REDDITCH rider Beth Crumpton put the gloss on a highly productive winter with an emphatic victory in the final round of the HSBC UK Cyclo-Cross National Trophy to win the overall women’s elite crown.
The most hotly-contested category throughout the whole National Trophy series was the women’s elite event and the title went to Storey Racing’s Crumpton as she saw off the challenge of fellow hopeful Ffion James.
Each rider went into Sunday’s final round at Trinity Park in Ipswich with two victories to their name, but it was Crumpton who rose to the occasion and put in a superb winning ride.
Crumpton has come close to winning this series on a number of occasions and this year has stepped up her efforts, almost making it a personal crusade, so seeing her at the front of the leading group on lap one alongside EDCO Continental’s Anna Kay, Sophie Wright (Renvale RT), Hannah Payton (Team Kinesis UK) and James (Abergavenny RC) came as no surprise.
After the mud of Bradford before Christmas, the final round was super quick with more than the usual amount of sprints for the win at the finish across the various races.
James, having secured brilliant wins in two previous rounds, never quite got on terms with the leaders as first Crumpton launched an attack, then Kay rode across to her and the latter two broke away impressively.
Wright consolidated her third place by riding the rest of the race solo, with Payton and James locking out the top five, but it was Crumpton who comfortably won the final half-lap battle with Kay to secure race and series wins.
“I’m really, really chuffed to finally win this. It’s been a few years coming,” said Crumpton, who rode her special yellow Boardman Bikes CX Elite bike.
“Obviously I came here with the aim of wrapping up the series and expected a tough battle with Ffion, so to come away with race win as well, I’m really, really happy.
“I wanted to go out hard and split the race up early and when Anna came with me we worked well together in the wind.
“I then put in a little move round the back and managed to hold on for the win.”
Kay’s second place secured the U23 win, while an impressive show of power saw Amy Perryman (Hargroves-Ridley-Montezuma’s) able to stay on the pace of a chasing group of senior and U23s, which dragged her away from the competition all the way to the line for the junior win.
