Big Bike Bikes took our supported riders programme a step further in 2022 when we became the shop sponsor of Team Boompods. Here’s the lowdown on this elite national road racing team.

Team Boompods is an elite women’s cycling team run by women for women; the team comprises of 10 riders and two managers, Nikki Metcalfe and Hannah Farran. Formed in 2017, we have seen riders win national titles on both the road and track over the years. We are proud to say we have competed in races such as the Women’s Tour de Yorkshire, with Ellen McDermott placing inside the top 20 on stage one in 2018.

There are many hurdles to overcome when running a cycling team but with those challenges comes great reward. All of our riders balance full-time employment with racing and training. Striking a balance is never easy, but we hope to show that it is possible to race and work at the highest domestic level.

It is exciting to see the development of women’s cycling; most notably, we are looking forward to watching the inaugural Tour de France Femmes in July. We have steadily seen women’s cycling receive greater parity and we feel this is a massive step forward for our side of the sport. On the domestic scene we are pleased to see progress too, with many race organisers now offering equal prize money.

Road Cycle racing is a very tough sport and unfortunately, both Louise Hart and Lucy Harris have had serious accidents. 

Lucy has reopened an existing injury on her elbow, her bike is a write-off and her kin suit is also ruined but we can replace that with some spare kit we already have.  Louise needed surgery on her Jaw to remove the broken glass and broke her ankle. 

They were sprinting for the win and it appears the lead comm car stopped immediately after the line and the riders went into the back of the car. We wish them both a speedy recovery. Taking risks and being competitive have led to victories at the Lancaster Grand Prix for Mary and the North West Champs for Monica. 

Our calendar focuses around the national events known as National A races. These races attract the best teams and riders in the country. Often professional British riders take part too. From May to September we have the National Road Series, which sees us compete against the best teams in the country and which comprises of seven races, all over 100km.

The second series we target is the Tour Series, which runs throughout May with anywhere between six and 10 rounds. Each round takes place in a town or city centre with the courses being short, around 1-2km. The series is streamed live on YouTube and highlights shown on ITV4 so the exposure this gives the team and sponsors is huge. The Tour Series was a huge success for us this year with an individual round win by Ellen, a team win, and finishing third in the teams classification. The exposure this gives our sponsors is invaluable as the series is streamed live on YouTube with highlights shown on ITV4 the following evening.

The reason we target these events is because they attract the best riders in the country, and it is the highest level of racing we can do in the UK. The prestige of winning one of these races is not to be underestimated. The riders learn their craft in these races, seeing how the bunch moves at speed (as often there are over 100 riders racing) and learning to execute new tactics.

Two stand-out riders for this season have been Mary Wilkinson and Monica Greenwood. Mary is an ex-international runner who recently competed in the Zwift ESports World Championships, has won the British Masters Championships and was runner up in the 2022 National Hill Climb Championships. Monica has been a fantastic addition, recently winning the Owen Blower Memorial two-day. Monica is the Podium Women’s Endurance Coach for British Cycling, having been to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

As well as racing and having a full-time job Hannah and Nikki run the team with an amazing team of volunteers. Often Nikki and her husband can be found in the pits at all of the races. 

Follow Team Boompods on Facebook or Instagram for regular updates as the season progresses as well as our own Facebook and Instagram.

Our Team