Pfeiffer Georgi retains British women's title with searing late attack on Saltburn Bank (2024)

Pfeiffer Georgi (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) retained her British road race title with a searing attack on the final kick up Saltburn Bank. The 23-year-old’s supremacy brooked no argument, although late attacker Sophie Wright (Fenix-Deceuninck) was left to wonder what might have been after she suffered a rear wheel puncture in the finale.

Georgi bided her time until the final ascent from the seafront towards the finish line. Teed up by teammate Josie Nelson, she unleashed a ferocious attack that nobody could counter. She quickly put daylight into her rivals on the climb and she could already enjoy her triumph as the road flattened out.

Anna Henderson (Visma-Lease a Bike) took the silver medal, while Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) came to the fore towards the top of the climb to claim the bronze medal. Fourth-placed Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck) had the consolation of claiming the under-23 title, but nobody could match Georgi’s acceleration on the climb, a mirror of her winning move in 2023.

“I actually just kind of copied and pasted my tactics from last year,” Pfeiffer said. “I told Josie to take the corners first and sprint as fast as she could, and then I came on the inside and sprinted from the bottom. Near the top of the climb, I heard someone say ‘you’ve got it,’ so I took a quick peek, and I was able to celebrate in the last 100m.”

Although that late haul up Saltburn Bank was always liable to prove decisive, there was no shortage of attackers seeking to anticipate that finale and Pfeiffer’s inevitable move. Alice Towers (Canyon-SRAM) was among the aggressors on the run-in, but the most dangerous move came from Wright, who powered clear inside the final 10km and opened a lead of more than half a minute over the chasing group of 10.

Three kilometres from the finish, however, Wright suffered a rear wheel puncture. After desperately flagging the issue, she was forced to keep riding on the flat tyre until help arrived from the neutral service bike. Her chances of claiming the title were ultimately doomed when her chain unshipped during the wheel change, and she was forced to dismount again as the chasers swept past her.

Pfeiffer, who could rely on the support of DSM teammates Josie Nelson and Becky Storrie, grew in confidence in the final lap, and she replicated last year’s triumph on a very familiar climb.

“I can’t believe it,” Georgi said. “I doubted a lot today. With a lap to go I wasn’t sure how I was feeling but my team supported me fully. We had a plan and we committed and luckily, it paid off. I felt a bit of pressure from myself, I really wanted to win and pay the girls back.”

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