2022 Capenwray Road Race: preview and startlist

The B-side: a closer look at National B road racing

With the first women’s National B road race taking place last weekend – The Peaks 2 Day – it now feels like we are properly underway with the road racing season here in the UK. This weekend (26-27 March) there will be five National B road races, including the Coalville Wheelers Men’s Road Race, the men’s Bynea Cycling Club Early Season Road Race, the women’s Twickenham CC Dave Peck Memorial British Cup Race and the Capenwray Road Race, which incorporates both a men’s and women’s race. This preview focuses on the latter.

What is it?

The Capenwary Road Race is a ‘National B‘ road race promoted by Cold Dark North. Held to the northeast of Lancaster, not far from the course of the Lancaster Grand Prix, the race is known for its punishing uphill finish atop a climb the organisers optimistically dub ‘Sunny Bank’.

The long-running race is held in high esteem by domestic riders and it has a star-studded list of previous winners, including Lizzie Armitstead, Joanna Rowsell, Danni King, Sarah Storey, Lizzy Banks, Ian Bibby and Joss Lowden. Last year’s winners were Ross Lamb (then of SwiftCarbon Pro Cycling, now at Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling) and Lucy Ellmore (then of the SKODA DSI Cycling Academy, now at Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen).

This year, the race forms the first round of Cold Dark North’s new Proper Northern Road Race Series…

The Proper Northern Road Race Series: how it works

The Series consists of three races, all with summit or hilltop finishes.

Round	Date	Race
1	27 Mar	Capernwray Road Race
2	15 May	Aughton Road Race Round
3	10 Jul	Oakenclough Road Race

The Series will include both an individual competition and a team competition.

In the individual competition, the first 20 riders across the line in each race score points. From 1st place through to 20th the points scale is the same used by British Cycling for National road road races: 60, 52, 45, 40, 35, 31, 27, 23, 20, 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 6, 5, 3, 2, 1. The rider who accumulates the most points across the three races wins the competition.

For the team competition, each individual finisher earns points for their team based on the UCI points scale used for the Tour de France GC, which assigns points from 1st place down to 60th. The points earned by the top three finishers of each team are added up to determine the team rankings for each race. Teams earn points based on their ranking within each race based using the same British Cycling points scheme as for the individuals (i.e. best-placed team gets 60 points, and so on). The final ranking of teams will be on the basis of the total points earned across the three rounds

Route

A 12.7 kilometre anti-clockwise circuit that finishes on top of Sunny Bank, with 195 metres of ascent per lap. The men take on 8 laps of the circuit, the women tackle 6.

The circuit descends for the first four kilometres, meaning the riders will be flying as they reach Arkholme. But this should not lull riders into a false sense of security. There are three hills on the circuit and the first comes shortly after that descent finishes. Riders turn left at Arkholme into the Bay Horse Inn climb. It is only 600 metres long with an average gradient of 5% but it’s enough to make tired legs scream in the closing laps if the racing is hard enough.

The second climb, Docker Park, begins six and a half kilometres into the circuit and is similar in both gradient and length.

After a short fast descent, the terrain is then fairly flat for about three and a half kilometres.

Cold Dark North told us that they like to finish all of their races on a climb – ‘stabby bastard hills’ as they affectionately refer to them – and this course is no different. Indeed, the circuit saves the toughest to last, finishing with the 1.3-kilometre climb of Sunny Bank (known as Borwick Hill on Strava). The average gradient is 7.1% but it’s an uneven affair, pitching up to as much as 15.4% at around the halfway point, then flattens somewhat before a final steep rise that begins about 300 metres to go.

Cycling Sheffield’s Adam Mitchell currently holds the KOM on Strava for the climb, while Lucy Ellmore (Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen) is the segment’s QOM. The climb takes around three minutes at full effort, give or take 15-20 seconds, and the first rider up this leg-sapper on the last lap will be crowned the winner.

Contenders

Men’s race

The men’s race features a strong UCI Continental contingent, with Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling arguably fielding the strongest line-up. The team’s five-man squad includes three potential winners, all of whom are in good form: Zeb Kyffin, winner of stage 2 of the Peaks 2 Day last weekend, Alex Peters, who finished third overall in the same race, and ERC Gifford Road Race winner Finn Crockett.

WiV SunGod also field three strong riders. Our pick of them is last year’s Lancaster Grand Prix winner Josh Whitehead, who was second overall in The Peaks 2 Day last weekend. His teammate Damien Clayton is a contender too. The third of the team’s riders, Matt Bostock, might find the going too steep.

Saint Piran’s Leon Mazzone is another UCI Continental contender. He lines up with teammate Gabz Cullaigh. Like Bostock, Cullaigh might find this course too steep to win, but having said this about both of them, they’ll no doubt prove us wrong now!

Elsewhere, look out for Joe Wilson (Dolan Ellesse RT) and Jude Taylor (Team PB Performance), who were both in excellent shape at The Peaks 2 Day. MTB specialist Cameron Orr (Team Inspired) could be one to watch too.

Women’s race

In the women’s race, Lucy Ellmore (Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen) is back to defend her crown. She was fourth overall at The Peaks 2 Day so is clearly in fine fettle. She is backed by a strong team including Jo Tindlay, Corrine Side and Amy Gornall.

Her two nearest contenders might be two of her foes from last week’s Peaks race: The Peaks 2 Day winner Becky Storrie (CAMS-Basso) and Oliva Bentley (Torelli-Cayman-Islands-Scimitar), who finished sixth overall in the same race. Storrie in particular looked unstoppable last weekend and she will be the one to beat here.

Three others who performed well last weekend in the Peaks were Bentley’s teammate Holly Breck, and the Team Boompods duo of Amy Graham and Ellen McDermott.

Connie Hayes (AWOL- O’Shea) is on the startlist and would have been one of our picks but she has been hampered by injury, so is unlikely to contend (or perhaps even start).

Provisional startlist

Men’s race

#	First name	Surname	Team/Club
1	Harry	Jukes	05/03
2	Jordan	Retallack	05/03
3	John	Russell	05/03
4	Sam	Shepherd	05/03
5	Christopher	Humphries	Bioracer UK RT
6	Jacob	Gilkes	Bridgnorth Cycling Club
7	Isaac	Lawrence	Brother UK-Orientation marketing
8	Matthew	Fox	Wheelbase CabTech Castelli
9	Jack	Crook	Dolan Ellesse Race Team
10	Declan	Hudson	Dolan Ellesse Race Team
11	Conor	McKinnon	Dolan Ellesse Race Team
12	Matthew	Taylor	Dolan Ellesse Race Team
13	Joe	Wilson	Dolan Ellesse Race Team
14	Jamie	Fletcher	Ellan Vannin Cycling Club
15	Richard	Bickley	Giant Kendal-Sidas Uk
16	Christopher	Booth	Giant Kendal-Sidas Uk
17	Joe	Boothroyd	Giant Kendal-Sidas Uk
18	Richard	Butler	Giant Kendal-Sidas Uk
19	Nathan	Smith	Hope Factory Racing
20	Ben	Iddon	Identity Racing
21	Harry	Paveley	Identity Racing
22	George	Radcliffe	Identity Racing
23	William	Abbott	INFLITE
24	Sean	Dawson	INFLITE
25	Eliot	Ward	INFLITE
26	Thomas	Stringer	Moonglu CC
27	Harry	Jordan	Otley CC
28	Toby	Tanfield	Retelec-Alca-Team Cycling Galicia
29	Finn	Crockett	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling
30	Cameron	Jeffers	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling
31	Zeb	Kyffin	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling
32	Alex	Peters	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling
33	Thomas	Timothy	Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling
34	Steven	Parsonage	Richardsons Trek DAS
35	Matti	Dobbins	RT23
36	Aaron	King	RT23
37	Gabriel	Cullaigh	Saint Piran
38	Leon	Mazzone	Saint Piran
39	Bjoern	Koerdt	Shibden Cycling Club
40	Josh	Housley	Spirit BSS
41	William	Dykes	Spokes Racing Team
42	Callum	Thornley	Spokes Racing Team
43	Alistair	Thomas	SRCT MUC-OFF
44	Matthew	Warhurst	SRCT MUC-OFF
45	Joseph	Bowers	Tactic Sport UK Race Team
46	Jonathan	Fowles	Tactic Sport UK Race Team
47	David	Price	Tactic Sport UK Race Team
48	Lucas	Rowley	Tactic Sport UK Race Team
49	Martin	Watson	Tactic Sport UK Race Team
50	Francis	Woodcock	Team Farto – BTC (Mens)
51	Cameron	Orr	Team Inspired
52	Jude	Taylor	Team PB Performance
53	Ben	Flanagan	The Cycling Academy
54	Angus	Joshi	The Cycling Academy
55	Elijah	Kwon	The Cycling Academy
56	Ciaran	McSherry	The Cycling Academy
57	Logan	Maclean	Wheelbase CabTech Castelli
58	Matthew	Bostock	WiV Sungod
59	Damien	Clayton	WiV Sungod
60	Josh	Whitehead	WiV Sungod

Women’s road race

#	First name	Surname	Team/Club
1	Lucy	Ellmore	Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen
2	Amy	Gornall	Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen
3	Corinne	Side	Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen
4	Jo	Tindley	Pro-Noctis – Rotor – Redchilli Bikes presented by Heidi Kjeldsen
5	Sophie	Enever	Alba Development Road Team
6	Beth	Maciver	Alba Development Road Team
7	Erin	Murphy	Alba Development Road Team
8	Emma	Smith	Alba Development Road Team
9	Victoria	Smith	Alba Development Road Team
10	Ella	Coleman	AWOL- O’Shea
11	Connie	Hayes	AWOL- O’Shea
12	Charlotte	Gibson	AWOL Worx Galliard
13	Lola	Ellis	Backstedt Bike Performance JRT
14	Daisy	Barnes	Brother UK-Orientation marketing
15	Jessie	Carridge	Brother UK-Orientation marketing
16	Becky	Storrie	CAMS-Basso
17	Megan	Anderson	Clifton CC
18	Laura	Cheesman	Evans Cycles Race Team
19	Grace	Rudkin	Innovation Racing
20	Karolina	Chudzikiewicz	Jadan – Vive le Velo
21	Beth	Harley-Jepson	Jadan – Vive le Velo
22	Louise	Scupham	Jadan – Vive le Velo
23	Helen	Jackson	Kendal Cycle Club
24	Kim	Baptista	LVIV CYCLING TEAM
25	Monica	Greenwood	Macclesfield Wheelers
26	Jihanna	Bonilla-Allard	PMRR
27	Emma	Matthews	PMRR
28	Victoria	Peel	PMRR
29	Evelina	Black	RFDA
30	Hannah	McClorey	RFDA
31	Amy	Mourne	RFDA
32	Hebe	Picking	RFDA
33	Freya	Whiteside	RFDA
34	Hannah	Bayes	Saint Piran WRT
35	Rachel	Galler	Saint Piran WRT
36	Gwenno	Hughes	Saint Piran WRT
37	Gemma	Sargent	Saint Piran WRT
38	Christina	Wiejak	Saint Piran WRT
39	Kinga	Ingram	Storey Racing
40	Amy	Graham	Team Boompods
41	Louise	Hart	Team Boompods
42	Ellen	McDermott	Team Boompods
43	Lauren	Watson	Team Boompods
44	Mary	Wilkinson	Team Boompods
45	Anna	Weaver	Team Kirkley Cycles
46	Heather	Mayer	Team LDN – Brother UK
47	Kerry	Middleton	Team LDN – Brother UK
48	Sammie	Stuart	Team LDN – Brother UK
49	Olivia	Bentley	Torelli-Cayman Islands-Scimitar
50	Holly	Breck	Torelli-Cayman Islands-Scimitar
51	Harriet	Gilson	Wigan Wheelers CC

Timing

9.30	Men’s road race
13.30	Women’s road race

Weather

The weather should be relatively mild and dry with little wind. Fine conditions for riding or spectating.

Featured photo: Ellen Isherwood