I’m not the British National Gravel Champion any more. Sophie Wright won it at Ae Forest in Scotland — 90 kilometres in 3:09:26 — and I finished 2:34 behind her. Grace Inglis was third, one second further back.
That one second is most of what I’ll remember about the day. I rode 89.7 kilometres with 1,792 metres of climbing in 3h12, which lines up with the results sheet almost to the minute. So there’s no mystery in the gaps: Sophie was simply better over 90 kilometres, and behind her three of us were separated by seconds after three hours.
The Numbers
| Distance | 90 km |
| Elevation | 1,792 m |
| Time | 3h 12m |
| Result | P2 — Elite Women |
| Winner | Sophie Wright — 3:09:26 |
| Gap | +2:34 (1s ahead of 3rd) |
| Location | Ae Forest, Scotland |
The Honest Version
I attacked on the final climb to win this title in 2025, in only my third gravel race ever. Twelve months later I’m second on a different course, against a field that has got deeper every season. That’s not a story about decline — it’s a story about a national championship that has become genuinely hard to win.
Losing a title you hold is a specific kind of disappointment and I’d rather write it down than let the site go quiet. The jersey was evidence that what I’d been doing worked. Being 2:34 off it is evidence that I need to get better, and I already know where.
Supported by Merlin Cycles, Ventum Racing, OGT, Spatz, Coros, ABUS, and Kenetik.