Just four more sleeps until the start of the domestic road racing season.
Yes, national-level road racing returns this Sunday 12 February with the Perfs Pedal road race, now firmly established as the UK’s road racing season opener. In anticipation of the UK’s humble version of ‘opening weekend’, here is a look at the route, the race history, the startlist and the contenders.
What is it?
The Perfs Pedal is a men’s ‘National B‘ road race promoted by VC St Raphael. Taking place near Portsmouth in the south of England, it is the traditional opener to the domestic road racing season (for the men at least). An important early-season marker of fitness, it normally attracts a strong field of riders all eager to test their form after a winter of training. The field normally includes a mix of domestic Continental, elite and junior-level riders, and this year is no different.
The route
The race is a short, punchy affair at 74 kilometres (46 miles). Starting in Southwick, the race begins with five laps of a lumpy 13.6 km circuit around Portsdown Hill. The climbing starts just after 1 km into the circuit, with the steepest sections (maximum gradient of 10.6 %) arriving after the village of Boarhunt as the riders head south towards Portsdown Hill road.
The course then take a left onto Portsdown Road, which is exposed, the harbour to the riders’ right, an army barracks to the left, meaning coastal crosswinds can often be a feature of the race.
People who are good at climbing, obviously go on the climb, but then people who aren’t, either bring it back and it neutralises, or it splits up in a crosswind
Damien Clayton (Embark Spirit BSS)
The race then switches off the main circuit at Staple Cross Road to finish on the Lodge Hill climb, with the finish line placed just beyond the top of this final drag. The climb has a steep section towards the bottom – reaching nearly 15% in places, but continues to drag upward, making it a hard slog to the finish line. Local rider Red Walters holds the current Strava KOM for the climb.
The race is normally fast, furious and challenging enough that a solo win or a small group sprint can be expected.
History
Created by Mick Waite, who still runs the race, the first edition of the Perfs Pedal road race took place in July 1964, won by Tony Mills. The race moved to an early-season slot the following year where it has stayed ever since.
Given its position in the calendar, the weather has often been a key feature of the race. Ice and snow have been frequent obstacles for the riders. And in the 1990s, mild, wet winters meant that flooding was a problem.
You don’t know what you’re gonna get really, everyone’s quite keen for it. It’s always shorter than you imagined it to be, always horrible weather
Damien Clayton (Embark Spirit BSS)
The 2003 edition was cancelled by the local police because of what organiser Mick Waite described as a ‘puddle’. Poor road conditions have also hampered the race, resulting in the cancellation of the 2010 and 2014 editions. The 2020 edition was also cancelled because of forecasts of strong winds and heavy rain, while Covid put paid to the 2021 race.
The race has a long list of illustrious winners. Ian Hallam, Dave LeGrys, Chris Newton, Sean Yates, Tim Harris and Alex Dowsett have all won the race. The last five editions of the race have been won by Tim Elverson’s teams: Rory Townsend won in 2016 (when the team was called Pedal Heaven), Chris Opie in 2017 (for Bike Channel Canyon), Alex Paton took the honours in 2018 (for Canyon Eisberg), Jacob Vaughan (Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes) won in 2019, and then Damien Clayton (WiV SunGod) won the last edition in 2022.
Tim Elverson’s squad – now called AT85 Pro Cycling – won’t be on the start line this year however giving the opportunity for a new team to take the first win of the domestic road racing season.
Damien Clayton wins the 2022 Perfs Pedal. Photo: Tom Austin
Contenders
At the time of writing, the startlist is provisional only, and subject to change.
No less than four previous winners are on the provisional startlist. Last year’s winner Damien Clayton will don bib number one as the reigning champion. Riding for a new team this year, Embark Spirit BSS (a merger of three teams: Spirit BSS, Embark-Bikestrong, and TBW23), he will be one to watch. He knows the race well (he was second in 2019 too) and, speaking to him just hours before we wrote this, he is eager to start the season well. Watch out for an extended interview with him out very soon.
Veterans Chris Opie and Alex Paton are also previous winners, as is relative youngster Jacob Vaughan (23), who has left Saint Piran and joined a new team for 2023 (yet-to-be-announced). Sources tell us that Vaughan, the current British Gravel Champion, is keen to prove himself on the road this year after a challenging couple of seasons, so we’ll be keen to see how he performs.
The UCI Continental Saint Piran team offers the strongest line-up of the race. Alex Richardson and Jack Rootkin-Gray were in imperious form at the end of last year, and it would be no surprise to see them dominate on Sunday. Zeb Kyffin and Harry Birchall are also more than capable of a win, so Saint Piran have options.
Beyond those we have already mentioned, Clayton’s new teammate Samuel Painter (Embark Spirit BSS) was second last year, so watch out for a repeat performance from him. Others to watch include Richardsons-Trek DAS’ Conor McGoldrick, always a threat in a race like this, former Junior Tour of Wales winner Tyler Hannay (Mastromarco-Sensi-FC Nibali), and George Wood (Cycling Sheffield).
What we love about this race is that there is often a surprise performer or two (such as Clayton when he came second in 2019), so we’ll be perusing the results sheet closely for early signs of a breakthrough rider.
Provisional startlist
Startlist as published on 8 February 2023.
#
Forename
Surname
Club / Team Name
Cat
1
Damien
Clayton
Embark Spirit BSS Winner of Perfs in 2022
Elite
2
Fletcher
Adams
LAKA Pedal Mafia RT
2nd
3
Will
Auty
1st
4
Matt
Bailey
Ride Revolution Coaching
2nd
5
Rowan
Baker
London Dynamo
1st
6
Luke
Barfoot
Primera-TeamJobs
Elite
7
Paul
Barnard
Precise Performance RT
2nd
8
James
Bevan
trainSharp Elite
1st
9
Harry
Birchill
Saint Piran
Elite
10
Alexander
Bosley
CC Plancoet
3rd
11
Benjamin
Bright
Wales Racing Academy
2nd
12
James
Brown
University of Bristol CC
2nd
13
Huw
Buck Jones
Wales Racing Academy
2nd
14
Max
Bufton
Tofauti Everyone Active
2nd Junior
15
Lucas
Byron
Kalas Motip Race Team
2nd
16
Thomas
Charles
Team PB Performance
2nd
17
Harry
Codd
Cero – Cycle Division Racing Team
2nd Junior
18
Matthew
Cole
Beeston Cycling Club
1st Junior
19
Jack
Crook
Richardsons Trek DAS
Elite
20
Jack
Cutsforth
SPATZWEAR
2nd
21
Spencer
Davies
Wales Racing Academy
2nd
22
Cai
Davies
Kalas Motip Race Team
1st
23
Thomas
Day
Elevate P/B Home Solution – Soenens
1st
24
Gabriel
Dellar
StolenGoat Race Team
2nd
25
Finn
Dunton
trainSharp Development Team
2nd
26
Max
Fleming
LAKA Pedal Mafia RT
2nd
27
Gary
Freeman
Orwell Velo
1st
28
Jordan
Giles
Primera-TeamJobs
1st
29
Joe
Griffiths
SCOTT Racing
3rd
30
Zackary
Hamon
Big Maggys
3rd
31
Tyler
Hannay
Mastromarco-Sensi-FC Nibali
2nd
32
Finlay
Hawker
VC Londres
3rd Junior
33
Angus
Hawkins
Ride Revolution Coaching
1st
34
Danny
Hedley
Royal Air Force CA
2nd
35
Benjamin
Hellebo
Wheelsuckers
1st
36
Archie
Hilder
London Dynamo
2nd
37
Joe
Hill
Embark Spirit BSS
1st
38
Sam
Holwill
trainSharp Development Team
2nd
39
Matthew
Houlberg
Meudon Pedal Heaven Le Col RT
1st
40
Dylan
Humber-Kelly
Yoeleo Test Team P/B 4MIND
1st
41
Oliver
Hurdle
StolenGoat Race Team
1st
42
Dom
Jackson
Foran CCC
1st
43
Will
Jewitt
Kalas Motip Race Team
2nd
44
Harry
Johnson
VC St Raphael
1st
45
Seth
Jones
Backstedt Bike Performance JRT
2nd Junior
46
Zeb
Kyffin
Saint Piran
Elite
47
Isaac
Lawrence
05/03
2nd
48
Olivier
Mangham
TEKKERZ CC
2nd
49
Conor
McGoldrick
Richardsons Trek DAS
Elite
50
Fred
Meredith
Wales Racing Academy
1st
51
George
Mitchell
Foran CCC
2nd
52
Calum
Moir
Zappi Junior Race Team
2nd Junior
53
Robin
Mould
Foran CCC
2nd
54
Cormac
Nisbet
Zappi Junior Race Team
2nd Junior
55
Chris
Opie
Le Col Winner of Perfs 2012, 2017
2nd
56
Sebastian
Ottley
Racing Club Ravenna
2nd
57
Samuel
Painter
Embark Spirit BSS
1st
58
Alex
Paton
Winner of Perfs 2018
1st
59
Marinus
Peterson
Kalas Motip Race Team
2nd
60
Vaughn
Pretorius
Kalas Motip Race Team
1st
61
Thomas
Price
Reflex Racing
2nd
62
Milo
Purvis
Paceline RT
2nd
63
Thomas
Quaid
Foran CCC
2nd
64
Jack
Rebours
trainSharp Elite
2nd
65
Daniel
Rees
API-Metrow/Bodyby JR
2nd
66
Alexandar
Richardson
Saint Piran
Elite
67
Jack
Rootkin-Gray
Saint Piran
Elite
68
Dave
Roper
Kalas Motip Race Team
2nd
69
Sam
Shepherd
05/03
2nd
70
George
Smith
Primera-TeamJobs
1st
71
James
Somerfield
TRASH MILE
1st
72
Joe
Staunton
Primera-TeamJobs
1st
73
Angus
Stoneham
Beaconsfield Cycling Club
1st Junior
74
Joseph
Surmon
University of Bristol CC
3rd
75
Rhys
Thomas
Backstedt Bike Performance JRT
2nd Junior
76
Benjamin
Tuchner
TEKKERZ CC
2nd
77
Jacob
Vaughan
Winner of Perfs 2019
2nd
78
Dean
Watson
Embark Spirit BSS
1st
79
Felix
Whetter
Mid Devon CC
2nd
80
Conor
Williams
trainSharp Development Team
2nd
81
Oliver
Winwood Bratchell
Primera-TeamJobs
1st
82
George
Wood
Cycling Sheffield
1st
83
Isaac
Wright
Project 51
1st
84
Irfan
Zaman
Embark Spirit BSS
2nd
85
Theo
Anderson
Chippenham & District Whs
3rd Junior
Reserves
86
Richard
Todd
Le Col
3rd
87
Oscar
Pratt
Saint Piran Development
3rd
88
Oliver
Masters
Southboro & District Whs
3rd Junior
89
Edward
Charles
Backstedt Bike Performance JRT
3rd Junior
90
Ben
Barnett
Team Novo Disc Development
3rd
Timings
The race kicks off at 11.00 and is expected to finish not long after 13.00.
There is still a limited number of Rapha x The British Continental jerseys and gilets available. If you would like to get your hands on one before they go, use the code 40OFF to get 40% off your order.
Featured photo: Hugh McManus. Damien Clayton wins the 2022 Perfs Pedal.
Just four more sleeps until the start of the domestic road racing season.
Yes, national-level road racing returns this Sunday 12 February with the Perfs Pedal road race, now firmly established as the UK’s road racing season opener. In anticipation of the UK’s humble version of ‘opening weekend’, here is a look at the route, the race history, the startlist and the contenders.
What is it?
The Perfs Pedal is a men’s ‘National B‘ road race promoted by VC St Raphael. Taking place near Portsmouth in the south of England, it is the traditional opener to the domestic road racing season (for the men at least). An important early-season marker of fitness, it normally attracts a strong field of riders all eager to test their form after a winter of training. The field normally includes a mix of domestic Continental, elite and junior-level riders, and this year is no different.
The route
The race is a short, punchy affair at 74 kilometres (46 miles). Starting in Southwick, the race begins with five laps of a lumpy 13.6 km circuit around Portsdown Hill. The climbing starts just after 1 km into the circuit, with the steepest sections (maximum gradient of 10.6 %) arriving after the village of Boarhunt as the riders head south towards Portsdown Hill road.
The course then take a left onto Portsdown Road, which is exposed, the harbour to the riders’ right, an army barracks to the left, meaning coastal crosswinds can often be a feature of the race.
The race then switches off the main circuit at Staple Cross Road to finish on the Lodge Hill climb, with the finish line placed just beyond the top of this final drag. The climb has a steep section towards the bottom – reaching nearly 15% in places, but continues to drag upward, making it a hard slog to the finish line. Local rider Red Walters holds the current Strava KOM for the climb.
The race is normally fast, furious and challenging enough that a solo win or a small group sprint can be expected.
History
Created by Mick Waite, who still runs the race, the first edition of the Perfs Pedal road race took place in July 1964, won by Tony Mills. The race moved to an early-season slot the following year where it has stayed ever since.
Given its position in the calendar, the weather has often been a key feature of the race. Ice and snow have been frequent obstacles for the riders. And in the 1990s, mild, wet winters meant that flooding was a problem.
The 2003 edition was cancelled by the local police because of what organiser Mick Waite described as a ‘puddle’. Poor road conditions have also hampered the race, resulting in the cancellation of the 2010 and 2014 editions. The 2020 edition was also cancelled because of forecasts of strong winds and heavy rain, while Covid put paid to the 2021 race.
The race has a long list of illustrious winners. Ian Hallam, Dave LeGrys, Chris Newton, Sean Yates, Tim Harris and Alex Dowsett have all won the race. The last five editions of the race have been won by Tim Elverson’s teams: Rory Townsend won in 2016 (when the team was called Pedal Heaven), Chris Opie in 2017 (for Bike Channel Canyon), Alex Paton took the honours in 2018 (for Canyon Eisberg), Jacob Vaughan (Canyon dhb p/b Bloor Homes) won in 2019, and then Damien Clayton (WiV SunGod) won the last edition in 2022.
Tim Elverson’s squad – now called AT85 Pro Cycling – won’t be on the start line this year however giving the opportunity for a new team to take the first win of the domestic road racing season.
Contenders
At the time of writing, the startlist is provisional only, and subject to change.
No less than four previous winners are on the provisional startlist. Last year’s winner Damien Clayton will don bib number one as the reigning champion. Riding for a new team this year, Embark Spirit BSS (a merger of three teams: Spirit BSS, Embark-Bikestrong, and TBW23), he will be one to watch. He knows the race well (he was second in 2019 too) and, speaking to him just hours before we wrote this, he is eager to start the season well. Watch out for an extended interview with him out very soon.
Veterans Chris Opie and Alex Paton are also previous winners, as is relative youngster Jacob Vaughan (23), who has left Saint Piran and joined a new team for 2023 (yet-to-be-announced). Sources tell us that Vaughan, the current British Gravel Champion, is keen to prove himself on the road this year after a challenging couple of seasons, so we’ll be keen to see how he performs.
The UCI Continental Saint Piran team offers the strongest line-up of the race. Alex Richardson and Jack Rootkin-Gray were in imperious form at the end of last year, and it would be no surprise to see them dominate on Sunday. Zeb Kyffin and Harry Birchall are also more than capable of a win, so Saint Piran have options.
Beyond those we have already mentioned, Clayton’s new teammate Samuel Painter (Embark Spirit BSS) was second last year, so watch out for a repeat performance from him. Others to watch include Richardsons-Trek DAS’ Conor McGoldrick, always a threat in a race like this, former Junior Tour of Wales winner Tyler Hannay (Mastromarco-Sensi-FC Nibali), and George Wood (Cycling Sheffield).
What we love about this race is that there is often a surprise performer or two (such as Clayton when he came second in 2019), so we’ll be perusing the results sheet closely for early signs of a breakthrough rider.
Provisional startlist
Startlist as published on 8 February 2023.
Winner of Perfs in 2022
Winner of Perfs 2012, 2017
Timings
The race kicks off at 11.00 and is expected to finish not long after 13.00.
There is still a limited number of Rapha x The British Continental jerseys and gilets available. If you would like to get your hands on one before they go, use the code 40OFF to get 40% off your order.
Featured photo: Hugh McManus. Damien Clayton wins the 2022 Perfs Pedal.
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