8 laps covered when Joanne Cavill (Team Letchworth-Extran) attacked on Oxo Hill and gained 6 seconds by the end of the lap. Cavill continued in the lead as first Newstead and then Hopkinson led the chasers but all the time the gap between Cavill and the bunch was increasing.

By the 15th lap Cavill had her maximum gain of 30 seconds and this began to be stabilized, hovering to 20 seconds then up again.

The bunch seemed to allow her the freedom or perhaps they were thinking of second place. Newstead and Hopkinson were the active ones and as the speed increased by lap 18, riders were beginning to get dropped.

With 5 laps to go to the finish the gap was being eaten into rapidly until with 3 laps to go Joanne was caught; it looked like a bunch sprint but cavill, mistaking the lap board, went a lap too early only to find, on crossing the line, that the bell had yet to ring.

The last time up Oxo Hill and the bunch of 12 riders were all together and eyes strained to see who would come round the corner first; the first rider was indeed Frances Newstead but as she sprinted into the corner her tubular rolled off and she hit the ground hard. Those following her fast wheel had to swoop around her and it was Hopkinson the faster to react and she led all the way up the finishing straight, chased by Sara Dean (Team Letchworth) to clinch the Championship with room to spare.

Afterwards Hopkinson was delighted with her win describing it as "an early present as my birthday is next week."

Bloody but not bowed, Frances Newstead said "Joanne attacked and I tried to get the chase organised; on the last lap the pace picked up then I went into the corner and the tub rolled". She ended up with a badly cut elbow and bruising to the hip.

Special mention must be made of Abigail Armstrong and Emma Wood both of London Phoenix and Laura Wasley (Manx Viking Wheelers) who although dropped early on, still rode to finish.

Results

1 Charlotte Hopkinson (Deeside Cycles)
2 Sara Dean (Team Letchworth-Extran)
3 Nina Davies (Port Talbot Wheelers)
4 Diane Moss (SP Systems)
5 Katy Middlehurst (Team Letchworth-Extran)
6 Katherine Hibberd (Team Wildside)
7 Jacqui Marshall (Fareham Wheelers)
8 Joanne Cavill (Team Letchworth-Extran)
9 Karen Jeffrey (Old Portlians CC)
10 Leda Ray (Team Gore RT)
11 Julie Hill (Cycleways/Terry Dolan)
12 Sharon Padley (Kent Valley RC)
13 Helen Saunders (ERV/Bianchi)
14 Emma Wood (London Phoenix)
15 Abigail Armstrong (London Phoenix)