There were double celebrations for two riders at the North Yorkshire Grand Prix this weekend, with Tom Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) and Morven Yeoman (DAS-Hutchinson both being crowned dual 2026 National Road Series and Rapha Super-League champions.
With the woman’s event being won by the track star and recent Commonwealth Games medallist Anna Morris, and Sebastian Grindley (Lidl-Trek Future Racing) taking victory in the open race, neither Yeoman or Armstrong stepped onto the podium, but both scored enough points to see their names added to the prestigious titles.
Armstrong had already all-but sewn up the National Road Series, but trailed Ollie Wood by 13 points in the Super Series.
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(Image credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com)
“I’d gone into it with the idea of just making it a hard race for Ollie from the gun,” Armstrong told Cycling Weekly. “With it being 160km and having those two climbs every lap, I went out from the beginning to make it as hard as I could, try and form a group at the front and then force it away.”
“We ended up in that front group with everyone that you would want to race against – it was full of the favourites. I really wanted to try and manufacture a bit of a situation where Tom (Martin) could, could try and have a go at winning.
“It worked out really well. We were first and second in the series, and we were both in that move as well. I think we knew we’d got the road series sewn up then, so it was just racing for the day after that.”
Armstrong is particularly proud of taking the prestigious National Road Series title. “Coming from the Star Trophy and the Premier Calendar to being called the National Road Race Series – I think you only have to look at the names on the trophy to see which one has more history.
“Last year I probably didn’t commit to the [Rapha] events as much as I could have done – or maybe they didn’t go my way. I was third in it last year, but it wasn’t something that I was actively chasing. Then this year, the races that were part of the series were also races that I really wanted to target. I really enjoy crit racing. I didn’t win one of the rounds in the Rapha series, but I was super consistent.”
(Image credit: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com)
For Yeoman, the situation was reversed. She had a comfortable lead in the Super-League, but the standings were tight at the top in the National Road Series, with Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning) biting at her heels. Although she had led the series since Lincoln, just 18 points separated the pair at the beginning of the weekends’ race, formerly known as the Ryedale GP.
“At Lancaster, I was second, behind Lily,” Yeoman told Cycling Weekly. “I thought yep, I need to watch Lily… she’s super strong. I had a sickness bug going into South Moulton. I hadn’t eaten for like three days before the race and I was just running on fumes… that was damage limitations. And then I was just trying to stay consistent for the um last two rounds in Curlew and Rydell.”
The situation made for an exciting finish for spectators, but it was nerve-wracking for the 22-year-old, who is about to embark on the Tour of Britain Women.
“Normally, I’m very relaxed going into races,” she said. “But I was definitely very nervous. I’ve never been in this situation before, so I feel like a lot of pressure – not from anyone else, not from the team, just myself. I was like, well, what’s this feeling? This is crazy.
“Lily attacked on the first lap and I was kind of shocked,” Yeoman continued. “From then the attacks kept happening. I knew I needed to pace myself, because this race is very attritional and I didn’t want to blow up and lose the jersey completely… I just needed to focus on the sprint, get the points that I need.”
Ultimately, Martin finished third, but with her sixth-place spot Yeoman won the National Series by 12 points, and the Super League by 58 points. She says she will treasure both trophies, but for different reasons.
“The Road Series has been a long-running thing, and when I got the trophy yesterday, you can really see the history and the level of riders that have been on there. Most recently, Robyn [Clay], my teammate from last year, who has moved up to the WorldTour. It’s really nice to have my name engraved on that prestigious trophy.
“And the Rapha series is also very nice because it’s a modern event – something that kind of brought the life back to British racing. I feel like it has reinvigorated the racing scene by incorporating both the road and the crits into one series. Not having them as separate series keeps everyone on their toes a little bit. So yeah, I think they’re both important to the British scene.”
