Riding the CiCLE Classic route with the Haribo-Beacon team

With its sections of rough roads, the CiCLE Classic has established itself as 'Britain's Paris-Roubaix' over the past 10 years

This weekend sees the 10th edition of the CiCLE Classic, the race billed a Britain’s Belgian Classic. And it is indeed a UCI recognised race and the nearest thing we have to a Spring Classic. It’s long, the field of British and European pros is big, and the route is demanding and spectator friendly. The undulations of Britain’s smallest county help make it so, but the imaginative route does as well, especially the famous off-road sections.

But what’s it like to ride? In early April I met up with the Haribo-Beacon team in Melton Mowbray when they were looking at crucial parts of the race, including the infamous off-road Somerberg. It’s cold, but as befits a junior Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne winner, James Shaw is the only one not wearing gloves. The first box to be ticked is for his benefit, because the group are heading east to check out the junior CiCLE circuit.

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