The sun came out, the organisers found a hill, a sprint down the Mall, BBC Two coverage and the return of Queen Lizzie, the 2023 RideLondon Classique was a fantastic advert for cycling in the UK. Now let’s refund the Women’s Tour and we can have two strong Women’s WorldTour races on our shores.
The three-day race built around the RideLondon festival of cycling (which itself was created as a legacy event for the 2012 Olympics) took some of women’s racing best riders around the lanes of Essex for two stages before heading to a central London circuit for the final showdown.
It’s hard to beat Britain in the sunshine (that is an unbiased opinion), and thankfully photographer James York was on hand to capture the race in all its glory.
Stage 1: Saffron Walden-Colchester
James York
Stage 1 took riders through the picturesque Essex countryside, with people (and good dogs) lining the roadside to cheer on the peloton.
James York
Cue ‘Jerusalem’.
James York
Zoom. Plenty of delightful thatched roofs on display.
James York
And the occasional hill.
James York
Cue ‘Jerusalem’.
James York
Although they managed to find more 1,200m of climbing over almost 150km, it wasn’t tough enough to keep the sprinters from having their day – although a big crash did reduce the field. Team DSM carried on where they left off in 2022 when Lorena Wiebes won all three stages with Wiebes’ successor Charlotte Kool taking the win.
Stage 2: Maldon-Maldon
James York
Stage 2 started and finished in Maldon, home of salt and Alex Dowsett, taking riders back towards Colchester before returning for a three-lap circuit with the ascent of North Hill to top it off with a punch.
James York
Zoom.
James York
British team Lifeplus-Wahoo tried to light things up with breaks from April Tacey and Typhaine Laurance (pictured).
James York
Cue ‘Jerusalem’.
James York
Stage 2 actually had less elevation than the Stage 1, just getting over 1,100m across 137km.
James York
In case there was any doubt, this was what the UK looked like. Glorious sunshine and elite bike racing. More please?
James York
Despite being flatter overall, North Hill proved a tough test on the final circuit and the enormous uphill sprint by Canyon-SRAM‘s Chloé Dygert decimated the field.
James York
Despite being hyped up for several years, this was Dygert’s first road win in Europe outside of her Harrogate World Champs time-trial. And it wasn’t easy.
James York
This ride was probably easier on the legs.
Stage 3: London-London
James York
Stage 3 took the race into London for a circuit around the centre of the city.
James York
Past Trafalgar Square. Zoom.
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How great is it to see these roads filled with something other than cars?
James York
It was slightly less green and pleasant land than the previous two days, but city centre circuits tend to mean hard racing, so less time to enjoy the sights.
James York
Although there were enough sights and enough laps to see everything and put a shift in. Flag flying high for the return of Queen Lizzie, good to see.
James York
Zoom.
James York
The peloton maintained control all day, although one break did manage to get a few minutes up the road Trek-Segafredo brought it back very quickly when it got risky.
James York
Zoom. Cue, ‘Did you know Big Ben is actually the name of the bell?’
James York
A brutal part of the course.
James York
Right to left, the day’s big break: Sofie van Rooijen (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Victoire Berteau (Cofidis) and Grace Lister (DAS-Handsling).
James York
Who would be crowned Queen?
James York
After a very tight finish Charlotte Kool bagged the stage and overall win ahead of Dygert, who had a photo-finish with teammate Maike van der Duin as they tried to mop up the bonus seconds ahead of Kool to no avail.
See you next year for two Women’s WorldTour races in the UK, right?
Tags: Canyon-SRAMRideLondonTeam DSMWomen’s Cycling
