Ferguson solos to first elite British cyclo-cross title

Grant Ferguson (CST American Eagle) claimed his first-ever elite British title after a tense, long race on Sunday. Five-time champion Ian Field (Hargroves-Ridley-Montezuma’s) took the silver medal, 18 seconds back, while 2016 champion Liam Killeen (Malvern Cycling Sport) finished 23 seconds back to take bronze.

Ferguson, 24, a cross-country mountain biker who represented Great Britain at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, attacked on the penultimate lap after riding a tactical race during which he kept a close eye on his two rivals.

"I knew they would be the main competition this weekend so I was prepared, and I've raced them the last few years so I was aware of what was coming," he said after the finish. "I didn't realise Liam had crashed. There was a bit of a gap and me and Ian was away, so I thought now was a good time to have a shot so I'm really happy it came off."

There was action from the start as a small group splintered off the front of the main peloton early on the first lap. Race favourite and reigning champion Field was the man to watch, and was joined by Ferguson, Killeen and Steven James (Hope Factory Racing).

The lead trio formed on lap two as James fell back, and for much of the race it was a slow-burn, with a cagier style of racing on show among the leaders.

With Field seemingly in control, there was a sense that his companions were waiting for Yorkshireman to make his move, but attacks did come, with Killeen making a move on lap four. He couldn’t make it stick though, and neither could Field with his counter-move. Ferguson, meanwhile, largely rode third wheel - seemingly conserving his energy for the finale.

A mistake from Killeen with two laps to race set off the decisive moves of the day. The Londoner slipped and put a foot down at the pit entry, losing contact and setting up a two-man showdown for the win.

As Field pushed the pace with Killeen chasing, Ferguson was stuck to his wheel, but it would soon be his time to go. At the start of lap seven Ferguson pulled out a small gap, one which only increased up the climb.

An anticipated push from Field to close the gap never fully materialised, with three-time British U23 champion Ferguson looking just that bit stronger as he extended his lead and rode on to victory.

Full Results

Swipe to scroll horizontally
#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Grant Ferguson (GBr)1:06:11
2Ian Field (GBr)0:00:18
3Liam Killeen (GBr)0:00:23
4Steven James (GBr)0:02:00
5Paul Oldham (GBr)0:02:15
6Giles Drake (GBr)0:02:39
7Lewis Craven (GBr)0:03:25
8David Fletcher (GBr)0:04:01
9Stephen James (GBr)0:04:08
10Iain Paton (GBr)0:04:23
11Tony Fawcett (GBr)0:04:29
12Nicholas Craig (GBr)0:04:35
13Michael Butler (GBr)0:05:16
14Thomas Armstrong (GBr)0:05:26
15Sam Allen (GBr)0:05:27
16George Thompson (GBr)0:06:27
17Jack Clarkson (GBr)0:06:43
18Jonathan Dennis (GBr)0:07:05
19Freddie Checketts (GBr)0:07:14
20Lee Williams (GBr)0:07:18
21Robert Burns (GBr)0:07:32
22Nicholas Barnes (GBr)0:07:49
23David Lines (GBr)0:08:15
24Scott Chalmers (GBr)0:00:36
25Thomas Payton (GBr)0:00:37
26David Earth (GBr)-1 Lap
27Bruce Dalton (GBr)Row 26 - Cell 2
28Neil Phillips (GBr)Row 27 - Cell 2
29Ian Lee (GBr)Row 28 - Cell 2
30William Brown (GBr)Row 29 - Cell 2
31Martin Woffindin (GBr)Row 30 - Cell 2
32Dave Powell (GBr)Row 31 - Cell 2
33Stuart Reid (GBr)Row 32 - Cell 2
34Mark Cotton (GBr)Row 33 - Cell 2
35Jonathan Fletcher (GBr)Row 34 - Cell 2
36Samuel Holder (GBr)Row 35 - Cell 2
37Paul Elcock (GBr)Row 36 - Cell 2
38Daniel Preece (GBr)Row 37 - Cell 2
39Simon Gibbs (GBr)Row 38 - Cell 2
40Kieren Jarratt (GBr)Row 39 - Cell 2
41Keith Murray (GBr)Row 40 - Cell 2
42Gareth Whittall (GBr)Row 41 - Cell 2
43Joshua Jones (GBr)Row 42 - Cell 2
44Robert Watson (GBr)Row 43 - Cell 2
45Benjamin Shucksmith (GBr)Row 44 - Cell 2
46Daniel Atkins (GBr)Row 45 - Cell 2
47Christopher Burns (GBr)Row 46 - Cell 2
48John Routledge (GBr)Row 47 - Cell 2
49Alan Collins (GBr)Row 48 - Cell 2
50Bryan Laycock (GBr)Row 49 - Cell 2
51Ellis Mccoy (GBr)Row 50 - Cell 2
52Simon Meadwell (GBr)Row 51 - Cell 2
53Paul Barrett (GBr)Row 52 - Cell 2
54Jon Moss (GBr)Row 53 - Cell 2
55Liam Casey (GBr)Row 54 - Cell 2
DNSAlexander Forrester (GBr)Row 55 - Cell 2
DNSJeremy Hicks (GBr)Row 56 - Cell 2
DNSGareth Brookes (GBr)Row 57 - Cell 2
DNSCallum Riley (GBr)Row 58 - Cell 2
DNSGary Macdonald (GBr)Row 59 - Cell 2
DNSRobert Jebb (GBr)Row 60 - Cell 2
DNSDaniel Booth (GBr)Row 61 - Cell 2
DNSJonathan Bayley (GBr)Row 62 - Cell 2
DNSAdam Cooke (GBr)Row 63 - Cell 2
DNSDean Ridley (GBr)Row 64 - Cell 2
DNSAntony Glover (GBr)Row 65 - Cell 2
DNSRonnie Batey (GBr)Row 66 - Cell 2
DNSJames Vickers (GBr)Row 67 - Cell 2
DNSPeter Ruffhead (GBr)Row 68 - Cell 2

 

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Senior news writer

Dani Ostanek is Senior News Writer at Cyclingnews, having joined in 2017 as a freelance contributor and later being hired full-time. Prior to joining the team, they had written for numerous major publications in the cycling world, including CyclingWeekly, Rouleur, and CyclingTips.

 

Dani has reported from the world's top races, including the Tour de France and the spring Classics, and has interviewed many of the sport's biggest stars, including Wout van Aert, Remco Evenepoel, Demi Vollering, and Anna van der Breggen.

 

As well as original reporting, news and feature writing, and production work, Dani also oversees The Leadout newsletter and How to Watch guides throughout the season. Their favourite races are Strade Bianche and the Volta a Portugal.

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