Kimberley Ashton Dominates South Region Champs

Kimberley Ashton (Casp Racing) reclaimed the title she won in 2015 with a dismissive display of committed riding at Owlesbury in Hampshire. Ashton had targeted this championship, had a race plan invested 100% while others hesitated.

Fiona Redding (Radeon Bike Science RT) & Jennifer Holden (Fusion RT Fierlan) split the race on the second climb of Longwood down, moving clear as the race neared the top, Ashton was third over the top as the bunch scrambled to stay on the wheel.

The Channel Islander rode passed Holden, quickly dropped Redding and started to ride. Redding held the gap at 40 seconds for a lap but nobody would see Ashton again as she tapped out a title winning rhythm.

Pheiffer Georgi ( Liv CC-Epic Coaching), Rebecca Carter (Team WNT), Jessica Finney (Portsmouth North End CC)& Corrine Clark (Velo Vitesse), back racing after enough crashes to put anyone off, tried to chase and tried to escape but the wind was rising and nothing worked, Carter was vocal in her encouragement but the momenmtum was gone.

It was 6 minutes after Aston had won the title that Georgi took the sprint for silver, such was her dominance. Jenny Corser (Team RGB Building Supplies) took third in the bunch kick to win the South-West title with impressive Jessica Finney (Portsmouth North End CC) winning South bronze, reward for the hard working promoting club. Emma Cockroft (Bianchi Dama UK won silver behind Corser with Hannah Newsham (Somerset RC-Bicycle Chain) taking the bronze.

Rider Reaction
Kimberley Ashton

"I caught the two up the front, there was a gap so i just kept on pushing, i wanted to win it solo, i have been training for this, i was quietly confident. The last two laps started to hurt, i wondered if i could stay out but i put my head down and just kept going, i knew a lot of the others wouldn't put their heads in the wind, i thought if i am in the wind they are probably not working"

Pfeiffer Georgi
"Im happy with second, my legs are a bit tired from the Bristol GP last night (Georgi won in Bristol) but i wanted to race both. Three of us almost got to them but the bunch got to us, every stopped working and the gap just went out"

Corrine Clark
"No one really wanted to work to chase it down, Kim was very strong but it was quite a negative race"


Fiona Redding
"initially I didn't realise I had a gap and then when Kimberley came across we pulled ahead but she was awesome on the hills and I couldn't keep up! So I was in no man's land, I'd never catch her but I didn't know what the gap was to the bunch. The moto spurred me on when he said 1m20s! But in the end I got caught. Coming into the final 300m I knew there were strong sprinters still in the mix so I jumped first, didn't quite have the legs to hold on for a podium spot but what a good race, and a great field of strong women. I'll be back next year!"

1. Kimberley Ashton – Casp Racing
2. Pfeiffer Georgi – Liv CC – Epic Coaching
3. Jenny Corser – Team RGB Building Supplies
4. Jessica Finney – Portsmouth North End CC
5. Fiona Redding – Radeon Bike Science RT
6. Emma Cockroft – Bianchi Dama UK
7. Corrine Clark – Velo Vitesse
8. Rebecca Carter – Team WNT
9. Jennifer Powell – Team Ford Ecoboost
10. Florence Cox – Equipe Flamme Rouge
11. Hannah Newsham – Somerset RC – The Bicycle Chain
12. Jennifer Holden – Fusion RT Fierlan
13. Alice Staniford – Team RGB Building Supplies
14. Victoria Lovett – I-Team CC
15. Mercy Webb – Storey Racing
U23 £50 Sponsored by Pedal Potential Pfeiffer Georgi
Combativity Award £50 Sponsored by www.localriderslocalraces.co.uk Kimberley Ashton

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