Curlew Cup, Results and Report

by Paul Horta-Hopkins · September 18, 2023

The Curlew Cup was the final round in the British Cycling Women’s National Road Series. Corinne Side took the win, Monica Greenwood won the overall series and DAS-Handsling the team prize.

Starting and finishing in Stamfordham, Northumberland, the Curlew Cup was the final round of the Women’s National Road Series. The course featured a challenging mix of climbs, fast descents, and technical B-roads. The riders would tackle three laps of the 40.8 kilometre circuit, with a total race distance of 122.4 kilometres and 1,593 metres of elevation. The main climb of the day was the Ryals climb at the heart of the course. This is a 2.7km ascent with a series of steps and gradients hitting up to 13% in places.

A wet start to the Curlew Cup and a challenging course face the riders

A wet start for the Curlew Cup

Rain in the early part of the race kept the bunch together until Ellen McDermott (Team Boompods) attacked on the second lap. She had a 1’14” lead over the bunch as the bell rang for the final lap, but it wasn’t to be and the bunch reeled her in. This set off a number of counter-attacks, but none were successful and with three kilometres to go, a bunch sprint was on.

Series jersey holder Greenwood, keeps watch at the front of the Curlew Cup

The Sprint is on!

As the bunch hit the finishing straight, Corinne Side (Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee) jumped and created a gap, holding on to take the Curlew Cup. First-year under-23 Emma Jeffers (DAS Handling) was second, with junior rider Sophie Smith (Cycling Club Isle of Man) taking third. Fourth place went to McDermott, who had recovered from her lone break to feature in the sprint. National Series leader Monica Greenwood (DAS-Handsling) finished fifth to seal the overall in the Women’s National Road Series. Greenwood’s team also took the overall team prize in the Series, beating Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee by 78 points.

Quotes from DAS-Handsling

National Road Series WInner, Monica Greenwood said: “For me my biggest goal was to secure the National Series and even though I had a nice lead into the last round, with the new points structure just one problem meant I could still lose the series. So I rode up front all day, staying safe and out of trouble. For me I’d like the race a bit harder on the climbs to whittle the group down more, as it was a big bunch into the finish. I just knew I had to stay safe and upfront, so stuck with the plan to secure the individual and team prize overall.”

We also spoke to DAS-Handsling DS Simon Howes, who said: “Winning the individual and team competition is just reward for our riders, support team and sponsor’s commitment. The Series is spread over the whole season with different courses so involves different riders for different terrain which means the whole team have contributed to the success which gives me the most joy.
The national series win was a primary goal at the start of the season. Monica started that momentum in the very first round, the Cicle Classsic. With the support of her team mates she continued to be very consistent, placing in all the rounds. Not only has she achieved great results throughout the season, her experience has also helped her team mates in achieving success.”