Lily Martin Conquers The Knowle at the 2026 Banbury Star CC Road Race

The British Women’s Team Cup (BWTC) rolled into North Oxfordshire on Sunday, May 17, for Round 2 of the series: the Banbury Star CC Road Race. 

We were treated to yet another fine event at Banbury, once again superbly organised by Tobi Ng and his excellent team at Banbury Star—a huge clap of appreciation to them all! A big thank you also goes out to FTP Team Manager Billy Oliver for covering neutral service.

While the forecast rain thankfully held off, the weather remained mild and overcast, setting a dramatic backdrop for a course remodelled around a severe, brand-new finish at the top of the infamous Knowle at Edge Hill (1km at an average gradient touching 15%). The atmosphere on the climb was fantastic, with a cacophony of cowbells ringing riders up the four steep ascents.

How the Race Unfolded

While Round 1 lacked a definitive breakaway, the action ignited early here. The peloton reached the foot of The Knowle for the first time intact, but the steep pitches immediately shattered the field. Over the top, an exciting breakaway group of six established itself, comprising:

• Ruby Oakes & Anna Boniface (FTP-Fulfil The Potential Racing)

• Grace Sargeant (London Academy)

• Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning)

• Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT)

• Jennifer Powell (Performance Development Team, racing independently of a BWTC team)

The six leaders worked beautifully together, building a solid lead of just over 2 minutes. However, as they hit the slopes of The Knowle for the second time, the halfway Combativity timing point, the peloton began to claw back time. Unfortunately, Grace Sargeant slipped back towards the bunch, reducing the break to five.

With the remaining leaders digging deep, they crossed the timing point over 30 seconds ahead of the chasing bunch. As a result, the BWTC-registered riders in the move, Amy Henchoz, Lily Martin, Ruby Oakes, and Anna Boniface, each scored the first BWTC combativity halfway bonus of 100 points for their respective teams.

By the start of lap 3, the selection sharpened even further. Martin, Henchoz, and Powell forged clear at the front. Behind them, Anna Boniface was left chasing hard, while two non-BWTC riders, Francesca Ryde and Emma Leslie, managed to launch a counter-attack from the peloton, carving out their own 3 minute gap over the main bunch by the time they reached the finish line.

A mechanical mishap on the final lap dealt a blow to Powell, forcing her into a lone chase and leaving Martin and Henchoz to duel it out for the win.

The Grand Finale

Through the closing kilometres, Lily Martin looked composed and controlled. As they hit the brutal final drag up The Knowle, the Loughborough Lightning rider launched a decisive kick. She opened an immediate gap that Henchoz simply could not close, crossing the line for a spectacular solo victory with a 20-second advantage.

Amy Henchoz crossed the line in 2nd place, denied a climbing victory once again after a similar near-miss at Capernwray. A resilient Jennifer Powell limited her losses to finish 3rd (+1'13"), with independent riders Francesca Ryde (+2'14") and Emma Leslie (+2'41") taking 4th and 6th respectively, sandwiching FTP's Anna Boniface in 5th (+2'33"). The main chasing bunch crossed the line over 6 minutes behind the winner.

Team Standings & Bonuses

The final BWTC finish bonus of 100 points each went to Amy Henchoz, Lily Martin, and Anna Boniface for being the top three BWTC-registered riders across the line.

The team competition results for the day saw some interesting shifts:

• FTP-Fulfil The Potential Racing took home the coveted Team Prize for the round. Interestingly, even without their bonus 300 points, their strong depth (Boniface 5th, Oakes 7th, Nott 11th) would have secured them the win. With these results, FTP moves up to 2nd overall in the national team standings.

• Loughborough Lightning finished 2nd on the day—and would have done so even without Martin's 200 bonus points. Crucially, they successfully retain their overall lead in the British Women's Team Cup.

• Paralloy RT enjoyed a massive boost. Fittingly, Amy Henchoz’s stellar performance combined with their 200 combativity points bumped them up to snatch the 3rd-placed team prize for the event.

With three thrilling events left on the calendar, the standings remain entirely up for grabs. You've got to be in it to win it! 

We look forward to seeing everyone at the next round at Inkberrow on July 5th, organised by Solihull CC (with thanks to organiser Rocheford Pearson).

Photo Galleries

• Mark James - https://markovichjames.com/sports-galleries/womens-team-cup-banbury-2026-1

• Matt De B - https://photos.mattdeb.photography/banbury-star-road-race-2026/