Hannah Barnes (MG Maxicfuel) has been declared the official winner of the elite women’s Criterium at the 2013 IG London Nocturne.
The former national junior road race champion had been belatedly relegated by British Cycling commissaires for “dangerous riding”, but after today’s “moderation” is officially a five-time winner of the night time race in London’s historic Smithfield area.
Barnes lifted her hands from the bars in celebration after crossing the line ahead of Laura Trott (Wiggle Honda) in a two-up sprint for the line.
The victory was awarded to Trott, but in response to a media enquiry four days later, race organisers, the Face Partnership, asked to review footage from broadcaster Channel 4.
Having watched film of the race, and seen Barnes cross the line first, they referred the original decision to British Cycling’s commissaires.
Their decision to relegate Barnes one position, allowing the original result to stand, was widely criticised and sparked several campaigns on Twitter.
Today, Face Partnership issued a statement from British Cycilng which read: “Race officials have reviewed the sanction imposed on Hannah Barnes. The sanction has been moderated from relegation to a reprimand.
“The Elite Women’s Criterium photo finish result therefore stands: 1st Hannah Barnes , 2nd Laura Trott.”
Both teams affected have accepted the volte face with good grace.
Barnes’ MG-Maxifuel Pro Cycling squad issued a statement that read: “Hannah and the team are truly touched by the huge support they have received from fans everywhere on this matter and would like to thank the officials involved, the event organisers FACE Partnership and British Cycling for their support.”
Wiggle-Honda owner-manager, Rochelle Gilmore, said: “We were delighted with what we understood was a narrow win for Laura Trott, but on discovering that Hannah Barnes had crossed the line first, we felt the decision to relegate her was harsh. We totally accept the reversal of this decision and offer our full and sincere congratulations to Hannah for an excellent win.”
A spokesman for the Face Partnership said they were pleased the issue had been resolved “in the correct manner, with what we believe is the correct outcome.
“We hope Barnes and Trott can renew their rivalry at next summer’s IG London Nocturne after last week’s thrilling race, one of the best elite women’s cycling events ever staged in the UK,” he added.
Highlights for IG London Nocturne will be shown tomorrow morning at 7.3am on Channel 4, and repeated an hour later on Channel 4+1. The programme will also be available on the channels digital catch up service, 4oD.
Follow this link for complete coverage of the IG London Nocturne, including video highlights, full-screen photo galleries, and in-depth interviews.
