The 37th edition of the LOGCO Otley Town Centre Cycle Races takes place on Wednesday 28 June, Round 1 of the National Circuit Series. There is a stacked field for both the men’s and women’s elite races. Here’s our preview…
Featured photo: Will Palmer/SWpix.com
What is it?
The LOGCO Otley Town Centre Races is one of the most prestigious cycling events in the UK. The course runs through the heart of the picturesque Yorkshire market town of Otley, the birthplace of Lizzie Deignan. The event includes a balance bike race, youth races and a men’s race for lower category riders, culminating in the two elite circuit races: the Santini Women’s Otley Grand Prix and the Property Development Men’s Otley Grand Prix.
The event has a rich history. The elite men’s race has been running since 1985 and previous winners include Jonny Clay, Chris Walker, Russell Downing, Steve Cummings, Mark Cavendish, Graham Briggs, local rider Scott Thwaites, Adam Blythe, Dan McLay, Chris Lawless, Matt Walls, Matt Bostock and Matt Gibson. Last year’s race was won by Jacob Scott, then of WiV SunGod.
The elite women’s race began in 2013 and winners include Elinor Barker, hometown girl Lizzie Deignan, Jess Roberts and Eluned King. Last season Charlotte Broughton (AWOL O’Shea) won the race; sadly, she won’t line up to defend her crown after picking up a concussion at the national circuit race championships on Friday.
The circuit runs anticlockwise and is just over two kilometres long.
After rolling out from the flat finishing straight, riders take a left and then swing right up the circuit’s main climb, Burras Lane. It’s up here that much of the attacking action should happen.
The first part is the steepest, but riders will benefit from the momentum they carry into it from the previous section. The road then dips a little before climbing again on a wide well-surfaced road to the highest point before the riders take two ninety-degree left turns onto Birdcage Walk.
This road is fairly straight and flat. At the end of that stretch, riders turn left again, plunging back downhill towards the town centre. At the bottom of the hill is a left-hander into the finishing straight; 2015 Grand Prix winner Dan McLay once described this as ‘the best last corner in cycling’. Getting this final bend right is crucial if you want to win this race. Get it wrong and you can end up in the barriers. Once negotiated, the riders then have a dead straight 190 metres to the finish line.
The race can often finish a bunch gallop, with that final corner crucial in deciding the winner. But as we saw in the men’s race in 2021, a powerful break can also prevail, especially if the strongest teams have good representation in the escape.
The men’s race will cover approximately 50 km in 23 laps. The women’s race will cover around 31 km in 15 laps.
As the new national circuit race champion Megan Barker headlines the race and will (hopefully) be resplendent in her national stripey jersey. Barker might be a track specialist but the multiple Tour Series round winner can handle a lumpy course like Otley. Her 2021 win at the Ilkley Cycle Races attests to that.
2023 British National Road Championships – Redcar, North Yorkshire, England – Women’s Circuit Race – Megan Barker of Team Inspired (UCI Track Team) wins with Cat Ferguson of Shibden Hope Tech Apex in second and Madelaine Leech of Lifeplus Wahoo in third. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
First-year junior Cat Ferguson (Shibden Hope Tech Apex) was beaten in the sprint by Barker in the national circuit race, making do with silver. She is a serial winner already this year, though, and the elevation changes at Oltley will suit her punchy style.
DAS-Handsling is the strongest team at the race and will be keen to make up for what was a disappointment at the national circuit race. They had the numbers in the finale, but failed to reach the top spot, settling for 3rd, 4th and 5th instead, through Emma Jeffers, Sophie Lewis and Monica Greenwood respectively. Those three riders are strong cards to play. Jeffers is an excellent sprinter, and Greenwood has been one of the outstanding domestic riders of the season. Add in two-time Tour Series round winner Sammie Stuart, back from her crash on Friday, and the team has outstanding options.
Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix winner Robyn Clay spearheads a strong Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee line-up that includes 2021 national circuit race champion Jo Tindley and Corinne Side (12th on Friday). Like DAS-Handsling, the team will be looking to use their numbers to their advantage.
2023 British National Road Championships – Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire, England – Women’s Road Race – Flora Perkins of Fenix-Deceuninck Development Team climbing Saltburn Bank. Image: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck Development Team) was one of the outstanding riders at the nationals. Still only 19, she was 3rd in the under-23 time trial, 8th in the national circuit race and 9th in a brutal edition of the road race. She seems to excel when the going is tough, so expect to her shine if the racing is aggressive.
There are a number of other freelancers to watch. Madelaine Leech (Lifeplus-Wahoo) – 3rd at the national circuit race on Friday – has a powerful spring so will be one to watch if she is there at the finish. Frankie Hall (Loughborough Lightning) is having an excellent season; expect her to be in the thick of the action. Abi Smith (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) seemed to get better and better at the nationals as she continues her recovery from knee injury this year. Banbury Star Cyclists’ Club road race winner Emily Proud (Le Col RT) surprised a few with a storming ride at the national circuit race, at which she eventually finished 7th.
Finally, Jenny Holl (TEKKERZ CC) was another rider in the top ten at the national circuit race. She was second in Otley last year; could she go one better this time around?
But who will win? Cat Ferguson continues to impress this season and we think she could strike her biggest UK win yet tonight.
Men’s race
Ollie Wood might be teamless but he is the new national circuit race champion and will be a marked man as a result. Slipping away from the bunch will be a hard task for the track specialist, but he has a fast finish, fine form, and excellent race craft. So don’t rule out another win.
2023 British National Road Championships – Redcar, North Yorkshire, England – Men’s Circuit Race – Oliver Wood. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Two other former AT85 Pro Cycling riders are serious contenders. Local rider Robert Scott (Cross Team Legendre) was second at the race in 2021 after a three-up break with Matt Gibson and Josh Tarling. He isn’t the fastest finisher, so will need to be in the break again to succeed. Finn Crockett (The Cycling Academy) has a move to a UCI team to announce soon [Ed: in fact, no sooner had we published this preview, Saint Piran announced that they had signed Crockett for the rest of 2023]. A win at Otley would be a fine way to pay back The Cycling Academy for supporting him in recent months. The recent Rás stage winner is more than capable of pulling it off too.
The two strongest teams at the race are the UCI Continental outfits Saint Piran and TRINITY Racing. Saint Piran has fast-finishing Will Tidball, a stage winner this month at the Ronde de l’Oise, as an excellent option. Harry Birchill could be a rider for the breaks, while the Mazzone brothers, Leon and Tom, are wily criterium riders.
TRINITY Racing boasts some of the best under-23s. Ollie Rees demonstrated his excellent condition with 12th in the national road race on Sunday. He was 4th in Otley last year and will be looking for a podium spot at least this time around. Bob Donaldson is another rider to watch. He had three top tens at the Giro Next Gen earlier this month and take his first UCI win at the Orlen Nations Grand Prix in May.
Tim Shoreman (Wheelbase CabTech) Castelli is a strong sprinter, finishing 3rd at the national circuit race last week after a series of strong National B road race results earlier this year. He has the potential to be one of the breakthrough riders of the National Circuit Series.
2023 British National Road Championships – Redcar, North Yorkshire, England – Men’s Circuit Race – Matthew Bostock of Black Spoke Pro Cycling Academy sprinting for second and Tim Shoreman of Wheelbase CabTech Castelli finishing third. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Alec Briggs (TEKKERZ CC) has been improving in National Circuit Series races in the last 12 months, Finishing last year’s series with top tens at the Barnsley and Newark rounds, he got his best circuit race result yet with 7th at the national circuit race championships on Friday. it will be fascinating to see how the crit specialist fares in Otley.
Other riders to watch include former Tour Series round winner Ollie Peckover (trainSharp Elite), sprinter Jim Brown (Cross Team Legendre), David Hird (ROKiT-SRCT), who was 8th in Friday’s national circuit race, as well as Huw Buck Jones (Wales Racing Academy) and James McKay (Cycling Sheffield), who will be hoping to convert their excellent road racing form this year into circuit race success.
Prediction? This feels like an especially hard one to call. This might be a year that a break stays away. We’ll go for Finn Crockett to spring to victory from a small group.
Timings
The first of the races, the balance bike race, begins at 17.30.
Time
Race
17.30
Ghyll Royd School / In Gear Coaching balance bike race
18.00
MAS Design Super Prestige Youth Race for boys
18.01
Additive X Super Prestige Bike Race for girls
18.40
Chevin Cycles Classic Race
19.30
Santini Women’s Otley Grand Prix
20.30
The Property Development Group Men’s Otley Grand Prix
The 37th edition of the LOGCO Otley Town Centre Cycle Races takes place on Wednesday 28 June, Round 1 of the National Circuit Series. There is a stacked field for both the men’s and women’s elite races. Here’s our preview…
Featured photo: Will Palmer/SWpix.com
What is it?
The LOGCO Otley Town Centre Races is one of the most prestigious cycling events in the UK. The course runs through the heart of the picturesque Yorkshire market town of Otley, the birthplace of Lizzie Deignan. The event includes a balance bike race, youth races and a men’s race for lower category riders, culminating in the two elite circuit races: the Santini Women’s Otley Grand Prix and the Property Development Men’s Otley Grand Prix.
The event has a rich history. The elite men’s race has been running since 1985 and previous winners include Jonny Clay, Chris Walker, Russell Downing, Steve Cummings, Mark Cavendish, Graham Briggs, local rider Scott Thwaites, Adam Blythe, Dan McLay, Chris Lawless, Matt Walls, Matt Bostock and Matt Gibson. Last year’s race was won by Jacob Scott, then of WiV SunGod.
The elite women’s race began in 2013 and winners include Elinor Barker, hometown girl Lizzie Deignan, Jess Roberts and Eluned King. Last season Charlotte Broughton (AWOL O’Shea) won the race; sadly, she won’t line up to defend her crown after picking up a concussion at the national circuit race championships on Friday.
The elite races form Round 1 of the 2023 National Circuit Series.
Route
The circuit runs anticlockwise and is just over two kilometres long.
After rolling out from the flat finishing straight, riders take a left and then swing right up the circuit’s main climb, Burras Lane. It’s up here that much of the attacking action should happen.
The first part is the steepest, but riders will benefit from the momentum they carry into it from the previous section. The road then dips a little before climbing again on a wide well-surfaced road to the highest point before the riders take two ninety-degree left turns onto Birdcage Walk.
This road is fairly straight and flat. At the end of that stretch, riders turn left again, plunging back downhill towards the town centre. At the bottom of the hill is a left-hander into the finishing straight; 2015 Grand Prix winner Dan McLay once described this as ‘the best last corner in cycling’. Getting this final bend right is crucial if you want to win this race. Get it wrong and you can end up in the barriers. Once negotiated, the riders then have a dead straight 190 metres to the finish line.
The race can often finish a bunch gallop, with that final corner crucial in deciding the winner. But as we saw in the men’s race in 2021, a powerful break can also prevail, especially if the strongest teams have good representation in the escape.
The men’s race will cover approximately 50 km in 23 laps. The women’s race will cover around 31 km in 15 laps.
Riders to watch
The provisional startlists for the men’s and women’s races are stacked with talent, including both of the newly-crowned national circuit race champions, Megan Barker (Team Inspired) and Ollie Wood (Unattached).
Women’s race
As the new national circuit race champion Megan Barker headlines the race and will (hopefully) be resplendent in her national stripey jersey. Barker might be a track specialist but the multiple Tour Series round winner can handle a lumpy course like Otley. Her 2021 win at the Ilkley Cycle Races attests to that.
First-year junior Cat Ferguson (Shibden Hope Tech Apex) was beaten in the sprint by Barker in the national circuit race, making do with silver. She is a serial winner already this year, though, and the elevation changes at Oltley will suit her punchy style.
DAS-Handsling is the strongest team at the race and will be keen to make up for what was a disappointment at the national circuit race. They had the numbers in the finale, but failed to reach the top spot, settling for 3rd, 4th and 5th instead, through Emma Jeffers, Sophie Lewis and Monica Greenwood respectively. Those three riders are strong cards to play. Jeffers is an excellent sprinter, and Greenwood has been one of the outstanding domestic riders of the season. Add in two-time Tour Series round winner Sammie Stuart, back from her crash on Friday, and the team has outstanding options.
Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix winner Robyn Clay spearheads a strong Pro-Noctis – Heidi Kjeldsen – 200 Degrees Coffee line-up that includes 2021 national circuit race champion Jo Tindley and Corinne Side (12th on Friday). Like DAS-Handsling, the team will be looking to use their numbers to their advantage.
Flora Perkins (Fenix-Deceuninck Development Team) was one of the outstanding riders at the nationals. Still only 19, she was 3rd in the under-23 time trial, 8th in the national circuit race and 9th in a brutal edition of the road race. She seems to excel when the going is tough, so expect to her shine if the racing is aggressive.
There are a number of other freelancers to watch. Madelaine Leech (Lifeplus-Wahoo) – 3rd at the national circuit race on Friday – has a powerful spring so will be one to watch if she is there at the finish. Frankie Hall (Loughborough Lightning) is having an excellent season; expect her to be in the thick of the action. Abi Smith (EF Education-TIBCO-SVB) seemed to get better and better at the nationals as she continues her recovery from knee injury this year. Banbury Star Cyclists’ Club road race winner Emily Proud (Le Col RT) surprised a few with a storming ride at the national circuit race, at which she eventually finished 7th.
Finally, Jenny Holl (TEKKERZ CC) was another rider in the top ten at the national circuit race. She was second in Otley last year; could she go one better this time around?
But who will win? Cat Ferguson continues to impress this season and we think she could strike her biggest UK win yet tonight.
Men’s race
Ollie Wood might be teamless but he is the new national circuit race champion and will be a marked man as a result. Slipping away from the bunch will be a hard task for the track specialist, but he has a fast finish, fine form, and excellent race craft. So don’t rule out another win.
Two other former AT85 Pro Cycling riders are serious contenders. Local rider Robert Scott (Cross Team Legendre) was second at the race in 2021 after a three-up break with Matt Gibson and Josh Tarling. He isn’t the fastest finisher, so will need to be in the break again to succeed. Finn Crockett (The Cycling Academy) has a move to a UCI team to announce soon [Ed: in fact, no sooner had we published this preview, Saint Piran announced that they had signed Crockett for the rest of 2023]. A win at Otley would be a fine way to pay back The Cycling Academy for supporting him in recent months. The recent Rás stage winner is more than capable of pulling it off too.
The two strongest teams at the race are the UCI Continental outfits Saint Piran and TRINITY Racing. Saint Piran has fast-finishing Will Tidball, a stage winner this month at the Ronde de l’Oise, as an excellent option. Harry Birchill could be a rider for the breaks, while the Mazzone brothers, Leon and Tom, are wily criterium riders.
TRINITY Racing boasts some of the best under-23s. Ollie Rees demonstrated his excellent condition with 12th in the national road race on Sunday. He was 4th in Otley last year and will be looking for a podium spot at least this time around. Bob Donaldson is another rider to watch. He had three top tens at the Giro Next Gen earlier this month and take his first UCI win at the Orlen Nations Grand Prix in May.
Tim Shoreman (Wheelbase CabTech) Castelli is a strong sprinter, finishing 3rd at the national circuit race last week after a series of strong National B road race results earlier this year. He has the potential to be one of the breakthrough riders of the National Circuit Series.
Alec Briggs (TEKKERZ CC) has been improving in National Circuit Series races in the last 12 months, Finishing last year’s series with top tens at the Barnsley and Newark rounds, he got his best circuit race result yet with 7th at the national circuit race championships on Friday. it will be fascinating to see how the crit specialist fares in Otley.
Other riders to watch include former Tour Series round winner Ollie Peckover (trainSharp Elite), sprinter Jim Brown (Cross Team Legendre), David Hird (ROKiT-SRCT), who was 8th in Friday’s national circuit race, as well as Huw Buck Jones (Wales Racing Academy) and James McKay (Cycling Sheffield), who will be hoping to convert their excellent road racing form this year into circuit race success.
Prediction? This feels like an especially hard one to call. This might be a year that a break stays away. We’ll go for Finn Crockett to spring to victory from a small group.
Timings
The first of the races, the balance bike race, begins at 17.30.
Weather
It looks like there could be thunderstorms this afternoon in Otley, although the skies should have cleared by the time the women’s race begins.
How to follow
TV
Unfortunately, there seems to be no live streaming of the race this year after a successful crowdfunding effort to make it happen in 2021.
Social media
There will be race updates from the British Cycling Twitter account. We will also be providing updates on our Instagram stories.
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