Good weather, enthusiastic crowds, aggressive racing and a stunning course served up another classic edition of the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix presented by Wattbike last weekend. The race created talking points aplenty, with myriad standout performances and surprises. Here are eight of the most notable.
Featured image: SWPix
2023 Men’s Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix presented by Wattbike – Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England – Rory Townsend of Black Spoke. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
1. The Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix is a national treasure
Tradition, history, cobbles, climbs, passion, city centre crowds, the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix has it all. Last weekend’s edition underlined once again what a special race it is. It was a celebration of the cream of domestic road racing, spectators treated to two thrilling races, all served up within feet of their roadside perches. Every sport needs its historic centrepieces and cycling is no different. The British racing scene without the Lincoln Grand Prix would be like football without the FA Cup, horse racing without the Grand National, or tennis without Wimbledon. Many cherished races have passed by the wayside over the last few years, but Lincoln remains, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the race organisation team and the race’s sponsors, Rapha, Wattbike and co. If any race deserves heritage status, it is this one.
2023 Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix presented by Wattbike – Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England – Women’s Race winner Robyn Clay – Pro-Noctis-Heidi Kjelden – 200 Degrees Coffee celebrates. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
2. Robyn Clay’s breakthrough moment
We highlighted 19-year-old Robyn Clay’s enormous potential when we published an interview with her earlier this year. Despite her family heritage (her father is track medallist Jonny), Clay actually only began racing in 2021 but she has quickly made a name for herself, finishing 7th in the national circuit race championships – in Lincoln – the very same year. All still while just a junior. What impressed us most about her win at the weekend was her mental prowess as much as her physical performance. She played the race smart, missing turns in the break to save energy, refusing to be bullied into taking a turn by her more experienced breakaway companions. It showed maturity beyond her years. Lincoln Grand Prix winners have a habit of going on to the professional ranks. Early signs are that Clay will follow suit.
2023 Women’s Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix presented by Wattbike – Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England – Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne of Team Boompods. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
3. Is Hodgkins-Byrne the next rowing-to-cycling success?
Perhaps lost in the excitement about Clay’s stunning win was Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne’s excellent second place. The Team Boompods rider won three World Rowing U23 Championships medals in a row when representing Great Britain. She only has one full season of competitive road racing under her belt, but an excellent start to 2023 suggests she is quickly adapting to two wheels. She was second in the March Hare Classic, and 10th in the Dave Peck Memorial earlier this year. But second at Lincoln is truly a breakthrough moment. We will be watching her results closely for the rest of the season to see if her upward trajectory continues.
2023 Women’s Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix presented by Wattbike – Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England – Cat Ferguson of Shibden Hope Tech Apex. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
4. Shibden Hope Tech Apex disrupting the scene
Spearheaded by Cat Ferguson and Imogen Wolff, the Shibden Hope Tech Apex team is a brilliant new addition to British road racing. It only began this year and is made up entirely of first-year junior riders, but it has already had a big impact. The team’s first road race, at Capernwray, saw Ferguson storm to victory, with Wolff 6th. Since then, the team has continued to impress – in the UK and internationally. Both riders being in the top ten at Lincoln demonstrates that the team can already hold its own at the highest domestic level.
2023 Men’s Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix presented by Wattbike – Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England – Alexandar Richardson, Zeb Kyffin and Jack Rootkin-Gray of Saint Piran. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
5. Saint Piran looks set to dominate men’s domestic road racing this year
Saint Piran secured an unprecedented 1-2-3 in the men’s race, serving notice to the rest of the domestic peloton that it means business in the 2023 National Road Series. In Jack Rootkin-Gray and Alex Richardson the team has two ProTeam-level riders (indeed, Richardson was a ProTeam rider until not that long ago), and with a talented cast of others including Zeb Kyffin, Harry Birchill, Will Tidball and Charlie Tidball, the team is able to play the numbers game in races like this. They did that to perfection in Lincoln. After the sad demise of AT85 Pro Cycling, and with TRINITY Racing likely to have an international focus for the rest of the year, Saint Piran will be hard to beat in the National Road Series this year if they continue in this fashion.
2023 Men’s Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix presented by Wattbike – Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England – Cycling Sheffield. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
6. James McKay: breakthrough rider of the year?
OK, OK, we are a little biased here as James McKay has been a regular contributor to The British Continental over the last couple of years. But the evidence is hard to argue with. McKay sits second in our national road race rankings, behind Saint Piran’s Richardson, has won two National B road races this season already (the Totnes Vire stage race and the Timmy James Memorial Grand Prix, ahead of Richardson), and was the best-placed non-UCI rider at the Rutland-Melton International Classic with a stunning 4th place. Another 4th at Lincoln, only bested by the Saint Piran juggernaut, demonstrates just how good he is. It is crazy to think that this time last year he asked to leave Cycling Sheffield after his Lincoln performance, saying he wasn’t good enough. Fast forward a year and it would not be a surprise if McKay stepped up to the UCI Continental ranks.
Rowan Baker and Dexter Leeming Sykes at the 2023 Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix. Image: Emma Wilcock
7. Strength in-depth in the elite team ranks
McKay is not the only elite-level rider who shone at Lincoln. 21-year-old London Dynamo rider Rowan Baker, whose performances we have been shouting about all season, was 8th. 20-year-old Dexter Leeming-Sykes (Wold Top The Edge) finished 7th continuing an excellent season start, while new Dolan Ellesse signing Sam Culverwell – admittedly a UCI Continental rider until AT85’s sudden collapse – was 9th.
These performances show that there is incredible strength in depth in the elite team ranks. Put together some of these individuals into a UCI Continental outfit and arguably you could have a squad strong enough to rival Saint Piran.
8. The National Road Series deserves more coverage
The Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix is a brilliant showcase for British road racing. But our roadside coverage of the races on Instagram stories, together with our quickly published reports, was probably the most comprehensive live coverage of the races there was. As much as we’re proud of our reporting, we believe a cherished race like this deserves more. Hopefully one day the race will be live streamed or there will at the very least be a live tracker. At least we now have Monument Cycling’s excellent highlights, so hats off to Owen at Monument for putting them together.
Good weather, enthusiastic crowds, aggressive racing and a stunning course served up another classic edition of the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix presented by Wattbike last weekend. The race created talking points aplenty, with myriad standout performances and surprises. Here are eight of the most notable.
Featured image: SWPix
1. The Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix is a national treasure
Tradition, history, cobbles, climbs, passion, city centre crowds, the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix has it all. Last weekend’s edition underlined once again what a special race it is. It was a celebration of the cream of domestic road racing, spectators treated to two thrilling races, all served up within feet of their roadside perches. Every sport needs its historic centrepieces and cycling is no different. The British racing scene without the Lincoln Grand Prix would be like football without the FA Cup, horse racing without the Grand National, or tennis without Wimbledon. Many cherished races have passed by the wayside over the last few years, but Lincoln remains, thanks to the hard work and dedication of the race organisation team and the race’s sponsors, Rapha, Wattbike and co. If any race deserves heritage status, it is this one.
2. Robyn Clay’s breakthrough moment
We highlighted 19-year-old Robyn Clay’s enormous potential when we published an interview with her earlier this year. Despite her family heritage (her father is track medallist Jonny), Clay actually only began racing in 2021 but she has quickly made a name for herself, finishing 7th in the national circuit race championships – in Lincoln – the very same year. All still while just a junior. What impressed us most about her win at the weekend was her mental prowess as much as her physical performance. She played the race smart, missing turns in the break to save energy, refusing to be bullied into taking a turn by her more experienced breakaway companions. It showed maturity beyond her years. Lincoln Grand Prix winners have a habit of going on to the professional ranks. Early signs are that Clay will follow suit.
3. Is Hodgkins-Byrne the next rowing-to-cycling success?
Perhaps lost in the excitement about Clay’s stunning win was Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne’s excellent second place. The Team Boompods rider won three World Rowing U23 Championships medals in a row when representing Great Britain. She only has one full season of competitive road racing under her belt, but an excellent start to 2023 suggests she is quickly adapting to two wheels. She was second in the March Hare Classic, and 10th in the Dave Peck Memorial earlier this year. But second at Lincoln is truly a breakthrough moment. We will be watching her results closely for the rest of the season to see if her upward trajectory continues.
4. Shibden Hope Tech Apex disrupting the scene
Spearheaded by Cat Ferguson and Imogen Wolff, the Shibden Hope Tech Apex team is a brilliant new addition to British road racing. It only began this year and is made up entirely of first-year junior riders, but it has already had a big impact. The team’s first road race, at Capernwray, saw Ferguson storm to victory, with Wolff 6th. Since then, the team has continued to impress – in the UK and internationally. Both riders being in the top ten at Lincoln demonstrates that the team can already hold its own at the highest domestic level.
5. Saint Piran looks set to dominate men’s domestic road racing this year
Saint Piran secured an unprecedented 1-2-3 in the men’s race, serving notice to the rest of the domestic peloton that it means business in the 2023 National Road Series. In Jack Rootkin-Gray and Alex Richardson the team has two ProTeam-level riders (indeed, Richardson was a ProTeam rider until not that long ago), and with a talented cast of others including Zeb Kyffin, Harry Birchill, Will Tidball and Charlie Tidball, the team is able to play the numbers game in races like this. They did that to perfection in Lincoln. After the sad demise of AT85 Pro Cycling, and with TRINITY Racing likely to have an international focus for the rest of the year, Saint Piran will be hard to beat in the National Road Series this year if they continue in this fashion.
6. James McKay: breakthrough rider of the year?
OK, OK, we are a little biased here as James McKay has been a regular contributor to The British Continental over the last couple of years. But the evidence is hard to argue with. McKay sits second in our national road race rankings, behind Saint Piran’s Richardson, has won two National B road races this season already (the Totnes Vire stage race and the Timmy James Memorial Grand Prix, ahead of Richardson), and was the best-placed non-UCI rider at the Rutland-Melton International Classic with a stunning 4th place. Another 4th at Lincoln, only bested by the Saint Piran juggernaut, demonstrates just how good he is. It is crazy to think that this time last year he asked to leave Cycling Sheffield after his Lincoln performance, saying he wasn’t good enough. Fast forward a year and it would not be a surprise if McKay stepped up to the UCI Continental ranks.
7. Strength in-depth in the elite team ranks
McKay is not the only elite-level rider who shone at Lincoln. 21-year-old London Dynamo rider Rowan Baker, whose performances we have been shouting about all season, was 8th. 20-year-old Dexter Leeming-Sykes (Wold Top The Edge) finished 7th continuing an excellent season start, while new Dolan Ellesse signing Sam Culverwell – admittedly a UCI Continental rider until AT85’s sudden collapse – was 9th.
These performances show that there is incredible strength in depth in the elite team ranks. Put together some of these individuals into a UCI Continental outfit and arguably you could have a squad strong enough to rival Saint Piran.
8. The National Road Series deserves more coverage
The Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix is a brilliant showcase for British road racing. But our roadside coverage of the races on Instagram stories, together with our quickly published reports, was probably the most comprehensive live coverage of the races there was. As much as we’re proud of our reporting, we believe a cherished race like this deserves more. Hopefully one day the race will be live streamed or there will at the very least be a live tracker. At least we now have Monument Cycling’s excellent highlights, so hats off to Owen at Monument for putting them together.
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