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Armitstead is top female
Otley cycling ace Lizzie Armitstead was best of the women riders in the prestigious Eddie Soens Memorial Road Race at Aintree Racecourse on Merseyside.
She beat many of her male rivals and finished 39th overall from a field of 80 riders after the 81km event.
Riding in the colours of her new Halfords Bikehut team, Armitstead looked powerful and drove many attacks as the field splintered.
Her result was all the more impressive given that she had only returned from a training camp in Majorca the previous day.
"It's been a great race to help me prepare for the World Track Championships at the end of the month," she said afterwards. "It's good to race up a level as it's so hard to do that on your own."
After taking part in the World Track Championships at Manch-ester Velodrome later this month, she is due to go to Belgium with her new team to ride the Tour of Flanders.
Meanwhile, the domestic road racing season continues this weekend with the first round of the prestigious Premier Calendar series, the Bikeline Two-Day, in North Wales.
Among the 105-strong field is Mark Thwaites, the Burley-in-Wharfedale rider who is part of a six-strong line-up from the new Sports Beans-Willier team.
A tough field includes big teams from Pinarello RT, Plowman Craven RT and the Rapha Condor-Recycling squads, but while many are expecting the winner to come from one of the big teams, there is always the chance of another rider putting in an unexpected challenge.
6:11pm Tuesday 4th March 2008
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