Millie Couzens surged to the biggest win of her career on the seafront in Aberystwyth, sprinting clear of Pfeiffer Georgi and Anna Henderson to win the elite women’s road race at the British National Championships. The Fenix-Deceuninck rider, who had already claimed the under-23 time trial earlier in the week, added both the elite and U23 road titles with a perfectly executed final dash to the line.
The 128km race played out under grey skies and light rain, with a tough circuit around Ceredigion providing a mix of exposed coastal roads and sharp drags through the town. Early on, the peloton allowed a breakaway of largely Continental riders to slip clear. The gap hovered around three and a half minutes at its peak, giving the move a decent buffer as the race settled into a long phase of cat-and-mouse.
Picnic PostNL took the initiative to increase pressure, sending Becky Storrie across to the breakaway, where she eventually joined up with Jess Roberts (Spectra Racing). Their presence in the front gave the Dutch team numerical control, while the main peloton slowly began to fragment behind them.
The hard chasing began in earnest in the final hour. Fenix-Deceuninck and Lidl-Trek committed riders to the pursuit, with Flora Perkins putting in a huge effort to pull Couzens back into contention. The leading duo of Storrie and Roberts began to tire as the pace lifted behind, and with around 20km to go, they were reeled in just as the final lap began.
Attrition, tired legs and relentless climbing quickly reduced the front group. By the time the race crested the final climbs and hit the Aberystwyth seafront, only four riders remained at the front: Couzens, Georgi, Henderson, and Josie Nelson, the latter having served as a domestique all day for Georgi. The chase group, which included national TT champion Zoë Bäckstedt and Cat Ferguson, never quite closed the final minute despite their pedigree.
With Picnic PostNL having two riders in the lead group, Georgi was the clear favourite, especially having already won three British titles. Nelson led out the sprint down the seafront, trying to give Georgi the best run-in possible. But it was Couzens who opened up first, accelerating hard into the wind. Henderson followed on the opposite side, but neither she nor Georgi could match Couzens’ commitment.
Georgi was forced to settle for second, unable to come round as the road ran out. Henderson crossed the line third, continuing her remarkable consistency at the nationals with another podium. Nelson followed in fourth after her selfless support work. Behind them, Lauren Dickson produced another standout ride to finish fifth, confirming her rise during a breakout season.
“I’m so happy, it’s not the way I thought it was going to go, so it’s a good week,” Couzens said at the finish. “There was a point when the break had quite a big gap and I was worried, but luckily I had help from a few other teams and Flora to help control it. I’m so grateful for Flora, without her I don’t think we were going to bring them back.”
2025 British National Championships result
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