Icy and wet conditions forced a selective race that saw Corran Carrick-Anderson and Ella Maclean-Howell win in Barnoldswick at Round 5 of the Cyclo-cross National Trophy Series.

Elite Women

Ella Maclean-Howell (Hope Factory Racing) rode a stunning race to take her first senior victory in the National Trophy Series on the ice at Barnoldswick.

Her win comes off the back of a solid Belgian cyclo-cross campaign, including a top ten at the Koppenbergcross.

Lining up next to Maclean-Howell was the winner of the previous round, Annie Last (SCOTT Racing), and Millie Couzens (Crelans-Fristads), who won the second round of the National Trophy in Falkirk.

Maclean-Howell was fastest off the line and she quickly made use of her good form to take the lead on the long flat start. The course was flatter and faster than previous rounds and the high speeds and icy surface meant that small mistakes could have oversized consequences.

After only one lap, Maclean-Howell was in a league of her own, holding a lead of nearly 30 seconds on Josie Nelson (Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus), with Last chasing hard. Couzens had started quickly, but she lost time on the first lap and was left chasing from the middle of the pack.

By the halfway point, Maclean-Howell was consistently lapping faster than her rivals and the gap was continuing to grow. Last had fought her way back from behind Josie Nelson, while Couzens was making a comeback from further back.

Maclean-Howell's lead was never in doubt and she had time to sit up and take in the win, finishing with a winning margin of over one minute and making her first senior win in the National Trophy a memorable one. Last finished comfortably in second, 30 seconds ahead of Couzens, who had made her way back through the field to finish third.

Despite finishing in 13th place, Alderney Baker continues to hold the series lead in both the elite and under-23 standings.

Elite Men

Corran Carrick-Anderson (T-Mo Racing) took his first win of the cyclo-cross season in his first outing of the year, powering away from his rivals to a convincing win at Barnoldswick.

A delayed start to Carrick-Anderson’s season meant that his form was unknown, and a strong field included the British national champion, Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing), and the winner of the previous round, Toby Barnes (Garden Shed UK-Ribble-Verge Sport).

The race started quickly, with the bunch hurtling along the still-frozen ground. Temperatures had begun to drop and rain was now falling to add to the treacherous conditions.

The riders were three abreast as they headed into the first corners, where Daniel Barnes (Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus) accelerated ahead of Mein and Joseph Blackmore (Team Inspired).

Carrick-Anderson saw an opportunity to attack on the slick mud and he took it - a long effort that put daylight between him and the rest of the front group. Behind him, the others were limiting their losses as each rider paced themselves on the challenging surface.

Carrick-Anderson’s gap never grew beyond a minute, and there was was no margin for error as riders behind continued to skid on the icy surface. Nevertheless, Carrick-Anderson was gaining time on every lap, and the gaps stretched out to the point where each rider was riding alone - Blackmore ahead of Mein and Barnes.

By the end, Carrick-Anderson crossed the line with his arms in the air, celebrating the win at his first National Trophy race of the season.

Blackmore came in for second place 40 back, while Mein finished in third. Fourth on the day meant that Toby Barnes continues to hold the series lead.

Junior Women

Cat Ferguson (Hope Factory Racing) took a dominant win in the junior women’s race ahead of Libby Bell (Garden Shed UK-Ribble-Verge Sport) and Imogen Wolff (Shibden Cycling Club).

Ferguson started fastest to enjoy a lead of 15 seconds before the end of the first lap. She cut through the corners and seemed unfazed by the fast sections as she pushed on at her own pace.

Behind, Bell and Wolff were battling for the minor podium places. Wolff had started faster but Bell had overtaken by the halfway point and held a small lead.

That lead grew in the second half of the race, but it came down quickly in the final laps, with Wolff taking chunks out of Bell’s advantage.

Ferguson came into the final lap with almost 90 seconds to play with, but she didn’t ease off. Pushing all the way to the line, she had time to celebrate another National Trophy win in the junior ranks.

Behind her, Bell held off Wolff, just beating her to second place by six seconds.

Despite suffering a bad day and finishing in 17th, Hope Inglis held onto her series lead ahead of Niamh Murphy (Montezuma’s Race Team).

Junior Men

In the junior men’s race, Oli Akers (Garden Shed UK-Ribble-Verge Sport) won a thrilling race ahead of his teammate Sebastian Grindley.

Akers came into the race in good form, having taken the win at the World Cup in Dublin the week before. However, Grindley was riding well and the two teammates pushed on together ahead of the rest of the field, which was led by Scott Fisher of Una Forza Racing.

Disaster struck as Grindley suffered a mechanical in the closing stages of the race, putting his chances of his first National Trophy win of the year in jeapordy. Akers, wary of waiting too long with Fisher breathing down their necks, pushed on to win alone. Meanwhile, Grindley battle against the odds to hold off Fisher and take second on the line with ten seconds to spare.

Grindley continues to lead the series, 15 points ahead of his teammate Akers.

Podiums

A full list of podium placings is below:

Elite Women

1. Ella Maclean-Howell (Hope Factory Racing)
2. Annie Last (SCOTT Racing)
3. Millie Couzens (Crelan-Fristads)

Elite Men

1. Corran Carrick-Anderson (T-Mo Racing)
2. Joseph Blackmore (Team Inspired)
3. Thomas Mein (Hope Factory Racing)

Under-23 Men

1. Corran Carrick-Anderson (T-Mo Racing)
2. Joseph Blackmore (Team Inspired)
3. Daniel Barnes (Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus)

Under-23 Women

1. Ella Maclean-Howell (Tofauti Everyone Active)
2. Millie Couzens (Crelan-Fristads)
3. Josie Nelson (Spectra Wiggle p/b Vitus)

Junior Women

1. Cat Ferguson (Hope Factory Racing)
2. Libby Bell (Garden Shed UK-Ribble-Verge Sport)
3. Imogen Wolff (Shibden Cycling Club)

Junior Men

1. Oliver Akers (Garden Shed UK-Ribble-Verge Sport)
2. Sebastian Grindley (Garden Shed UK-Ribble-Verge Sport)
3. Scott Fisher (Una Forza Racing)

Men’s Under-16

1. Conor Murphy (Rostrevor Mountain Bike Club)
2. Mak Larkin (Rotor Race Team)
3. Innes McDonald (Edinburgh RC)

Men’s Under-14

1. Xander Graham (Jukebox Cycling Team)
2. Luke Trafford (Shibden Cycling Club)
3. Noah Smith (GKR Racing)

Women’s Under-16

1. Madeline Moorhouse Smith (Shibden Cycling Club)
2. Arabella Blackburn (Deeside Thistle CC)
3. Ellie Mitchinson (Welwyn Wheelers CC)

Women’s Under-14

1. Rose Lewis (Halesowen A & CC)
2. Charlotte Lissaman (Newark Castle CC)
3. Katie Colling (ESV Manchester)

Women’s Veterans 40-49

1. Cerys Styler (Backstedt Performance RC)
2. Celie Brown (Beacon Roads CC)
3. Verity Appleyard (Velo Fixers)

Women’s Veterans 50-59

1. Isla Rowntree (Islabikes)
2. Miriam Whitehurst (Reflex Racing)
3. Clare Hoskins (Cardiff JIF)

Women’s Veterans 60+

1. Carolyn Speirs (Kendal Cycle Club)
2. Karen Payton (Cycle Sport Pendle)

Men’s Veterans 40-49

1. Adrian Lansley (Pedalon.co.uk)
2. Lewis Craven (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli)
3. Matt Lawton (Macclesfield Wheelers)

Men’s Veterans 50-59

1. Nicholas Craig (SCOTT Racing)
2. Nicholas Whitley (Chester RC)
3. Ian Taylor (Shibden Cycling Club)

Men’s Veterans 60+

1. Grant Johnson
2. Tom Nicholson
3. Philip Roach (Team Jewson-M.I.Racing)