This weekend will see riders up and down the country battling it out for the honour of becoming the road race champion for their region – or in the case of Wales, their nation – with ten individual or combined regional events taking place in England and Wales.
New contributor Jack Beavis takes a look at two of these races: the East Midlands Men’s Regional Road Race Championships, and the East Midlands Women’s Regional Road Race Championships incorporating the West Mildands Regional Road Race Championships.
The Yomp Bonk Crew and The University of Nottingham CC have teamed up to deliver a new, fast course for this Sunday’s East Midlands Regional Road Race Championships, which will include the West Midlands Women’s Championships.
Route
Sitting ten miles to the south of Nottingham around the small village of Widmerpool, the course is a shade over 5 miles long and contains little climbing of note, the biggest test coming at the end of the lap in the shape of a short and relatively shallow incline.
The outwards stretch of the lap is a barely noticeable false flat with the return leg slightly downhill, with the whole lap lending itself to be run at a frenetic pace. The biggest obstacle the riders could face is the threat of crosswinds coming from the east for the two exposed longer stretches of road. Currently the forecast is kind with light winds and a warm day predicted, although a lot can change with thunderstorms forecast on Saturday.
The women will tackle 10 laps of the circuit for a total distance of 52 miles, whilst the men will take on 16 laps making a race distance of 83 miles. The women’s race could fracture from the first lap with a small field size, becoming a battle of attrition into the final laps. The men’s race should be a typical high paced National B affair with a tough fight for the break and a hungry bunch chasing hard to set up an exciting finale.
Contenders
Women’s race – incorporating the West Midlands RR Championships
The ‘Queen of the Midlands’ will be crowned on Sunday morning from the 21 riders due to take to the start. Francesca Hall (Loughborough Lightening) starts as favourite having recently become the BUCS Road Race Champion on a similar, but slightly tougher finish, and performed strongly last weekend claiming second behind former National Criterium Champion Jo Tindley at home in Loughborough in the Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy.
Francesca Hall wins the BUCS road race championships. Image: Emma Wilcock
Georgina Oakley could be the main challenger to Hall having been on a terrific run of form this year. Winner of the National B No Nonsense Circuit Race last month and taking podiums in two other National B races prior, 21-year-old Oakley is starting to find her feet in the sport and enters the race 6th in the BC rankings.
Teams with more than one rider such as Team Boompods (Sian Marsh and Keri Parton) may look to use their numbers against Hall and Oakley and look to them to chase any moves that go. It makes for a fascinating tactical battle with the big question being how will Hall and Oakley weather the storm?
Men’s race
72 riders take to the start of the men’s event for East Midlands riders only. Matthew King headlines the field as he returns to the UK after racing in Europe with his new X-Speed United Continental Team. King ended 2021 top of the British Cycling Rankings in a year that saw him move to the now-defunct Ribble Weldtite team. 5th in a bunch sprint at the Tour of Hellas, King has the fast finish that is likely to be required on Sunday. He will face stiff opposition from the in-form Adam Lewis (Saint Piran), who enjoyed a bumper Bank Holiday Weekend with victory in the GA Bennett Road Race from a breakaway and 3rd in the Olveston GP the day before. Not one for waiting for the sprint, Lewis will be on the attack and looking to upset the rhythm of the sprinters.
Ollie Peckover (trainSharp Elite) has been winning races for fun this year both on and off his TT bike. An 8th place in the Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic underlines his class after victories in the Peak 2-day stage race and RCR Fatcreations Road Race made him the form rider of the early season. The course might not be hard enough for him, but having grown up only a stone’s throw from the circuit Peckover will be eager to impress.
University of Nottingham alumnus Sebastian Garry (Kalas Motip Race Team) put in a strong ride to finish the Lincoln GP and will know the circuit very having lived nearby. Garry finished 2022 very strongly and has been impressive in the criteriums he’s raced this year. If the race pans out as he wishes, Garry shouldn’t be ruled out. Josh Housley (Derby CC Webuycycle Huub RT) is another rider with a strong finish and has performed well this season with an underrated criterium win at the end of May in Nottingham and multiple top tens on similar circuits in National B races.
Other riders high up in The British Continental road race rankings include Peckover’s teammate Sam Clark and Ride Revolution Coaching’s Clay Davies, who have had two National B podiums apiece this season. Davies impressed with third place from the winning break at the Timmy James Memorial Road Race in April, behind titans of the domestic scene James McKay and Alex Richardson. He has been frequently racing criteriums over the past few months picking up a number of wins in Milton Keynes and Colchester including the National B Ken Wright Memorial. The fast nature of the race will play into his hands and Davies has a distinct possibility of claiming the win in a gallop to the line.
Although there will be no dominant team controlling the race on Sunday, the regional nature adds an extra element to the tactics with riders having trained and raced together for many years. It could be small alliances that make all the difference when it comes to chasing down breaks on Sunday, another fascinating element to the race.
Predictions
Francesca Hall should have the ability to handle anything the other riders throw at her to take the victory in the women’s race, while Matt King has the ability to win from a variety of situations in the men’s race and should show his class back on home roads.
This weekend will see riders up and down the country battling it out for the honour of becoming the road race champion for their region – or in the case of Wales, their nation – with ten individual or combined regional events taking place in England and Wales.
New contributor Jack Beavis takes a look at two of these races: the East Midlands Men’s Regional Road Race Championships, and the East Midlands Women’s Regional Road Race Championships incorporating the West Mildands Regional Road Race Championships.
Featured image: Emma Wilcock
What is it?
The Yomp Bonk Crew and The University of Nottingham CC have teamed up to deliver a new, fast course for this Sunday’s East Midlands Regional Road Race Championships, which will include the West Midlands Women’s Championships.
Route
Sitting ten miles to the south of Nottingham around the small village of Widmerpool, the course is a shade over 5 miles long and contains little climbing of note, the biggest test coming at the end of the lap in the shape of a short and relatively shallow incline.
The outwards stretch of the lap is a barely noticeable false flat with the return leg slightly downhill, with the whole lap lending itself to be run at a frenetic pace. The biggest obstacle the riders could face is the threat of crosswinds coming from the east for the two exposed longer stretches of road. Currently the forecast is kind with light winds and a warm day predicted, although a lot can change with thunderstorms forecast on Saturday.
The women will tackle 10 laps of the circuit for a total distance of 52 miles, whilst the men will take on 16 laps making a race distance of 83 miles. The women’s race could fracture from the first lap with a small field size, becoming a battle of attrition into the final laps. The men’s race should be a typical high paced National B affair with a tough fight for the break and a hungry bunch chasing hard to set up an exciting finale.
Contenders
Women’s race – incorporating the West Midlands RR Championships
The ‘Queen of the Midlands’ will be crowned on Sunday morning from the 21 riders due to take to the start. Francesca Hall (Loughborough Lightening) starts as favourite having recently become the BUCS Road Race Champion on a similar, but slightly tougher finish, and performed strongly last weekend claiming second behind former National Criterium Champion Jo Tindley at home in Loughborough in the Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy.
Georgina Oakley could be the main challenger to Hall having been on a terrific run of form this year. Winner of the National B No Nonsense Circuit Race last month and taking podiums in two other National B races prior, 21-year-old Oakley is starting to find her feet in the sport and enters the race 6th in the BC rankings.
Teams with more than one rider such as Team Boompods (Sian Marsh and Keri Parton) may look to use their numbers against Hall and Oakley and look to them to chase any moves that go. It makes for a fascinating tactical battle with the big question being how will Hall and Oakley weather the storm?
Men’s race
72 riders take to the start of the men’s event for East Midlands riders only. Matthew King headlines the field as he returns to the UK after racing in Europe with his new X-Speed United Continental Team. King ended 2021 top of the British Cycling Rankings in a year that saw him move to the now-defunct Ribble Weldtite team. 5th in a bunch sprint at the Tour of Hellas, King has the fast finish that is likely to be required on Sunday. He will face stiff opposition from the in-form Adam Lewis (Saint Piran), who enjoyed a bumper Bank Holiday Weekend with victory in the GA Bennett Road Race from a breakaway and 3rd in the Olveston GP the day before. Not one for waiting for the sprint, Lewis will be on the attack and looking to upset the rhythm of the sprinters.
Ollie Peckover (trainSharp Elite) has been winning races for fun this year both on and off his TT bike. An 8th place in the Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic underlines his class after victories in the Peak 2-day stage race and RCR Fatcreations Road Race made him the form rider of the early season. The course might not be hard enough for him, but having grown up only a stone’s throw from the circuit Peckover will be eager to impress.
University of Nottingham alumnus Sebastian Garry (Kalas Motip Race Team) put in a strong ride to finish the Lincoln GP and will know the circuit very having lived nearby. Garry finished 2022 very strongly and has been impressive in the criteriums he’s raced this year. If the race pans out as he wishes, Garry shouldn’t be ruled out. Josh Housley (Derby CC Webuycycle Huub RT) is another rider with a strong finish and has performed well this season with an underrated criterium win at the end of May in Nottingham and multiple top tens on similar circuits in National B races.
Other riders high up in The British Continental road race rankings include Peckover’s teammate Sam Clark and Ride Revolution Coaching’s Clay Davies, who have had two National B podiums apiece this season. Davies impressed with third place from the winning break at the Timmy James Memorial Road Race in April, behind titans of the domestic scene James McKay and Alex Richardson. He has been frequently racing criteriums over the past few months picking up a number of wins in Milton Keynes and Colchester including the National B Ken Wright Memorial. The fast nature of the race will play into his hands and Davies has a distinct possibility of claiming the win in a gallop to the line.
Although there will be no dominant team controlling the race on Sunday, the regional nature adds an extra element to the tactics with riders having trained and raced together for many years. It could be small alliances that make all the difference when it comes to chasing down breaks on Sunday, another fascinating element to the race.
Predictions
Francesca Hall should have the ability to handle anything the other riders throw at her to take the victory in the women’s race, while Matt King has the ability to win from a variety of situations in the men’s race and should show his class back on home roads.
Timings
Women: 9:00 – 11:15 (approx)
Men: 13:00 – 16:30 (approx)
Startlist
Men’s race
Women’s race
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