Millie Couzens and Rob Scott powered to breakaway success in the second round of the Lloyds Bank National Circuit Series in Ilkley.
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Rob Scott (TEKKERZ CC) stormed to victory in the Lister Horsfall Ilkley Grand Prix, winning from a four man breakaway that escaped in the final 20 minutes of racing, going one better than his result in Otley two days earlier.
Series leader, Matt Bostock (Ribble Rebellion), made his intentions clear on only the second lap, launching a fearsome attack up the 500m ascent, forcing the peloton into single file as the pressure mounted in the opening exchanges.
The first move to gain a meaningful advantage was instigated by Ollie Rees (Sabgal/Anicolor), who attacked up the climb, taking Oliver Peace (Development Team DSM Firmenich PostNL) and Bjoern Koerdt (CC Etupes) with him. Scott and Tim Shoreman (Wheelbase-Cabtech Castelli) bridged across shortly after, with Ribble Rebellion and Saint Piran taking up the chase behind.
Still with 40 minutes to race, Scott unleashed a devastating attack up the climb from the breakaway, so strong his breakaway companions were powerless to follow. The bunch soon swallowed them up as the TEKKERZ CC rider was forced to sit up after realising the odds were not in his favour.
Scott’s teammate, Alec Briggs, immediately went on the counter attack with Ribble Rebellion’s American import Cole Davis. Joined by a rider from HUUB-BCC, the trio worked well together, pursued by Shoreman as Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli continued to ride an aggressive race.
With the race coming back together at the halfway point, Peace wasted no time in counter attacking with the aggressive Briggs, who used his phenomenal bike handling skills to great effect, creating a significant gap on the fast downhill section. Dylan Westley (Saint Piran) and Rees bridged over to the Londoner, before being joined by Scott and Toby Barnes (Spectra Racing). Briggs paid for his earlier efforts as he dropped back to a chasing group led by Ribble Rebellion, along with Westley.
In a typically aggressive race, the attacks continued to rain down, with Scott delivering another stinging acceleration up the climb followed by Rees as Barnes clung onto his wheel, all three visibly suffering. Davis was the sole rider able to make it across from the peloton as the pace slackened slightly.
With four laps to go, their advantage had grown to 19 seconds. Rees was doing the lion's share of the work as the race reached the business end, with the result still in the balance.
With Rees unable to break the elastic on the final ascent of the climb, Barnes tried his luck, launching a long range effort on the downhill section. Davis took the flying Barnes’ wheel as the line approached, but he was caught out as Scott opened up his sprint early, hitting the front as they rounded the final corner. No one was able to match the TEKKERZ CC rider's speed as he crossed the line to take a comfortable victory. Meanwhile, Davis held on for second, with Rees, who had given so much for the break to succeed, pipped Barnes into third.
Scott takes over the series lead from Bostock, who attacked out of the peloton on the final lap to take fifth. The Lloyds Bank National Circuit Series heads to Guildford next week for another showdown between the TEKKERZ CC and Ribble Rebellion teams - the latter extending their lead in the team standings after their performance tonight.
Women
Defending champion Millie Couzens (Fenix-Deceuninck) sailed to her second consecutive victory in the Ilkley Car Audio Women’s Grand Prix with a textbook performance, unleashing a powerful solo attack with eight laps remaining.
Couzens, who won last year’s edition from a sprint, started as the race favourite, with the DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK team aiming to preserve Frankie Hall’s series lead after she took the win in the first round in Otley.
Megan Barker (TEKKERZ CC) was the first rider to attack at the start of the third lap, using the tough 500m climb to put pressure on the lined out peloton. Couzens was fast to react, jumping on her wheel - a sight which became familiar throughout the early stages of the race.
Couzens was again straight on the wheel when the Pro-Noctis-200 Degrees Coffee-Hargreaves Contracting team attempted to light up the race, dragging a number of riders clear.
With just under 30 minutes remaining former national champion Jo Tindley (Pro-Noctis 200 Degrees Coffee Hargreaves Contracting) made a big effort up the challenging climb, stretching the bunch to its limit.
Only a lap later, as Hall was driving the race forward again, a counter attack from Couzens saw her go clear. Amy Gornall (Pro-Noctis-200 Degrees Coffee-Hargreaves Contracting) was the only rider able to briefly respond as Couzens powered away, but Gornall dropped back to the peloton as Couzens’ gap grew.
With the gap continuing to open, the resolve of the peloton had all but gone with five laps remaining. Hall and Elizabeth Hermolle (Team Boompods) decided attack was the best form of defence as they set about closing the 15-second gap to Couzens, the peloton a further seven seconds in arrears.
With three laps to go, the chasing duo was reeled in, but Couzens was still looking smooth and powerful out front as she continued to extend her advantage.
The Fenix-Deceuninck rider pushed all the way to the line, raising her arms in celebration as she took an outstanding solo win, 43 seconds ahead of Robyn Clay (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK), demonstrating her speed by winning the bunch sprint ahead of national championship medallist Isabel Darvill.
With Hall finishing down in 13th, the series lead passes onto her teammate Clay, who leads Hall, Darvill and Corrine Side, last year’s champion, by four points.
