Previews

EMRRL Leicester Forest CC Road Race: preview and startlist

Startlist, route, contenders and timings for the EMRRL Leicester Forest CC Road Race, 17 September 2023

The 2023 Leicester Forest CC road race (Nat B) for men takes place this weekend, 17 September. Here is our preview.

Featured image: Emma Wilcock

What is it?

A National B road race for men that also forms the final round of five that make up the East Midlands Road Race League. Run by Leicester CC, the late season race is centred around the South Leicestershire villages of Ashby Magna and Peatling Parva. 

With previous rounds of the EMRRL ranked as a Regional A (2/3/4 Category Rider) the start list features many riders who may not be used to riding at a National B level, hoping to secure points which count towards the series standings. Saturday (16 September)) was the fourth round of the league so we may see some tired legs in the bunch.

With final round of the National Road Series on the same day, many of the domestic peloton’s more experienced riders will be testing themselves at the Beaumont Trophy, allowing future talent to show their potential and bag some national road race rankings points.

Route

Starting in the quaint village of Ashby Magna, the race consists of 14 and 3/4 laps of a 9.7km fast but rolling sporting course, 145km in total.

The rolling circuit heads south-east to Peatling Parva, before dropping down a slight decent, then taking in 2 short kickers and a short climb up towards the finish.

Riders to watch

Cai Davies and Clay Davies are names that frequent British Continental readers with be familiar with. The fierce competitors are separated by just 2 points in the British Continental’s National Road Race Rankings, so will be looking to best one and other as the season draws to a close. Clay is yet to win a national road race this season which he has come close to on several occasions, most recently at the Jef Schils Memorial race earlier this month. Cai on the other hand has one National B road race victory to his name in 2023, having won the Simon Hook Memorial Road Race.

Clay Davies in 2021. Photo: Ian Wrightson Photography

Oscar Hutchings is another rider to keep an eye on, having some strong mid season results along with a win stage win at the Clive Tiley Memorial Race. Tobias Bartlett has had a similar season to that of Oscar, still in search of the elusive National B win.

Bartlett leads the peloton on stage 3 of the Peaks 2 Day. Image ELW Photography

Team PB Performance bring the largest team to the race, with 6 riders, clearly looking to secure the series win. However, they will need to work as a team to snatch an over come more experienced riders. Given the team’s track record of developing talent a win is a possibility for the squad.

Startlist

BibRiderAgeTeamRRR pts
1 Morris BaconSeniorDAP Cycling Club58
2 John BardsleyJuniorInnovation Racing7
3 Tobias BartlettSeniorDoddington Cycling Club121
4 Jamieson BlainU23Embark Spirit BSS0
5 Guido BleeSeniorPaceline RT0
6 Luke BrennanJuniorBCC Race Team0
7 Matthew BrownU23Elitecycling Development Team25
8 Edward CalowSeniorRoyal Air Force CA0
9 Alexander CarleySeniorPrivate Member0
10 James ChapmanSeniorTeam PB Performance37
11 Adam CharlestonSeniorHigh Wycombe Cycling Club0
12 Alexander CrossSeniorVelo Schils – Interbike RT18
13 Clay DaviesSeniorRide Revolution Coaching186
14 Cai DaviesSeniorKalas Motip Race Team188
15 Sean DawsonSeniorINFLITE21
16 James DentSeniorTeam PB Performance0
17 Hefin EvansSeniorTeam PB Performance0
18 Liam FlanneryU23Team PB Performance0
19 Martin FordSeniorHUUB WattShop0
20 Alexander FosterJuniorInnovation Racing1
21 Patrick FotheringhamSeniorHalesowen A & CC0
22 Bernard GaleaSeniorSPRNT0
23 Benjamin HelleboSeniorWheelsuckers62
24 Oscar HutchingsSeniorTeam Tor 2000 Kalas134
25 Jack JeeU23LVC Racing0
26 Philip LargeSeniorWold Top The Edge Pactimo52
27 Cian LeveridgeSeniorTeam PB Performance0
28 Matthew LockSeniorTAAP Endura17
29 Harley MatthewsSeniorDAP Cycling Club3
30 Huw OwenSeniorClwb Beicio Egni Eryri10
31 Caleb PainSeniorPrivate Member0
32 James PearcyU23Mid Devon CC0
33 Freddy PettSeniorWold Top The Edge Pactimo24
34 Thomas PriceU23Reflex Racing0
35 Joseph PurbrookSeniorArmy Cycling Union0
36 Scott ReddingSeniorROKiT-SRCT13
37 Joseph ReesSeniorKalas Motip Race Team91
38 Rowan SchaakU23Halesowen A & CC0
39 Dominic SchilsSeniorVelo Schils – Interbike RT5
40 Oliver SearleSeniorTeam Enable – M.I. Racing0
41 Max SillifantSeniorTeam PB Performance0
42 Nathan SmithSeniorTeam Novo Nordisk Development0
43 Alexander SpeirsSeniorTAAP Endura60
44 George StephenSeniorBCC Race Team0
45 Andrew StephensonSeniorOpen Collective0
46 Harvey StrohU23TAAP Endura15
47 Carl StubbsSeniorMoonglu Race Team15
48 Gabriel TaylorU23DAP Cycling Club63
49 Rafe WilliamsSeniorTeam Bikestop Tyrekey 3FS18