BRENTWOOD’S Nicola Juniper insisted she had loved every minute of her Tour de Yorkshire experience, despite being frustrated in a race that favoured the sprinters.

The 33-year-old Team Giordana-Triton rider ended up ninth overall, with Louise Mahe, Eileen Roe, and Katie Curtis making up the top three.

Dame Sarah Storey controlled the field during the one stage race, which took place over four laps of York City, and with no teams able to make a break stick the title came down to a closely fought sprint and photo finish.

And even though she was not able to claim the Blue jersey, Juniper admitted the trip to Yorkshire was a fantastic experience thanks to the throngs of raucous fans that lined the streets of York.

“Yorkshire’s been great and an amazing race, but I need a good heal now,” she said.

“It was a sprinter’s course, fast and furious, and we couldn’t get away because every time we attacked Sarah Storey just did what she usually does and sat at the front to bring it back.

“It doesn’t make for a good race for us, as everyone knows if she gets it back it turns into a bunch sprint.

“But the fans were amazing, and the course was quite technical in parts so it was all really good.

“It’s fantastic to see so many people in the towns and waiting outside their houses for us, it makes it hard to concentrate on the road and it really had the feel of a big tour!

Juniper rode home eleventh in last week’s Cheshire Classic, and after a positive start to the season on the British Cycling Women’s Road Series wants to keep up her performances heading into a busy summer.

She said: “I’m heading into the unknown a bit this season, as it’s a different dynamic being part of a new team. I have an open mind and I just want to go in and enjoy it.

“I’d like to be consistent like last year and try to finish every race with a smile on my face. If I can do that I’ll be happy.”

The final stage of the men’s race from Wakefield saw the riders over the Pennines and into a packed Leeds – venue for last summer’s iconic Tour de France Grand Départ – after moving inland from Selby to York on Saturday.

British-based Team Sky’s Lars-Petter Nordhaug claimed the first stage on Scarborough’s stunning coast, and hung on over the weekend to lead the overall classification by 11 seconds and take the first ever Tour de Yorkshire Blue jersey.

He said: “The team were riding really strong today on the front, they were fantastic – I felt like I was only a passenger and had to only pedal the last 200m.

“This felt like a big-stage Tour – the crowd were massive, I had a nice race today so I could really enjoy them.

“It was fantastic and I will never forget the last stage here, riding in the leader’s jersey with a strong Team Sky at the front. It was great to win a race here for Sky, in front of a British crowd for them.”

Yorkshire Bank is an Official Partner of the Tour de Yorkshire and the ground-breaking Yorkshire Bank Bike Libraries initiative. Visit www.ybonline.co.uk