The 2023 women’s National Road Series begins this Sunday, 26 March, with what looks set to be a true spring classic: the ANEXO/CAMS Women’s CiCLE Classic.
Featured photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com. 2022 Women’s CiCLE Classic.
What is it?
This is only the seventh edition of the women’s CiCLE Classic but it has already established itself as one of the most important events on the women’s road race calendar in the UK. Like the men’s version, it’s famed for its off-road sectors and Belgian roadside atmosphere, a cherished part of the British road racing scene.
With the race moving to March from its typical June date, it is now the opening round of the women’s National Road Series – the earliest to a National Road Series so far.
The race organiser Colin Clews explained to us that the calendar shift was enforced as the usual June dates were impossible due to various clashes (the Rutland Show, the regional championships, Fathers Day, the National Road Championships), meaning this weekend’s date was the next best available.
This really will be the British Paris-Roubaix. It’s gonna be an exciting race
Ian Watson, team manager, Hutchinson-Brother UK
Given the recent rain that has fallen in the area, off-road sectors will be in poor condition, although Clews tells us that remedial work in the days leading up to the race will make good the worst aspects.
“Conditions will be as can be expected for a spring classic and we do know [from past races] that however bad the weather, it is still totally rideable,” Clews told us.
The race’s future was in doubt earlier last year after losing its longstanding main sponsor, Pete Stanton, in protest at British Cycling’s suspension of its transgender policy. The good news here is the Anexo Group has committed to sponsoring the race for the next three years which, together with support from Dame Laura Kenny, means the future of the race is now safeguarded until at least 2025.
2022 Women’s CiCLE Classic – Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England – Josie Nelson wins ahead of Maddie Leech and Eluned King. Image: Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Josie Nelson (Team Coop-Hitec Products) won last year’s race in a thrilling reduced bunch sprint. The race’s other previous winners are Abi Smith, Emily Nelson, Neah Evans, Katie Archibald and Becky Durrell.
The race runs in the afternoon with the men’s Junior CiCLE Classic – which this year forms round 1 of the men’s Junior Road Series – running in the morning on the same course.
The route
The race starts and finishes in Melton Mowbray, famous for its pork pies (more on that later). 104.9km long, and in three ‘parts’, it’s a circuitous course that will take in the off-road sectors of Sawgate Lane, Somerberg, Manor Farm, and Newbold Manor, as well as the three categorised climbs of the day: Burrough Berg, Cold Overton Berg, and Cuckooberg.
In the first part of the race (in green on the map above), the race rolls out from Melton Mowbray on some fairly wide roads. Once the riders reach Owston the peloton will ride the Owston-Burrough circuit in the opposite direction to the way the course was run prior to the 2021 edition. This completely changes the complexion of the lap, Colin Clews told us last year, as there are some sharp inclines to tackle immediately after tight corners which riders will need to take at almost a dead stop.
#
Sector
Length
Rating
3 & 7
Newbold Manor
1100m
**
6 & 4 (ridden in reverse)
Manor Farm
700m
****
5 & 2 (ridden in reverse)
Somerberg
2200m
*****
1
Sawgate Lane
500m
****
Riders then head into the second part (blue) where they will take on the most challenging of the sectors, the Somerberg, for the first time. The final part of the race (red) takes in more sectors before sending the riders back to Melton Mowbray. The first rider across the finish line with 15 km to go wins the famous giant pork pie
Riders then do a full lap of the finishing circuit – which includes the final ‘sector’ of Sawgate Lane – before heading back to Melton Mowbray to decide the race winner.
The winner receives the Dame Laura Kenny Trophy and £1000 in prize money, donated by the multiple-Olympic gold medallist herself. Kenny and fellow track cycling legend Ed Clancy OBE will add a touch of stardust to the event, handing out the race prizes at the podium presentation.
The inside view
The recent rain will make the course wet, muddy and slippery.
“The biggest challenge will be the water holding in the holes; the riders won’t know how deep they are,” Hutchinson-Brother UK manager Ian Watson told The British Continental ahead of the race.
“And on the climb of the Somerberg, it is particularly slippy, so riders might lose traction there. I can see it coming to a standstill further down the bunch, so positioning will be more important than ever.”
Tammy Miller of the Hutchinson-Brother UK team, overall winner at the 2023 Peaks 2 Day stage race. Image ELW Photography
Watson believes the conditions should make the race more thrilling than ever. “This really will be the British Paris-Roubaix. It’s gonna be an exciting race,” he says.
You’ve got to have that high level of concentration all the way through, you’ve just no idea what’s going to happen. It is a game of luck
Sammie Stuart, DAS-Handsling
Last season’s National Road Series winner highlights the race’s unique nature when we asked her about it.
“It’s mental isn’t it? It’s not, it’s not a road race. You can’t call it a road race. It’s like a low-key Strade Bianche.
“It is super enjoyable and you’ve got to have that high level of concentration all the way through, you’ve just no idea what’s going to happen. It is a game of luck. Monica [Greenwood], who we’ve got in the team this year, I think she double punctured like 30 kilometres towards the end last year. A double puncture and she still got a top 10 These kinds of races, they’re just crazy.”
Like Watson, Stuart also expects the weather to be a major factor in deciding the race outcome.
“The more the race goes on, the more the ground becomes boggy. You’ve got to pick different lines going through the [off-road sectors] and then you’ve got mud on your tyres when you hit the road sections again, so it is slippery on the corners. It does make it a massive, massive factor – the weather.
And what does Stuart think it takes to win the CiCLE Classic?
“Determination! It’s not so much climbing you know, it’s bike handling skills. That’s, a definite for this kind of course especially when you go around corners and there’s like three-inch rocks under your wheels going around corners. I think it definitely requires more skill than any other race.”
Timings
14.00 – 16.20 approx
Weather
At the time of writing, the forecast says it will continue to rain in the run-up to the race, with rain forecast in the morning while the men’s junior race is on. So the tracks will be churned up and more challenging than they have ever been in the women’s race. With a moderate breeze also blowing, and temperatures in single digits, this is going to one tough edition!
A clash with Gent-Wevelgem this year means a number of talented riders that might otherwise have competed (think junior sensation Cat Ferguson for example) will be racing in Belgium.
Nevertheless, the race features a strong line-up of over 100 riders. Who might win?
The off-road sectors and muddy conditions will mean the victor will need luck – as well as a great deal of skill and mighty strong legs – on their side.
On paper, UCI Continental team DAS-Handsling has arguably the strongest line-up. The team fields last year’s National Road Series winner Sammie Stuart, 2023 Peaks 2 Day stage winner Lucy Lee, and the young Emma Jeffers, who was 5th in this race last year in a season in which she won two National Circuit Series races and two rounds of the Tour Series, all while she was still just a junior. As another option, they also have Grace Lister (like Jeffers, another 18-year-old), who finished 12th and 9th in this race while a junior.
Who can challenge DAS-Handsling, then? The Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee team have a strong set of contenders, including Bexy Dew (5th overall at the Peaks 2 Day) and former national circuit race champion Jo Tindlay.
Tammy Miller (Hutchinson-Brother UK) knows a thing or two about winning savage races after winning the brutally hard Peaks 2 Day stage race last weekend. Team Boompods’ Ellen McDermott was 2nd in this race in 2021, having won the reduced bunch sprint after Abi Smith’s solo win.
2021 HSBC UK National Women’s Road Series – Women’s CiCLE Classic – Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England – Ellen McDermott of Team Boompods wins the sprint for second place. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
How about talented 19-year-old Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck Development Team), who finished in the lead group in the tough Belgian semi-classic Le Samyn last month? Or 18-year-old cyclocross specialist Ella Maclean-Howell (Team Inspired), who should be equipped with the bike handling skills to handle the mud-filled, pot-holed gravel tracks? And what about Josie Knight (Spectra-Cannondale); could she translate the track form that saw her win gold and silver in the European track championships last month into success on the road?
It’s a well-worn cliché but whoever prevails will be a truly worthy winner in what looks set to be another enthralling edition of the race.
So who will win? This is one of the most unpredictable races on the calendar, with mechanicals and the treacherous terrain making it hard to judge. This year’s conditions will make it more so. If we had to pick one rider, though, it’s Sammie Stuart.She looked in great form at Capernwray, and has the gutsy strength and guile needed to win a race like this.
The 2023 women’s National Road Series begins this Sunday, 26 March, with what looks set to be a true spring classic: the ANEXO/CAMS Women’s CiCLE Classic.
Featured photo: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com. 2022 Women’s CiCLE Classic.
What is it?
This is only the seventh edition of the women’s CiCLE Classic but it has already established itself as one of the most important events on the women’s road race calendar in the UK. Like the men’s version, it’s famed for its off-road sectors and Belgian roadside atmosphere, a cherished part of the British road racing scene.
With the race moving to March from its typical June date, it is now the opening round of the women’s National Road Series – the earliest to a National Road Series so far.
The race organiser Colin Clews explained to us that the calendar shift was enforced as the usual June dates were impossible due to various clashes (the Rutland Show, the regional championships, Fathers Day, the National Road Championships), meaning this weekend’s date was the next best available.
Given the recent rain that has fallen in the area, off-road sectors will be in poor condition, although Clews tells us that remedial work in the days leading up to the race will make good the worst aspects.
“Conditions will be as can be expected for a spring classic and we do know [from past races] that however bad the weather, it is still totally rideable,” Clews told us.
The race’s future was in doubt earlier last year after losing its longstanding main sponsor, Pete Stanton, in protest at British Cycling’s suspension of its transgender policy. The good news here is the Anexo Group has committed to sponsoring the race for the next three years which, together with support from Dame Laura Kenny, means the future of the race is now safeguarded until at least 2025.
Josie Nelson (Team Coop-Hitec Products) won last year’s race in a thrilling reduced bunch sprint. The race’s other previous winners are Abi Smith, Emily Nelson, Neah Evans, Katie Archibald and Becky Durrell.
The race runs in the afternoon with the men’s Junior CiCLE Classic – which this year forms round 1 of the men’s Junior Road Series – running in the morning on the same course.
The route
The race starts and finishes in Melton Mowbray, famous for its pork pies (more on that later). 104.9km long, and in three ‘parts’, it’s a circuitous course that will take in the off-road sectors of Sawgate Lane, Somerberg, Manor Farm, and Newbold Manor, as well as the three categorised climbs of the day: Burrough Berg, Cold Overton Berg, and Cuckooberg.
In the first part of the race (in green on the map above), the race rolls out from Melton Mowbray on some fairly wide roads. Once the riders reach Owston the peloton will ride the Owston-Burrough circuit in the opposite direction to the way the course was run prior to the 2021 edition. This completely changes the complexion of the lap, Colin Clews told us last year, as there are some sharp inclines to tackle immediately after tight corners which riders will need to take at almost a dead stop.
Riders then head into the second part (blue) where they will take on the most challenging of the sectors, the Somerberg, for the first time. The final part of the race (red) takes in more sectors before sending the riders back to Melton Mowbray. The first rider across the finish line with 15 km to go wins the famous giant pork pie
Riders then do a full lap of the finishing circuit – which includes the final ‘sector’ of Sawgate Lane – before heading back to Melton Mowbray to decide the race winner.
The winner receives the Dame Laura Kenny Trophy and £1000 in prize money, donated by the multiple-Olympic gold medallist herself. Kenny and fellow track cycling legend Ed Clancy OBE will add a touch of stardust to the event, handing out the race prizes at the podium presentation.
The inside view
The recent rain will make the course wet, muddy and slippery.
“The biggest challenge will be the water holding in the holes; the riders won’t know how deep they are,” Hutchinson-Brother UK manager Ian Watson told The British Continental ahead of the race.
“And on the climb of the Somerberg, it is particularly slippy, so riders might lose traction there. I can see it coming to a standstill further down the bunch, so positioning will be more important than ever.”
Watson believes the conditions should make the race more thrilling than ever. “This really will be the British Paris-Roubaix. It’s gonna be an exciting race,” he says.
Last season’s National Road Series winner highlights the race’s unique nature when we asked her about it.
“It’s mental isn’t it? It’s not, it’s not a road race. You can’t call it a road race. It’s like a low-key Strade Bianche.
“It is super enjoyable and you’ve got to have that high level of concentration all the way through, you’ve just no idea what’s going to happen. It is a game of luck. Monica [Greenwood], who we’ve got in the team this year, I think she double punctured like 30 kilometres towards the end last year. A double puncture and she still got a top 10 These kinds of races, they’re just crazy.”
Like Watson, Stuart also expects the weather to be a major factor in deciding the race outcome.
“The more the race goes on, the more the ground becomes boggy. You’ve got to pick different lines going through the [off-road sectors] and then you’ve got mud on your tyres when you hit the road sections again, so it is slippery on the corners. It does make it a massive, massive factor – the weather.
And what does Stuart think it takes to win the CiCLE Classic?
“Determination! It’s not so much climbing you know, it’s bike handling skills. That’s, a definite for this kind of course especially when you go around corners and there’s like three-inch rocks under your wheels going around corners. I think it definitely requires more skill than any other race.”
Timings
14.00 – 16.20 approx
Weather
At the time of writing, the forecast says it will continue to rain in the run-up to the race, with rain forecast in the morning while the men’s junior race is on. So the tracks will be churned up and more challenging than they have ever been in the women’s race. With a moderate breeze also blowing, and temperatures in single digits, this is going to one tough edition!
Riders to watch
View the startlist here.
Updated: 25 March.
A clash with Gent-Wevelgem this year means a number of talented riders that might otherwise have competed (think junior sensation Cat Ferguson for example) will be racing in Belgium.
Nevertheless, the race features a strong line-up of over 100 riders. Who might win?
The off-road sectors and muddy conditions will mean the victor will need luck – as well as a great deal of skill and mighty strong legs – on their side.
On paper, UCI Continental team DAS-Handsling has arguably the strongest line-up. The team fields last year’s National Road Series winner Sammie Stuart, 2023 Peaks 2 Day stage winner Lucy Lee, and the young Emma Jeffers, who was 5th in this race last year in a season in which she won two National Circuit Series races and two rounds of the Tour Series, all while she was still just a junior.
As another option, they also have Grace Lister (like Jeffers, another 18-year-old), who finished 12th and 9th in this race while a junior.Who can challenge DAS-Handsling, then? The Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee team have a strong set of contenders, including Bexy Dew (5th overall at the Peaks 2 Day) and former national circuit race champion Jo Tindlay.
Tammy Miller (Hutchinson-Brother UK) knows a thing or two about winning savage races after winning the brutally hard Peaks 2 Day stage race last weekend. Team Boompods’ Ellen McDermott was 2nd in this race in 2021, having won the reduced bunch sprint after Abi Smith’s solo win.
How about talented 19-year-old Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck Development Team), who finished in the lead group in the tough Belgian semi-classic Le Samyn last month? Or 18-year-old cyclocross specialist Ella Maclean-Howell (Team Inspired), who should be equipped with the bike handling skills to handle the mud-filled, pot-holed gravel tracks? And what about Josie Knight (Spectra-Cannondale); could she translate the track form that saw her win gold and silver in the European track championships last month into success on the road?
It’s a well-worn cliché but whoever prevails will be a truly worthy winner in what looks set to be another enthralling edition of the race.
So who will win? This is one of the most unpredictable races on the calendar, with mechanicals and the treacherous terrain making it hard to judge. This year’s conditions will make it more so. If we had to pick one rider, though, it’s Sammie Stuart. She looked in great form at Capernwray, and has the gutsy strength and guile needed to win a race like this.
How to follow
British Cycling will have live updates on Twitter and Instagram. And we also expect the Women’s CiCLE Classic Twitter account to be active throughout the day too.
Our reporter Joe Hudson will be at the race too, bringing you updates on our Instagram stories.
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