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Owen is an experienced sports journalist who specialises in women's road racing. He is no stranger to the UCI Women's WorldTour, having reported on the world’s biggest races at home and abroad.
Alongside Owen’s commentary are updates from the Ford RideLondon Classique Media Team.
15:20
Wiebes (SD Worx - Protime) wins Stage One of the Ford RideLondon Classique! The sprint specialist bided her time and produced an explosive finish to claim victory.
She came out on top ahead of Letizia Paternoster (Liv-Alula-Jayco) and Clara Copponi (Lidl-Trek).
The Dutch rider goes into tomorrow's 143KM stage, which starts and finishes in Maldon, wearing the race leader's jersey. She also leads the Sprints Classification.
Rebecca Koerner (Uno-X Mobility) will wear the Queen of the Mountains jersey after winning a maximum nine points in the competition during today's stage after being part of the day's main breakaway alongside Lea Lin Teutenberg (Ceratizit - WNT Pro Cycling Team).
15:07
The bunch is flying towards Colchester. Who’s your pick?
15:04
...but to no avail, they are just a few metres ahead but have been successful in taking the stress off their teams as we head towards the finish at High Street, Colchester.
15:00
They are dominating the road positioning themselves ready for the frantic final.
At the same time they’ll be keeping the pace so high any attacks will struggle to gain any ground. That said, we have a move by former British road race champion Alice Towers, of Canyon//SRAM! She has been joined by Lauretta Hanson (Lidl-Trek). The pair have about a 12-second lead and are working well together.
The bunch is working hard behind, but the roads are narrow making a chase hard.
14:52
It’s been a controlled performance by the peloton, but a heroic one by both Teutenberg (Ceratizit-WNT) and Koerner (UNO-X Mobility) in the breakaway.
However, the leaders are caught 👏
14:46
The gap is now just 24 seconds but we’ve had a crash involving five or six riders in the bunch.
Result of the final intermediate sprint at Mistley:
1. Teutenberg
2. Koerner
3. Veenhoven
The breakaway time is limited! A bunch sprint is coming, I think!
14:39
We're skirting round Manningtree now and it seems as though the bunch will let Koerner and Teutenberg have the intermediate sprint.
There are points for the sprints leader's jersey available at the finish too, with 10, 6, 4, 2, 1 available, as well as the time bonuses.
14:29
14:18
14:04
Boom! Everyone is over the level crossing safely and we’re into Colchester, and the racing has exploded, first with attacking at the front of the bunch and then the gap to the leaders decreasing to just 50 seconds.
Result of the final QoM climb, at Sandy Hill:
1. Koerner (UNO-X Mobility)
2. Teutenberg (Ceratizit-WNT)
3. Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime)
Remember there are time bonuses on the climbs, with 3, 2, and 1 point(s) available.
14:00
Residents of all ages have been lining the streets
13:37
1. Teutenberg
2. Koerner
3. Nienke Veenhoven (Visma | Lease A Bike)
Following that sprint, Koerner and Teutenberg’s lead increases to 2.30.
And now we’re onto the next climb! It’s Sandy Hill, Wormingford.
13:37
We're through the intermediate sprint at Halstead, it’s a super fast one in front of great crowds. We’re now through Earls Colne but the peloton is closing on the leaders. Teutenberg and Koerner are ahead by 2.18 as we await the results of the intermediate sprint.
No trains due for 30 minutes!
13:20
We’re approaching the intermediate sprint at Halstead, so stay tuned for that result.
There's a level crossing shortly after the sprint, but we’re assured there are no trains coming to affect the race.
The lead for Koerner and Teutenberg has decreased to 2.35, as the peloton slowly reels them back in.
13:00
Spectators cheer on the riders as they pass through.
12:55
Riders are passing through the village of Finchingfield, the setting for some amazing photos from last year’s race and, of course, the 2014 Tour de France.
The lead for Teutenberg (Ceratizit-WNT) and Koerner (UNO-X Mobility) is now 3.25, but still no worries for the bunch.
12:31
Koerner and Teutenberg lead by 2.50, though the peloton won’t be getting worried just yet.
Rebecca Koerner is the Danish road race champion, you can’t miss her amazing jersey! (pictured below, second left) This is her third season with the Uno-X Mobility team. Her sister is also an elite rider, though not at WorldTour level like Rebecca.
12:20
We must wish a very happy birthday to Rebecca’s team-mate, Amalie Dideriksen. She was the 2016 road world champion, is a multiple former Danish champion, and could well be good for the win today.
12:15
The peloton is holding the leaders close enough to prevent further attacks but far enough to give a little hope to them both, as Koerner and Teutenberg’s lead is out to 2.35.
Teutenberg is from a famous German cycling family, her aunt is the legendary Ina-Yoko who is also a sports director with Lidl-Trek.
12:00
The riders are winding westwards through the countryside, it’s technical, which suits the leaders, which is good news as their advantage dropped to only 50 seconds through Buntingford.
Koerner and Teutenberg now lead by 1.10.
11:55
The riders headed into the town of Buntingford and for a while were on open roads, but the wind wasn’t strong enough to cause splits in the bunch, and, as is often the way in this part of the country, it’s not long before they were protected by trees and hedges again.
Loads of people out in Buntingford to see Koerner and Teutenberg lead by 1.00, their gap to the bunch decreasing slightly.
11:46
The next QoM climb is Cokenach in Barkway, coming after 18km, our two leaders have a lead of 1.40 on the bunch, but Tacey is dropping back now, caught by the bunch.
The result of the second QoM is:
1. Rebecca Koerner
2. Lea Lin Teutenberg
3. April Tacey
We’ve got a good distance to the day’s first intermediate sprint, which comes in Halstead with 69km of the stage remaining.
11:45
Don't forget, you can catch all the action on BBC iPlayer from 13:30
11:30
Over the top of the climb and Koerner and Teutenberg are together at the front of the race leading by 40 seconds from Tacey and 1.15 from the peloton.
The result of the the Queen of the Mountains (QoM) climb is:
1. Rebecca Koerner
2. Lea Lin Teutenberg
3. April Tacey
11:20
Rebecca Koerner (Uno-X Mobility) and Lea Lin Teutenberg (Ceratizit-WNT Pro Cycling Team) have 50 seconds on the peloton with April Tacey (Team Coop - Repsol) closing in.
They’re approaching the Queen of the Mountains climb now with a fair few people out to watch.
11:10
We are racing! 117 riders are heading west, first into Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, and there is an early challenge, the Queen of the Mountains climb at Hertford Lane, Elmdon after just 8.6km. There’ll be plenty of action there with the time bonuses on offer.
11:00
Stage One of the 2024 Ford RideLondon Classique and it is tough, with 159.2km of riding through the rolling Essex countryside. Narrow, twisty roads and up and down all day. Expect action!
We have two intermediate sprints and three classified climbs each with 3, 2 and 1 bonus seconds on. We’re rolling with a 2.5km neutralised section.
10:50
There’s been a professional women’s race in every edition of RideLondon since its formation in 2013. At first, it was called the Grand Prix and was a one-day race held on a 1.3-mile circuit in central London, finishing on The Mall. In 2016, the race was renamed the Classique and was granted UCI Women’s WorldTour status. The UCI Women’s WorldTour is a collection of the highest level of elite road races in the world, featuring the best pro riders.
Stage One will be broadcast from 13:30 until 15:30 (Friday 24 May) on BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport Online and Red Button.
10:40
Sprints Classification
The pink Sprints leader’s jersey will be awarded to the rider who accumulates the most points at the Intermediate Sprints and at the Finish Line of each stage.
There will be two sprints during Stage One:
Queen of the Mountains Classification
The orange Queen of the Mountains jersey is awarded to the rider who has accumulated the most points on the six climbs over the course of this year’s race.
Points will be available three times during Stage One:
There will also be bonus seconds available at the three QoM points in 2024, with 3, 2, and 1 point(s) available at each of the points on the stage.
Throughout the three stages, four riders will be awarded with these jerseys. They are awarded to the winner of each classification on every stage, so you’ll be able to spot who is leading the competition. This year’s jerseys were designed by Ford RideLondon’s Official Performance Apparel Partner, Le Col.
10:30
We’re just half an hour away from the start of the 2024 Ford RideLondon Classique! The opening stage of this year’s event takes place in the north of Essex, with the elite riders departing Saffron Walden at 11:00 and finishing in Colchester – famous for being the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital.
This exciting stage covers 159.2km and includes two intermediate sprints and three Queen of the Mountains climbs. More about those in a bit, but first, why not check out this year’s teams and riders here?
Start: 11:00, King Street, Saffron Walden
Finish: Between 15:00 and 15:30, High Street, Colchester
Distance: 159.2km
View the the GPX file of the Stage One route here.
View the full timings for Stage One here.