Inaugural Cambridge Criterium brings elite cycling back to city’s streets

Thousands of spectators lined the streets for four races at the inaugural Cambridge Criterium – the first time top level cycling had visited the city since the Tour de France in 2014. Two elite races and two amateur.

The 2.5km circuit took in some of the university city’s best known landmarks, such as Jesus College and the university boathouses.

A perfectly-timed long-range sprint from Frank Longstaff (Schils – Doltcini Racing Team) paid off, while Spectra Racing’s Samantha Fawcett got the better of her breakaway companions as the pair became the first winners of the Cambridge Criterium.

Men’s elite race

Longstaff upset the odds when he beat pre-race favourite Matt Bostock (Ribble Rebellion) in a thrilling duel to the line.

In the 50-minute race, Harry Johnson (VC St Raphael) was the first rider to attack but Hugo Lutz-Atkinson (EuroCyclingTrips – Yoeleo) took advantage of a lull in the pace as he went on the move quickly after. Just under 10 minutes in, there was a sizable 20-second gap, with Harry Tanfield (Saint Piran) among those controlling the pace.

Ribble Rebellion came to the front of the group shortly after, cutting the gap in half, with Lutz-Atkinson reeled in shortly after.

Alex Peters (Richardsons Trek-DAS), the former Team Sky rider and winner of a number of high profile races in the UK, swiftly counter-attacked, and with no team willing to control the race gained a significant advantage.

Welsh Criterium Champion Ed Morgan (Spectra Racing) made a big effort to bridge across to Peters. Both riders used up a lot of energy but the gap held steady.

They were reeled in soon after the halfway mark and Will Roberts (Saint Piran) launched his first attack. The Welshman prompted a strong reaction from a lined out peloton, with Alec Briggs (Tekkerz CC) driving the pace on behalf of teammate and National Circuit Series winner Rob Scott.

With the dangerous Roberts back in the confines of the bunch, it was Scott who came to the fore with an injection of pace. A strong leading group of 13 riders including Tanfield, Bostock and Peters created a small gap. As the race headed into the final 20 minutes, Matt Lord was the latest Richardsons Trek-DAS rider to go on the attack with the local squad looking to make their numbers count.

Lord’s move was short lived, but the peloton remained strung out. Alec Briggs (Tekkerz CC) found himself out of position at the back.

The pace failed to deter Roberts and the Saint Piran rider again attacked.

He was joined by Sheffield GP winner Toby Barnes (Spectra Racing), who bridged across with a stinging acceleration but the pair were little match for the rampaging bunch.

When the pace slowed, Oliver Mangham (Richardsons Trek-DAS) made his bid. He was joined by Archie Peet (Reflex Racing), the under-23 demonstrating why he is one of the breakthrough riders of the year, while Matthew Webber (Wolfox x Pedal Mafia RT) and Mangham’s teammate Alex Pritchard joined the leading group.

With Mangham unable to hold the wheels after his initial effort, the trio held a slender advantage of seven seconds as they entered the final three laps. Scott took it upon himself to lead the peloton in pursuit.

Scott’s effort reined in the trio, with the Tekkerz CC rider costing himself any chance of victory as he drifted off the back of a decimated peloton, as Saint Piran and Ribble Rebellion looked to get themselves organised for a sprint finish. Tanfield pulled a big turn for much of the final lap.

With less than a kilometre to go, Longstaff, who took two stage wins from bunch sprints in the recent Sherpa Performance Stage Race, launched his sprint. Entering the final corner first, he hung on, until he crossed the line, just ahead of the flying Manxman, who took second for Ribble Rebellion, with Roberts claiming the final podium spot.

Speaking to Monument Cycling after the race, Longstaff said: “It was a little bit cagey, everyone knew it was going to come down to a bunch sprint, so no one really wanted to commit to any moves. My legs weren’t feeling brilliant, so I decided to sit in, in case it went down to a sprint. I knew I wanted to go long, I knew I wanted to be first into that last corner.”

Women’s elite race

Samantha Fawcett claimed the biggest victory of her career in the women’s race, sprinting clear of her breakaway companions after bridging across to the winning move late in the race.

It got off to a cagey start, with the riders happy to let the bunch roll along at a strong tempo, attacks perhaps deterred by the fast course – and the sight of the open race ending in a bunch gallop.

Maddie Leech (Lifeplus-Wahoo) was the first rider to try to get away almost 15 minutes into the race, with the in-form Alice McWilliam (HESS Cycling) pacing the bunch back to the time trial specialist.

Leech’s move set the race alight, with Katie Scott (Spectra Racing) teaming up with a rider from Jadan-Vive le Velo-Glasdon, the Pro-Noctis 200 Degrees Coffee Hargreaves Contracting team coming to the front of the peloton to bring back the duo.

With the pace high, it was Lucy Harris who attacked for the Pro-Noctis team from the very front of the race, her move lacking the element of surprise and turn of speed needed to get away, although it did cause the bunch to string out with a number of riders suffering towards the back end of the peloton.

Sian Botteley (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK) was next to attack, the UCI Continental team featuring one of the favourites in sprinter Sophie Lewis. Bottleley’s acceleration brought her the biggest lead of the race so far, as she was joined by Matilda McKibben (Doltcini-O’Shea) and Sophie Holmes (Saint Piran).

In the distance was Fawcett, battling to get across. The effort was worth it for the Spectra rider as she made it a leading quartet.

With the gap up to 15 seconds and only four laps remaining, the race was in the balance. The DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK squad found themselves in a difficult situation, with their in-form sprinter Lewis, back from a fruitful trip to the continent, in the bunch and original aggressor Bottleley now one of four riders at the head of the race.

The quartet worked together, entering the finishing straight spread across the road as they started the sprint.

Fawcett had the strongest kick as she powered to the line to take the biggest victory of her career. Nineteen-year-old McKibben followed her home for second, with Holmes in third. Lewis won the bunch sprint for 5th to complete a mixed day for the DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK team, with former national champion Megan Barker (Tekkerz CC) behind her in sixth.

Each race winner got £1,650 prize.

Amateur races

The women’s amateur race was won by Honor Elliott, with Cambridge University CC’s Lucy Havard, the new Boat Club President, in second.

In the men’s amateur race, Theo Clarke triumphed, with Max Holgate, of Loughborough Students CC in second. Lucas Beghein, of Cambridge University CC, came in seventh.