The Royal Navy Cycling team hosted the Inter-Service Road Race Championships at Brentor, Dartmoor in July.
The Navy men took the silver behind strong Army competition, with the women narrowly missing out on second place to secure a bronze podium finish.
The women’s road race took place on a rolling 45 mile course with the field comprising of 10 Army, 10 RAF and 4 Navy cyclists racing.
The race was fast from the start with the field splitting into smaller groups with riders constantly making attacks off the front of the group to try and make a gap.
AB Jessica Morrish chased an Army rider that managed to hold a solo breakaway with 3 laps to go. In a fast sprint finish, AB Morrish narrowly missed out on second place but secured a bronze podium finish.
AB Morrish’s bronze medal made history as the highest place finish ever from a non-Army cyclist in the Women’s Inter-Services Cycling.
The race was quoted as one of the most competitive Inter-Services female championships for many years due to the upcoming talent from across the services.
At 0900 on Wednesday 24 July, 30 men lined up on the start line at Brentor for a 61 mile road race.
The circuit included one punchy four minute climb every lap, with each lap around 5.2 miles long. The weather looked changeable but the sun was just managing to break through the clouds.
The lead car left and during the neutralised zone straight the peloton was held up by a tractor, after a short hold up the race resumed and the start flag was dropped. Straight away the Navy’s Ali Stubbs attacked, taking along 1 RAF and 2 Army riders, they worked well together for the first 45 minutes gaining almost 2 minutes on the main bunch.
The Army, having strength in depth, were told to stop working and after around an hour, the heavily reduced peloton soon swallowed up the break, the 4 minute climbs had taken their tole on many of the riders by this stage and the peloton now consisted of around 22 people.
After a few attacks from all 3 services, 1 RAF rider managed to get away solo. The Navy decided to leave it to the Army to chase this move down and it took them around 45 minutes to catch this brave lone rider.
With around 2 laps (11 miles) to go, the heavily reduced peloton was back together. Knowing on the final climb it was about to explode, all riders did their best to conserve energy.
