We knew Dani King was made of strong stuff but she proved her mental and physical fortitude over the weekend, winning the first race she’s ridden since her horrific crash in November.
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King won stage one, and the overall title, after two stages of the Alexandra Women’s Tour of The Reservoir.
King rode her heart out, despite admitting being nervous prior to the event, saying: “The first race back was always going to be the hardest, because of my confidence, but I got stuck in.”
She had no need to be nervous, however – though the win took all her strength, especially with rain and snow showering riders during stage two of the race in Northumberland.
King commented: “When I finished I couldn’t even talk, but it felt so good to be racing my bike again. I’ve had so much inspiration from the team, it’s been an incredible few weeks.”
Stage one of the British Cycling Women’s Road Series event was a 60 km circuit race, over 13 laps of a twisty course which was made even more technically demanding by cross winds blowing over the reservoir.
The peloton was broken apart quickly by a mixture of the technical circuit and windy conditions, and eventually Pearl Izumi-Sports Tours International rider Katie Archibald put the hammer down and opened up a stretch of clear tarmac between herself and the rest of the riders.
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King followed, and the duo kept away for the vast majority of the race, extending their lead throughout to 80 seconds in all.
In the end, King was too strong for Archibald to hold her back, the 24-year-old taking the win with a punch of the air and cry of delight.
Day two brought a 90km, four lap route on closed roads. Following a disappointing stage one, Jo Rowsell (Pearl Izumi-Sports Tours International) stepped up to take centre stage, breaking away with last year’s winner, Nicole Juniper (Giordana Triton).
In freezing conditions, Rowsell took the win, but with her lead from the previous day, King remained in top spot overall.
The win comes following a string of Wiggle Honda triumphs, and King said: “It’s nice to keep the winning streak going for Wiggle Honda!”
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