‘Shock’ win at the Curlew Cup
Erskine takes win in the bunch sprint as Mason cements her series lead
Julie Erskine (Cycle Team Onform) sprinted to victory in the Curlew Cup — round five of the Women’s National Road Series — while overall series leader Chanel Mason (Storey Racing) placed fourth to extend her lead in the points standings.
Aberdeen-based Erskine took the win in a four-up sprint at the end of the 67-mile race which took in three laps of the same course that the men’s Beaumont Trophy faced later the same day, including three ascents of the tough Ryals climb, which sapped what energy riders had left on a hot day in Northumberland.
“I’m pretty shocked, I didn’t expect to win!” said Erskine. “When I saw Chanel go I just went with it and the four of us worked really well together.
“When I realised it would be a sprint I sat in and followed everyone else’s wheels. When I saw Hannah [Payton] go, I went too and hung on.”
Fourth spot for Mason means she has extended her lead in the overall series to 20 points with four rounds of the nineround series remaining.
Ryals challenge
The Ryals, which features several stepped climbs that max out at a tough 22 per cent gradient, split the field apart on the first lap, causing the first of several attempted breaks to go clear.
But nothing would stick until the final lap, with even a five-rider break including CICLE Classic winner Katie Archibald being pulled back on lap two.
It was series leader Mason who attacked first and helped form the decisive lead group. Her wheel was taken by Erskine as well as Hannah Payton (Drops CT) and Georgina Panchaud (Bianchi Dama UK), with Emily Nelson (Team Breeze) also bridging across shortly after.
Payton led out the sprint but Erskine came round her to win by a couple of metres.
The series now moves on to the Otley Grand Prix next Wednesday.