Some racers optimise their bikes to the hilt for the British National Hill Climb Championships, cutting every surplus gram from the frame and components for courses that generally reward the lowest possible watts per kilo.

This year's venue, Porlock Toll Road, was a little different. The Alpine-style Somerset ascent averages 5.5% for 6.6km (4.1mi), so it put less emphasis on weight and more on aerodynamics than usual. A strong headwind in the closing kilometres even encouraged some riders to ride time trial bikes, aero bikes and deep-section wheels, as you can see in our bike tech gallery.

But often, the best climbers don't seem to worry much about their bikes. Instead, they let their legs and lungs do the work, just like Ezra Bateman did. The 16-year-old from Scarborough won the junior boys' title and recorded the day's fastest time of 14:31:08, fractions of a second quicker than senior men's champion Ed Laverack and runner-up Andrew Feather.

This result followed a season of spectacular hill climbing results for the Decathlon CMA CGM U19 rider. He came within seconds of beating now double national champion Laverack on Snake Pass and matched 2021 champion Tom Bell's course record on Prospect Hill. During his road season, he competed at prestigious races such as Liège-Bastogne-Liège.

Cycling Weekly's photographer was on the ground in Porlock to photograph Bateman's team-issue Van Rysel RCR-R Pro.

The RCR-R Pro is currently Van Rysel's lightweight climbing bike, although we expect it will soon be replaced by the more aerodynamic-looking prototype Paul Seixas raced at the Tour de France.

Bateman's dad Jon told us this SRAM Force AXS build weighs 6.9kg. Not bad for a pretty-much stock bike, minus the bottle cages.

Bateman didn't switch to a single chainring, as many competitors did, to save weight and receive a small aero bonus. Instead, he chose pro-size 54/41T SRAM Force chainrings with an integrated power meter. In a post-race interview with Monument HQ, he refused to disclose his power data, presumably following team orders.

At the back he's running what is probably a 10-33T cassette, and might have needed that largest sprocket if he stayed in the huge 54T big ring.

This wheel and tyre combo is also stock. The 50mm-deep Swiss Side Hadron rims would have reduced drag at his 27km/h average speed – the wheels were paired with Continental GP5000 S TR rubber. Had the course not been wet and strewn with storm debris, it might have been tempting to ride the GP5000 TT TRs, but Bateman didn't need their lower rolling resistance.

Two riders have been disqualified from the British National Hill-Climb Championships after they were found to have breached regulations for changing their teams more than once in a year, it was announced on Wednesday.

Dan Evans and Giles Drake, who finished seventh and 10th in the senior open category, both raced for the ASSOS UK Race Team, alongside the winner, Ed Laverack, but Evans and Drake have now been stripped from the record. Laverack is still national champion, after setting the fastest senior time on Porlock Toll Road, Somerset on Sunday.

The men's team prize, originally awarded to the ASSOS trio, has now been awarded to Schils-Doltcini RT, with Paddy Clark, Eugene Cross and Carl Jolly. The prize is calculated on cumulative time of the best three riders from one squad.

Fastest on the day was 16-year-old Ezra Bateman (Decathlon CMA CGM Juniors), who beat Laverack by 0.2 seconds, but was not awarded the senior win as he was racing in the junior category. Illi Gardner (Cardiff Ajax CC) won the women’s event, while Mabli Phillips (Shibden CC) claimed the junior women’s hill climb title.

Wednesday's revelation came after a review was requested, the organising body, Cycling Time Trials (CTT), said in a statement.

A post on CTT's website reads: "A full write up of the RTTC National Hill Climb Championship Outcomes has been delayed due to some administrative issues which have arisen due to a breach of CTT Regulations. The riders involved have now been informed that following a breach of Regulation 8, which prohibits changing clubs/teams more than once in a calendar year, that they have been disqualified.

"This means that team ASSOS UK Race Team have been disqualified and are not the team champions for the RTTC National Hill Climb. As a result, team Schils-Doltcini RT are the [men's] team champions for the RTTC National Hill Climb.

"It is appreciated that this news will come as a surprise but the Regulations of CTT exist to protect the integrity of the sport of time trialing and a thorough review of the circumstances has been carried out following a request."

In a story on Instagram, Evans revealed the email that had been sent to him regarding his disqualification, under which he commented: "Oh well, was good while it lasted."

The email documented how Evans had changed teams from ASSOS to Black Cat CC in February, before changing back to ASSOS in September. Meanwhile, Drake changed teams from Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli to Port Sunlight Wheelers in July, before changing to ASSOS in October.

The pair were also asked to return their medals to the CTT. The email concludes: "I appreciate you will find this very disappointing but the regulations exist for the good governance and management of time trialing in the UK."

The British National Hill-Climb Championships is usually awash with rim brakes, tubulars, lightweight components, and sketchy weight-weenie modifications, but the 2026 edition forced a rethink of the 'lighter is better' maxim. Sunday's race pitted 464 riders against the storm-battered and sinuous Porlock Toll Road on the Somerset coast.

Although the 5.5% average gradient of the 6.6km (4.1mi) ascent was shallower than recent championship courses, the pure climbers still edged out the time-trialists as Welsh former champions Illi Gardner and Ed Laverack won the women's and open titles.

Sixteen-year-old Decathlon–CMA CGM Juniors rider Erza Bateman set the day's fastest time of 14:31 to win the junior open category, while Mabli Phillips became the junior women's champion in 19:36.

A headwind in the exposed final couple of kilometres of the steady climb drew more attention to aerodynamics than usual. For example, all-round race bikes and even aero bikes were more common this year than in previous editions, where steeper gradients have encouraged contestants to strip back rim–brake bikes to the bare minimum.

Rowan Baker led the aero charge, finishing third in the open category on a Cervelo S5 and wearing a time-trial helmet. The narrow course was strewn with storm debris until hill-climbing stalwart Geoff Ware swept the surface with his tractor the day before the race, but the heightened puncture risk seemed to make ultra-fast and fragile tyres a less popular choice on the day.

The only equipment regulations of the organiser, Cycling Time Trials, are that a bike must have working front and rear brakes (or just a front if fixed gear) and lights, and that the rider wears a helmet. The UCI's 6.8kg minimum weight limit doesn't apply to the UK hill-climbing scene, leading to weight-reducing hacks and bodges that can produce sub-5kg builds.

Equally, hill-climbing's accessibility means you can race on your unmodified road bike – an unfussy setup hasn't stopped Everesting World Record Holder Gardner from winning four national hill-climbing titles and nabbing QOMs from the WorldTour's best climbers.

Cycling Weekly had photographer Mark James on the climb just outside Minehead to capture the action and bike tech. Scroll through the gallery below to see the best bits.

Massive time-trial helmets

It wasn't too long ago that some hill climbers raced without helmets - they became mandatory for the 2022 season, although Tom Bell wore won to win up Winnat's Pass in 2021. Since then it's made sense to wear the lightest helmet possible, but Sunday's climb turned that thinking on its head. Several racers sacrificed a few hundred grams for the potential aero benefit of an oversize time trial helmet.

Rowan Baker, a road racer for domestic team Jakroo Handsling Racing, wore the Specialized S-Works TT 5, the time-trial helmet worn by the likes of Demi Vollering and Remco Evenepoel, while averaging an incredible 463 watts for 15 minutes.

The TT lid appears to have formely belonged to Trinity Racing, the British under-23 development through which stars such as Tom Pidcock and Ben Healy progressed to the elite ranks.

Andy Nichols (Team Lifting Gear Products) wore a first generation Giro Aerohead time-trial helmet aboard his rim-brake Orbea Orca with mid-section wheels, a decidely more aero set-up than he usually opts for.

Here's another S-Works TT 5. Off the bike, it must've been good at keeping out the wind and rain.

Jude 'The Buzzard' Taylor (PB Performance) dusted off a Kask Bambino time-trial helmet, originally released in 2012 for Team Sky. Its shape is much rounder than more modern interations of the helmet, which have longer tails.

This is the POC Procen Air, a time-trial-inspired road helmet that was legal in UCI road races until this season. At 355g, it's slightly heavier than the 350g S-Works TT 5, but still lighter than all-out TT lids, making it a good balance between weight and aerodynamics.

Time-trial bikes

Time trial bikes are legal in hill climbs provided you enter the time trial bike category. This 360 Cycling rider went all in on aero with a Specialized Shiv. It's one of the lightest TT bikes and the mid-depth DT Swiss rims will have reduced the weight further.

Deep wheels

This Specialized Tarmac S-Works SL8 is one of the most striking aero builds seen on the day.

Up front there's a extremely deep rim from Scribe. Excuse the dark lighting, but this looks to be the 100mm deep front wheel of the Tempus Ultra TT wheelset. It's wrapped in a very fast, but puncture-prone Vittoria Corsa Pro Speed time-trial tyre, a bold choice given the road surface conditions.

This looks to be the matching Tempus Ultra TT disc wheel out back. Because the strongest winds were head-on and average speeds were relatively low, this probably didn't cause any handling issues, but it must've been heavy.

This build wouldn't be complete without a huge aero chainring. Although this dinner plate from Pass Quest is narrow-wide, the owner didn't take any chances with chain retention and also fitted a chain catcher. A Quarq D-Zero power meter is bolted to the SRAM Red cranks.

The Deda Alanera integrated bar/stem is long and low to further cut drag.

Aero and all-rounder bikes

This is another shot of Baker's Cervelo S5, the brand's aero road bike. For a typical hill climb, the lighter R5 climbing bike would win out, but this choice chimes with Baker's aero overall focus. Under the influence of the UCI weight limit, Visma-Lease a bike often races the S5 in the mountains weighing close to 7kg, so it's clearly still fast uphill. It rolled on carbon-spoked wheels from Alta Via, a component company that supports his road racing team. I reckon these are 55mm deep.

Gabe Dellar (RideRevolution Coaching CT) won eight of his nine hill climbs before the nationals, favouring his specialist hill climb bike (a rim-brake Focus Izalco Max) for the steeper courses and his road race bike (this Pinarello Dogma F) for the longer, shallower climbs, such as Porlock. It seemed to work, as he came 4th in the open category.

On the Italian brand's do-it-all race bike, he fitted a single chainring to save weight by omitting the inner ring and front derailleur. The aero overshoes and long aero socks are an indicative juxtaposition.

Four-time national hill climb champ Andrew Feather made getting more aero to meet the demands of the Porlock Toll Road a key focus of his season. As told to Road.cc, he switched from a 5.5kg SWI climbing bike to the Specialized Tarmac SL8 lightweight all-rounder and lowered his front end by 5cm by sizing down from a 54cm to 52cm frame and removing spacers.

Under guidance from Dr Xavier Disley's Aerocoach, he also reduced frontal area by lengthening reach with a 130cm stem and narrowing handlebar width by 10cm to 32cm. He even improved the aerodynamics of his signature out-of-the-saddle climbing by placing his hands in the drops. He also switched to the deeper 5am Limitless wheelset from his sponsor Hunt. Finishing a second behind open-category winner Ed Laverack was the reward for his work.

I believe this is the Canyon Aeroad of Solihull CC rider Oliver Tandy. He too has a lighter hill climb bike at his disposal, but favoured a lower-drag option.

Weight-saving tricks

It wouldn't be a hill climb nationals without weight-weenie mods, and even Baker couldn't resist racing without bar tape. This could also be marginally more aerodynamic. His SRAM Red AXS groupset is wireless, so this electrical tape isn't holding cables in place. He may use it to rest his wrists in the aero-hoods position.

Cane Creek eeBrakes are the lightest rim brakes you can buy, at just 85 g per caliper, albeit at a high price, spawning various knock-offs. These appear to be the genuine El Asesino version, though fitted to another SuperSix Evo.

SRAM Red 22 cranks, a small single chainring and Favero Pro RS-2 power meter pedals (one of the lightest and most accurate ways to record watts) are a classic hill climbing combo.

These are on a rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, one of the most popular hill climbing frames on account of its low weight and high availability in the second-hand market.

More proof rim brakes aren't dead, in hill climbs at least. These Dura-Ace R9000 calipers are still very light.

A Winnie the Pooh sticker on a lightweight carbon stem epitomises the quirkiness of hill climbing.

Due to sponsor commitments and the desire to access the latest technology, top hill climbers tend to ride disc brakes these days. Illi Gardner has won several of her women's national titles on discs, but it wasn't until Andrew Feather's 2023 win on the Struggle that a men's champion ditched rim brakes. This is 2026 men's champion Ed Laverack on an Addict RC Ultimate from his new bike sponsor Scott.

Scott says the top-spec SRAM Red AXS build is its lightest ever production race bike. This tier down, with Force AXS, will probably still be nudging 6kg, especially set up 1x.

The Welshman has removed the bottle cages, but not the bolts.

And removed the front derailleur mount and filled in the fitting.

Although Syncros wheels are a stock option and very light depending on the model, Ed opted for something even lighter and used the Brisk Velix-Evo 2 wheels, which are claimed to weigh around 865g for the pair. The hooked wheels feature a 37mm depth and an aerodynamic spoke profile.

Junior men's champion Erza Bateman, who was also the fastest overall, seems to have made few changes to his team-issued Van Rysel RCR-R Pro. With legs as good as his, he didn't need to.

He left on the 2x crankset, and probably did need the big ring at the speed he was travelling.

Notes on Gabe Dellar's stem highlighting the climbing efforts needed for various scenarios, including an effort marker for the last 5 minutes.

I'm guessing this is Kieran Wynne-Cattanach's rim-brake Giant TCR featuring mismatched wheels. At the front, there's what looks like a deep-section HED rim, dwarfing the shallower rear rim, strung with lightweight polymer spokes.

Illi Gardner rose to the occasion at this year's National Hill-Climb championships, winning her fourth title on Porlock Toll Road in Somerset on Sunday.

The men’s race was won by Welshmen Ed Laverack (Assos UK Race Team), but the fastest time of the day was set by 16-year-old Ezra Bateman (Decathlon CMA CGM Juniors) who finished in 14:31, beating Laverack by 0.2 seconds, but he was awarded the junior title, rather than the senior version.

There was no such controversy in the Women’s race, with Gardner, who wears the colours of Cardiff Ajax CC, stopping the clock atop the 6.6km-long climb on to the shoulders of Exmoor at 17:33, beating second-placed Maria Holdcroft (Cowley Road Condors CC) by 40 seconds.

There was some confusion over third place, however, after it was initially given to Rebekah Hendrickse (EMC Cycling), who was then listed as disqualified in the provisional results (seeming for failing to sign on properly), with the last podium spot going to Karolina Zydelyte (Dulwich Paragon CC).

Gardner, who successfully defended her Everesting World Championship title earlier this month, said the weather conditions were awful, but the long course suited her. “On the day I kind of freaked out a bit, and didn't handle it very well,” she told Cycling Weekly afterwards. “But in training I’ve been forcing myself to go out and do efforts when it's not so nice outside, and I think that helps a lot.”

“It's always difficult when it's quite chilly as well. Obviously aerodynamics are important, but it feels horrible to be wearing just a jersey and shorts when it's 10 degrees.”

The 27-year-old admits that her training was a bit up-and-down. “I didn't do a huge amount of hill climbs in the lead up, unfortunately,” she told us, although she did have a solid excuse. “I was hoping to do more, but I did the Everesting World Championships about four weeks ago, so that was obviously a lot longer. It's a 14-hour event, and I was kind of focussed on training for that for a while.”

Neither did she stick to her game plan on the day, but it all worked out well in the end. “I was hoping to pace the effort and leave a bit more energy for that upper section, because, I'd heard people were facing pretty horrific headwinds,” Illi explained. “But I got a bit excited and ended up doing the opposite, and setting out way too hard, and then I was really slogging it into the wind at the top.”

The fastest man at the British National Hill-Climbing Championships was not awarded the overall win due to being a junior rider.

Nationals took place on Porlock Toll Road in Somerset on Sunday, with the fastest time of the day set by 16-year-old Ezra Bateman, but the rider from Scarborough didn’t appear atop the Open podium.

Bateman, who will turn 17 next week, stopped the clock at the top of the 6.6km-long hill climb after 14 minutes and 31 seconds, registering a time that was 0.2 seconds faster than that of Ed Laverack (Assos UK Race Team), who was crowned the winner of the open category for the second time in his career.

Riding in the familiar colours of Decathlon CMA CGM Juniors, Bateman was the last of the juniors to set off on Sunday, when climbers had to contend with extremely gusty conditions as they scaled the steep flanks of Exmoor’s tallest hill, amid the aftermath of Storm Boelo.

Up out of the saddle for much of the long course (6.6km with an average gradient of 5.5%), he caught and passed numerous other riders enroute to victory and beat his nearest rival in the junior category by almost half a minute. However, the second-placed junior, Oliver Swinburn (Velo Club Lincoln), finished in a very impressive time of 14:58, making his the fourth fastest ride of the whole day.

But Neither Bateman nor Swinburn will appear in the Open results, because the senior and junior races are separate events, despite being ridden concurrently, a situation that has caused a flurry of comments on social media.

Bateman took the decision with a degree maturity that shines through in performances on the bike, and when asked by The British Continental whether he should have been awarded the Open championship title, he said: “To be honest, no, because it’s a different category. Even if I set the fastest time, the two categories are different.”

"Ezra Bateman's achievement in recording the fastest time of the day, and becoming Junior Open National Hill Climb Champion, at just 16 years old was exceptional and highlights the exciting young talent coming through our sport," Tim Smith, the new Chair of the CTT, told Cycling Weekly.

"Equally, congratulations to Ed Laverack on becoming Senior Open National Hill Climb Champion for the second time, a fantastic achievement in an incredibly competitive field.

"Age categories have long been an important part of CTT's history and heritage, providing opportunities for riders of all ages to compete, gain recognition and achieve success at national level. They are part of what makes time trialling such an inclusive and accessible sport.

Addressing the question of why Bateman wasn't awarded the overall title, Smith said: “It's all run as one event, but within that event there are different categories and different National Championships. So we have the junior National Championships, the open National Championships, the women's National Championships and the junior women's National Championships.

“Those are the titles we award. And when you enter, the system allocates you to a category based on your gender and your and your age. That's why Ezra was put into the junior category.”

“These things will happen, when you have someone who is clearly as extremely talented as he [Bateman] is,” Smith continued. “I know it was discussed in previous years for the hill climb, when it was thought Harry Hudson might win it. But that didn't happen in the end.

“We have had similar scenarios. even earlier this year, with Leon Adkins, when he won the junior closed circuit at the Road Bike Champs. He won the junior, but his time was good enough that it would have given him third place in the overall as well. He was given junior national champion as opposed to the third in the overall.”

With his 17th birthday falling next week, will have to wait until 2028 to see Bateman race in the Open ranks, but clearly a powerful force is coming.

In the other categories, Illi Gardner (Cardiff Ajax CC) won the women’s event, while Mabli Phillips (Shibden CC) claimed the junior women’s hill climb title. Full reports to come. Christopher Scott was crowned Para Champion, and Geoff Pickin the 2026 Handcycle Champion.

British UCI Continental team Handsling Alba Development Road Team is to become CAMS Alba from 2027 after securing funding from their new title partners, a cycling accident support firm.

The Scottish squad were founded as Alba Development Road Team in 2022, became a UCI Continental team in 2024, and have had multiple promising riders through their ranks, including FDJ United-Suez rider Lauren Dickson. The team won the National Road Series and National Circuit Series through Eilidh Shaw in 2024, and the National Circuit Series last year with Kate Richardson. While competing as a Continental team, and racing domestically and in Europe, they focus on developing riders.

CAMS, which stands for Cycling Accident Management Service, is a company which helps riders manage non-fault claims for personal injury and bike damage. They also support British development team Camsmajaco, and used to provide title sponsorship for UCI Continental team CAMS-Basso, which went onto become DAS-Hutchinson.

Bob Lyons, the team's performance director and manager, welcomed the news: "It's a significant moment for the team, but it is particularly exciting because CAMS already understands the importance of creating opportunities for women in cycling.

"This isn’t simply about putting a name on a jersey. It is about investing in riders and giving talented young women an environment in which they can develop, compete and progress.

"Women’s cycling has grown enormously, but the development pathway beneath the professional level still needs investment. That is the gap Alba exists to address.

"We have seen what is possible, with a rider progressing from Alba to the Women’s WorldTour in each of the last three years. With CAMS behind us, we have an opportunity to build on that work and give even more riders the chance to see how far they can go."

Alba's riders this year included Richardson, who won gold in the team pursuit at the UEC European Track Championships, Maddie Leech, reigning world champion in the Madison, former Lidl-Trek rider Izzy Sharp, and Arabella Blackburn, a junior track world champion.

"We have always believed that supporting cycling means supporting the people within it, and that absolutely includes women and girls," Sam Moss, a director at CAMS, said.

"CAMS has a history of giving women opportunities in cycling, so this partnership with Alba is a natural continuation of something we care deeply about.

"We are particularly passionate about supporting young women. The evidence is clear that girls can miss out on sport at a crucial point in their lives, and we want to be part of creating more opportunities for them to stay involved, develop their confidence and see what is possible.

"We are incredibly proud to put our name behind CAMS Alba and to continue investing in the future of women’s cycling."

CAMS ambassador Dame Laura Kenny added: "Seeing how far women’s cycling has come since I was young is really special, but there is still so much potential to unlock.

"What I love about this partnership is that it is about giving women opportunities. CAMS has been supporting women’s cycling for years, and CAMS Alba is another way of making sure young female riders have the support, environment and belief they need to develop."

The news comes days after it was announced that DAS-Hutchinson, the UK's most successful women's UCI Continental team in recent years, will close down at the end of the year.

Almost exactly a year after joining FDJ United-SUEZ, the top-ranked women's WorldTour team, Lauren Dickson lined up to make her debut at the UCI Road World Championships in Montréal, racing against her teammates, including Demi Vollering, who was destined to take the rainbow jersey.

Dickson finished 18th in the women's elite road race, but representing Great Britain on the global stage and placing in the top 20 is just the latest chapter in an extraordinary story, which has seen the young Scot go from a promising triathlete working jobs in garden centres, offices and schools to becoming a professional cyclist riding alongside the very best in world, in the space of two-and-a-half years.

"I came through a British Triathlon Performance Centre, and right from 16 I was on a British athletics feature programme, a talent course," the Edinburgh-based rider, now 26, explained just ahead of her ride at the Worlds.

During this process, she received physiotherapy and media training, and was taught about nutrition and so on, but she credits her exposure to 'real life' as a significant motivating factor during her journey to becoming a full-time cyclist.

"Having worked in an office, I can be even more grateful that this is my career, because I know that, for me, sitting in the office, all I'm thinking about is training before and after work. That's all I want to do. So then, when [cycling] is your job, it feels even more special."

The dream-like odyssey Dickson has been on for the last couple of years was, in part, sparked by encouraging comments from Australian rider Anya Louw, which came about through pure serendipity.

"My husband [fellow Scot Sean Flynn] is a professional cyclist, and I was training with him and his housemate, who was a WorldTour rider. [Louw] saw my numbers and she was like, ‘You know, you really should try cycling," Dickson recalls.

"I'd always loved riding, like it was always my favourite part of the training for triathlon – on big group rides, you get to see different places – but it was only when Anya said 'You really should give it a go, what have you got to lose?’, [that's when] I started to do it and started to realise, actually, yeah, it's really fun."

Her debut WorldTour season has not been without its challenges. Following a breakthrough ride at the Women's Giro - her first Grand Tour - where she was instrumental in Demi Vollering's overall win and took 11th herself, she sustained a collarbone fracture at Tour de Suisse. She came back at the Tour of Britain Women where she won Queen of the Mountains jersey, but two crashes ended her hopes of a top-ten finish.

She bounced back in style with her first professional win on stage four of the Faun Tour Femme in early September, and says training and competing alongside riders like Vollering, with whom she shares a coach, has been a priceless education in itself.

"It's one of those cliches, but if you learn from the best, it's the best way to do it, and I really think it's true," she said, explaining how exposure to more experienced elite riders and the FDJ team psychology has shaped the mindset she takes into races.

"You're really ambitious and you know what your end goal is, and you really focus on having a plan to get there. We want to try and shape the race to play to our advantage. Learning how to do that, and learning by doing so what other teams might also do, so you're prepared mentally and like physically you're ready for what's likely to happen - it's really important."

The Worlds are done and dusted, and her debut professional road season is almost behind her (the Scot will be one of four British riders to compete at the European championships in Ljubljana, Slovenia, this weekend, where she will ride the elite women's time trial while Ethan Hayter and Callum Thornley will ride the elite men's, and Ben Wiggins will ride the under-23 time trial. )

But Dickson has even bigger goals in her sights, including the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. "It's really ambitious, but I guess I'm working towards that,” she revealed. "I'm really trying to focus on the road and the time trial. It's something that we're going to invest in over the winter this year.

"In cycling, a lot of things can happen, so you make most of everything. Setting my sights on LA would be a huge dream."

“I had two goals going into the race,” Isla Short told Cycling Weekly, the day after winning the 3-Peaks Cyclo-cross challenge, justifiably deemed as Britain’s toughest event of its kind. “They were kind of pipe dreamy goals because it was my first time and I really didn't know what would happen. And I achieved both of them.”

Her first goal was to win the race. The second was to set a new course record. Not a bad Sunday’s work really, especially for someone who has barely ever competed in a senior cyclo-cross event in her adult life.

Having announced her retirement from elite-level World Cup mountain bike racing at the end of last month, four-time British national MTB champion Isla Short emerged victorious from the 3-Peaks Cyclo-cross challenge on Sunday, in her debut appearance at the infamously tough event in the Yorkshire Dales.

The 30-year-old Scot beat three-time 3-Peaks winner, Bryony Halcrow, and also set a new women’s record for the legendary 61km (38-mile) course, finishing in 03:36:30, despite her lack of experience with dropbars.

“When I was younger, I raced a lot of the Scottish Cycle Cross series, and then I raced a couple of national trophies,” she explained to CW. “And I've done one race in Belgium, three or four years ago. But I would say this is quite different. It didn't feel like a cyclo-cross race as such. It just felt like big adventure.

“I only got my gravel bike three weeks ago. And I've never ridden on the drops before either, so I've been putting my heart and soul into trying to be as prepared as possible.”

Halcrow's Hope Tech Factory Racing teammate Madeline Moorhouse-Smith was third-placed in the women's race, but as with the men’s race – in which Lachlan Morton beat Giles Drake in a thrilling sprint finish – it was the contest between the leading pair that defined the day.

While Short’s wealth of mountain bike experience was obviously invaluable, the strict rules around the 3-Peaks prohibit straight handlebars and place limits on tyre size, despite the high technicality of the course. It’s a unique race, and being a newcomer, the challenger was at a disadvantage against Halcrow, who is also an accomplished fell runner (useful when at least 6km of the route is deemed completely unrideable).

“I'd spoken to lots of people who had done the race and the chat was very much centred around it being awful and very hard, and how I would be full of regret while I was doing it and then after I finished, I would think: ‘Oh, that was amazing – I'll do it again’. And because I went in with that mindset, prepared for it to be really brutal, it was actually way more enjoyable than I had anticipated.”

I do quite a lot of running, I would say, for a mountain biker, obviously not compared to Bryony, but I run on average 10k a week and then a little bit more in the winter and I do a lot of hiking as well. So, I felt, I actually felt reasonably prepared for those sections, and it was kind of nice as well, because all the, everyone was questioning that part of my skills, and I felt like a bit of a secret weapon.

But I have a metal plate in my collarbone, so I have been stressing and figuring out how I could actually tolerate having the bike on my shoulder for any length of time. I've been made fun of for having top tube padding, but honestly, I wouldn't have been able to carry the bike without it, so needs must.

“Bryony is a very good descender on foot, I noticed especially, but also on the bike, on drop bars,” Short said. “And, [her] having ridden the descents four times before, versus me having never ridden them, there was a clear disparity in our level there.

“I think the biggest thing isn’t necessarily the drops, it’s the lack of suspension. I don't ride a hardtail, I only ride a full-suspension mountain bike. When you hit rocks and stuff on a full-suss bike, the rocks get out of the way, whereas when you hit stuff on a rigid drop-bar bike, you move and not the rocks.

“I didn't have a dropper on the bike. I wanted to fit one, but unfortunately the frame wasn't compatible. I was speaking to Bryony at the finish and she said that was a change that she’d made that really helped. So I need to have a think about that for next year.”

The two riders swapped the lead several times throughout the race, but rarely found themselves together. “I summited every climb first,” recalls Short. “After Ingleborough, Bryony got me on the descent. The road section from Ribblehead back to Pen-y-Ghent was awful. The headwind was relentless and I didn't have anyone with me. I was just riding, hoping that Bryony was also on her own.

I knew Pen-y-Ghent would be my strongest climb, because it was the most rideable, so I made sure I fuelled really well so I came into the bottom of the ascent able to give it everything. I caught her halfway up, and I just tried to get the gap as big as possible at the summit because I knew she was descending quicker than me. I definitely went faster than I would have liked to on the descent because I knew she was chasing me.”

In the end, both lead riders broke Louise Robinson’s course record for the race, which has stood since 2003, despite the ground conditions being really wet, and raging headwinds kicking in after Ingleborough.

“There's a 3-hour 30-minute carrot dangling for both of us for next year,” says Short. “And I think both Briony and I have kind of got that in our sights now.”

First though, she is off to South Africa to race Gravel Burn. Since deciding to retire from World Cup mountian biking, she is focussing more on marathon MTB, but it definitely seems like Short is leaning into the gravel scene too, and in true style, she’s jumping in at the deep end.

Given the bicycle had yet to be invented, it's unlikely that Scots poet Robert Burns was thinking of place-to-place record rides when he wrote "The best laid schemes of mice and men", but he may as well have been.

'The most careful plans can go awry' is the sentiment, and record rider Kim Barfoot-Brace experienced this aphorism in motion at the weekend when, apparently against all the odds, she set a new provisional mark for the women's 'Side to Side'. Her 16hr 38min 20sec took 13min 36sec off Marina Bloom's 22-year-old previous best.

Run off under the auspices of the Road Records Association (RRA), the Side to Side takes riders across the 'waist' of Britain, from Pembroke in Wales to Great Yarmouth on the Norfolk coast – a distance, in theory, of 349 miles by road.

Barfoot-Brace (Eat Plants Not Pigs / Bath CC), a former Best British All-Rounder with multiple National 12-hour titles to her name, had been thinking about the Side to Side record, which runs close to her Bath home, for three years.

When Cycling Weekly caught up with the 45-year-old she was still recovering from the endeavour both mentally and physically. Her support crew, she said, had also suffered a "huge toll". Considerable previous experience with 12-hour time trialling had not prepared any of them for the challenges they would face.

"As much as you can plan your route and you've got this detailed schedule that you do for the RRA, there are so many things that crop up that you don't plan for," she said. "Within a 12-hour race, you're going round in a circuit. You've got your support crew. You've got loads of other people around. If things go wrong, you can get it fixed really quickly."

On the record ride though, on-the-go fixes became a real mental test. "Not just for me, but my support crew as well, and my husband. He's supported me so many times in the National 12, and he said this was next level. And I could tell that for the three of them, including the timekeeper, it had taken a huge toll," said Barfoot-Brace.

The hurdles the team had to face began even before the attempt began, with a road closure early on the route that forced a diversion. But that was the easy part. More difficult to deal with was her bike computer going into meltdown after five hours after she took a wrong turn. The spare bike – with her husband's spare computer – didn't help either. It had the same problem.

"I basically had no navigation on my bike computer from Abergavenny," she said. Neither did she have her power, or heart rate in front of her.

It meant she had to rely on the crew guiding her through the various cities along the way – Cheltenham, Oxford, Cambridge – as well as the other, unexpected, road closures they came across.

Having crossed into England and navigated Cheltenham with the crew's help, she said, "I just felt so disheartened. I was like, 'What is going on?' I already felt tired then."

Eventually her husband saved the day by editing the GPX file on his laptop so it worked, but more computer woes were still to come later, including an accidental switch to indoor mode that saw her bike computer lose all useful parameters, as well as indicate that she had fallen way down on schedule. It was the last straw, she said.

"Bear in mind that by this point, it was 10 hours in, something like that. So I just lost the plot," says Barfoot-Brace. "I was really confused, and I stopped, and I was crying and crying. I got the crew to stop behind me. And I was like, 'What am I doing? Am I completely wasting my time? I'm going backwards'.

"And they were like, 'No, no, it's still possible. It's still possible'," she says. "And while I wasted some time in that panic and talking to them about it, it was kind of good because I was like, 'Right, like, I've had enough technology. I just, I'm not looking at anything.'"

There was one more complex and unexpected detour to come, plus, she says, "a bit of a panic attack" after losing the crew on a particularly scary junction of duel carriageways around Cambridge. ("Some of those roads are terrifying," she says). But once through the eastern university city, Great Yarmouth was almost near enough for the aroma of fish and chips to carry on the wind.

"I just thought, right, I know where I'm going now, that's it, head down. And I just absolutely nailed it the last few hours," says Barfoot-Brace. "I had moments, like, oh god, my saddle sores, and then my feet, and whatever. But I was just so focused. I thought, I cannot not get this record."

Despite all the difficult moments, there were good ones, too. There was support from family, from old teammates, and also fellow RRA record breakers Chris Murray, and Lee Williams, who holds the men's Side to Side mark at 14hr 00min 40sec. "Every time I saw them I was in tears," she says.

Barfoot-Brace describes the record ride as "against the odds", and very different to the picture she had in her head beforehand of being "blown from one side of the country to the other" on a 23mph average. In the end she averaged just under 21.43mph (34.5kph) for a ride that included an extra seven-and-a-half miles thanks to all the deviations required.

Given it didn't go half as smoothly as it could have done, you could forgive Barfoot-Brace for feeling as though there is unfinished business with the Side to Side. Indeed, she says, if she were to make another place-to-place attempt, it would probably be to repeat this one. She feels, she says, a lot of affinity with the course. For now though, after thinking about doing it for three years, she is happy just to have done it.

"I didn't really think it would happen this year after some of the other things that popped up," she says. "It feels really good actually – and I'm sure my family agree – that I've got it done, and I'm not going to talk about it anymore."

Ride Revolution are not the first British club team to declare that they want to go pro. In the past couple of years, there have been whispers of others wanting to move to UCI Continental level, not least Raptor Factory Racing, who declared this time last year that they were aiming to move up. That didn’t come to pass.

Since Trinity Racing and Saint Piran disappeared in 2024, there has been no domestic men’s conti team, if you don’t count Netcompany-Ineos Racing Academy, who are a WorldTour development squad.

However, hoping to change that in the next two years are Ride Revolution. The Milton Keynes-based club have been ever-present in domestic racing in the past couple of years, along with some forays abroad, and want to move up a level.

Their aim is to become a Continental team by 2028, not jumping up immediately. Their mid-August Instagram post explained: “For the last few seasons, we’ve been building Ride Revolution, one small step at a time. From domestic racing, to National Series success, to our first UCI races and international campaigns, every season has taken us a little further. Now, we’re ready to take a much bigger step.

“Our goal is to build Ride Revolution towards a professional level and establish a genuine UK development pathway supported by the people, partners, equipment and infrastructure required to compete at that level.”

Founded and run by Jake Hales, alongside team manager Zak Dawson, the pair are keen for the growth to be sustainable, as the latter explained to Cycling Weekly last week: “We’ve said 18 months because we know there are challenges. Jake has ridden on a Continental team before, and knows the level it needs to be, and we want to professionalise and give the riders the opportunity.”

“We’re not trying to do this to make money, if we could see our team as a Continental squad racing around the world, how cool would that be?” he continued. “We’re not just a race team with someone owning us, and we want to say to the top riders in the UK we can offer you a full programme, come on board. There’s a story line of trying to create a development team and create opportunities, but also have a bit of fun.”

There’s also the coaching side, which is how Ride Revolution began in the first place, in 2019. Dawson said: “It’s a sustainable method of bringing them in, coaching them, and also offering a race programme. We could have come out with the news and said we need this amount of money, but it’s about what can be sustainable to continue our growth.”

“I’m organising the races and the riders, while Jake’s overseeing the whole programme, the coaching, and the selection,” he continued. “Between the two of us, it’s become a passion project. Since the start of last year, we also had a coaching client come onboard, offering his support to the team, which was a really good help.

There are currently eight British Cycling-backed Elite Development Teams. Ride Revolution were not among those in 2026, but they want to go bigger.

“We want to try and create a platform for British cycling because it has been lacking, and a lot of riders on the UK scene need a way through,” Dawson says.

2027 will be a year for progress, and attempting to prove to sponsors that they should back the outfit: “It’s about showing the professional side next year, offering opportunities, showing that we can achieve what we want to achieve before we take the big step.”

The reaction has been good so far, Dawson said: “When we announced it, we were sceptical about whether it would go well or not, but we’ve done really well. There has been a lot of support for it, people have been coming up at races to mention it, and the overall attitude is that we can make this work.”

However, the real work begins, with partners needed to make the dream a reality. Elite and under-23 riders are also encouraged to apply.

“We’re open to any kind of conversation,” Dawson said. “We need support from people, staff, riders, others that have gone through this process. Ideally, we’re looking to bring more sponsors, as Ride Revolution is currently the only one. We want to stay the same team, but we’re open to others coming on board. The more people we can get, the more hype we can create, the more chance we have of success.”

It's always a big moment for any bike race fan when top-flight racing comes to your home country, and the Brits have been spoiled of late, first with the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women and now, beginning on Wednesday in Lincoln, the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men too.

UK fans will have the chance to see some of the world's best bike racing talent in their home race, which runs for five stages until Sunday. The line-up includes Tour de France stage winners Tim Merlier (Soudal Quick-Step) and Olav Kooij (Decathlon CMA CGM), world champions past and present in the form of new MTB champ Tom Pidcock (Pinarello Q36.5) and multiple time trial champ Filippo Ganna (Netcompany-Ineos).

There will also be the annual appearance from a Great Britain national team, led by Ben Wiggins, and the race also offers a welcome opportunity for the numerous Continental-level teams lining up to race against the world's best.

Here is the full start list as it currently stands. The race begins on Wednesday 2 September in Lincoln, running to Sunday in the south of Scotland.

UAE Team Emirates-XRG
Mikkel Bjerg (Den, 27)
Benoît Cosnefroy (Fra, 30)
Felix Großschartner (Aut, 32)
Nils Politt (Ger, 32)
Tim Wellens (Bel, 35)
Florian Vermeersch (Bel, 27)

Decathlon CMA CGM
Olav Kooij (Ned, 24)
Cees Bol (Ned, 30)
Stan Dewulf (Bel, 29)
Robbe Ghys (Bel, 29)
Daan Hoole (Ned, 27)
Émilien Jacquelin (Fra, 24)

Netcompany-Ineos
Filippo Ganna (Ita, 30)
Kim Heiduk (Ger, 26)
Artem Shmidt (Usa, 22)
Ben Swift (Gbr, 38)
Connor Swift (Gbr, 30)
Sam Welsford (Aus, 30)

Soudal Quick-Step
Jasper Stuyven (Bel, 34)
Pascal Eenkhoorn (Ned, 29)
Laurenz Rex (Bel, 26)
Tim Merlier (Bel, 33)
Ilan Van Wilder (Bel, 26)
Dylan Van Baarle (Ned, 34)

NSN Cycling
Ryan Mullen (Irl, 32)
Alessandro Pinarello (Ita, 23)
Dion Smith (Nzl, 33)
Jake Stewart (Gbr, 26)
Ethan Vernon (Gbr, 25)
Lewis Askey (Gbr, 25)

Pinarello Q36.5
Sam Bennett (Irl, 35)
Fabio Christen (Swi, 24)
Mark Donovan (Gbr, 27)
Kamil Małecki (Pol, 28)
Xandro Meurisse (Bel, 34)
Matteo Moschetti (Ita, 30)

Tudor Pro Cycling
Rick Pluimers (Ned, 25)
Matteo Trentin (Ita, 37)
Petr Kelemen (Cze, 25)
Jacob Eriksson (Swe, 26)
Yannis Voisard (Che, 28)
Robin Donzé (Che, 22)

Modern Adventure Pro Cycling
Samuel Flórez (Col, 21)
Ian López (USA, 22)
Brody McDonald (USA, 23)
Riley Pickrell (Can, 25)
Mark Stewart (Gbr, 30)
Paul Wright (Nzl, 28)

Flanders-Baloise
Siebe Deweirdt (Bel, 24)
Brem Deman (Bel, 25)
Elias Maris (Bel, 25)
Henri Vandenabeele (Bel, 26)
Dylan Vandenstorme (Bel, 23)
Ward Vanhoof (Bel, 31)

Great Britain
Ben Wiggins (Gbr, 21)
Elliot Rowe (Gbr, 20)
William Smith (Gbr, 22)
Jacob Bush (Gbr, 21)
Matthew Bostock (Gbr, 29)
Oliver Wood (Gbr, 30)

United Shipping
János Pelikán (Hun, 31)
Erik Fetter (Hun, 26)
Veljko Stojnić (Srb, 27)
Tomáš Přidal (Cze, 22)
Michal Schuran (Cze, 30)
Nikiforos Arvanitou (Gre, 23)

Tarteletto-Isorex
Gianni Marchand (Bel, 36)
Timothy Dupont (Bel, 38)
Yorben Lauryssen (Bel, 24)
Lennert Teugels (Bel, 33)
Jonah Killy (USA, 23)
Arne Santy (Bel, 25)

Bike Aid
Oliver Mattheis (Ger, 31)
Kristiāns Belohvoščiks (Lat, 24)
Lennard Sternsdorff (Ger, 21)
Victor Vidal (Fra, 27)
Karl Hall (Ger, 22)
Oscar Schempp (Ger, 21)

Lucky Sport
Hjalmar Klyver (Swe, 25)
Teodor De Luca (Swe, 20)
Frank Aron Ragilo (Est, 22)
Axel Källberg (Swe, 22)
Simen Evertsen-Hegreberg (Nor, 22)
Vilmer Ekman (Swe, 19)

Storck-MRW Bau
Matt Walls (Gbr, 28)
Edgar David Cadena (Mex, 26)
Alvaro Sagrado (Esp, 25)
Noé Ury (Lux, 22)
Robin Kull (Che, 24)
Jakob Neumann (Ger, 19)

St Michel-Preference Home-Auber 93
Lucas Bénéteau (Fra, 24)
Axel Bouquet (Fra, 20)
Thomas Champion (Fra, 27)
Théo Delacroix (Fra, 27)
Romain Cardis (Fra, 33)
Yohann Simon (Fra, 24)

APS Pro Cycling-Cadence Cyclery
Andrew Lydic (USA, 24)
Adam Lewis (Gbr, 30)
Conn McDunphy (Irl, 29)
Ronan O'Connor (Irl, 22)
Ethan Dunham (USA, 23)
Cian Keogh (Irl, 27)

BHS-PL Beton Bornholm
Marcus Sander Hansen (Den, 26)
Emil Schandorff Iwersen (Den, 24)
Asger Røjbek Sørensen (Den, 23)
Sebastian Vestergaard (Den, 20)
Boas Lysgaard (Den, 21)
Victor Johannsen (Den, 20)

Former South African road champion S’annara Grove left the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women on Friday after she was provisionally suspended by the International Testing Agency (ITA).

The 32-year-old did not start stage three of the Women's WorldTour race after she was handed an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for Ipamorelin, a peptide, by the ITA.

The test was conducted during the Commonwealth Games, where Grove represented South Africa on the track. She was racing this week's Tour of Britain for Smurfit Westrock, a British Continental squad.

The statement from the ITA reads: "The ITA reports that a sample collected during an out-of-competition testing mission conducted by the Commonwealth Sport on 28 July 2026 from S’annara Grove, a rider from South Africa, has returned an AAF for ipamorelin. The test was carried out in the scope of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, which took place in Glasgow, Scotland, from 23 July to 2 August 2026.

"Ipamorelin is prohibited under the 2026 WADA Prohibited List as S2. Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics. It is prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition) and is a non-specified substance. Ipamorelin is a synthetic peptide used to stimulate the body’s natural production of growth hormone.

"The rider has been informed of the case and, in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and Article 6.2.1 of the UCI Regulations for Results Management, a mandatory provisional suspension has been imposed on the rider. The rider has the right to challenge the provisional suspension and ask for its lifting.

"Given that the case is underway, there will be no further comments made."

Smurfit Westrock team manager Rick Lister shared a statement with Cycling Weekly confirming that Grove was notified of an adverse analytical finding from during her time with her national team.

"As a result, S’annara has been suspended from the team with immediate effect pending the outcome of the relevant testing and appeals process," the statement read.

"The team operates a strict anti-doping policy and is fully committed to promoting clean sport.

"As this is an ongoing process, we are unable comment further at this stage."

The stage that Grove did not start was won by Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal) atop the Great Orme on Friday, which moved the Mauritian champion into the race lead.

Handsling Alba Development Road rider Arabella Blackburn’s first ever Lloyds Tour of Britain Women stage was an eventful affair.

On the 158.9km stage starting and finishing in the Cumbrian town of Cockermouth, the 18-year-old made it into the breakaway alongside Picnic PostNL’s Audrey de Keersmaeker before being stung by a wasp and dropping back to the peloton.

The Scot eventually finished the race down in 96th place, 12 minutes behind winner Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-ProTime).

“I'm just cycling along and suddenly get a really sharp pain in my leg and I was like: that's quite unpleasant,” Blackburn told Cycling Weekly while warming down after the stage.

“I looked down, there's this thing just stinging me,” she continued. “I had to flick it off and it must have left a sting in me or something because it just kept throbbing and throbbing and throbbing. I did ask for some antihistamine, but I never got that. So, I just kind of bit my lip and kept going, but it's quite painful.”

Blackburn continued with De Keersmaeker for a while longer, before being dropped by the rider who went on to claim the Queen of the Mountains classification for the day.

Racing for more than four hours, the opening day of the race was Blackburn’s longest in her career. Recently second place in the Curlew Cup, Blackburn only turns 19 in December.

“It was quite painful. I was just kind of suffering quite a bit… It's my longest race, so it's just been a really hard day out on the bike… I think I might have been stung once before, but I've never had it that painful before. So yeah, first time for everything,” she added.

The teenager is one of Great Britain’s brightest young talents and shone at last year’s Road World Championships in Kigali, Rwanda.

While this is the biggest and hardest race of her career to date, Blackburn is keen to show her face at the front of the peloton in the rest of the race.

“I think I'd like to get in some more breakaways this week,” Blackburn said. “I think that's a nice way to approach the race and I don't just want to sit in the bunch and roll around. I'd rather actually go and do some racing.”

“It was really nice to be off the front and all the crowds were amazing when I was out there.”

Lorena Wiebes sprinted to victory at the end of a tough Lloyds Tour of Britain Women stage one in Cockermouth after a chaotic finale.

Her SD Worx-Protime team were active throughout Wednesday's opening stage, ensuring that their star woman was in the right place to win at the end. It was not the enormous margin of victory that Wiebes is normally used to, but it was still a dominant victory ahead of Chiara Consonni (Canyon-SRAM) and Josie Nelson (Picnic PostNL).

Multiple attacks in the last 40km of the day briefly looked to break what was left of the peloton up, but nothing stuck, with Wiebes being present at the end to take her eighth Tour of Britain stage. SD Worx were in control, with five riders in the bunch of 32 which made it to the line.

Having won the stage, Wiebes went into the green leader's jersey, four seconds ahead of Consonni, thanks to bonus seconds, with Karlijn Swinkels (UAE Team L'IMAD) in third, a second further back, due to bonus seconds picked up earlier in the day.

"Lotte [Kopecky] brought Mischa [Bredewold] and me perfectly into the final corner with around 500 metres to go," Wiebes said post-race. "Mischa then kept the speed high, and with 200 metres remaining I was able to launch my sprint. It was executed really well.

"It’s a really nice way to start the Tour of Britain, especially compared to last year. Hopefully we can keep this momentum going over the next few days."

Her sports director Christian Kos said: "Perfect teamwork today, and we’re very happy with the result. A great start to the Tour of Britain."

How it happened

A flurry of attacks kickstarted the day, but the bunch was kept together for the early intermediate sprint, where bonus seconds were taken by Karlijn Swinkels and Lara Gillespie (UAE Team L’IMAD) and Kim Le Court-Pienaar (AG Insurance-Soudal).

An attack from Handsling Alba Development’s Arabella Rosalie Blackburn was followed by Audrey De Keersmaeker (Picnic PostNL) to establish the day’s break. Blackburn was caught with 56km to go, while De Keersmaeker remained out front.

With 36km to go on Parsonby Brow, the peloton approached De Keersmaeker but the group was strung out, potentially distancing some. The last rider in the breakaway was caught just over the top of the climb. Le Court-Pienaar was a regular presence at the front of the race, but Lorena Wiebes (SD Worx-Protime) still refused to be dropped.

The attacks did not stop coming in the final 16km, with Pfeiffer Georgi (Picnic PostNL) and Lauren Dickson (FDJ United-Zuez) trading blows in an attempt to break the race up. Next was Kate Courtney (FDJ United SUEZ), but there was not quite enough in the course to cause defined selections.

A group of four escaped with 13km to go, formed of the SD Worx-Protime duo of Mischa Bredewold and Steffi Häberlin, with Aude Biannic (Movistar) and Riejanne Markus (Lidl-Trek). However, this was quickly shut down, with Liane Lippert (Movistar) and Le Court-Pienaar starting the next move. A group of around 10 briefly separated off the front but what was left of the peloton reeled them in once again, with 9.4km to go.

With 2km to go, what was left of the bunch was all together, read for a mass sprint in Cockermouth, with SD Worx in control on the descent into the town. Georgi was present to help her teammate Josie Nelson, but nothing could stop the SD Worx surge, with Wiebes predictably prevailing.

Results

Lloyds Tour of Britain Women 2026 stage one: Cockermouth > Cockermouth

1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, in 4:03:09
2. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon-SRAM
3. Josie Nelson (GBr) Picnic PostNL
4. Quinty Ton (Ned) Liv AlUla Jayco
5. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco
6. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) AG Insurance-Soudal
7. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'Imad
8. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar
9. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime
10. Fleur Moors (Bel) Lidl-Trek, all at same time

General classification after stage one

1. Lorena Wiebes (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, in 4:02:59
2. Chiara Consonni (Ita) Canyon-SRAM, +4s
3. Karlijn Swinkels (Ned) UAE Team L'Imad, +5s
4. Josie Nelson (GBr) Picnic PostNL, +6s
5. Mischa Bredewold (Ned) SD Worx-Protime, +7s
6. Kim Le Court-Pienaar (Mau) AG Insurance-Soudal, +8s
7. Quinty Ton (Ned) Liv AlUla Jayco, +10s
8. Caroline Andersson (Swe) Liv AlUla Jayco
9. Letizia Borghesi (Ita) AG Insurance-Soudal
10. Liane Lippert (Ger) Movistar, all at same time

Welsh cyclist and pedalling polymath Anna Morris has won the first iteration of the North Yorkshire Grand Prix at Ampleforth Abbey since the event was renamed, sprinting to victory ahead of Melanie Rowe (camsmajaco) and Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning).

Morris only began cycling seriously relatively late in life, when she took up the sport while studying medicine at the University of Southampton. Since then she has thrice broken a world record and become a world champion track cyclist.

Now 31, Morris works as a medical doctor when she’s not riding and most recently won two golds and a bronze medal for Wales at the Commonwealth Games just two weeks ago. Later this week she will start the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women as part of the Great Britain team, but over the weekend just gone, she had a grand prix to win.

Formerly known as the Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix, the historic race was held at Ampleforth Abbey, and this year it was contested in treacherous conditions, with torrential rain poured down on the 57-rider peloton while it negotiated the infamously lumpy course. After months of dry, hot weather, the deluge meant the roads were very slippery.

Stakes were doubly high for Lily Martin, who was vying with Morven Yeoman (DAS-Hutchinson) for the prestigious National Road Series title in the final race of the season. The Lightning rider made repeated attacks, and leaving the abbey grounds at the beginning of the second long circuit lap she finally managed to get away. But she didn’t escape Morris, who successfully went with her.

Melanie Rowe, who is just 17 years old, also joined them, and the front three soon established a lead of almost 90 seconds over the 10-strong chasing pack. By the third lap, their advantage had blown right out to five minutes, and with an unassailable lead, all that remained during the last circuit was for the trio to battle over podium spots.

With 150 metres to go, Morris made her move, taking victory a year after she missed out on winning the Rapha Super-League by five points. After a hugely impressive ride, Rowe secured second place, beating Martin into third spot. The youngster, who placed third in this year’s junior Liège-Bastogne-Liège, finished fifth overall in the National Road Series, and is clearly one to watch in the future.

There were double celebrations for two riders at the North Yorkshire Grand Prix this weekend, with Tom Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) and Morven Yeoman (DAS-Hutchinson both being crowned dual 2026 National Road Series and Rapha Super-League champions.

With the woman’s event being won by the track star and recent Commonwealth Games medallist Anna Morris, and Sebastian Grindley (Lidl-Trek Future Racing) taking victory in the open race, neither Yeoman or Armstrong stepped onto the podium, but both scored enough points to see their names added to the prestigious titles.

Armstrong had already all-but sewn up the National Road Series, but trailed Ollie Wood by 13 points in the Super Series.

“I'd gone into it with the idea of just making it a hard race for Ollie from the gun,” Armstrong told Cycling Weekly. “With it being 160km and having those two climbs every lap, I went out from the beginning to make it as hard as I could, try and form a group at the front and then force it away.”

“We ended up in that front group with everyone that you would want to race against – it was full of the favourites. I really wanted to try and manufacture a bit of a situation where Tom (Martin) could, could try and have a go at winning.

“It worked out really well. We were first and second in the series, and we were both in that move as well. I think we knew we'd got the road series sewn up then, so it was just racing for the day after that.”

Armstrong is particularly proud of taking the prestigious National Road Series title. “Coming from the Star Trophy and the Premier Calendar to being called the National Road Race Series – I think you only have to look at the names on the trophy to see which one has more history.

“Last year I probably didn't commit to the [Rapha] events as much as I could have done – or maybe they didn't go my way. I was third in it last year, but it wasn't something that I was actively chasing. Then this year, the races that were part of the series were also races that I really wanted to target. I really enjoy crit racing. I didn't win one of the rounds in the Rapha series, but I was super consistent.”

For Yeoman, the situation was reversed. She had a comfortable lead in the Super-League, but the standings were tight at the top in the National Road Series, with Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning) biting at her heels. Although she had led the series since Lincoln, just 18 points separated the pair at the beginning of the weekends’ race, formerly known as the Ryedale GP.

“At Lancaster, I was second, behind Lily,” Yeoman told Cycling Weekly. "I thought yep, I need to watch Lily… she's super strong. I had a sickness bug going into South Moulton. I hadn't eaten for like three days before the race and I was just running on fumes… that was damage limitations. And then I was just trying to stay consistent for the um last two rounds in Curlew and Rydell.”

The situation made for an exciting finish for spectators, but it was nerve-wracking for the 22-year-old, who is about to embark on the Tour of Britain Women.

“Normally, I'm very relaxed going into races,” she said. “But I was definitely very nervous. I've never been in this situation before, so I feel like a lot of pressure – not from anyone else, not from the team, just myself. I was like, well, what's this feeling? This is crazy.

“Lily attacked on the first lap and I was kind of shocked,” Yeoman continued. “From then the attacks kept happening. I knew I needed to pace myself, because this race is very attritional and I didn't want to blow up and lose the jersey completely… I just needed to focus on the sprint, get the points that I need.”

Ultimately, Martin finished third, but with her sixth-place spot Yeoman won the National Series by 12 points, and the Super League by 58 points. She says she will treasure both trophies, but for different reasons.

“The Road Series has been a long-running thing, and when I got the trophy yesterday, you can really see the history and the level of riders that have been on there. Most recently, Robyn [Clay], my teammate from last year, who has moved up to the WorldTour. It's really nice to have my name engraved on that prestigious trophy.

“And the Rapha series is also very nice because it's a modern event – something that kind of brought the life back to British racing. I feel like it has reinvigorated the racing scene by incorporating both the road and the crits into one series. Not having them as separate series keeps everyone on their toes a little bit. So yeah, I think they're both important to the British scene.”

Five WorldTour teams have been announced for the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men, as part of 18 squads for the race which begins on 2 September in Lincoln.

British team Netcompany-Ineos will be there, as they have for every Tour of Britain since 2010, along with recent Tour de France winners UAE Team Emirates-XRG. Also taking part are Belgium-based Soudal Quick-Step, the most successful team in the modern history of the event (having taken 27 stage wins), plus Decathlon CMA CGM (France) and NSN Cycling (Switzerland), who count British rider Lewis Askey among their ranks.

This is one better than the number of WorldTour teams who took part in 2024, but it’s significantly down from the nine who competed in Britain's biggest bike race last year, with Visma-Lease a Bike among the top teams not returning in 2026.

Because the Tour of Britain is a ProSeries event, rather than part of the WorldTour circuit, the UCI’s elite teams are not obliged to be part of the race, and several factors influence sporting directors’ decisions about whether or not their squads should participate.

For starters, the Tour of Britain overlaps with the Vuelta a Espana, which is a WorldTour event. Once upon a time, teams would toss up whether to use the Tour of Britain or the Vuelta as a warm-up for the UCI World Road Racing Championships, which are due to be held in Quebec, Canada, 20–27 September. However, this year the British tour has been reduced to a five-day format – to maintain equity with the Tour of Britain Women’s race – which has arguably reduced its appeal as ideal preparation event.

Another undeniable factor impacting the decision-making process of teams based in the European Union, when contemplating the pros and cons of taking part in the Tour of Britain, are the significant additional costs and logistical hurdles caused by Brexit.

Nevertheless, the competition for the green jersey will be intense, and joining the WorldTour teams will be several pro teams, including Pinarello Q36.5 – who count 2022 Tour of Britain runner-up Tom Pidcock and current national road race champion Fred Wright among their squad – and Swiss team Tudor, who finished third overall in last year’s team’s classification.

Flanders-Baloise (Belgium) are returning for their 13th time at the Tour of Britain, having won the first version of the modern race in 2004 and taken home the king of the mountains jersey in 2025, thanks to the climbing skills of Victor Vercouillie, while Modern Adventure Pro Cycling from the USA are making their debut.

Eight UCI Continental teams are also taking part for the first time, including St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 from France, who have a 30-year history in the sport and have participated in the Tour de France participations, and the Germany based squad Bike Aid, who promote cycling in developing countries and champion humanitarian and social causes.

Completing the line-up is the Great Britain Cycling Team, participating in the tour for the 19th time, providing home fans with a chance to see the country’s most promising riders racing against the world’s best teams on home roads.

“With experienced teams and exciting emerging talent all represented, fans coming to watch can look forward to five days of world-class, competitive racing at the Lloyds Tour of Britain,” said Lloyds Tour of Britain Race Director Jonny Clay.

“The line-up will showcase what makes Britain such a special place to race, producing some entertaining racing across five challenging stages. We look forward to another memorable edition of the Lloyds Tour of Britain that celebrates the best of cycling in this country.”

Full team line-up for the Tour of Britain

UCI WorldTour Teams: Decathlon CMA CGM (France), Netcompany-Ineos (Great Britain), NSN Cycling (Switzerland), Soudal Quick-Step (Belgium), UAE Team Emirates-XRG (UAE).

UCI Pro Teams: Modern Adventure Pro Cycling (USA), Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling (Switzerland), Flanders-Baloise (Belgium), Tudor Pro Cycling (Switzerland).

UCI Continental Teams: APS Pro Cycling by Cadence Cyclery (USA), Bike Aid (Germany), BHS-PL Beton Bornholm (Denmark), Lucky Sport Cycling (Sweden), St Michel-Preference Home-Auber93 (France), Storck-MRW Bau (Germany), Tarteletto-Isorex (Belgium), United Shipping (Hungary).

National teams: Great Britain Cycling Team

Emma Finucane came into the Commonwealth Games dreaming of singing the Welsh national anthem atop the podium. After four days of competition, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau might have rather got stuck in the 23-year-old’s head, after she won four golds at Glasgow 2026, the first sprinter to take such a haul in one Games. Together with two bronzes from 2022, Finucane is also now Wales’s most successful Commonwealth Games athlete.

The rider from Carmarthen even ended the week in Scotland as Wales’s flagbearer at the closing ceremony, something that was revealed live to her on Welsh-language channel S4C. “I honestly feel like I’m in a dream,” she said, “I never thought I’d be carrying the Welsh flag in front of the whole nation. Riding for Wales, representing Wales, has been one of the best weeks in my life, and I can’t. It would be an honour to do that…

“Coming into these games, I hadn’t ridden for Wales for four years. Coming into these games, being part of Team Wales, we’ve been going on about how much passion we have, how much drive we have. We are such a small nation, but we have so much belief and I wanted to look down at the dragon on my jersey and do it proud. Every race I went out there and did it, and the nation has been behind me. The Commonwealth Games is so special, and I can’t believe I get to stand on the top step, and I feel like I’m in an absolute fairytale.”

The gold rush began on the opening day at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, as the Welsh trio of Finucane, Lowri Thomas and Rhian Edmunds defeated their teammates-turned-rivals in England (Rhianna Parris-Smith, Sophie Capewell, Katy Marchant) in the team sprint. The trio broke the Commonwealth Games record twice in qualifying and then the final, topping out at 46.760s.

On Friday, another gold came, this time in the individual sprint, where she defeated England’s Sophie Capewell, her training partner and friend, in the final. Again, Finucane set a new Games record.

Her victory on Saturday, in the kilometre time trial, saw Finucane become the first Welshwoman to win three golds in one Games. She raced the 1,000m in 1:05.285, as Antipodean opposition could not get close enough to her time. Post-race, the 23-year-old said she felt her legs were going backwards, such was the pain.

It seemed inevitable, then, that Finucane was going to win once more, in the keirin on Sunday, and she did it in style, dominating from the front with two laps to go to make history again. “I can’t believe I found this sport and this sport found me,” she said.

GB and IoM medals

Gold x 12

Men’s tandem B kilometre TT - Neil Fachie (Sco)
Men’s team pursuit - Henry Hobbs, Charlie Tanfield, Will Tidball, Ethan Vernon (Eng)
Women’s team sprint - Lowri Thomas, Emman Finucane, Rhian Edmunds (Wal)
Women’s individual pursuit - Anna Morris (Wal)
Women’s points race - Anna Morris (Wal)
Women’s individual sprint - Emma Finucane (Wal)
Men’s tandem B sprint - Neil Fachie (Sco)
Women’s kilometre TT - Emma Finucane (Wal)
Men’s scratch race - Henry Hobbs (Eng)
Men’s C1-C3 Individual Pursuit - Matthew Robertson (Eng)
Women’s keirin - Emma Finucane (Wal)
Men’s points race – Matt Bostock (IOM)

Silver x 10

Men’s tandem B kilometre TT - James Ball (Wal)
Women’s C4-C5 individual pursuit - Morgan Newberry (Eng)
Women’s team sprint - Rhianna Parris-Smith, Sophie Capewell, Katy Marchant (Eng)
Men’s team sprint - Joe Truman, Hamish Turnbull, Harry Ledingham-Horn (Eng)
Women’s individual sprint - Sophie Capewell (Eng)
Women’s individual pursuit - Jess Knight (Eng)
Men’s elimination - Mark Stewart (Sco)
Women’s points race - Jess Roberts (Wal)
Men’s tandem B sprint - James Ball (Wal)
Men’s kilometre TT - Joe Truman (Eng)

Bronze x 11

Women’s team pursuit - Meg Barker, Anna Morris, Ciara Oliva, Jess Roberts (Wal)
Women’s tandem B sprint - Lizzi Jordan (Eng)
Women’s team sprint - Maddy Silcock, Iona Moir, Lauren Bell (Sco)
Women’s individual sprint - Rhian Edmunds (Wal)
Women’s individual pursuit - Erin Boothman (Sco)
Men’s C1-C3 kilometre TT - Finn Graham (Sco)
Women’s scratch race - Erin Boothman (Sco)
Men’s keirin - Harry Ledingham-Horn (Eng)
Men’s elimination - Henry Hobbs (Eng)
Women’s tandem B kilometre TT - Sophie Unwin (Eng)
Men’s scratch race - Ethan Vernon (Eng)

All but one Women's WorldTour team will be present at the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women this summer, British Cycling announced on Tuesday.

Defending champions FDJ United-Suez will be among the 19 teams, including 13 Women's WorldTour squads, to take part in the biggest women's bike race in the UK, and the only British WorldTour event.

There will also be five Women's Continental teams present, including all four British outfits, after fears that these squads would be blocked from taking part in the Tour of Britain after UCI rule changes. The Great Britain Cycling Team will also take part.

The race will take place over five stages from 19-23 August, with a route that heads south from Cockermouth to Royal Leamington Spa.

Nine out of the world’s top 10 teams will be at the race, including Movistar, the squad of Cat Ferguson, two-time overall winners Lidl-Trek, and Canyon-SRAM, home of national champion Zoe Bäckstedt.

Last year, Ferguson was pipped on the final day by FDJ United-Suez rider Ally Wollaston. SD Worx-Protime are also on the start list, the most successful team in the race's history, with 15 stage wins and three overall victories. The only WorldTour team not present will be EF Education-Oatly.

"We are thrilled to announce this year's Lloyds Tour of Britain Women team line-up, which brings together an exciting mix of elite teams and ambitious development squads," Alice Wood, the race's director and former British champion, said. "The strength of the teams announced today promises highly competitive racing from the start in Cockermouth to the finish in Royal Leamington Spa.

"The distinguished reputation of the Tour continues to attract the very best riders in the world. I have no doubt these teams will produce some iconic racing, that will undoubtedly inspire the future generations of cyclists in this country and the communities they will be battling for the crown through.

"We are looking forward to welcoming the teams to what we know will be a fantastic edition of the Tour, building upon an extremely successful edition last year and showcasing both the best of Britain and the best of cycling."

"The Lloyds Tour of Britain Women is a huge highlight for us," Bob Lyons, the manager of Handsling Alba Development RT, said. "It is our only WorldTour race on home soil and a unique chance for our sponsors, supporters and anyone taking an interest in the team to see us race in person.

"With a route running from Cumbria down to Warwickshire and a proper climb on the Great Orme, it's a great test for the riders in a talented field. The five stages will provide exactly the kind of experience and exposure our team needs to continue to pioneer athlete development to elevate riders to the Women’s WorldTour."

Tour of Britain Women 2026 Teams

• AG Insurance-Soudal (Belgium)
• Canyon-SRAM (Germany)
• DAS-Hutchinson (Great Britain)
• FDJ United-Suez (France)
• Fenix-Premier Tech (Belgium)
• Handsling Alba Development Road Team (Great Britain)
• Hitec Products – Fluid Control (Norway)
• Human Powered Health (USA)
• Lidl-Trek (Germany)
• Liv AlUla Jayco (Australia)
• Movistar (Spain)
• O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes (Great Britain)
• Picnic PostNL (Netherlands)
• SD Worx-Protime (Netherlands)
• Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team (Great Britain)
• Visma-Lease a Bike (Netherlands)
• UAE Team ADQ (UAE)
• Uno-X Mobility (Norway)

Fred Wright sprinted to his second road race victory at the British National Championships in Aberystwyth on Sunday after a brutal afternoon.

Three years after his first title – and only career victory until now – the Pinarello Q36.5 rider was part of a three-man group which made it to the finish. Wright beat Lewis Askey (NSN Cyling) on the line with a bike throw, with Connor Swift (Netcompany-Ineos) following in in third.

The trio had been away with Mattie Dodd (Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy) and Elliot Rowe (Visma-Lease a Bike Development), but they were dropped with just under 10km to go on the final lap. Rowe won the sprint for fourth, meaning he is the new under-23 British national champion.

The big split happened with around 60km to go of the race, as the five that would decide the destiny of the elite and under-23 race escaped, initially with Jed Smithson (Hagens Berman Jayco) as a member, before he was replaced with Swift. As the quintet entered the local circuit in Aberystwyth for the final few laps, it was clear that the victory would come from this group.

Despite multiple attacks from Askey and then Swift in the closing kilometres, neither could distance Wright, who appeared confident in his ability to win in the end. Swift led the trio out into the finale, before Askey launched the sprint, with Wright rounding him on the line.

"It was a typical National Championships really, attacks from the start, full gas racing until a select group formed," Wright said post-race. "It's random but at the same time it does follow the same pattern: we take chunks out of each other for as long as we can and then a select group forms. I was happy to make that group and then we slowly whittled it down. The three of us were the strongest on the day and I played my cards well in the final. 

"I was trying not to think about it [winning] at the end. The year I had in the stripes was really special and as soon as you're not in them you really miss it. I was trying not to think about it too much in the last 10km. Just think about racing, how you would do things normally, without going too crazy. It's such a special thing, and I'm really happy to hopefully take these to the Tour. That's always special.

"I do love it, I hope I can start the Tour of Britain this year, I don't know what my schedule will be. It's lovely racing on British roads, we've had a really nice day here. We've had a really nice weekend at the seaside."

Results

British National Road Championships, elite men road race (187.3km)

1. Fred Wright, Pinarello Q36.5, in 4:15:47
2. Lewis Askey, NSN Cycling
3. Connor Swift, Netcompany-Ineos, both at same time
4. Elliot Rowe, Visma-Lease a Bike Development, +17s
5. Mattie Dodd, Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy, at same time
6. Ollie Wood, RCC Racing, +3:05
7. Tom Portsmouth, Guidon Chalettois
8. Adam Mitchell, Vendée U Primeo Energie
9. Jed Smithson, Hagens Berman Jayco, all at same time
10. Danny Riwnyj, Foran CT, +3:12

Zoe Bäckstedt soloed to road race victory at the British National Championships on Sunday, attacking alone with 14km to go in Aberystwyth.

The Canyon-SRAM rider doubled up on her time trial victory from Thursday, holding off Josie Knight (DAS-Hutchinson) to take the elite title for the first time. Millie Couzens (Fenix-Premier Tech), the defending champion, finished third.

Knight might not have won, but alongside Bäckstedt was the standout rider of the race, having been in the early break and then leading for 90km on her own, with a significant gap of up to eight minutes at one point.

However, after joining forces with Matilda McKibben (O'Shea Red Chilli Bikes) and Jo Tindley (Smurfit Westrock), Knight's lead was cut down, before Bäckstedt attacked alone in search of the leader. With 14km to go, the 21-year-old caught Knight, and passed her.

Despite a concerted chase effort behind, Bäckstedt held off the remnants of the peloton, with the gap remaining at two minutes to them.

"The first part was super interesting, there was a break of ones and twos, who got maybe six or seven minutes ahead of us," the victor said, post-race. "On the last lap of the big lap, it was quite hard over that steep climb, and I was hanging on for dear life at the end of that. It wasn’t the most ideal feeling, so I knew it was going to be a hard day. Then on the long climb as we entered the small circuit, I felt really good, and Flora (Perkins) attacked and I followed it and went over the top of her, and then it was a 55km solo day to the finish to try and catch Josie. 

"It’s been a super good week. To win the time trial on Thursday and be on the podium with my sister that was a real highlight. To have her on the side of the road today and in the feed zone for me has been great. To have my whole family here has made it a great week where I could be super relaxed and have fun."

"It was a long old day," Knight, for her part, said. "Last year I got into a break and we worked quite well together, I am not the most confident rider, I don’t do a lot of road racing, so I’m not the most confident in the peloton, so I tried to get into a break to have a good day out. Unfortunately, I did that but I ended up on my own. Once I was gone I got a time gap of 25 seconds to four riders, and I was like, ‘do I wait for them, is it better in a group?’ and then it soon went to 45 seconds, so I knew I was in for a long day.  

"I was having mental battles with myself and asking ‘will they not just catch me already and put me out of my misery?' I was getting the time gaps so I knew Zoe was coming across, so I tried to give it all, but she just came past like a steam train.

"I was just chuffed to hang on for second. My team car kept coming up alongside me and telling me to believe in myself and that I could get second. So I just emptied myself to the line, so I am really happy." 

Bäckstedt also won the under-23 race at the same time. Imogen Wolff (Visma-Lease a Bike) and Erin Boothman (Liv AlUla Jayco Continental) finished in the third group on the road to take second and third in that classification, respectively.

Results

British National Road Championships, elite women road race (128km)

1. Zoe Bäckstedt, Canyon-SRAM, in 3:30:44
2. Josie Knight, DAS-Hutchinson, +1:42
3. Millie Couzens, Fenix-Premier Tech, +2:02
4. Pfeiffer Georgi, Picnic PostNL
5. Anna Morris
6. Imogen Wolff, Visma-Lease a Bike
7. Erin Boothman, Liv AlUla Jayco Continental, all at same time
8. Josie Nelson, Picnic PostNL, +2:03
9. Anna Henderson, Lidl-Trek
10. Noémie Thomson, DAS-Hutchinson, all at same time

Lizzie Deignan is to join the Great Britain Cycling Team as a sports director, a year after she retired from the pro ranks.

The 37-year-old, world champion in 2015, will work with men’s and women’s road cycling lead, Matt Brammeier, in pursuit of silverware for Great Britain’s road riders at major events en route to the 2028 Olympics in LA.

Deignan retired last year after a career which saw her win the Worlds, the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix Femmes, La Course by Le Tour de France, Liège-Bastogne-Liège and more. The new DS role is just one of the new hats she has put on in 2026, with Deignan also launching a coaching service, and becoming race organiser for the Otley Cycle Races.

"I’m excited about the opportunity to work with a strong and talented group of riders; I believe we’re one of the strongest road nations in the world," Deignan said. "It’s been over 10 years since my world title so it’s time for us to step into our potential and deliver more rainbow jerseys.

"It’s always a proud moment to represent your country - my aim is to help each rider who does that achieve their maximum performance with the best possible support."

"Bringing Lizzie into the team is a real coup," Brammeier said. "Having only recently retired from the bunch, she has so much insight and knowledge into both GB’s riders and the opposition. She also understands how we work as a team first-hand and can support and advise on how to get the best out of our riders on race day.

"Beyond that, Lizzie is a true legend of the sport and has directly inspired some of our future stars to want to follow in her footsteps, so to be working alongside her will be a real joy for them. Most importantly, she is just incredibly passionate about the sport and seeing Great Britain achieve success at the highest level and that shines through above everything."

Ethan Hayter won for the fourth time in the elite time trial at the British National Championships on Thursday, setting a blistering pace in blistering heat.

The Soudal Quick-Step rider completed the 38.4km course in 44:10, at an average of 52.15kph. Connor Swift (Netcompany-Ineos) finished second, 1:30 behind, with Josh Charlton (Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy) a further 10 seconds back.

"It’s my second consecutive title and my first victory of the season, so obviously, I’m happy to be on the podium and know that I will keep the jersey for one more year," Hayter said post race. "I liked this course a lot, and as soon as I left the start house, I found my rhythm and kept it the entire time, which shows that I came here with strong legs. We’ll see what I can do on Sunday, when I’m ready to give everything again."

"It was survival and I really benefited from all the overseas training I do," he added. "It was a case of fighting and seeing what you can do. Going into the road championships on Sunday, I’m looking forward to it, but we’ve got such a strong field, we’ll have to see what happens on the day."

Alongside Zoe Bäckstedt (Canyon-SRAM), who won earlier on Thursday, Hayter won for the second year in a row in Lampeter, Wales.

Also on Thursday afternoon, Erin Boothman dominated the under-23 women's time trial. The Liv AlUla Jayco Continental rider set a time of 33:36 around the 25.6km course, which would have placed her third on the elite podium. Awen Roberts (Canyon-SRAM Generation) was second, 1:51 behind, with Abigail Miller (UAE Development) in third, a further 45 seconds back.

"It’s one of the highlights of my year so far, it’s great to do it off the back of a great season so far so it's a great moment," Boothman said. "We knew it was going to be hard, and I went out pretty hot in the first lap, just trying to hold on. I always want to do well at the national championships, this is my first elite one, and I’m super happy to be able to pull it off."

Results

British National Road Championships, elite men ITT (38.4km)

1. Ethan Hayter, Soudal Quick-Step, in 44:10
2. Connor Swift, Netcompany-Ineos, +1:30
3. Josh Charlton, Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy, +1:40
4. Ethan Vernon, NSN Cycling, +2:05
5. Jack Brough, AVC Aix Provence Dole, +2:52
6. Finlay Pickering, Jayco AlUla, +2:58
7. Matthew Rossiter, HUUB Wattshop, +3:12
8. Joe Laverick, +3:28
9. Charlie Tanfield, +4:02
10. Tom Mead, Team Bottrill Nopinz, +4:55

British National Road Championships, U23 women ITT (25.6km)

1. Erin Boothman, Liv AlUla Jayco Continental, in 33:36
2. Awen Roberts, Canyon SRAM Generation, +1:51
3. Abigail Miller, UAE Development, +2:36
4. Eilidh Shaw, UAE Development Team, +3:00
5. Lily Martin, Loughborough Lightning, +3:05
6. Carys Lloyd, Movistar, +3:10
7. Imogen Wolff, Visma-Lease a Bike, +3:10
8. Lucy Glover, Smurfit Westrock, +3:43
9. Grace Ward, O'Shea Red Chilli Bikes, +4:35
10. Isabel Mayes, +5:04

Zoe Bäckstedt defended her time trial title at the British National Championships on Thursday, storming to victory in the elite women's race.

On home roads in Wales, the Canyon-SRAM rider won for a second year in a row, beating Anna Morris by 21.97 seconds in Lampeter. Elynor Bäckstedt of UAE Team ADQ, the victor's sister, finished in third, 1:05.07 behind the winner.

It was a repeat of last year's winner, but this year's podium was special as it was an all-Welsh affair. The heat was high, with temperatures over 30 degrees centigrade, although the region was only covered by an orange weather warning, not the more severe red, as other parts of the UK.

Zoe Bäckstedt, setting off last, set the fastest time at the first time check, although that was brought back a bit over Morris at the second, however, by the end, the margin of victory was clear. It meant the 21-year-old averaged 46.9kph over 25.6km.

"It was super hard, the heat made it 10 times harder than I think I expected to be," the winner said post-race. "It was a super nice course, really fast, with country roads basically. Classic Welsh roads, but it was really fun in a way, even though I think everyone suffered through it. Happy that it's done and over with, and I'm just glad to come home with the jersey.

"The route was fun, super small, Welsh roads, super technical. Going through a farm entrance, that kind of thing. It was really fun, nice to do two laps as well, so it wasn't one really big circuit, but you could break it up, and pace it a bit better. Another really good course in Wales."

Morris, who is without a team, added: "I think I executed it as well as I could have today, Zoe is super tough to be, she's so strong, she has done some great performances recently. To do the ride I did today, I think I got it all out. I'm really happy with that.

"As soon as you're in the direct sun it got really hot, and the heat definitely built on the second lap. It was definitely a battle against the heat."

The elite women's race followed the U23 men's event, which was first on Thursday morning.

Ben Wiggins was the victor, riding the 25.6km course at an average of 52.9kph. He beat Henry Hobbs (Visma-Lease a Bike Development), 1:19 behind, with Finlay Tarling (NSN Development) in third, three seconds further back,

Wiggins, who rides for Hagens Berman Jayco, took the win following two consecutive second-places at the event. It was also 12 years after his father, Bradley Wiggins, won the senior title for a third time.

The 21-year-old said: "I was second twice as a junior, second twice as an U23, so I needed to get it done today. It was one of my biggest goals this season, a pathway to the Worlds in September. If I want to go there and be competitive, I really needed to get the job done at the nationals.

"I didn't think it [the heat] affected me this week. A lot of us have come off the Giro Next Gen, so I did a lot of heat preparation for that race as well, but I think it carried over well. I think I dealt with it pretty OK."

Results

British National Road Championships, elite women ITT (25.6km)

1. Zoe Bäckstedt, Canyon-SRAM, in 32:45
2. Anna Morris, +21s
3. Elynor Bäckstedt, UAE Team ADQ, +1:05
4. Becky Storrie, Picnic PostNL. +1:23
5. Izzy Sharp, Handsling Alba Development, +1:36
6. Pfeiffer Georgi, Picnic PostNL, +1:40
7. Millie Couzens, Fenix-Premier Tech, +1:52
8. Anna Henderson, Lidl-Trek, +1:54
9. Flora Perkins, Fenix-Premier Tech, +2:10
10 Claire Steels, Movistar, +2:10

British National Road Championships, U23 men ITT (25.6km)

1. Ben Wiggins, Hagens Berman Jayco, in 29:02
2. Henry Hobbs, Visma-Lease a Bike Development, +1:19
3. Finlay Tarling, NSN Development, +1:22
4. Jacob Bush, Picnic PostNL Development, +1:27
5. Matty Dodd, Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy, +1:29
6. Dylan Sage, Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy, +1:42
7. Jack Baldie, Pronto Bikes Race Team, +1:43
8. Seth Jackson, Hubo-Scott CT, +1:43
9. Adam Howell, Bourg-en-Bresse Cyclisme, +1:47
10. Angus Stoneham, SCO Dijon Team Matériel-Velo.com, +1:53

The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will start in Cockermouth, Cumbria, and end in Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, British Cycling confirmed this morning.

The 11th edition of the WorldTour race will return to taking place over five days from Wednesday 19 August to Sunday 23 August, with its position in the calendar shifting from June to late summer. The route for the men's race was announced earlier this week.

Stage one will start and finish in Cockermouth, the first time the women's race has been there, although the men's Tour of Britain has visited before.

Next on the menu is Lancashire, with stage two from Clitheroe to Blackpool, with both again hosting the men's Tour, but never the women's equivalent. The last time Blackpool hosted an elite bike race, Mark Cavendish won on the promenade.

The third stage takes place entirely within Wales, with the day beginning in Mold, and finishing in Llandudno, on the Great Orme. This hilly test will present a different challenge to 2024, when Lotte Kopecky won on the sea front in Llandudno. Wout van Aert won atop the Great Orme in 2021 in the men's race, beating Julian Alaphilippe.

The next day, the race heads back to England from Wales, with stage four starting in Llanidloes, Powys, before heading to Hay-on-Wye. The final day starts and finishes in Leamington Spa, a town where Chloe Hosking and Sarah Roy have won before.

"We are excited to be bringing the prestigious Lloyds Tour of Britain Women to these fantastic locations in August," Jonathan Day, the director of events for British Cycling Ventures, said. "For the first time, there is parity in the number of stages with the men’s race a couple of weeks later, so it is a huge opportunity to create a real festival of cycling, with the women’s race kick-starting a brilliant few weeks of world class road racing.

"We are bringing new hosts and stages in Mold, Llanidloes, and Hay-on-Wye, and it is fantastic to return to previous hosts of the Tour in Cockermouth, Clitheroe, Blackpool, Llandudno and Leamington Spa, bringing real variety to each of the stages as we head across England and Wales.

"On behalf of British Cycling Ventures, I would like to say a huge thank you to our partners across the five stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this August’s landmark race and enabling us to bring a memorable and action packed five days of world class racing to their communities, spreading the joy of cycling along the route, and inspiring more people to get on a bike and live healthier lives."

Next year will also see the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift come to the UK, in 2027. The men's race is set to start in Edinburgh, with the women's in Leeds.

Tour of Britain Women 2026 stage table

The 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Men will start in Lincoln and end in Earlston, the Scottish Borders, British Cycling confirmed this morning.

The 22nd edition of the race will be the first to take place over five days from 2 to 6 September, following on from five days of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women in late August.

It had already been announced that the race would visit North Yorkshire, but it has now been revealed that it will also head to Lincolnshire, East Yorkshire and the Scottish Borders across the week.

Stage one will start and finish in Lincoln, the home of the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, the first time the modern men's Tour of Britain has visited the cathedral city, although it was a regular host of the Milk Race and has also been home to the British National Road Championships.

The next day, stage two will cross Lincolnshire from Boston to Skegness, before stage three takes place from Hull to Beverley, across East Yorkshire.

The penultimate day, Saturday 5 September, will head over the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales for a hilly test, which will surely decide who is the winner of the whole race. Stage five starts and finishes in Earlston, south of Edinburgh in the Scottish Borders.

"We are delighted to be bringing the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men to these fantastic locations later this year," Jonathan Day, the director of events for British Cycling Ventures, said in a press release. "We are bringing new hosts and stages in Lincoln, Boston and Skegness, and Leyburn, and it is fantastic to return to previous hosts of the race in Hull and Beverley, Helmsley, and the Scottish Borders.

"Taking the Tour to Lincoln for the first time, a city synonymous with its love for cycling, will be special for the opening stage of the men’s race, before the route winds its way up the east coast via North Yorkshire, before reaching the Scottish Borders in Earlston.

"On behalf of British Cycling Ventures, I would like to pay thanks to our partners across the five stages for supporting the hosting and delivery of this September’s race and enabling us to bring another memorable and action packed five days of world class racing to their communities, spreading the joy of cycling along the route, and inspiring more people to get on a bike and live healthier lives."

Next year will also see the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift come to the UK, in 2027. The men's race is set to start in Edinburgh, with the women's in Leeds.

Tour of Britain 2026 stage table

“For any young cyclist dreaming of one day turning professional, competing in the [British] Junior National Series is the starting line on their journey to success,” Ned Boulting recites over a montage of junior riders flashing past fields, triumphantly crossing the finish line or crashing out track-side, head in hands.

The music turns dramatic: drums and electric guitars. “As they follow in the tyre tracks of their heroes, they must face gruelling courses, extreme physical and mental demands and the danger of racing on open roads,” Boulting continues.

“But for many young cyclists, the biggest challenge isn’t on the roads. It is the financial barriers of taking part at all.”

The trailer for Team PAU’s series of films charting the highs and lows of a summer of junior racing is suitably dramatic. It even pipped HSBC and P&O Cruises to a silver Lens Award for Best Documentary Style Video.

But the heart of the Team PAU series - and the heart of the team itself - is a determination to make cycling as accessible to as many children as possible.

The team’s precursor, Project PAU, was started three years ago out of a bike shop in Stoke, in the English Midlands, run by Paul Ball. As his own son got interested in cycling, Ball started to notice the realities of racing as a junior.

He saw kids racing with passion and commitment, but he also saw young riders with teams and many without, a whirlwind of hurried drop-offs and rushed runs back before school started the next day. He noticed the tired parents, and the absent ones too, whose children would never get the chance to compete due to one frustrating, heart-breaking block: finances.

“The first barrier that stood out to me was the financial side of it,” Ball told Cycling Weekly. “From the outset, you're talking a few thousand to buy a bike to race on. Then you start looking at the travel; just to get around the country is an expense.

“Having stood on the side and watched the races, there’s no real guidance,” he continued. “You see a kid rock up with mum and dad to a race, they do the race then they put the bike back in the car and go home. There’s no guidance for the child on how to become better. Some kids that have come to us with bikes that are too big; they just don’t work for them.”

And so Project PAU began, starting first as a series of online seminars kids could log onto and chat to a coach, learn how to set up their bikes and the world of racing and training. A year later, and the shop had assembled its first flesh-and-blood squad: eight kids from all over the UK, supported with bikes, coaches and race entries for 2025.

“They took me on a gamble,” one of the team’s first cohort, Huw Cressey-Rodgers said of the team. “It's incredibly hard in cycling, because a lot of the time it's who you know, that's just how it is. They say it’s all about results, but it's not always.”

Cressey-Rodgers’ frustration with elements of the race scene were clear, but so was his appreciation of the culture Team PAU has brought to the sport: he stresses, time and time again during our conversation, that everyone at Team PAU is really, really nice.

“I'm not going to be around the bush and say it's the fastest team out there. It's not,” Cressey-Rodgers continued. “If you look at some other teams, they’ve got some incredibly fast riders, but they're just not as friendly and not as nice. It's almost like they treat you as if you're 20 years old at 16. You've got to have a little bit of understanding, especially when a race goes badly.”

It’s not hard to imagine that a squad built by Ball and his team is an inspiring, supportive and ambitious one. Ball is a man who chases life’s fullest experiences: he built a business providing outdoor experiences for underprivileged kids, taking them out mountaineering and climbing and mountain biking; he’s a father to six children who spent his younger years backpacking Africa, South East Asia and living in Australia and New Zealand. Now he's got riders like Bradley Wiggins stepping in to support his junior race team.

I ask Ball what his dreams are for the team he’s helping build. He says they’re swapping some home races in favour of lining up more often in Belgium to give their riders more continental exposure. They’re also aiming to develop tighter links with sponsors, so the team is less financially dependent on the shop. He says too that developing a women’s team is at the forefront of their minds. But the mission Ball first began Team PAU with remains his driving force:

“Hopefully we inspire some young people to get on the bike,” he said. “I think if you want to inspire young people, it's not necessarily about showing the race, it's showing them the people that are involved, how racing affects those people, and what inspires them to get on a bike.”

Team Pau’s series of films, ‘Closing the Gap’ will go live on Thursday February 25.

Getting into competitive cycling has never been cheap. Bikes and kit are just the start; for the parents of ambitious youngsters who want to travel to high-quality junior or youth races, there is also fuel, accommodation, entry fees, and time off work. It all adds up. For families supporting young riders, the financial strain can be overwhelming and many can only manage by making sacrifices. For others the costs are prohibitive - and they don't even attempt it.

The result, according to those at the grassroots, is a shrinking talent pool. Anecdotally, fewer children are racing, and from the people we speak to, cost is cited again and again as the main barrier. As another season approaches, Cycling Weekly spoke to three families in the UK to understand what youth cycle racing really costs - and what that means for the sport's future.

Adam Brooks: "The cost is a huge problem"

Hartlepool-based Adam Brooks was named British Cycling's 2025 volunteer coach of the year. CEO and co-founder of the North East Cycling Academy, he counts Visma-Lease a Bike's Matthew Brennan among his alumni. His 15-year-old daughter Sophia and 13-year-old son Charlie both compete, and youngest daughter Sienna, eight, is just beginning.

"The cost of youth racing is a huge problem. With my kids, we focus on doing around 75-85% of all the national road races they're eligible to do, and most but not all regional races. For families whose children ride cyclo-cross, it means they are travelling around the country for almost 52 weeks of the year. I did some rough sums and calculated that for travel to and from races, overnight stays and race entries, it costs £6,000 per kid."

"That's £12k for two children, and we're not doing everything we could be doing. The national races are spread out all over the place and the Isle of Man Tour is so expensive: it's £500 just for the ferry alone, a few hundred quid for the races, and accommodation isn't cheap. It can easily add up to a minimum of £1,000 for a long weekend."

"These are astronomical figures - basically another full-time wage. And that doesn't even touch on equipment. My daughter is racing on a 12-year-old Scott Foil that I bought second-hand for £700 and then upgraded myself to electronic shifting. Most of the field she's up against are on brand-new carbon aero bikes with disc brakes."

"Most kids have multiple bikes; if they want to have a chance of being picked up by the British Cycling pathway, they'll need to race track, and a track bike will cost between £500 and £1,000. If they're riding cyclo-cross, you need a pit bike as well as a race bike, so that's at least £3,000 for the pair. Kids also grow quickly between the ages of 13 and 17 so you're probably looking at three lots of new bikes in that period, per discipline. "

"It doesn't stop there, either. The average kid has at least two helmets - road and track/aero.They need replacing at most every two years and cost about £200 a pair. Shoes are £100 minimum and need replacing after a year or two, and then you've got bike computers and possibly smart turbo trainers that are several hundred quid each."

"There are subscriptions to stuff too: Zwift and TNT Sports, if people want to pay that, and maybe even a private coach. We've already said we can't do as much next year for our kids, and that's a shame because as a coach I can see that my kids have a good opportunity to do well. But if we're struggling - I'm not poor but we're certainly not well off - then other families must be having huge struggles."

"We're going to have to cherry-pick which races we do and stay local and train more. We won't be able to go to smaller races that we don't have to be at. Historically this was a working man's sport, but it's definitely not these days. Kids who get into the sport now do so because their parents were cyclists and they've got a bit of disposable income."

"One thing I've got a bit of funding to do at the Middlesbrough Velodrome is to make Monday night track training completely free and inclusive to all, and we've got three girls from Asian families who attended the holiday programme and loved it."

"But how the hell do we get them into proper competition when the equipment and travel are so expensive? I want to change things but one person in the North East can't change it all. If British Cycling is serious about making it a fully inclusive sport, they've got to turn the pyramid upside down, as at the moment it's top-heavy and set up for people who have money. It's not focused on the kids who have nothing or very little."

Michael and Dawn Tarling: "Parents contact us every week for advice"

Michael and Dawn Tarling's 21-year-old son Josh is well known to CW readers as Ineos-Grenadiers TT specialist and Giro d'Italia stage winner. Josh's younger brother Finlay, 19, is also a big cycling talent, and rides for NSN's development team. "When both of our boys were racing, the biggest expense for us was travel. Living on the west coast of Wales meant that twice a week we were making five-hour round trips to the Newport Velodrome, and we'd often be away the whole weekend.

We're lucky because I'm a cyclist myself, and I have a very tolerant wife, and we viewed it all as quality family time. But if we weren't a cycling family, I'm not sure how it'd have all worked out. We started our own club, the West Wales Cycle Racing Team, and we ended up with 40 kids. We built a community of car- and bike-sharing, and as a club we bought a nine-seater minibus to take as many kids as possible to events.

Both Josh and Fin rode bikes we got off eBay and Facebook Marketplace, and both were kitted out in hand-me-downs and second-hand equipment. I don't think enough families know what to look for, and we get at least one parent contacting us each week asking for advice.

We always give kit away, and always sell equipment at a discounted price to make sure that someone else can ride it. At the recent Welsh Cyclo-cross Championships we spotted four bikes that our boys had once ridden. Josh and Fin were doing well and loving it and we could see the potential they had. When they turned juniors, the priority was getting them racing abroad to be seen, but to do that we had to remortgage our house.

We were paying everything on our credit cards and remortgaged the house to pay off the credit cards. It was a conscious decision - we wanted to do it for all of us. When I look back at five years of trips in the campervan in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, it was financially tough, but I only think about the memories we made along the way."

Lindsey and Mark Carter: "Until we counted it up, we didn't know how much we'd spent"

Based in Ingleby Barwick in the North East, Lindsey and Mark Carter are parents to 14-year-old Annabelle and 11-year-old Theo, who both ride road, cyclo-cross and track. According to their calculations, they spent more than £40,000 in 2025 supporting their kids' cycling ambitions. Lindsey: "We know we do a lot with the kids because this is our life, but wow, until we counted it all up, we didn't know how much we had spent. And the scary thing is we're very careful with what we spend: all the bikes are second-hand, and Mark does the maintenance."

"We prefer to get up early and drive three hours to save money rather than stay in a hotel; but if we do stay overnight, I book way in advance so it's cheaper - I've just booked a load of Premier Inns for 2026 at £35 a night. We very rarely eat out. We'll go to Tesco and spend £25 for a picky tea, or Mark will even cook on the gas cooker, in the car park."

"What we spend is significantly lower than what others do. To date we've mostly been lucky that Annabelle and Theo have both raced in the same place, but if Annabelle gets selected for British Cycling's pathway, that's going to split us up as a family - one parent will go with one kid and the other with the other.

That will add additional costs. Annabelle will potentially have to drop something, probably cyclo-cross, as we just can't afford to do everything, either from a financial or time viewpoint. Something is going to have to give. We're absolutely not complaining: this is our life and what we choose to do. The time we spend with the kids is so valuable and we want them to be healthy and fit and have friends all over the country. But we've sacrificed summer holidays to pay for cycling ."

Mark: "This has been an eye-opener for me, but I don't see how we can avoid the costs. As Lindsey says, we do things on the cheap. This year we spent £16,000 on a van because that's an investment over three or four years and it became a necessity because we were damaging the car so much by loading and unloading three or four bikes all the time. The van's more practical, but it is more costly to run.

For the same reason, I'm not convinced that having a campervan to kip in would reduce costs by much, if at all. I scour the second-hand market for bikes and parts, and Annabelle has been racing on an Italian Ciöcc rim-braked bike I picked up for £1,200 against girls on £6,000 bikes. She even won a few times last year on a bike that cost us £650. When we were in the Netherlands for the Assen Tour, we found a shop that was selling tons of items for €10. We bought 35 pieces of clothing, in various sizes, everything from bibshorts to leggings, and winter gear to waterproofs, for €350."

Geraint Thomas started this year’s Lloyds Tour of Britain Men on Tuesday for what will be his last ever professional race with Ineos Grenadiers. Fittingly for a Welshman’s swan song, the race will finish where Thomas’ cycling started, in Cardiff, Wales.

The bike every person from Wales alive must be hoping he can ride home to one final victory after a decorated 17-year career, is a custom-painted version of his trusty Pinarello Dogma.

Running his usual Shimano Dura Ace Di2 groupset, with matching C60 deep section carbon wheels, shod in ultra-light Continental GP5000 TT rubber, he’s hoping Suffolk County Council have fixed the potholes around Woodbridge where the race departs from.

His gearing is pretty conventional, with no need for a compact chainset for the stages around Suffolk in the coming days, which are pan-flat and fast.

His familiar Moist cockpit is enhanced with white bar tape, set off by metallic gold paint, which presumably he’s not worried about getting too dirty before he arrives in Cardiff, aboard this very special Welsh Dragon-adorned Dogma. The saddle is a Prologo Nago R4, with carbon rails.

Whether you hail from Wales or not, the paint is pretty spectacular, featuring a matte dark green base with red and gold gloss details, set against a stunning white backdrop. The paint scheme appears production-ready, featuring gold details such as the ‘4nm’ and ‘5nm’ instructional decals on both the saddle clamp and rail hardware, which are likely unnecessary for professional mechanics who have been working on this bike all season. Perhaps there will be a limited release for the public, depending on how the race concludes.

The top tube features highlights of Thomas’ career, including, of course, his 2018 Tour de France victory. It matches well with his special edition Ineos kit for this week, which has been specially designed to pay tribute to the 39-year-old.

For a man who has had some of his biggest successes on Pinarellos through his 15 years with Team Sky then Ineos, the final race bike is a fitting present.

The Lancaster Grand Prix will return in 2026, despite it being cancelled this season, the chair of its organising committee has said.

Speaking on Wednesday, Brian Cookson said that there is nobody to blame for the decision to cancel the race this summer and place the event on temporary hiatus.

The race was a stalwart of the British National Road Series, but it was announced on Tuesday that the event will not take place in July as planned. An array of issues were cited as the reasons behind the decision, including logistical difficulties and problems with funding and sponsorship.

In the same announcement, British Cycling revealed that the Tour of the Reservoir would return for 2025. The governing body has also previously committed to getting a south west round of the national road and circuit series up and running later this year.

"They have been very supportive of us, there's no criticism of British Cycling in any of this," Cookson said. "We have got ourselves stuck between a rock and a hard place on a couple of different issues. Looking at other dates is now very, very difficult as there are already events booked in the park. There's theatre in the park, there's weddings, there's all sorts of other stuff going on, so it will be very difficult for us to change the days."

"We don't exist in a vacuum," the former UCI president added. "We've got to respect the local community and their needs as well. But equally what we want to do is organise the best bike race that we possibly can and do it in a positive and sustainable way that builds for the future. It's a bit of a step back, it's a decision taken with a lot of reluctance, but we think it's the wisest thing to do in the circumstances.

"We're not at all giving up the ghost, we're not throwing our hands up and blaming other people, we've just hit something of a temporary hiatus."

Local authority uncertainty

Cookson also explained that a series of uncertainties regarding the structure of local authorities in the race’s home county of Lancashire meant that funding for the event was also unclear.

"Lancashire is in a particularly peculiar position, because there's a kind of restructuring in place, or about to be in place, that's still subject to a fair amount of debate and decisions," he said. "We don't know yet whether there's going to be one county authority with a mayor, or whether there's going to be some sort of three way split of three different local authorities, unitaries, or two level authorities. So that's all making the funding environment very, very complicated."

Cookson acknowledged that the decision to cancel the race would be frustrating for a number of stakeholders, but reiterated that it will come back stronger and in a position to thrive.

"The ambition and the intention is that we come back in 2026, on or about the same dates in July," he said. "We would then have a sportive on the Saturday with a start and finish in the park, and then the main two races on the Sunday. If we can do that then there's a better offer to the sponsors and there's a better outcome for the local authorities.

"We just ask people to understand and be patient and thank them for their support. We missed a year with the pandemic, but that's about it, and we've been going since the first one in 2019. We have found a pretty good permanent place in the calendar and stuck with that, so we will be back."

Doug Ryder, the manager of the Q36.5 Pro Cycling, has said that his team does not have any African riders for the first time since 2007 because “it’s not about charity.”

In 2007, Ryder set up the South African-registered MTN Energade Road Team that developed into MTN-Qhubeka, Dimension Data and Qhubeka-NextHash before it folded at the end of 2021 season. During that period, Ryder’s outfit became not only the first African team to appear at but also win stages of the Tour de France.

Ryder’s new venture, the Swiss-registered Q36.5 team, began in 2023, with the same focus on being a home for emerging African talent. But at the end of 2024, they released their only African rider – the Ethiopian Negasi Haylu Abreha – and also shuttered their U23 continental team that housed two other African riders.

In an open letter on the Global Peloton substack in October, the continental team’s manager Kevin Campbell noted how the number of African riders in the men's professional peloton had shrunk from 23 to nine in the past decade, writing that “African cycling has not arrived, it is leaving.”

This comes against the backdrop of African cycling’s highest profile success – Biniam Girmay winning three stages and the green jersey at the Tour de France. In September of this year, Rwanda will become the first African nation to host the UCI road cycling world championships.

Asked if Q36.5 is still Africa’s team, Ryder told assembled press at his team’s annual media day that “we still have Africa’s focus”, pointing out charity work they still carry out with Qhubeka and the World Bicycle Relief Fund. He also highlighted past success by his former riders in inspiring the current generation.

“We had a lot of African riders in our team,” he said. “We’ve opened the door for African cycling. Biniam Girmay was 13 when we took Daniel Teklehaimanot to the Tour de France, a race that opened the door in his eyes to the possibilities of what cycling can do, a sport that he could potentially be successful in. We did a lot in that sense.”

Pressed on why his team no longer has any African riders, he said: “There’s just a lack of quality at the moment, sadly. As you know we’ve got big sponsors behind us and the sport has changed, it’s about business. It’s not about charity.

“At the time we could create massive opportunities for riders just because the sport was different then. If I started an African team today would it be successful? No. Would people care? Would they? It’s about points and it’s about rankings.”

Historically, top-level cycling talent from Africa has come from South Africa, Eritrea and Ethiopia, but there are deep concerns about the long-term health of Ethiopian cycling after a devastating two-year war in Tigray, the country’s cycling heartland, resulted in the loss of more than 600,000 lives.

The closure of the Q36.5 Continental team will, Campbell wrote for Global Peloton, further diminish opportunities for African riders. “We started our African development team, registering as a continental team in 2016 and basing ourselves permanently in Italy. The team’s name changed over the years, as team names do in cycling, but the core aims remained the same: provide opportunities for African riders.

“We soon realised, though, that cycling actually doesn’t care. Yes, some rider stories make for great marketing opportunities, some riders provide great photo opportunities, but the game, the sport, the business of cycling doesn’t care. A rider has to perform!

“Where does the next generation of African riders come from? We know where they are from. The real question is how are they going to get here, to Europe? All they are yearning for is an opportunity. Who is going to provide that opportunity now?”

The 2024 men’s cycling season was full of drama, excitement – and a whole lot of Tadej Pogačar victories.

From the three Grand Tours to the five Monuments, it was a memorable season of unforgettable long-distance attacks and historic storylines.

Here are Cycling Weekly’s favourite six moments of 2024 from men's racing.

Final day drama at Paris-Nice

The first major stage race of the season, Paris-Nice throws crosswinds, fog, rain, snow and eventually, as they near the French Riviera, sun at riders. It also throws up unpredictable, topsy-turvy and nail biting racing. 2024 was no different.

Four different riders led the race in the first six days, and surprisingly none of them were the two pre-race favourites: Primož Roglič and Remco Evenepoel. Ahead of the final day in Nice, a rollercoaster stage in the Maritime Alps, American Brandon McNulty led his compatriot Matteo Jorgenson by four seconds, with Mattias Skjelmose 35 seconds in arrears.

What was billed as the battle of the Americans was complicated by the fact that you can never write off Evenepoel. The Belgian won the stage, lifting himself into second overall, but Jorgensen clung to his wheel to take the yellow off a beaten and dejected McNulty. It was the biggest victory of the Visma-Lease a Bike rider’s young career.

Van der Poel's crushing Roubaix victory

No one can be expected to win Paris-Roubaix – there’s just too many uneven cobbles, hidden and visible dangers, and a big little thing called bad luck that have to be surmounted before a rider even gets within sight of the Roubaix velodrome.

But in April, Mathieu van der Poel made the Hell of the North look as easy as a riding along a Belgian canal path is, defending his title in devastating style: attacking 59.6km from the finish – the second-longest victory solo in the race’s storied history – and winning by three minutes, the biggest victory margin in 22 years.

Resplendent in his world champion stripes, it was his sixth Monument victory, and a reminder to all that the Alpecin-Deceuninck Dutchman is truly the outstanding Classics rider of the 2020s.

Cobbles chaos at the Tour de France

A third French victory in nine days – the home nation’s greatest opening week of the Tour de France in many a year – was only one part of what was an epic day’s racing on the cobbles of Troyes.

The first full cobbled stage in the history of the Tour, with no less than 32km of 14 different white roads, expectedly caused havoc: attacks were relentless, Tadej Pogačar and Remco Evenepoel repeatedly launched moves, Jonas Vingegaard somehow hung on, but Primož Roglič struggled and languished. Riders fell off, bikes were changed, dust kicked up, and sharp words were exchanged. "Vicious," said one rider. Another said: "Brutal."

In the end, miraculously, it was a GC stalemate as up ahead Anthony Turgis beat Tom Pidcock in a sprint, but the ceaseless action left everyone catching their breath and demanding more cobbled stages in the future. Top level entertainment.

Remco's Olympic double

Just a few days after winning gold in the time trial event, Remco Evenepoel secured a historic Olympic double with a performance stacked full of panache, steeliness and lung-busting efforts.

After first beating compatriot Wout van Aert to the title as Belgium’s best bet, Evenepoel attacked with 38km to go, caught the chase group, and then distanced eventual silver medallist Valentin Madouas with 15km to go.

All was going well, Specialized were designing his golden bike, but then a rear wheel puncture threatened to derail him. Angry shouts and an impatient stomp in the end weren’t necessary; he stopped on the finish line, dismounted his bike, spread his arms out wide, slammed down an imaginary phone and posed in front of the Eiffel Tower. History made. Hang the image in the Louvre.

Daring O'Connor steals Vuelta red

Stage six of the Vuelta a España did it again. A year on from when Sepp Kuss won at Javalambre and catapulted himself towards the top of the GC that he’d eventually win, in 2024 it was the turn of Ben O’Connor.

Thirty-third overnight, 1:56 behind Primož Roglič in the race for red, O’Connor infiltrated a large break on the road to Yunquera in the heat of Andalucía. Roglič and Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe were nonplussed by O’Connor’s GC talents, despite him having finished fourth in May’s Giro d’Italia, and they refused to chase even when the Australian went solo with 27km to go.

Remarkably, the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider won the stage by 4:33, and jumped into the red jersey with a margin of 4:51. The entire dynamic of the rest of the race was fundamentally and permanently altered, and Roglič would only snatch red off O’Connor’s shoulders on stage 19. O’Connor never fancied himself to win the maillot rojo, but did hold on for second.

Pogačar's Triple Crown

How do you stop an unstoppable force? You can’t. Certainly not when the subject is Tadej Pogačar and the year is 2024.

After winning six stages and the GC at both the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, Pogačar had one big goal left on his list for the season: to win the World Championships. Everyone knew he’d attack on the mountainous loop around Zurich in Switzerland, and most predicted he’d inevitably and undoubtedly cruise to victory, but no one actually guessed when.

One hundred kilometres to go was when the impatient Slovenian decided to rip things apart, and with 52km remaining he was already alone, out in front, charging towards the first Triple Crown since Stephen Roche in 1987. Unbeatable, imperious, remarkable. The most deserving world champion.

While the bikes that make up today’s professional peloton are certainly fancy, they aren’t typically all that interesting.

There's a good reason for it, of course. Sponsors pay a lot of money to supply the teams and need them to race the latest wares. The result is an armada of bikes all with similar specifications and little room for customisation.

Not so at a hill climb event, where riders storm from the bottom of a hill to the top, in the fastest time possible. The UK scene remains as vibrant, and creative, as ever. Driven by the need to go light but without the constraints of UCI regulations, each bike is like a patchwork quilt, made up of disparate parts in the hope that once stitched together they find a kind of harmony. So, these are the weird and the wonderful as opposed to the clean and the clinical. If the WorldTour is cycling’s Formula 1 equivalent, then the hill climb events are its Wacky Racers.

Across October we’re going to be celebrating these great inventions, starting with a budget build that leaves few stones underturned in the pursuit of dropping grams.

Harley Widdowson’s Scott CR1 Team

Harley Widdowson required a bike for the upcoming hill climb season and had set himself the task of doing so for under £1,000. It would be quite the challenge.

He started the build with a Scott CR1 Team edition from 2009. While it wasn’t the lightest, weighing around 1280g for frame and fork, it was cheap. At just £150 it would leave Widdowson with plenty of budget remaining to complete his build.

Next up was the groupset. Widdowson scoured eBay and managed to piece together a few 10-speed SRAM Red components, including brake calipers, shifters and cassette - a SRAM OG-1090 model that cost £50 and only weighs about 165 grams. The rear mech however is from the US brand’s second-tier Force offering.

“I managed to get a Red rear derailleur for just £10 as it had a broken hanger still attached,” Widdowson said. “However I couldn't remove it and had to settle for Force to keep the cost down.” He estimates that the switch cost him about 30 grams.

The chainset comes courtesy of the lesser-known brand RaceWorx and was sourced online. But the inspiration came from a fellow hill climber.

“I saw them on the current junior champion Harry Hudson's bike,” Widdowson says. “They only cost around £100 and are extremely light. They have been flawless so far. I have sharpied them in red to match the bike’s colour scheme. I hope the ink doesn't weigh much!”

By running a single 36t chainring he was able to save weight compared to a double chainset. He took this yet further, stripping down the left hand lever, which was now only required to operate the rear brake rather than the front mech as well. “There are also no rubber hood covers, saving 30 grams,” says Widdowson.

Perhaps the biggest coup of the build was the wheelset. Knowing that this is a component that can significantly impact the bike’s overall weight, Widdowson went looking for something affordable but also light. He found it in a pair of used Roval Alpinist hoops, again sourced from eBay.

“They cost £250 and weigh a staggering 1035 grams,” he says. “I really love the white spokes. The tubular Challenge tyres were sourced on eBay too."

The famous online marketplace came up trumps for some of the bike’s finishing kit too, including Prime x light bars and a “super light” USE seat post both for around £30; the bars are without the usual tape to help save a few grams.

However, for the saddle and seat clamp, he visited the same online site that supplied the hollow crankset. Like the crank arms, both are ‘budget’ options but the Opera OEA saddle is carbon, while the clamp only weighs 6 grams. The build is completed with Jagwire link cables in metallic red to both “save some weight and really bring the colour scheme together.”

Completed with the help of a local bike mechanic, the bike weighs an impressive 5.5kg including the Look Keo pedals, and cost just under the target of £1000.

“It’s a great example that hill climbing bikes don’t have to be too exotic and expensive,” Widdowson says. “The frame hasn't been sanded or the bars chopped so with a wheel change it’s still a totally functional bike.”

Alison Jackson is set to make her British gravel racing debut this weekend as she lines up for the British Gravel Championship in Galloway, Scotland.

The race is part of the annual three-day Raiders Gravel event, moved up and across the border from Suffolk for this year after organiser RedOn experienced issues with forestry fees.

Jackson, the Canadian winner of last year's Paris-Roubaix, will take part in the elite women's championship race, although won't be eligible to become champion as she is not British. She will go head to head with riders including CiCLE Classic winner Eluned King, National Road Series winner Monica Greenwood and RTTC road bike medallist Rebecca Richardson.

The men's field is also replete with hitters, including former champion Jacob Vaughan, Gralloch 2024 winner Matt Holmes, CX star Cameron Mason and retired WorldTour rider Nathan Haas.

It isn't the first time that Jackson – who rides for EF Education-Oatly-Cannondale – has raced in Scotland. She took part in the Glasgow World Championships and also the Tour of Scotland in 2019, where she won a stage and was second overall.

"The country is beautiful and the crowds are awesome," she told Gravel Champs organiser RedOn. "I'm looking forward to exploring another part of Scotland."

She has only ridden one gravel race before, in Canada, and said: "I love exploring and adventuring and doing something new. So this, you know, it's still bike racing, but in the new and exploring way. I'm looking forward to three days of racing and trying to figure out this gravel thing."

Jackson will be riding all three days of the Raiders event, which begins with stage one tomorrow (Friday Aug 30), called 'Clatteringshaws'.

The British Gravel Championship itself is held on Saturday Aug 31, with elite and junior riders taking on a 87.6km route in the Galloway hills that features 1,399m of ascent. Raiders challenge riders will ride another (mainly downhill) 13km to complete the 100.9km 'Grannoch' route.

Sunday sees the third and final stage, called the 'Skerrow', which is 65.6km long with 858m of climbing.

Raiders Gravel, says RedOn, offers "cyclists of all levels the chance to experience Scotland's breathtaking terrain in a unique and thrilling format. With three days of racing through some of the most picturesque scenery in the UK, (it) promises not only fierce competition but also a chance to connect with the cycling community in a relaxed, social environment."

Riders are travelling from as far afield as Austin, TX to make up the bumper field for Sunday's RTTC National Closed Circuit Championship time trial, which is yet again one of the most popular events on the entire time trial racing calendar.

A total 350 riders are set to take the start line at the Goodwood motor circuit in West Sussex, for a variety of events including the 'One lap wonder' and a four-person relay that has been dubbed 'The Chaos'.

In the face of some very low entries in recent years, this huge field demonstrates how popular time trialling still is – on both road and time trial bikes – when there is a friendly, traffic free venue to ride at. That's despite a £30 entry fee – considerably more than a standard open entry of around £15.

There are also events for 'Heritage Bikes' and 'Cherished Machines', with the former seeing a small group of carbon monocoque riders aboard bikes including the Lotus 110 that was made famous by Chris Boardman, and an example of the Hotta that Richard Prebble used to win the National '25'.

Among the Lotus pilots is US rider Stephen McCaskie, from Austin. He heard about the event, and with opportunities to race similar "UCI bandit bikes" as he calls them, was eager to come over and race.

Other machines in what promises to be a fascinating slice of cycling nostalgia will be a Raleigh Dynatech, a 1948 fixed wheel bike, and a 1988 Peugeot 753 lo-pro – ridden by CTT chair Andrea Parish.

"We have nothing in the US that comes close to the CTT program," he told event organiser David Collard-Berry of a3CRG, "let alone Heritage Bikes or the opportunity to ride Goodwood."

Collard-Berry has considerable experience in promoting events at this historic venue, having run an annual summer series there for some years.

The circuit race was held last year at the Croft circuit in the north-east and before that Thruxton in Hampshire, and attracts consistently high numbers.

Part of this is that there is not a cap on entry numbers, says Collard-Berry. But they're friendly events too.

"Mum, dad, girlfriend, boyfriend, they can stand there above the top of the pit lane and watch them as they go past, cheer them on," he says. "Where we do the start at Goodwood, they stand almost at the start line to cheer them on as they go off.

"It's a friendly atmosphere – it's not like racing on the A3," he adds.

The day's main dish is of course the title race for women and men, with newly crowned 25-mile champion Kate Allan leading a field of 46 women on both road and time trial bikes. Her Team Bottrill team-mates Emily Martin and Alex Clay, who claimed silver and bronze in the '25' also ride, as does multiple former national champion Hayley Simmonds (Doltcini O'Shea), who is also the current competition record holder at 10 and 25 miles.

In the men's race last year's circuit champs bronze medallist Alex Pickering (Elysium Kalas) lines up against a host of local talent, including hotly tipped Jamie Whitcher (Bournemouth Cycleworks) and James Jenkins (Hart Performance), whose 17.28 10-mile qualifying time makes him the fastest rider on paper.

There are also healthy entries in the junior, youth and para-cycling / hand-cycling races. Each event is 10 miles in length – amounting to four-and-a-bit laps of the circuit, except the youths who ride 7.6 miles.

Berkshire's Kate Allan added yet another National Championship time trial title to her palmarès at the weekend, when she won the 25-mile 'blue riband' event.

It was her third national crown this year after the '50' and the '100', but it was a closer battle than she might have liked, with her 55:14 beating Team Bottrill team-mate Emily Martin by just three seconds. The team completed the podium, with Alex Clay's 56:34 placing her third.

The men's race was won by another serial victor, John Archibald (HUUB-Wattshop), whose 47-23 beat Josh Charlton (Hetton Hawks) and Michael Gill (Richardsons-Trek) into second and third place respectively.

"It's the closest it's been in a very long time," Allan told Cycling Weekly of her victory when we caught up with her on Monday morning. She was doing her own time checks on a couple of riders as they came back down the course, she explained, "And then I saw Emily, and I was like, 'Oh, this is quite close'. I was aware that it was a battle."

She had been forced to stop and unclip, she explained, by a car turning into an Aldi supermarket on the J2/21 course, between Chelford and Congleton in Cheshire. The vehicle had, ironically, paused to allow a cyclist coming the other way to continue safely through.

Allan wasn't fazed by the incident, saying, "I had one of my best results in 2015 where I got caught behind a combine harvester in the National 25. And I kind of used it to my advantage in the sense that I kind of chilled a bit, I got my breath back, I reset, and then I pushed harder. My metrics after that incident were brilliant, because I had so much more oomph.

"So I was by no means panicked," she said of Saturday's race, "I was aware that I had time to catch up."

It could be that the Aldi shopper unknowingly lent Allan the impetus needed to push hard enough to gain that slender winning advantage. But with a ride in the National 10-mile Championship less than a month away (September 1), Allan is not resting on her laurels.

She had been messaging with coach Matt Bottrill on the long drive home from her '25' victory – which was punctuated by a celebratory pizza and beer at Pizza Express – about how to prepare for the challenge.

Allan had been due to take a season off this year to concentrate on moving house. But she kept riding her bike and after the house move fell through she reckoned she might as well use the considerable base mileage she had amassed to good use.

"I always ride my bike, you know, I don't stop riding my bike," she said. "[But] I wasn't doing the top-end intensity, so I think that's what's lacking with me at the moment. I haven't raced as much as I would do normally, and I'm not probably training as intense as I would do normally - I've got to start now."

When we caught up with her she had just finished an over-unders session custom designed to hone that top-end in preparation for the 10. She will be ready for the challenge of this shortest and sharpest of championship races, she says, but certainly isn't counting any chickens.

"Having now seen how close it can get, I'm confident I can get into good form, and form that I'm proud of. I guess what happens on the day, it all depends," she said.

Whatever the result, it is clear that Allan feels at home in her current team and with coach Bottrill, who is a former national 25-mile champion himself.

"As far as a team of female racers is concerned, they are absolutely epic," Allan says. "It's just so relaxed and it's so friendly. It really makes a difference in a sport that's based on individual effort a lot of the time.

"I think, yeah, we'll be, we probably got a little bit used to sharing the podium now. It's like, which position can we get ourselves in now?

Of Bottrill himself, she says: "Nine years this August, I've worked with Matt – he  knows me better than I know me."

The dominance of both men's and women's teams, she says, is down to him. "All of it really is Matt bringing it together – the support that he offers, the community that's been brought… he's done it, you know, he's brought it all together."

This piece was originally published in May 2024.

Given all the doom-laden headlines and social media posts over the past couple of years, you would be forgiven for thinking the UK domestic road racing scene is in a state of deep crisis. With teams folding, races cancelled and investment from local authorities reduced, it is clear the scene faces stern challenges. But how bad is the situation really? I decided to speak to race organisers, team directors and riders to find out.

Looking back at a seemingly brighter past, there were six British men’s UCI Continental teams in 2019 and 2020. There are now just two in 2024, the fewest in 15 years, with one of them, Trinity Racing, apparently in trouble. Some of the UK’s biggest races have been cancelled or are under threat. The Tour de Yorkshire, a prestigious UCI stage race previously won by WorldTour stars Thomas Voeckler and Greg Van Avermaet, was discontinued in 2019. That race, aside from boosting the Yorkshire region, also served as a shop window for young UK talent, who could flex their muscles alongside WorldTour riders and potentially be scouted to the highest level of the sport.

The Tour Series, criterium-style circuit races held in town centres and running since 2009, was cancelled in 2023, with organisers Sweetspot – now fallen into liquidation – citing the worst economic challenges it had faced since the inaugural 2009 edition. Meanwhile, races in the men’s National Road Series (now known as the Open Calendar), including the Tour of the Reservoir stage race and Manx International stage races, were cancelled or disappeared altogether, and in 2023 the series comprised just four fixtures. This year, there will be five open-category races and six women’s races. Next year, there will be one fewer, with the Ryedale GP disappearing.

The UK’s biggest race, the Tour of Britain, had faced an uncertain future after British Cycling terminated its working agreement with race organiser Sweetspot over unpaid right fees amounting to £700,000. The 2023 women’s race was cancelled, while the men’s edition had already faced criticism for its mostly flat parcours, which saw Visma-Lease a Bike sprinter Olav Kooij win the first four sprint stages. To add to Sweetspot’s woes, its founder Hugh Roberts and race organiser Mick Bennett recently retired. However, British Cycling stepped in to assume organisation of the 2024 race. The Tour of Britain Women took place over four stages between 6-9 June, won by Lotte Kopecky, and the men’s race comprised six stages over 3-8 September, won by Stevie Williams.

Women’s racing in the UK appears to be faring better, with six UCI Women’s teams in 2024 (the highest number ever), four elite development teams and six National Road Series races taking place this year. Added to the WorldTeam success of the Bäckstedt sisters at Lidl-Trek and Canyon-SRAM, women’s cycling in the UK seems to be on an upward trajectory. However, next year there will be no Lifeplus-Wahoo, and Pro-Noctis-200º Coffee-Hargreaves Contracting were in danger, too. Also, the RideLondon Classique will not take place, too.

Cycling's new Task Force

Responding to the challenges in UK racing, British Cycling recently launched its Elite Road Racing Task Force. Led by former Olympian Ed Clancy, and with a panel of experts including Steve Fry, Monica Greenwood and John Herety, the task force hopes to reinvigorate the ailing UK scene, making 40 recommendations. These include developing event organiser succession plans for all National Series events; a targeted sponsorship agreement for the National Series; increasing the number of UCI 1.2 and 2.2 races; ensuring delivery of the Tour of Britain and a UCI Women’s WorldTour stage race in 2024; reviewing the national road calendar to ensure more races are held outside of the north of England; and prioritising National Circuit Series locations by audience size.

Feeling the pinch

Those closely involved in the UK scene have high hopes that the task force will make a positive impact. “If it [the task force] does what it’s set up to do, it should rejuvenate the scene,” says Steve Lampier, former DS at Saint Piran and now DS at the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Newgen development team. “They need time, though. If they give themselves two years, they should achieve most of it.” Why does Lampier think so many races have been cancelled, and what has been the effect? “Races are cancelled due to money,” he says. “Councils can’t afford the racing and sponsors have fallen away. When I was with Saint Piran, it was often cheaper for me to take a team to France or Belgium than to Northumbria for a Premier Calendar race, and that can’t be right.” As a successful former pro who raced for the likes of JLT-Condor and Ribble Weldtite, Lampier is a passionate advocate for UK racing. “I came up through the scene so I know how important and prestigious UK races are, and when I was DS at Saint Piran we would still take part, but the costs were astronomical.”

The UK needs more pro races, in Lampier’s view. “We’re desperate for some good UCI racing in the UK, we are missing that,” he says. “We had the Tour de Yorkshire, which is sadly gone; Ride London, which became a WorldTour race, that’s now gone; and if the Tour of Britain doesn’t happen that would be a huge blow.” In 2024 there will be just two UCI Open races – the Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic, which was cancelled due to flooding, and the upcoming Tour of Britain. This is in sharp contrast to the six UCI races which took place in 2017.

There is no shortage of UK talent, according to Lampier, but the current lack of opportunity in the scene means many young riders are heading straight to Europe. “The top junior riders now get taken into WorldTour development squads, so they’re bypassing the UK scene. However, the flipside is, you’ve got some riders who aren’t ready to step up to that level. They might be talented but are still raw and require experience before they can make the step up. Equally, I do believe If you’re talented enough you’ll find a way, but this still doesn’t improve the health of the UK scene.”

Domestic Racer's View

Harry Tanfield, 29, competed in the World-Tour, first with Katusha in 2019, then with AG2R La Mondiale in 2020 and Qhubeka NextHash in 2021. He's now back in Britain riding for Saint Piran.

CW: Assessment of the current UK scene?

HT: With the lack of teams in this country, prospects aren’t great for UK riders. Riders will need to take a ride from any foreign development team over a UK team if they want to go pro, which is unfortunate.

CW: Why is this happening?

HT: Cycling is a relatively popular sport here but it’s not easily accessible to watch either on TV or online. Even with sites like GCN/ Discovery, they won’t broadcast UK races. [Some UK races are broadcast on monumentcycling.com, available for £4.49 per month.]

CW: So, coverage is a big issue?

HT: The UK needs to find a way to offer more coverage. Money talks and cycling can’t go on without it. If there’s no coverage, no one’s going to get into cycling.

CW: Is it harder now for young riders to reach the WorldTour?

HT: Yes. I was noticed by winning at the Tour de Yorkshire and doing well in the National Road Series. The Tour of Britain is important but that’s in trouble. Unless riders compete in UCI races abroad it's hard for them to get seen.

Decline in volunteering

Traditionally most races were organised by clubs, but British Cycling reported a 7% decrease in membership numbers for the year ending March 2023. With most cycling clubs being BC-affiliated, this decline is troubling, and the lack of club- organised races is a clear consequence. James Hawkins, current race organiser and former rider at elite development team Cycling Sheffield, now runs Yomp Bonk Crew, a Sheffield and Peak District- based collective hoping to reinvigorate the UK scene. He explains the challenges his organisation faces: “Running a bike race or team in the current climate is very difficult. If you’re a company sponsoring a team or a race with £5-10k to spend, when a recession hits, the first thing you do is try to pull that money back.”

Hawkins explains that a lack of volunteering, still the lifeblood of domestic racing, along with a lack of club- organised races, is having a detrimental effect on the British scene. “Clubs used to be more keen on promoting races and having club members racing,” he says. “If you didn’t race for your team, you’d race for a club, but that’s happening less now. Now you’ve got people racing for teams who don’t put races on or who don’t marshal, and it makes it harder for the scene to survive. We need more people getting involved to keep the scene going.”

Quality over quantity

As mentioned, there are currently just two UCI men’s Continental teams in the UK, Trinity Racing and Saint Piran. Dominating the UK racing scene last season with regular victories, including a one-two-three at the Lincoln Grand Prix, Saint Piran have also been flexing their muscles on the Continent, gaining valuable UCI points and race experience. While performing well domestically does boost career prospects, it is more often success in larger European races that seals signings to WorldTour teams.

Saint Piran team director Richard Pascoe challenges the negative view on the UK scene. “Is it actually in poor health?” he asks. “OK, there are fewer teams, but let’s say there were four UK UCI teams with 16 riders each – how many of those riders are actually of a UCI standard? I’m not sure there are 64 riders of that quality to choose from in the UK. I think for the resources and the talent pool that we have at our disposal, three teams would be the ideal number.” Pascoe is clear that it’s the quality, rather than quantity, of a rider’s race programme that counts. “If you want to turn pro from the Conti scene, you have to have a very good programme,” he tells me. “That means certain races in the UK and certain races in Europe. WorldTour teams are looking for UCI points, it’s as simple as that.”

Pascoe takes aim at the cycling media for being overly critical, homing in on the 2023 edition of the Tour of Britain as a race he believes was unduly criticised. “I don’t think it was a failure,” he argues. “The crowds were big, [and] it was fast, aggressive racing throughout. It provided a platform for our riders to get noticed by WorldTour and Pro teams. I think overall we need the cycling media to be less negative. We’re all part of the same ecosystem and it’s in all our interests to showcase UK cycling in its best light.”

Following the summer of 2012, which saw British Olympic success on both the road and track, along with Bradley Wiggins’s Tour de France victory, there was a UK cycling boom. However, this feels like a distant memory, with cycling once more relegated to niche sport status. However, the UK has a knack of producing top-level talent. British WorldTour debutantes this year include Finlay Pickering (Bahrain-Victorious), Lukas Nerurkar and Jack Rootkin- Gray (both EF Education-EasyPost). Meanwhile, 21-year-old Joe Blackmore, recently promoted to Israel-Premier Tech’s WorldTour team, has already won three stage races this season, as well as the U23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Even so, it should not be taken for granted that the UK will continue producing such talent. There needs to be a healthy UK racing scene in order for young riders to show their skills and hopefully reach the top of the sport.

The challenges ahead

Some of the challenges facing the domestic racing scene include a relative lack of public interest in cycling, with a 29% drop-off in participation between March 2021 and December 2023, according to the Cycling Traffic Index. The UK is also a densely populated country with increasingly heavy traffic, which makes holding road races difficult. Negative attitudes towards cycling and unfavourable headlines in the right- leaning press add further headwinds.

From speaking to race organisers, riders, team directors and sports directors, the consensus is that the most talented riders will always find a pathway to the top. But more work is required, both at a grassroots level and from British Cycling, to ensure more races take place, more people volunteer, and that races are safe, numerous and accessible, so as to boost public interest and provide a greater and more visible incentive to would-be sponsors. All eyes are on the Elite Road Racing Task Force, which certainly has its work cut out.

This interview originally appeared in the 16 February 2023 issue of Cycling Weekly magazine.

British Cycling has scrapped its ambitious target to increase its membership from around 150,000 to 250,000 by the Paris Olympics, as it weathers the effects of the cost of living crisis and the fallout from a year of controversies.

In an exclusive interview with Cycling Weekly, BC chair Frank Slevin said the governing body will now prioritise other things, including the Glasgow World Championships this summer. “I can put down 10 different reasons, including the economic and cost of living situation, why that membership number is not one we should aspire to. I’m realistic and I won’t pursue objectives which don’t have a foundation that’s credible,” Slevin said.

“It’s much more important that we service the members we’ve got.

“A lot of our members are not solely racers. There are commuters, people cycling with their kids on weekends, and more. It’s important for us to now think about what each subset of that membership group is expecting from British Cycling and what we can deliver,” he added. “Those demands and expectations will differ so we need to be focused on a tailored approach, rather than a blanket approach to memberships.”

A series of controversies engulfed BC in 2022, including the issuing and suspension of its transgender policy, its sponsorship deal with Shell UK and misplaced guidance to not ride your bike on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

Shell fallout

Slevin admitted that BC had made bad calls multiple times in the past year. He said British Cycling had learned lessons from the past 12 months, saying he believed aspects of issues like the eight-year partnership agreed with fossil fuel giant Shell should have been better presented to the public at the time.

“We can’t explain to the whole world every single element of a commercial agreement between ourselves and Shell,” he said. “It’s up to us to prove now that the benefits of the partnership are real. I would say that if we were to do it again, certain aspects of our strategy should have been clearer at the time.”

Slevin was recently present in Newport for the British National Track Championships, where an environmental group, Extinction Rebellion, staged a public protest in response to the deal. However, he reiterated to CW that there are “real tangible benefits” to the partnership and called Shell’s electrification process “truly staggering”.

“We, as a board and as an organisation, have committed to net zero, we’ve also committed to getting to a sustainable structure, so it would be no surprise that we might look for partnerships in terms of how we deliver that,” Slevin said.

“I’m very comfortable that we’ll be able to deliver real tangible benefits through this partnership.

“I know there are still people out there who are not happy. Although it’s for me, the board and the executive to demonstrate that there was proper purpose in doing this. It isn’t just a financial transaction, there will be benefits,” he added.

“If we don’t deliver those benefits, then you can hold me to account.”

In light of the series of controversies, BC membership figures have stagnated. However, the road scene is currently dwindling in the UK and it was recently announced that the National Road Series will shrink for 2023, with the men’s schedule going down to just four races.

“I think we have a good plan for the road at the moment,” he said. “We’ve already delivered some of that, including the under-23 National Road Series that’s coming up, and we financially supported more than 50 road events last year.”

“We’re fully aware that there are significant economic and cost of living headwinds at the moment that affect every aspect of organisers’ costs as well as that of volunteers, athletes and teams turning up at events,” Slevin added. “So we’ve got to try and help the discipline get through this period.”

Slevin noted that the UK road scene is also heavily reliant on public and local government funding and that source of income “isn’t what it used to be”.

“We need to focus on what we’ve learned from things like Dumfries and Galloway and combining different road events, and one National Series event,” he said.

“There’s a little bit of synergy we can have in terms of bringing these together... I think the challenge we face is that as an organisation we have finite resources, and those resources are spread across 10 disciplines.”

Top vacancy

One of the biggest challenges faced by British Cycling is replacing former CEO Brian Facer and acting CEO Dani Every, who resigned in quick succession last year. Slevin refused to be drawn on whether appointing Facer – who left by “mutual agreement”– was a mistake and vowed to find a suitable successor to take the organisation forward.

“Whenever you part ways with a member of your leadership team, you’re always going to ask yourself as an organisation, ‘did we make the right appointment in the first place?’ I think that’s natural,” he said. “I don’t dwell on individuals or those circumstances, but do you seek to learn from things that have happened around the organisation? Of course you do that, you should do that.”

A figure that the British Cycling board could turn to as they seek to move forward from a difficult 18 months is that of former UCI and British Cycling president Brian Cookson.

However, Cookson has been critical of BC of late, and Slevin in particular, saying he should step down from his role.

Slevin told CW that he feels stepping away as a “passionate cyclist” from what he described as a “dream job” would serve no purpose to anyone. Furthermore, he reiterated that both he and the board remained open to any external advice that would be beneficial to the organisation in the long run.

“I think you need to ask whether a change of leadership at board level is in the best interest of the sport at this moment in time,” Slevin said. “I think if you look at the last five years, you’ll see where we’ve come from. What you’ve got to remember is that we have huge numbers of committed and enthusiastic employees. Now and again, mistakes do get made.

“Take the Queen’s funeral guidance and the wording on that,” he added. “We issued the guidance, then promptly apologised and said ‘sorry, we got this one wrong’. Frankly, I think that’s the measure of a well-run organisation, being able to hold your hand up and acknowledge you are wrong and deal with the consequences.

“Brian [Cookson] is entitled to an opinion. I can’t stop him from having an opinion. He has an opinion and he’s expressed it. I have invited Brian in to have a conversation and my door is always open. So, if at any point he wants to come in and share his wisdom with us, then I’ll be delighted to hear it.”

If you were asked off the top of your head to connect the dots between Emporia, Kansas, USA and the sleepy village of West Stow in Suffolk, you might struggle. And not unreasonably.

Thousands of miles apart, one is surrounded by the vast horizons of the American Midwest, while the other is all quintessential English thatched roofs and found bordering thick forest. 

There is a connection though – gravel riding. The two locations host what are arguably the most important gravel appointments each country has to offer, with Emporia home to Unbound (formerly Dirty Kanza) and West Stow hosting the King’s Cup, which was held recently and incorporates the British Gravel Championships. 

Admittedly, there is a vast gulf between the two events, with Unbound’s pedigree, prestige and 200-mile length making it the gravel equivalent to one of road racing’s Monuments; while the King’s Cup, named after the King’s Forest in which it is held, is still a young event in a sport with a limited following in the UK and is a more manageable 48 miles. It’s catching on fast though, with gravel bikes becoming more and more popular – partly for off-road riding but also as an efficient and comfortable means of negotiating Britain’s neglected road surfaces. 

The King’s Cup bills itself as the Ultimate Gravel Festival, and this year’s event was held over what turned out to be a sunny but rather chilly three-day weekend at the end of September. The title races took place on the Saturday, with Jacob Vaughan and Danni Shrosbree running out the senior men’s and women’s winners. ‘Gravel Fondos’ over two distances took place on the Sunday. There was also camping, food, drink and live music. 

It may not be the behemoth that Unbound is, but this lends the King’s Cup a certain charm, with the ‘open’ title races exactly that – open to all. There is no requirement to be in a certain category and for a certain ‘last three seasons’ time (the women’s race was won in 2.40, the men’s in 2.15), you can enter and compete for your own tricolour jersey. Of course, if you’re out of shape you can expect to be spanked by the top riders, but even so, you’ll likely find a group of similarly able riders to compete with. We set about finding what it was all about. 

“The nature of gravel is you just go as hard as you can,” says Helen Ralston-Smith, who rides for Paceline RT and was sixth in the women’s title race. “It’s a bit like
a sportive really – a lot of small groups form,” she explains. “So it’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m dropped, everyone is ahead of me’ – you should just be able to find someone to ride with and make it work.”

It’s rough, but not cross

The straightforward nature of the course also means that owning a ‘proper’ gravel bike is not a prerequisite for the King’s Cup, and Ralston-Smith rode a cyclo- cross bike with a borrowed larger chainring, while her husband Tom, who rode the open/senior men’s race, used his road bike with fatter tyres. 

“Just because he’s got disc wheels and enough clearance, and he also used road shoes, because he was like, ‘I’m just gonna get dropped. I just want to stick with them as long as I can,’” she explained. 

One argument from the cynics is that gravel is simply cyclo-cross by a different name, but a fast course like the King’s Cup is more like an off-road road race, with riders moving fast in packs and few technical challenges to speak of. 

“I think it’s very different,” Ralston-Smith said. “It’s not like there was anything technical, and there was no mud to contend with. It’s very flat as well. Most cyclo- cross races they put ramps in, but there was nothing like that.” 

Milo Purvis, who also rides for Paceline RT and rode the men’s open race, said that the field was very strong, but that had benefits for everyone. 

“It attracts such a strong field that it’s just good for racing,” said Purvis, who finished 45th. “It’s good for people who are younger to dip their toe in, or people who are getting into it at a later stage in life, and kind of just getting cracking and seeing how they stack up and how they can improve.” 

“It had a good atmosphere,” he added. “There were a number of different tents around the place. It was almost a triangle shape in that one edge of the triangle was basically the finish straight. And you could either get food or beers, and Canyon had a spot there. And then in the middle of that were a number of different seating areas, for picnics and stuff like that.” 

Friendly atmosphere

The majority of the people there were fairly closely involved with the actual racing he said, but added: “I don’t feel like it’s going to be long – a few years down the line – before it could feel like quite a big festival.” 

LDN-Brother UK rider Ione Johnson, who was 14th in the senior women’s race, described the event as friendly and less intense than road racing, all helped by the festival set-up. 

“Before the race, everyone was rolling around and warming up together,” she said. “I think with most of the competitors camping, that kind of just brings everyone down to a level where they’re a bit more chilled out. All of that was quite nice and I think having that kind of set-up just makes for a nice environment.” 

Like everyone we spoke to, Johnson said she was planning to ride more gravel in 2023. But if races like the King’s Cup were to compete with the world’s best gravel events, there were a few tweaks needed, she added. 

“With the course the way it is, I thought the distance was quite good. But if it wants to be comparable to some of those other races, it would need to be longer,” said Johnson, who also went to the Gravel Worlds in Italy as a spectator, and so had the opportunity to compare the two. 

“For the Worlds there was a fair bit of tarmac. It’s just when you’re doing that, then you have to factor in STMS [traffic management], and all that kind of stuff, which is a whole other issue,” she added. 

At the King’s Cup, the traffic was all of the four-legged variety. Animals on the course were a recurrent theme that cropped up in conversation, with the men’s race having to negotiate a startled horse, and the women having to navigate their way around a dog which ran into the group. 

Despite the hurdles it might need to overcome, new champion Vaughan is convinced that big- event gravel racing is here to stay. 

“Yeah, I really think so. I hope so. I think there’s definitely a market for it,” he said. “A lot of friends I’ve got from the road have started doing a bit of gravel now. It’s almost like a newfound motivation. Certainly for myself as well. It’s like this whole new discipline you’re learning and it excites you to go and do it.”

Scottish rider Jen George says she's been left "not wanting to ride [her] bike" after being followed on the roads on two separate occasions, both involving men on motorbikes. 

The 39-year-old, who went on to win the Cycling Time Trials (CTT) National Circuit Championships on Sunday, told Cycling Weekly that she was "keen to not let this beat me", but that she "wouldn't be riding at the moment" were it not for scheduled racing events. 

George, who has ridden for Torelli–Brother and Drops cycling team over the course of her career, told Cycling Weekly that she suffered two attacks - one in April this year, and another the following month.

The incidents, she said, left her feeling unsafe whilst riding outside; she's since spoken to other female riders who she says have experienced similar incidents, including "sexual harassment."

The first incident took place in April, when George was out on a solo training ride near London. She says that two men on a motorbike began to follow her before they then started "playing chicken" with her. 

“[The bike passed me] then sped away, ahead, and did a 'U-ey' and turned around, on my side of the road - so the wrong side of the road - and came straight at me almost like they were playing chicken,” she describes. 

"At the last second they swerved road side and I swerved curb side. I don't know how they missed hitting me with their back wheel."

“Instinct kicked in, I went into fight or flight mode straightaway,” George says. 

George turned into a pub car park, where she lost sight of the men. 

The second incident took place a few weeks later. 

“The second time it was two motos, or scooters rather, one in front of the other. They came towards me and my stomach just started churning again. As I rode past they leered at me and I instantly thought not again, what do I do, what do I do,” George explained.

 “The second time, especially after the first, just made things so much worse. They came back round again and leered at me to the point that both riders weren’t even looking where they were going,” she added. 

George initially believed that the motorbike-mounted riders were trying to steal her bike. However, she's now less certain.

“My bike is so unknown, so if you see it, you wouldn’t recognise it. I nickname my bike ‘Frank’, it’s literally made from spare parts. I wasn’t riding my racer, I wasn’t on my Cervélo. This bike isn’t a Trek, Specialized, Bianchi or whatever which makes me think they changed their mind the second time.

"Or, their intention wasn’t to steal my bike” George added. 

The incidents have left George feeling nervous whilst riding outside, and taking to alternative training routes in order to avoid a repeat. 

“I’ve based all of my rides since that experience elsewhere. Even with other riders, I’ve struggled to go back," she tearfully told Cycling Weekly.

George only got back on the road to ride the CTT National Circuit Championships, a race she won, on Sunday - fuelled by "anger, frustration and raw emotion.”

“I had a look at the route for the race last Sunday as I knew there would be other cyclists on it. Other than that and then the race itself, I haven’t ridden my bike outside since," she told Cycling Weekly. "If it wasn’t for the fact I’ve got events... I wouldn’t be riding at the moment. I’m left just not wanting to ride my bike. [But] I’m keen to not let this beat me.”

George has reported both incidents to the police.

"They spoke to me but have now closed this off as there was no CCTV footage of what happened," she said. 

"At the time, I didn’t think to ask if anyone had any dashcam footage or anything. I wasn’t functioning at all.” 

George has since connected with other female cyclists, who she says have had similar experiences - spurring her on to speak out about her own trauma.

"[I've joined a WhatsApp group that is] full of other horror stories of incidents that have happened just while they’ve been out riding their bikes. Anything from sexual harassment, close passes whatever! All affecting women.” she said. 

“My intention is not to try and get sympathy out of this. I just don't want it to happen to anybody else. It really pains me that somebody else could have the joy of cycling taken away from them, particularly someone who is new to it. I just want to make people aware that this is happening and encourage people to try and ride with others,” George concluded.

Cycling Weekly contacted Surrey Police force for comment, they declined to comment as the first incident did not have a crime reference number.

Cornwall-based cycling team Saint Piran suffered a financial hit last weekend after three prototype racing bikes were stolen from a team vehicle in the Netherlands. 

The bikes are understood to total around £30,000 in value.

The team were in Roosendaal competing at the Midden Brabant Poort Omloop race on Sunday.

A team van was broken into at nearly 5.00 in the morning of the race [Sunday 19 June] and three bikes with matching hand-built Pacenti wheel sets were all taken. 

Other team vehicles were also damaged in the robbery.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, team owner Richard Pascoe explained the huge impact this could have on the Cornish team's season. “Unfortunately this is becoming increasingly common in races - even at the highest level. Teams such as ours, particularly at a continental level, cannot afford to sustain these losses.” said Pascoe.

CCTV images showed one of the bikes being taken at 4:46 am, Dutch time, on Sunday morning. Members of team staff explained that while the bikes were being kept as spares for the race, shortages in the bike industry in the UK - exacerbated by the impact of Brexit - will make them harder to replace. 

Steve Lampier, former British professional cyclist and team manager at Saint Piran, was in the Netherlands for the race and speaking to Cornwall Live said: “These are driven on the race, and are there if we need a spare. We’re now short on three of those, and like the car industry, bike parts have been hit hard by Covid, shortages, and Brexit. It’s hard to get hold of stuff so even with the money, we’re a bit screwed.”

Pascoe added: “We are only half way through our season and while insurance often covers some financial losses, it ultimately just adds to our cost to run the team longer-term and we have a long way to go before our last race this season. Clearly bikes are pretty integral to a cycling team so if the cost of providing those increases, teams like ours will suffer. Obviously the other major issue is the availability of bikes and parts to replace them which a lot of teams are struggling with.” 

While the stolen bikes were spares, they were also being used by some riders to train on at home and losing them has meant some riders are now left without bikes. 

Pascoe called on the team's fans for help with replacing the bikes. “This is where the global community that surrounds Saint Piran Cycling can come into its own with projects such as Crowdfunding and wider support. I believe these approaches will become integral to pro cycling going forward as we all look for more sustainable ways to run teams. It’s our number one priority.” he said.

Despite the eventful start to the day for Steve Lampier and Saint Piran, the riders still managed to put in a performance in the Netherlands with Berkshire-based, Charles Page, taking 5th place in the race.  

After more than a year without racing, Ribble-Weldtite are finally starting their 2021 campaign.

The British Continental squad, based in the North of England, are one of many domestic teams that have struggled through the coronavirus pandemic.

But after a long lay-off from competition, the squad will be starting their season with a Covid-safe training camp in Northumberland, followed by their first competitions next month.

The team, home to British talents James Shaw, Dan Bigham and Cameron Jeffers, is implementing a number of tough coronavirus restrictions to ensure their first camp of the year is safe.

The squad said: “Ribble-Weldtite Pro Cycling begin their 2021 campaign with a training camp this weekend in Northumberland, the first full team to get together since February 2020.

“The team have been granted Elite athlete dispensation enabling them to train and race providing appropriate testing protocols are in place.

“The team have always followed both the letter and spirit of relevant Covid regulations and as such have not participated in foreign training camps or group training activities. However with an approach of competition it is now important for the riders to train together and again have the opportunity to practise group riding skills, bike changes, race radios and all the other innumerable details that distinguish a bike race from a bike ride.” 

Riders taking part in the training camp will all be staying in self-catered accommodation in rural Northumberland, with all rides taking place without coffee stops and without public interaction.

Each rider and staff member has had a Covid test, provided by Ribble-Weldtite partner Medichecks, five days before the camp, and each will undergo a further Antigen test before they are allowed into the team ‘bubble’.

Everyone involved will have to test negative twice before joining the camp. 

Earlier this year, Ribble-Weldtite’s Jack Rees told Cycling Weekly that the squad had “pressed pause” but were ready to start racing again once the rules allowed.

The team started 2020 with a bang at the inaugural Saudi Tour, where the squad raced against WorldTour teams in the Middle East, before their season was completely derailed by the pandemic.

From April 12, British Cycling has said outdoor regional races and some national competitions will return, paving the way for Ribble-Weldtite’s return to competition.

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The squad will race in Britain throughout April, before the start of their European campaign in May, starting with the Ronde Van Overijssel and then the Tour of Estonia. 

The 2021 racing season is officially underway. 

WorldTour teams have held their traditional winter training camps in warmer climbs and the Grand Tour contenders are finding their race legs in France at Étoile de Bessèges, while other star riders will be heading to the Middle East later in the month to rejoin the peloton. 

While those at the top of sport are determined that the biggest events will go ahead this year, the British racing scene can’t rely on such guarantees. 

Continental outfits in the UK are fast approaching the 12-month mark since British Cycling suspended racing and most still have months to wait before they can pick up where they left off. 

With a number of prestigious British domestic events added to the cancelled list, Conti teams have also been hit by the loss of early season European stage races that often extend invites to compete. 

To see how they’re coping in the early days of 2021, Cycling Weekly spoke with a number of stalwart British teams to find out how they’re coping with the pandemic. 

Avoiding limbo

“I don't think you can let yourself feel like you're in limbo, that's the problem,” said Jack Rees, director of communications and rider for Ribble-Weldtite.

“Once you lose a bit of momentum around performance, planning, structure and obviously the work that we do to support and develop the relationships we have with our partners, then once you start to take your eye off the ball then there's a danger in my opinion of it coming off completely.” 

Ribble-Weldtite had kicked off their 2020 season with an ideal start, racing against WorldTour teams in the first ever Saudi Tour and winning five races at home in the UK before the national lockdown hit the country, stopping them in their tracks. 

Rees, who competed with the team in Saudi Arabia, said: “I think it was a bigger hit [last year]. It was a bigger adjustment and disappointment in March last year, because we'd had a two and a half week training camp, we'd come off the back of the Saudi Tour, we'd won five races in the UK,  we were really moving at that point, and we would have had a fantastic year so at that point it was harder than it is now.

“Now we're in this cycle of almost repetition, every day is the same. There's nothing to focus specifically on, but I think as a team and we're doing really well and have done well over the past six months to keep focused.

“I think, providing racing happens, wherever it happens we'll be in a fantastic place to just pick up where we left off really. 

“That hasn't come easily. I think it's testament to the lads and the partners that have stayed completely committed to what we're trying to do. 

“We've just pressed pause and we're ready to press start again whenever we're able to.”

Cancelled races and a delayed season

With the cancellation of events like the Saudi Tour and the recent announcements from British Cycling and the Tour Series about the delay to the British racing season, Ribble-Weldtite are hoping to start racing again in Europe in April and continue competing through until September and the Tour of Britain, a big focus for all British Continental teams.  

Not all Conti teams have had to pause the racing however, as Hampshire-based Canyon-Dhb-SunGod were able to compete in the one-day Clásica Comunitat Valenciana in late January, scoring a top-10 with Rory Townsend. 

But the lack of racing can be an opportunity for the other British-based teams, giving them an opportunity to work behind the scenes without handling the logistics of bike racing. 

Richard Pascoe, team principal of Cornwall-based squad Saint Piran, said his outfit are taking the chance to work on their rider development and prepare for the season restart. 

He said: “We've taken the opportunity to really strengthen various aspects of what we do.

“So we're spending a lot of our time working on rider development, partner development, our management team. We've had some really great invites so our main focus is the Tour of Britain. 

“Things are moving towards the end of the season more, so that's not a bad thing. It gives us that sort of longer viewpoint as well. If you start racing in February-March you have to have big pockets, a deep team, a number of riders in order to still be going really well at the end of the season so your resources are less stretched.” 

Saint Piran, who support men and women from development to elite level, joined the Continental ranks in 2021 and hopes to strengthen its Cornish identity even without racing. 

Pascoe said the team plans to hold a training camp in Cornwall to overcome any travel restrictions and to show the great riding the county has to offer. 

Dipping into the budget

While WorldTour teams can give their sponsors assurances about which televised high-profile races are likely to go ahead, offering the much coveted exposure that allow cycling teams to exist, Continental teams operate on an entirely different scale.

Andy Turner, partnerships manager and rider with SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling said: “We haven't had to travel for racing last year so actually the amount of budget we've required or what we've dipped into with the budget has not been massive. 

“The budget is more working on covering the necessities for now and then when racing comes in the money comes in as well so that way the sponsors are not feeling like they're just putting say a lump sum at the start of the year, but they fund what is necessary.” 

SwiftCarbon, based in Yorkshire, works with partners like Cambrian Tyres, Rule 28 clothing and Secret Training nutrition. Ribble-Weldtite works with Huub clothing, One Pro Nutrition, and power infrastructure company Durata, among others.

Saint Piran is backed by Pascoe’s cycling retail stores, along with the likes of Castelli, Colnago, while also relying on the sale of its own product lines, and community support.

On Ribble-Weldtite’s sponsorship, Rees said: “We have this British element to the team, to a majority of our partners are fairly significant British brands and there's a good percentage in the bike industry which obviously as we know is doing really well.

“So none of our sponsors have been impacted by [the pandemic] so that's been a big help.

“I think if we were in a position where we were backed by a chain of restaurants and bars then we might be having a different conversation.”   

But for Britain’s domestic teams it’s not just the logistical issues that make the pandemic a struggle, there’s also the motivation.

Running the team and racing

A number of backroom staff at these Continental squads double-up as racers, like both Turner and Rees. 

How do these riders keep up the motivation while also helping to keep the wheels turning behind the scenes? 

“Before Christmas I got into quite a motivational phase with Zwift racing,” said Turner. 

“I go through phases of really enjoying it and then probably going a bit too far and overdoing myself. So I'll have like a month of flying on there where I'm setting power PBs and then a month of realising that probably wasn't a very good idea. I’m currently in the second phase.”

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Turner has also taken up running, giving him some new PBs to work towards while also offering a cardiovascular workout and helping to maintain bone density. 

He added: “I think that's what most of the guys are doing - they're just ticking over, they're not doing masses of training to build up the fitness because it'll get to the point where’ll need a month off and then suddenly you’re racing in a month.

“I think if you keep that fitness endurance just ticking over it doesn't take too long to finish it off and fine-tune it.” 

A number of British domestic races have been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, but racing is still scheduled to return to the UK this year. 

British Cycling announced this week that two races on the National Road Series calendar had been cancelled, with one more event postponed as the organisers try to find a new date later in the season.

The men’s and women’s Tour of the Reservoir, set for June 5-6, have been cancelled along with the men’s and women’s Stockton Cycling Festival Grand Prix on July 18, at the organisers’ request. 

The Rapha Lincoln GP has been postponed from its place on May 9, but the organisers are looking for alternative dates to reschedule the event to a later day.  

The Klondike Grand Prix on April 18 had previously been cancelled.  

British Cycling’s elite road racing manager, Erik Rowsell said: “There are clearly some sizeable challenges facing event organisers, who rely on the support of local stakeholders and communities in order to take place, and I know that the current uncertainty will be demoralising for teams and riders. However, British Cycling remains fully committed to providing the country’s best road riders with a high-quality, competitive series in 2021.”

 “We fully support the difficult decisions which have been taken by the organisers of the Tour of the Reservoir, Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir and Stockton Cycling Festival Grand Prix, and I want to thank them for the considerable thought and effort which they put into ensuring that the events could return safely after being forced to cancel last year.

“We continue to work hard to find a feasible alternative for the Lincoln Grand Prix and will provide a further update in due course, while we also continue to provide additional support for those organisers whose races take place later in the year.”

The news follows the announcement late last month that the popular Tour Series, a collection of televised town and city centre races, has been moved from its traditional date in May to August 2021 due to the pandemic. 

Organiser Sweetspot, which also runs the Tour of Britain and the Women’s Tour, plans to hold the series over the first two weeks of August, with free-to-air coverage on ITV4. 

The confirmed dates and locations of each race are yet to be announced.  

Announcing the latest race cancellations, British Cycling said the women’s National Road Series is set to start on Sunday, June 27 with the CiCLE Classic, while the men’s series should start with the Beaumont Trophy on Sunday, July 4.  

Canyon-dhb has announced a new sponsor for the upcoming 2021 season, as the British sunglasses brand SunGod joins the team as a title backer.

The team previously has food brand Soreen as their third title sponsor, but SunGod has now come onboard as a headline part of the team, while Soreen will stay involved with the Continental squad.

It's welcome news for the struggling British racing scene which has seen a number of team closures, most recently Vitus Pro Cycling announcing their closure.

In a team press release team owner Tim Elverson, said how pleased he is that they have reached a deal with the new sponsor: “It’s great to finally announce our new team name, Canyon-dhb-SunGod, going forward.

"Finding a third partner in the British brand SunGod, that has a similar business outlook and strategy to development as our current partners, has come as fantastic news.

"SunGod already has some amazing products but are keen to use the team not only to promote but also test and feedback to them so we can continue to elevate the British eyewear brand to the top echelons."

The new partnership means that both team and company can work together to make improvements on the SunGod products so they're better for racing in the peloton and for their customers.

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Sungod's head of partnerships, David Rogal said: "We’re incredibly excited to join the team as a part title sponsor and to see the SunGod logo and products on every rider.

"This is both a significant and symbolic step for us following the launch of our new Pace series earlier this year. It’s also important to us that as a British brand we are supporting the top British teams that lead the pelotons both in the UK and on the continent."

Hampshire-based Canyon-dhb had, all things considered, a good 2020 season, picking up a few wins on the continent, which was vital as the British racing calendar was cancelled due to the global pandemic.

Elverson continued: "Even though we started the 2020 season well with winning the Tour of Antalya, getting two further UCI podiums and winning the Holland Cup for a second year, as well as having three great partners on board for next year, I’m fully expecting to put 2020 behind us and carry on the tradition of this teams continued improvements into 2021.

"We don’t have any set goals for 2021, only to ensure we are better than 2020, with retention of a lot of the current squad and the addition of some exciting new riders. I feel this will be a natural progression and I think everyone is over 2020 so watch out 2021, here we come."

The British racing scene has suffered another blow at the end of 2020, as Vitus Pro Cycling has folded.

After three years of racing, the Continental outfit will see out the rest of the season, with some esports events still to come, but will not continue into 2021. 

Vitus Pro Cycling powered by Brother UK is owned by Cherie Pridham, who has taken the decision to step back from domestic racing after 11 years running Conti teams. 

Pridham said the decision was “one of the most difficult she’s ever made,” but added that the scarcity of sponsors and uncertainty caused by Covid-19 have resulted in the closure. 

She said: “I’d like to thank all of our sponsors, particularly Vitus and Brother UK, for their unwavering support and assistance. In addition, all the riders and back office team I’ve worked with who have all contributed to our success over so many years.” 

Phil Jones, managing director of team sponsor Brother UK, said: “It’s always a sad time when a team concludes its activities, but as a business leader, I’m keenly aware of the new economic realities created by Covid and understand Cherie’s decision entirely.”

His words were echoed by rider Chris McGlinchey , who said: “Vitus have had a fantastic three years with Cherie and enjoyed being a part of the team’s journey, the staff and riders provided Invaluable feedback on our bike development.

“2020 has been an extremely difficult year for professional sports and the team adapted extremely well turning to creating great content and participating successfully in the fast-growing esports scene, that is a credit to Cherie’s commitment to the team’s sponsors and partners. 

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“We have no doubt Cherie will be back in the future. From everyone at Vitus thank you for the past three years.”

The Tour of Britain is set to visit the Isle of Wight for the first time in 2022.

A deal has today been signed between organisers SweetSpot and the Isle of Wight council for the stage race to visit the island, which has previously hosted races such as the Isle of Wight Classic in 1985 and the Tour Series in 2015.

The 2022 edition is set to take in much of Britain, with Aberdeen set to host the opening stage before the race moves south towards the Isle of Wight for the final stage.

Additional opportunities will also be explored by both SweetSpot and the Isle of Wight for other cycling events in the run-up to the event.

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The 2020 Tour of Britain has been postponed until 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, with organisers deciding to keep 2020's route for next year.

The pandemic had made planning and organising the race "impractical", the Tour of Britain said in a statement, and that local authorities didn't need the added strain of a large-scale public event when they currently have other, more important priorities. In addition, areas that were due to welcome the Tour of Britain this year wouldn't have been able to maximise the various benefits of hosting the race.

The Tour of Britain said that conducting the race behind closed doors with extensive social distancing rules would also not work and would "rob our venues and spectators of these opportunities and go against everything that cycling, as a free-to-spectate and accessible event, stands for."

By delaying the race by 12 months, organisers say it will make the 2021 race a "wonderful occasion for all and part of our continued pledge to make Britain a great cycling nation".

The provisional dates for the 2021 race are September 5-12 and will feature a first-ever visit to Cornwall and an overall finish in the Aberdeen, before hosting the start of the 2022 edition as part of their two-year deal.

British Cycling have cancelled the National Series and National Championships in road, mountain biking, BMX and cycle speedway due to the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

With racing at National Series and National Championships level currently suspended until September 1, the governing body say it's not feasible to hold any events that would have taken place in the spring or summer following consultation with teams and event organisers.

The UCI has confirmed current national champions will therefore be allowed to continue wearing their national champion's jerseys until the next editions are held.

As for regional-level racing, which is currently suspended until August 1, British Cycling do not currently believe there is a case to extend this suspension, and will be looking to re-introduce certain discipline's competitions at the earliest opportunity.

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These disciplines include BMX, cycle speedway, track, circuit racing, road time trials, cyclo-cross and cross-country and gravity mountain biking. Crucially, this list doesn't include road racing.

"We are keenly aware that road racing is the passion of a great number of our members," British Cycling said in a statement. "While we were able to reintroduce small club rides on June 18, we believe there are particular challenges when it comes to reintroducing this discipline as well as other mass-start events on the public highway, including sportives."

These concerns include the impact on the communities where races were supposed to take place, as well as the size of fields taking part as well as the support required by emergency services. British Cycling says they believe that when mass start road events do return, they will do so on closed circuits, to begin with.

British Cycling Integrity and Compliance Director, Rod Findlay, says these are decision that have not been made lightly: "After several months of exploring alternatives and discussions with the relevant authorities, today we have made the difficult decision to formally cancel all National Series and National Championship events in the disciplines of road, cross country, downhill and 4X mountain biking, BMX and cycle speedway. This is not a decision we ever wanted to make however in the interests of providing clarity and certainty to our teams, riders and event organisers we believe it is the correct one. I’m pleased to say that the organisers who were to host events in 2020, will retain them for 2021. 

"Our team is now working hard to lay the groundwork for resuming regional-level activity, and we remain hopeful that we will see some competitive racing next month. Plans for our winter programme are progressing well and though the past three months have been frustrating for all of us, I want to thank everybody involved in our sport for their patience and understanding in challenging circumstances. We can also now look forward to our National Championships returning with strength in 2021."

British rider Steve Lampier has been hospitalised after a crash with a van while training.

Lampier, who is riding for Ribble-Weldtite on a one-year contract, was training near home in Cornwall on Wednesday (May 27) when a van reversed out of a field onto the road.

The 36-year-old was taken to hospital with multiple injuries, including a broken collarbone, shoulder blade, three broken ribs, a punctured lung and a ruptured spleen.

Lampier who is also an ambassador for Cornish racing team Saint Piran, had joined Ribble-Weldtite for 2020 in order to ride the 2020 Tour of Britain, which was due to start in Cornwall before it was postponed due to coronavirus.

Saint Piran team principal Richard Pascoe said: “Steve and I have been part of each other’s lives for 20 years, so we’re more than just a team owner and a rider. Saint Piran has continued to support him and his family financially during his time at Ribble. Bike racing is Steve’s life and we want to build the pathway back to competition with him as quickly as possible.”

Lampier, who has previously raced for JLT-Condor and Team Raleigh GAC on the British Continental scene, has finished 17th overall in the Tour of Britain on two occasions and was 14th in the 2016 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

He opened his 2020 season with Ribble-Weldtite in the inaugural Saudi Tour, alongside Jacob Tipper and Zeb Kyffin, before the UCI suspended racing in March.

Earlier this year, Cycling Weekly spoke to Ribble-Weldtite about their David and Goliath story out in the Middle East. 

>>> Richmond Park to start ‘managed re-introduction’ of cyclists in June 

Ribble-Weldtite team principal Tom Timothy said: “Everyone at Ribble-Weldtite Pro Cycling wishes Steve the best with his recovery and we look forward to supporting him with his rehabilitation and return to training and competition.”