The first edition of the South Molton Grand Prix saw two surprise winners.
In the open category, Jed Smithson (Hagens Berman-Jayco) soloed to his fi rst National Road Series win on his first appearance on the start line, while Lucy Harris (Draft Racing) won the women’s race in only her second appearance at the series this year.
The Hagens Berman-Jayco rider attacked his breakaway companions on the steep climbs of the final lap and crossed the line 26 seconds ahead of the rest.
The way it played out was a surprise for him as much as for anyone else. He said: “I am normally a sprinter, but of course, you know, you’ve got to try and race diff erently as well. And winning solo, you know that you’re guaranteed the win.”
He added: “I’ve never actually done a National A race before, so I really did not know what to expect. But I knew that UK racing is always particularly hard. It’s always on the pedals.”
The podium was filled by Ollie Wood (Rapha CC), who won the small group sprint behind Smithson, and road series leader Thomas Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli).
Earlier, in the women’s race, it was also a less frequent competitor on the UK scene that triumphed.
(Image credit: Alan Danby/SWpix.com)
Lucy Harris’s biggest win to date was on the CiCLE Classic in 2025, and she has raced only one National Series event this year.
But the Draft Racing rider attacked on the series of finishing climbs to solo away. “I reached the point where I wanted to attack and just fully committed to that attack, which almost went badly wrong because my chain slipped and I had to sit up and then go again,” she said.
“It was much later than I would normally leave it in a race because I’m really not much of a sprinter. But it seemed to be just about enough to hold off a very strong Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning).”
The podium was completed by Jennifer Powell (Performance Development Team).
Harris, who attributes her success to a relaxed atmosphere in the team where she can pick her own races, will now turn her attention to a 24-hour mountain bike relay she is set to ride this weekend.
Smithson, meanwhile, hopes to ride the Tour de l’Avenir in late August and will aim to make it into the Great Britain squad for the Under-23 World Championships in September.
