Last season, we began a little experiment, creating our own national road race rankings, tracking results across National A and B road races. Well, despite finding the task too time-consuming for us to maintain last time around, we are trying again. We’ve had some kind offers of help from the cycling community, which we hope will make the task more manageable this season. So, to coin a phrase, we go again.
The emphasis here is on road racing; we want to understand who has been performing well in national-level road races in the UK across the season. The British Cycling rankings system doesn’t separate out points from road races; instead, it meshes together results from circuit races, track and road races.
Our focus here is deliberately narrow therefore; we want to understand who has been performing well in national-level road races in the UK across the season. Results from circuit races and criteriums won’t count. And neither will points accrued from Regional or UCI road races. Moreover, keeping it focused makes it easier for us to manage and update here at British Conti HQ (although we may expand our rankings focus if time allows later on in the season).
Like any rankings system, this isn’t perfect. We aren’t pretending it will be a completely objective measure of road racing performance or ability. But we do hope it injects a bit of fun and helps create a bit of interest in national-level road racing this season, particularly at National B level.
The scoring system is very similar to the one used by British Cycling, with riders in the top 20 of races qualifying for points, with points also being awarded to stage winners.
This first set of published rankings pulls together the results from the first National B road races this season: the Perfs Pedal road race, the Capernwray road races, and the Jock Wadley Memorial road races.
Men’s national road race rankings
The breakthrough rider of the early season, London Dynamo’s Rowan Baker, stands atop the men’s rankings after his first two races, thanks to 5th place at the Perfs Pedal and 2nd at the Jock Wadley Memorial. Just 21, Baker is also the leading under-23 in the rankings.
Richardsons-Trek DAS’ Jack Crook is just two points further back after also performing strongly, finishing 4th at Perfs and then 2nd at Capernwray. Perfs Pedal road race winner Jack Rootkin-Gray (Saint Piran) is third.
Rootkin-Gray’s teammate Harry Birchill is the second-best under-23 rider, while Jacob Smith (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) is the third best espoir. Tomos Pattinson (Tofauti Everyone Active) is the highest-ranked junior.
There should be a shake-up in the rankings this weekend, with two men’s National B road races taking place: the three-stage Peaks 2 Day and the Wally Gimber.
Women’s national road race rankings
With just one women’s national road race to date this season, it is no surprise to see 16-year-old Cat Ferguson at the top of the rankings. Just 16, Ferguson is also the leading under-23 and leading junior.
Sammie Stuart (DAS-Handsling) and Ellen McDermott (Team Boompods) sit second and third overall, while Ferguson’s junior teammates, Imogen Wolff and Esther Wong sit second and third in the under-23 and junior standings.
The Peaks 2 Day this weekend should see the rankings change significantly, and will be a good test of form ahead of round one of the National Road Series, the CiCLE Classic, the following weekend.
| # | Change | First name | Surname | Team |
| 1 | ↔ | Cat | Ferguson | Shibden Hope Tech Apex |
| 2 | ↔ | Sammie | Stuart | DAS – Handsling Bikes |
| 3 | ↔ | Ellen | McDermott | Team Boompods |
| 4 | ↔ | Zoe | Langham | Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – … |
| 5 | ↔ | Imogen | Wolff | Shibden Hope Tech Apex |
| 6 | ↔ | Bexy | Dew | Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – … |
| 7 | ↔ | Lucy | Lee | DAS – Handsling Bikes |
| 8 | ↔ | Mary | Wilkinson | Team Boompods |
| 9 | ↔ | Connie | Hayes | AWOL- O’Shea |
| 10 | ↔ | Francesca | Hall | Loughborough Lightning |
| 11 | ↔ | Frances | Owen | Wahoo – Le Col |
| 12 | ↔ | Laura | Gray | Wahoo – Le Col |
| 13 | ↔ | Olivia | French | StolenGoat Race Team |
| 14 | ↔ | Corinne | Side | Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – … |
| 15 | ↔ | Maddie | Heywood | FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racin… |
| 16 | ↔ | Jayati | Hine | University of Sheffield CC |
| 17 | ↔ | Isabel | Darvill | Team Spectra Cannondale |
| 18 | ↔ | Abi | Plowman | Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Glasdon |
| 19 | ↔ | Esther | Wong | Shibden Hope Tech Apex |
| 20 | ↔ | Beth | Harley-Jepson | Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Glasdon |
How it works
The rankings take results from National A and National B road races in the UK in 2023. Note the emphasis on road racing; results from circuit races and criteriums don’t count. And neither do points from Regional or UCI road races. The focus is deliberately narrow; we want to understand who has been performing in national-level road races in the UK across the season. And keeping it focused makes it easier for us to manage and update here at British Conti HQ.
Like any rankings system, this isn’t perfect. We aren’t pretending it will be a completely objective measure of road racing performance or ability. But we do hope it injects a bit of fun and helps create a bit of interest in national-level road racing this season, particularly at National B level.
The scoring system is very similar to the one used by British Cycling, with riders in the top 20 of races qualifying for points, with points also being awarded to stage winners.
| Points Band | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Position | Nat A Road | Nat B Road | Nat A ind. stages | Nat B ind. stages |
| 1 | 100 | 60 | 30 | 15 |
| 2 | 85 | 52 | 25 | 12 |
| 3 | 75 | 45 | 21 | 10 |
| 4 | 66 | 40 | 17 | 8 |
| 5 | 58 | 35 | 14 | 6 |
| 6 | 51 | 31 | 12 | 5 |
| 7 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 4 |
| 8 | 39 | 23 | 8 | 3 |
| 9 | 34 | 20 | 7 | 2 |
| 10 | 29 | 17 | 6 | 1 |
| 11 | 25 | 15 | 5 | |
| 12 | 21 | 13 | 4 | |
| 13 | 18 | 11 | 3 | |
| 14 | 15 | 9 | 2 | |
| 15 | 12 | 7 | 1 | |
| 16 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 17 | 8 | 5 | ||
| 18 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 19 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 20 | 2 | 1 |
