ALICE Barnes swept to a stunning victory in the opening round of the Matrix Fitness GP Series in Redditch on Tuesday evening (May 9).
And the Team Drops leader put her success down to her no holds barred cornering ability.
Speaking directly after winning by 25 seconds over Olympic gold medallists and World champions Katie Archibald (Team WNT) and Elinor Barker (Team Breeze) a visibly delighted Barnes said the tight Redditch circuit suited her down to the ground.
“It was really good; I really liked the little tight corner off the start and finish and then the fast left hander at the bottom of the hill,” she said.
“I’m quite good at cornering and I think that’s were I started to pull away.”
The race was already splintering after the first lap as the pressure was applied at the front of the race and after ten minutes the race had been blown apart.
It was Archibald who took the first Eisberg Alcohol Free Wine sprint but for the remaining two thirds of the 45 minute race it was Barnes who set the pace.
And as Unicorn Hill began to take its toll it was Barnes who kept applying the pressure.
“It was just a case of going up into a bigger gear and giving it a bit more,” she said.
“I thought if everyone is struggling a bit up the hill I could probably go a bit harder without using much more energy and then use my cornering to pull away.”
All eyes now turn to the men’s Tour Series race which starts at 7.30pm.
