Peaks 2 Day Women’s Race

Peaks 2 day p/b Giant Sheffield women’s race report and results

In a remarkably short time the Peaks 2 Day – sponsored by Giant Sheffield – has become a major early-season stage race in the UK. The race started in 2022, when the organiser’s founder was only 18! Since then the YompBonkCrew have gone on to organise other road races, a criterium series and cyclo-cross races. Read about how they went about it in their interview with British Cycling.

Women’s Race

The Peaks 2 Day is a National B stage race, with three stages run over two days in the Peak District. There was a separate men’s and women’s race, with equal prize money.

Stage one

Unfortunately stage one of the women’s race had to be cancelled due to forecasted heavy snow. The riders would have had to tackle a 12km time-trial which would have taken them up Bole Hill. This climb has pitches up to 11% over a kilometre, so would have been a real leg-burner.

Stage two

Day one was a two-stage day and with the weather forcing the cancellation of stage one, it was time for stage two. The morning’s hail and rain had cleared, but the crosswinds were blowing and would play a major part in the days proceedings.

The women’s race would tackle five and a half laps of the same 12.4km circuit that would have been stage one. The finish line and QoM point was the aforementioned Bole Hill, giving the race 1150m of elevation. Known to be a course for breakaway riders and with the crosswinds, it was expected that the winner would come from a break.

Straight from the start the bunch was under pressure, with the course and conditions doing their best to thin them out. At the first prime, taken by Imogen Wolff (Shibden Apex RT) ahead of Morven Yeoman (DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK), a small group pulled away.

In the breakaway were Lucy Harris (Loughborough Lightning), Lucy Gadd (Le Col Race Team), Abi Plowman (Alba Development Road Team) and Matilda McKibben (Doltcini – O’Shea) amongst others. This group stayed together until the bell lap, when Wolff, Gadd and Yeoman turned up the pressure and pulled clear.

With her win in the previous weekend’s Piccolo Trofeo Alfredo Binda, Wolff was the rider in form. She used that form to pull away on the final climb, taking the victory ahead of Yeoman and Gadd.

Stage 3

For stage 3 the riders headed over to Hade Edge and the Carlecotes course. This was a 10.6km circuit with 180m of climbing per lap. The women would be taking on eight laps, turning off the circuit on the final lap for a finish up Flight Hill.

Again the wind was blowing and play a big part in the finale. Overnight leader Wolff started aggressively, taking the first two QoM primes ahead of Gadd. After that fourth climb, the bunch was under pressure and beginning to crack. Those cracks finally split the bunch as Wolff, together with Lucy Gadd, attacked together.

These two worked well together, with the gap growing to 5’50” by the end of the race. With no way for the bunch to get back, it was time for the leading duo to tackle the finish. Gadd attacked before the final climb, hoping to see off her breakaway partner. Wolff, however had other ideas and clawed her way back on. Gadd attacked early again, gambling on the finish line’s tailwind to keep the pace high and preventing Wolff overhauling her.

Peaks 2 Day General Classification