Result: Junior Road Race Championships 2022

Zoe Backstedt and Zac Walker were the big winners on day 2 of the British road championships in North Yorkshire

Result: Junior Road Race Championships 2022

Junior women’s road race
Sunday saw Backstedt, wearing the rainbow jersey, reign again with a win in the women’s road race, tackling four laps of the circuit to total 70km and 1,100m of climbing. After 14km of racing, Backstedt and Awen Roberts (Liv Cycling Club – Halo Films) managed to get clear, with four chasers determined to join them off the front, while the remaining bunch of 17 riders were unable to match the pace.

Two sets of stripes…. the rainbow bands and the British ones too now for Zoe

Backstedt and Roberts gained a 1:35 advantage around the 30km mark, with the four chasers reined in to form a group of nine riders over the top of Bulmer Bank, including Freya Evans (Cero – Cycle Division Racing Team), Ella Maclean-Howell (Tofauti Everyone Active), teammate Eilidh Shaw, Lowri Richards (Backstedt Bike Performance RC), Niamh Murphy (Liv Cycling Club – Halo Films), teammates Jamieson, Matilda McKibben and Amber Junker (VC Londres), and Emma Jeffers (Jadan – Vive le Velo).

Jeffers attacked at 37km in an attempt to close the 2:45 second gap on the two leaders but was caught after 5km. With less than 20km remaining, Roberts and Backstedt had a 4:30 gap over the chasing group. On the final lap, the chasers frequently attacked, with a notable surge from Jamieson, but Roberts’ teammates drove them back in. A cagey last kilometre saw Roberts attacking twice before Backstedt took the initiative in the final sprint to claim a second national champions’ jersey of the weekend, while Roberts took a commendable second place. McKibben won the bunch sprint to round off the podium in third.

L-R: Awen Roberts, Zoe Backstedt and Matilda McKibben

Junior men’s road race
Zach Walker (Utmost IOM Junior Cycling Team) took the win in the junior men’s road race, covering seven laps of the circuit and 1,925m of climbing. An active start to the race saw plenty of breaks in the first couple of laps, with a lead group of Walker, Bjoern Koerdt (Shibden Cycling Club), George Gray (Zappi Junior Race Team) and Dylan Humber-Kelly (JRC-INTERFLON Race) taking a minute advantage around the 40km mark.

The gap extended to almost two minutes by the halfway point, with a strong bunch of more than 65 riders attempting to close the margin. Humber-Kelly lost contact with the lead group on the climb into Sheriff Hutton, while the three remaining riders worked well to maintain their gap with 80km completed. With two laps remaining, Koerdt was dropped from the leading group to keep Walker and Gray 1:28 ahead of the bunch.

On the bell, Gray was unable to match Walker’s pace, who forged ahead alone and maintained the gap on the peloton, while the active bunch started to attack. But Walker’s ferocious proved too much and he took the win with a 1:36 margin over second place. Mattie Dodd (Backstedt Bike Performance JRT) took second and Joseph O’Brien (FlandersColor Galloo) finished third to round off a sensational weekend of junior racing.

L-R: Mattie Dodd, Zac Walker and Joseph O’Brien

RESULTS (PROVISIONAL)

Women
1 Zoe Backstedt Acrog-Tormans
2 Awen Roberts Liv Cycling Club – Halo Films
3 Matilda McKibben Liv Cycling Club – Halo Films
4 Lowri Richards Backstedt Bike Performance RC
5 Emma Jeffers Jadan – Vive le Velo
6 Niamh Murphy Liv Cycling Club – Halo Films
7 Amber Junker VC Londres
8 Holly Ramsey Brother UK-Orientation marketing
9 Eilidh Shaw Tofauti Everyone Active
10 Freya Eccleston Brother UK-Orientation marketing
11 Freya Evans Cero – Cycle Division Racing Team
12 Ella Jamieson Liv Cycling Club – Halo Films
13 Freya Whiteside RFDA
14 Hope Inglis Brother UK-Orientation marketing
15 Lotty Dawson Backstedt Bike Performance JRT
16 Amy Harvey Brother UK-Orientation marketing
17 Hebe Picking RFDA
18 Georgia Lancaster Sleaford Wheelers Cycling Club
19 Amelia Southall AWOL Worx Galliard

Men
1 Zachary Walker Utmost IOM Junior Cycling Team
2 Mattie Dodd Backstedt Bike Performance JRT
3 Joseph OBrien FlandersColor Galloo
4 Noah Hobbs TEKKERZ CC
5 Jed Smithson Fensham Howes – MAS Design
6 Euan Woodliffe Backstedt Bike Performance JRT
7 Matthew Brennan Fensham Howes – MAS Design
8 Dylan Hicks Backstedt Bike Performance JRT
9 Alex Beldon Fensham Howes – MAS Design
10 William Smith Zappi Junior Race Team
11 Ben Askey FlandersColor Galloo
12 Mark Lightfoot Tofauti Everyone Active
13 Alex Franks VC Londres
14 Harry Codd Cero – Cycle Division Racing Team
15 Callum Start Mid Devon CC
16 Edward Hopkins BCC Race Team
17 Ethan Rowell Cycling Club Hackney
18 Benjamin Tuchner TEKKERZ CC
19 Sam Hodge trainSharp Development Team
20 Rhys Thomas Maindy Flyers CC
21 Alex Galpin Bourne Whls CC
22 Finn Dunton trainSharp Development Team
23 Callum Salisbury Utmost IOM Junior Cycling Team
24 Sam Hollis Cafe Dromedario-Flotamet
25 George Stephen Cero – Cycle Division Racing Team
26 Dan Galpin Bourne Whls CC
27 Ben Wiggins Fensham Howes – MAS Design
28 Elijah Kwon The Cycling Academy
29 Ralf Holden Utmost IOM Junior Cycling Team
30 Benjamin Leroy JRC-INTERFLON Race Team
31 Jacob Bush Fensham Howes – MAS Design
32 Brandon Baldacci Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club
33 Tyler Annis Utmost IOM Junior Cycling Team
34 Joshua Tarling FlandersColor Galloo
35 Joshua Saunders Guernsey Velo Club (LBG)
36 Joshua Golliker trainSharp Development Team
37 Lucas Jowett FlandersColor Galloo
38 Angus Stoneham Beaconsfield Cycling Club
39 Cai Curtis-Roberts Rhyl Cycling Club
40 Bjoern Koerdt Shibden Cycling Club
41 Matthew Cole BCC Race Team
42 Archie Ellen The Cycling Academy
43 Arlo Carey LVC Racing
44 Luca Unwin Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club
45 Calum Moir Zappi Junior Race Team
46 John Bardsley Innovation Racing
47 Carrick Hewing Ribble rechrg Race Team
48 Finn McHenry The Cycling Academy
49 George Gray Zappi Junior Race Team