The future’s bright, insists Dani
DANI Rowe has already help make ASDA Tour de Yorkshire women’s race history, but the Welsh cycling star is desperate for the goose-bump moments to keep on coming.
Never before had the race spanned across two stages, but yesterday’s second day saw Rowe and the peloton roll out of Barnsley into Ilkley – finishing in the Tour’s first summit finish.
But Wales’ Commonwealth bronze medallist was not content to just be part of the bunch.
The sprint queen on stage one, Rowe proved herself to have the endurance legs as well – finishing third in the race and second overall in the General Classification.
“I feel proud that the UK has got a race like this, with full TV coverage and the fact that it’s a two-day event, I can’t see why it can’t get bigger and become a tour event,” she said.
“We’ve proven how exciting our racing really is, it’s looking really positive for cycling in the future.
“The crowds were fantastic, it was so great to see all the kids out and we’re trying to inspire the next generation, I got goose-bumps going through a town where they had the whole school out.
“Hopefully one day we’ll be able to see those girls competing, particularly because they are seeing women’s racing, to come back themselves.
“It’s been one of my favourite races so far, we’ve got two stages and the gap isn’t that much – we’ve proved how exciting our race is as well, so the future is bright for women’s cycling.”
Not many riders will have revelled in Tour de Yorkshire success as much as Rowe, enjoying two perfect days as part of the youthful Great Britain Cycling Team.
But not even the 2012 Olympic champion could stop Megan Guarnier from taking top spot in both the race and general classification, earning the Yorkshire Bank and Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries leader’s jersey.
Yet for Rowe, it was a case of preparation and planning that led to the performance.
Few were able to tackle the final summit quite like the 27-year-old, with her earlier efforts paying off as she led the final assault to the Cow & Calf finish, crossing the line as the leading Brit.
“I recced the stage on Tuesday, I rode the last half and from that I knew how long it was, I knew how much it ramped up in the last 200m so I tried to stay within myself as much as possible,” she added.
“At the bottom of the climb there was a gap but I didn’t panic, so I was really thrilled to take second in the general classification and third in the stage.”
■ Yorkshire Bank is an Official Partner of the Tour de Yorkshire and the ground-breaking Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries initiative. Visit www. ybonline.co.uk/tdy