Simmonds takes surprise time trial win at British Championships

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Former rower Hayley Simmonds (Team Velosport) took a surprise win in the time trial at the British Road Championships on Thursday in Lincolnshire. She took the title ahead of runner-up Molly Weaver (Liv-Plantur) and Dame Sarah Storey (Pearl Izumi Sports).

"It's completely overwhelming - I've worked really hard for this," Simmonds said in a report on British Cycling's website. "I hoped it was going to be really close and I just went out and did the ride that I thought I could, did the effort I thought I could and obviously it paid off.

"I was just trying to focus on getting out the ride that I was capable of and not necessarily concentrating on the other big names that were starting after me."

Simmonds ended up covering the 33.6km course with a time of 51:39, over a minute faster than both Weaver and Storey.

"After I finished and I was half collapsing over my bike I could just hear the commentator say my time and then say 'will anyone go under 50 minutes'. Dame Sarah and Katie Archibald are both capable of going under 50 and at that point I wasn't even sure that I was in the lead, let alone that I was going to win by a minute."

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