The B-side: a closer look at National B road racing
This is the fourth of our previews of the weekend’s races, focusing on the London Dynamo Summer Road Race. Read our Crimson Performance Road Race preview here, our Severn Bridge Road Race preview here, and our Women’s CiCLE Classic preview here.
A National B road race run by London Dynamo, a large cycling club based in south west London and Surrey. The Summer Road Race is the flagship race of the many events they organise throughout the year.
The race takes place in West Sussex, just west of Horsham, taking in the picturesque villages of Plaistow, Kirdford, and Ifold. These are roads yours truly knows well, having grown up nearby.
Tom Hargreaves (Nuun-SigmaSport-London) won the last edition of the race in 2019. Some youngster called Ben Tulett was 4th that day.
A women’s Regional A road race takes place on the same day as part of the same event.
The route
The route takes in 8 laps of the 15.4 km Kirdford Circuit, with a total race distance of 123.7 km. The race rolls out from the HQ in Loxwood, heading south until riders join the circuit just east of Ifold. The course then runs anti-clockwise around the circuit.
The course is pretty flat, with just over 100 m of elevation per lap. It will therefore be tough for riders to get away, meaning this could be a one for the sprinters. That said, the finish is on a small climb a few hundred metres beyond Ifold, which might also act as launchpad for riders to get away on each lap.
ProTeam rider Alex Richardson (Alpecin-Fenix) is now set to take part, having withdrawn his entry for the Severn Bridge Road Race. Unfortunately, Tom Fitzpatrick (EuroCyclingTrips – CMI Pro Cycling) has had to withdraw from the race through injury.
Local team Nuun-Sigma Sports-London RT field a strong line-up, including new signing Edmund Bradbury, back from retirement. This will be the former JLT Condor rider’s first road race since the Tour of Almaty in 2019.
Our journal contributor James Jenkins also lines up. We’ve rated James highly now well for a while, and he’s capable of winning a race like this on his day. He’s joined by Richardsons-Trek teammates Aaron Freeman and William Scott. The men in orange have one of the strongest line-ups alongside Bradbury’s Nuun-Sigma Sports-London team.
Elsewhere on the startlist, fast-finishing Saint Piran’s Stephen Bradbury rides and will be a threat. Under-23 rider Samuel Painter (TBW23 Stuart Hall Cycling) will be one to keep an eye on, having finished second at the Chitterne Road Race. And it will be interesting to see how crit specialist Alec Briggs (Tekkerz CC) gets on, making what will be a rare road race appearance.
The B-side: a closer look at National B road racing
This is the fourth of our previews of the weekend’s races, focusing on the London Dynamo Summer Road Race. Read our Crimson Performance Road Race preview here, our Severn Bridge Road Race preview here, and our Women’s CiCLE Classic preview here.
Featured photo: James Little
What is it?
A National B road race run by London Dynamo, a large cycling club based in south west London and Surrey. The Summer Road Race is the flagship race of the many events they organise throughout the year.
The race takes place in West Sussex, just west of Horsham, taking in the picturesque villages of Plaistow, Kirdford, and Ifold. These are roads yours truly knows well, having grown up nearby.
Tom Hargreaves (Nuun-SigmaSport-London) won the last edition of the race in 2019. Some youngster called Ben Tulett was 4th that day.
A women’s Regional A road race takes place on the same day as part of the same event.
The route
The route takes in 8 laps of the 15.4 km Kirdford Circuit, with a total race distance of 123.7 km. The race rolls out from the HQ in Loxwood, heading south until riders join the circuit just east of Ifold. The course then runs anti-clockwise around the circuit.
The course is pretty flat, with just over 100 m of elevation per lap. It will therefore be tough for riders to get away, meaning this could be a one for the sprinters. That said, the finish is on a small climb a few hundred metres beyond Ifold, which might also act as launchpad for riders to get away on each lap.
Riders to watch
This race may have less caché than the other two men’s National B road races taking place this weekend (the prestigious Severn Bridge RR and the Crimson Performance RR), but it still boasts an eyecatching field.
ProTeam rider Alex Richardson (Alpecin-Fenix) is now set to take part, having withdrawn his entry for the Severn Bridge Road Race. Unfortunately, Tom Fitzpatrick (EuroCyclingTrips – CMI Pro Cycling) has had to withdraw from the race through injury.
Local team Nuun-Sigma Sports-London RT field a strong line-up, including new signing Edmund Bradbury, back from retirement. This will be the former JLT Condor rider’s first road race since the Tour of Almaty in 2019.
Our journal contributor James Jenkins also lines up. We’ve rated James highly now well for a while, and he’s capable of winning a race like this on his day. He’s joined by Richardsons-Trek teammates Aaron Freeman and William Scott. The men in orange have one of the strongest line-ups alongside Bradbury’s Nuun-Sigma Sports-London team.
Elsewhere on the startlist, fast-finishing Saint Piran’s Stephen Bradbury rides and will be a threat. Under-23 rider Samuel Painter (TBW23 Stuart Hall Cycling) will be one to keep an eye on, having finished second at the Chitterne Road Race. And it will be interesting to see how crit specialist Alec Briggs (Tekkerz CC) gets on, making what will be a rare road race appearance.
Timings
Date: Sunday, 27 June 2021
Start 9:30
Provisional startlist
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