National Road Race Championships: Lizzie Armitstead takes women's title

Lizzie Armitstead of Garmin-Cervelo, second to Nicole Cooke in 2009 while riding for 100% Me and runner-up again last year following her switch to Cervelo TestTeam behind team mate Emma Pooley, today outsprinted those past champions and another of her colleagues, Sharon Laws, at Stamfordham in Northumberland to win the British National Road Race title.

Olympic champion Cooke, now racing for Mario Cipollini-Giordana, had last year criticised the team tactics that she felt had allowed Pooley to break her stranglehold on the event – she had won the nine previous editions, and has ten titles in all to her name.

Similarly, today Cooke found herself outnumbered three to one in a four-woman breakaway group comprising Armitstead, who had been the first to attack on the 64-mile course, and fellow Garmin-Cervelo riders Laws, who finished third, and Pooley, who came fourth.

Laura Trott from Moving Ladies took the sprint for fifth place and with it the under-23 title.

The 22-year-old Armitstead, who comes from Otley, is a product of Great Britain’s Olympic Academy.

She has previously enjoyed a string of successes on the road and track, including World Championship wins in the team pursuit, omnium and points and scratch races, as well as taking silver behind Australia’s Rochelle Gilmore in last year’s Commonwealth Games road race in Delhi.

   First Name  Last Name   Team                    Category  Time    
1  Elizabeth   Armistead   Garmin-Cervelo          Elite     02:48:40 
2  Nicole      Cooke       Mcipollini - Giambenini Elite            2
3  Sharon      Laws        Garmin-Cervelo          Elite            4
4  Emma        Pooley      Garmin-Cervelo          Elite            8
5  Laura       Trott       Moving Ladies           Elite        02:48
6  Lucy        Martin      Garmin-Cervelo          Elite           st
7  Dani        King        Horizon Fitness           1st           st
8  Catherine   Williamson  Konica Minolta          Elite           st
9  Katie       Colclough   HTC-Highroad            Elite           st
10 Emma        Grant       For-Viored-Brookvex     2nd             st
11 Penny       Rowson      Horizon Fitness         2nd             st
12 Hannah      Mayho       100% ME                 Elite           st
13 Claire      Thomas      Horizon Fitness         1st             st
14 Rohan       Battison    For-Viored-Brookvex     2nd             st
15 Sarah       Byrne       VC St Raphael           2nd             st
16 Lowri       Bunn        Abergavenny RC          2nd             st
17 Jane        Barr        Velocity 44 Stirling    2nd             st
18 Sarah       Storey      Horizon Fitness         Elite           st
19 Natalie     Creswick    Abus Nutrixxion         1st             st
20 Helen       Wyman       Horizon Fitness         2nd          03:34
21 Hannah      Rich        Horizon Fitness         1st          09:18
22 Jo          Rowsell     Horizon Fitness         Elite           st
23 Ella        Sadler-Andrews Horizon Fitness      3rd             st
24 Tanya       Matthewson  SKCC Australia          2nd             st
25 Tamina      Kate Oliver Squadra Donne           2nd             st
26 Gemma       Neill       Sandy Wallace Cycles    3rd             st
27 Jenny       Stanning    Edinburgh RC            2nd          09:21
28 Rebecca     Curley      For-Viored-Brookvex     2nd             st
29 Lynn        Hamel       Herbelife/Wheelbase     2nd             st
30 Clare       Leaver      Team Zappi's            2nd             st
31 Nicola      Juniper     Private Member          1st             st
32 Laura       Murray      Velocity 44 Stirling    2nd             st
33 Lucy        Commander   Exeter Wheelers         2nd             st
34 Corrine     Hall        Team Corridori          1st          09:26
35 Julia       Shaw        Private Member          2nd          09:31
36 Annabel     Simpson     Horizon Fitness         3rd          09:34
37 Anne        Ewing       thebicycicleworks.com   Elite        10:46
38 Claire      MaCaulay    Sandy Wallace Cycles    3rd          12:58
1 LAP  Hannah  Walker      Motorpoint/Marshalls Pasta 1st
1 LAP  Gabriella Shaw      For-Viored-Brookvex     2nd
1 LAP  Nicole  Walters     Primal Europe powered by RUTrai 2nd
1 LAP  Iona    Sewell      Squadra Donne-Shutt Velo Rapide 2nd