Rounding out a bumper bank holiday weekend of racing is the GA Bennett p/b Pedal Pushers Grantham National B road race, just outside of the historic Lincolnshire market town on Monday.
Running since 1962, the GA Bennett road race is one of the longest-standing road races in the UK. The GA Bennett has consistently proved a challenging race with only two riders winning the race twice: Graham Briggs (2002, 2013) and more recently Ben Stockdale (2012, 2015). The most recent edition in 2023 was won by Adam Lewis, then of Saint Piran.
The race begins at 13.15, with a Regional B road race, the GT Ellingworth, taking place in the morning.
Route
The race completes 6 and 3/4 laps of the 18.8km Witham Wheelers road race circuit just south of Grantham. With the race taking place close to the route of the Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic, the roads follow a similar character, with the course being narrow in parts and rolling throughout.
Riders to watch
With a full field of 60 entries, the race is set to a be a competitive affair with The British Continental National Road Race Rankings leader Damien Clayton among the favourites. The Le Col Race Team rider most recently took victory at the Oakenclough Road Race a month ago and has barely been outside of the top ten all season after winning the Peaks 2-day back in March.
Damien Clayton. Image: Ellen Isherwood
Clay Davies (Ride Revolution Coaching) got the better of Clayton at the the Timmy James Memorial GP at the beginning of the month, making the selection and sprinting to an impressive 4th place, backing it up with 2nd place at last weekend’s DAP Spring Road Race, where he was only beaten by James Ambrose-Parish (TAAP Kalas). The Irish rider has made the most of his opportunities this year, also beating Davies into second at the Andrews Trophy, recording two National B Road Race wins this season.
His TAAP Kalas teammate Oliver Hucks will also be one to watch on Monday after a consistent season, while Josh Housley is another East Midlands local looking to impress; the HUUB BCC rider is enjoying a strong season, but could be tired after entering the Totnes Vire 2-day, also taking place over the bank holiday weekend.
Alex Luhrs (Moonglu Race Team) has enjoyed a brilliant return to racing in 2024, winning last weekend in Scotland in the Hugh Dornan Memorial Race, his second National B win of the season, following his Drummond Trophy win north of the border in April. Like Housley however, he is set for a busy weekend – Luhrs the favourite for the Straighton Struggle, part of the Scottish Alba Road Series, which he leads, on Saturday.
Rounding out a bumper bank holiday weekend of racing is the GA Bennett p/b Pedal Pushers Grantham National B road race, just outside of the historic Lincolnshire market town on Monday.
Featured image: Emma Wilcock
What is it?
Running since 1962, the GA Bennett road race is one of the longest-standing road races in the UK. The GA Bennett has consistently proved a challenging race with only two riders winning the race twice: Graham Briggs (2002, 2013) and more recently Ben Stockdale (2012, 2015). The most recent edition in 2023 was won by Adam Lewis, then of Saint Piran.
The race begins at 13.15, with a Regional B road race, the GT Ellingworth, taking place in the morning.
Route
The race completes 6 and 3/4 laps of the 18.8km Witham Wheelers road race circuit just south of Grantham. With the race taking place close to the route of the Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic, the roads follow a similar character, with the course being narrow in parts and rolling throughout.
Riders to watch
With a full field of 60 entries, the race is set to a be a competitive affair with The British Continental National Road Race Rankings leader Damien Clayton among the favourites. The Le Col Race Team rider most recently took victory at the Oakenclough Road Race a month ago and has barely been outside of the top ten all season after winning the Peaks 2-day back in March.
Clay Davies (Ride Revolution Coaching) got the better of Clayton at the the Timmy James Memorial GP at the beginning of the month, making the selection and sprinting to an impressive 4th place, backing it up with 2nd place at last weekend’s DAP Spring Road Race, where he was only beaten by James Ambrose-Parish (TAAP Kalas). The Irish rider has made the most of his opportunities this year, also beating Davies into second at the Andrews Trophy, recording two National B Road Race wins this season.
His TAAP Kalas teammate Oliver Hucks will also be one to watch on Monday after a consistent season, while Josh Housley is another East Midlands local looking to impress; the HUUB BCC rider is enjoying a strong season, but could be tired after entering the Totnes Vire 2-day, also taking place over the bank holiday weekend.
Alex Luhrs (Moonglu Race Team) has enjoyed a brilliant return to racing in 2024, winning last weekend in Scotland in the Hugh Dornan Memorial Race, his second National B win of the season, following his Drummond Trophy win north of the border in April. Like Housley however, he is set for a busy weekend – Luhrs the favourite for the Straighton Struggle, part of the Scottish Alba Road Series, which he leads, on Saturday.
Provisional startlist
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