British National Time Trial Championships
Team Velosport’s Hayley Simmonds produced a superb ride to take the British women’s title, defying the form book and finishing over a minute ahead of silver medallist Molly Weaver and bronze medallist Dame Sarah Storey.
Simmonds, who moved from rowing in 2009, took the lead from early pacesetter Ciara Horne over the 33.6-kilometre course. Posting a time of 51:39.89, the 2014 10-mile and 50-mile time-trial champion, threw the gauntlet down in resounding fashion, with Katie Archibald and Dame Sarah Storey still out on the course.
Liv Plantur’s Molly Weaver soon pushed Horne into third with a 52.58.18 time and within minutes, the pundits’ favourite was dropping out of medal contention.
Dame Sarah Storey couldn’t challenge the time of Simmonds, the multiple Paralympic champion stopping the clock at 53.00.61 and dropping into third with just a few challengers left out on course.
Storey’s teammate Katie Archibald, who took silver in 2014, was the last challenger to finish but could only manage sixth, handing the women’s crown to a delighted Simmonds.
“It’s completely overwhelming – I’ve worked really hard for this,” said Simmonds. “I hoped it was going to be really close and I just went out and did the ride that I thought I could, did the effort I thought I could and obviously it paid off.”
“I was just trying to focus on getting out the ride that I was capable of and not necessarily concentrating on the other big names that were starting after me,” she said. “After I finished and I was half collapsing over my bike I could just hear the commentator say my time and then say ‘will anyone go under 50 minutes’. Dame Sarah and Katie Archibald are both capable of going under 50 and at that point I wasn’t even sure that I was in the lead, let alone that I was going to win by a minute.”
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