The 2024 British National Road Championships will feature time trials, circuit races, and road races in the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire from June 19-23, over challenging terrain.
British Cycling has officially announced the routes for the 2024 British National Road Championships, which will take place across the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire from June 19-23. With ten national champion’s jerseys up for grabs, this year’s event offers a fascinating – and challenging – blend of terrains over three days of racing.
The time trials open proceedings on Wednesday 19 June on a North Yorkshire course that features some testing climbing. The circuit races follow on Friday 21 June on a very technical town centre course in Darlington. The championships culminate with the road races on Sunday 23 June, revisiting Saltburn, the scene of last year’s road races, but on a far less brutal route.
Individual time trials | Wednesday 19 June
The individual time trials open the National Road Championships on a lumpy circuit near Richmond, North Yorkshire. Four jerseys are up for grabs, one each for under-23 women, under-23 men, elite women, and elite men.
Refreshingly, all riders will face the same 30km circuit, something Dan Bigham called for two years ago. Starting and finishing at the Military Court Centre in Catterick, riders face a tough test that includes 512 metres of elevation gain over two laps.
The climb of Throstle Gill appears early on in the circuit. It’s only half a kilometre long but its gradients reach 15% in places, presenting a challenge for legs and pacing strategies.
Once over the top, the climbing doesn’t end there either, with the road rising for a further four kilometres before a section of false flat. A steep descent then precedes less demanding terrain to take the riders back to the circuit’s end.
Circuit races | Friday 21 June
Action shifts to Darlington on June 21, where riders will compete on a 1.28km technical circuit through the town centre. Starting and finishing on West Row, the circuit features a modest elevation gain of 13 metres per lap.
Looking at the course of Google Street View, this is a very technical circuit. Even the long finishing straight is not as simple as it appears on paper. It starts on Northgate, a pedestrianised street covered with paving slabs that is likely to be narrow once barricaded, and West Row, too, is also a paved section, so the surfaces could be treacherous if wet.
At the end of West Row, riders dive right through a very narrow turn onto Blackwellgate. Then there is an almost 180 degree turn as the route takes riders slightly downhill to Houndgate.
Entrance to Blackwellgate where street furniture narrows the paved road. Source: Google Streetview
The twists and turns continue as the circuit winds its way back to Northgate and the long finishing straight.
Both the open and women’s races will run for 50 minutes plus five laps, promising high-speed, tactical racing that will keep spectators on the edge of their seats.
Road races | Sunday 23 June
The championships culminate on June 23 with the road races, which will once again feature the dramatic finish up Saltburn Bank—where last year, Fred Wright and Pfeiffer Georgi clinched memorable victories.
This year, the course has been revised. It is a longer circuit, extending to Guisborough, and features less climbing. In fact it is almost identical to the course used for the East Cleveland Classic in April.
Women competitors will complete five laps of a 26km loop totalling 130km with 2,025 meters of elevation gain. The men’s race will see them navigating seven laps totalling 182km, with 2,835 meters of climbing. Still a tough circuit then, but it should mean that the racing is more strategic than last year’s slugfest.
The main hurdles are the Forge climb into Brotton and the stinging ascent of Saltburn Bank just before the finish line. The Forge climb is a little under a kilometre in length and averages 6.4%.
Once at the top of the climb, four kilometres from the finish line, there is a long downhill section. It is perilously steep in places; there is a short section as the road leaves Brotton that is over 24% according to VeloViewer.
And then once into Saltburn itself, there is the small matter of Saltburn Bank. Beginning less than a kilometre from the finish line, the climb is the punchiest test on the course. 300 metres long, with two tight hairpin bends, the wall of a climb will be familiar to anyone who witnessed Georgi and Wright claim their national jerseys last year, the climb filled with spectators.
The finish line is only around 200 metres from the crest of the Bank, meaning the climb is likely to be the final decisive test on the final laps of both races.
British Cycling has officially announced the routes for the 2024 British National Road Championships, which will take place across the Tees Valley and North Yorkshire from June 19-23. With ten national champion’s jerseys up for grabs, this year’s event offers a fascinating – and challenging – blend of terrains over three days of racing.
The time trials open proceedings on Wednesday 19 June on a North Yorkshire course that features some testing climbing. The circuit races follow on Friday 21 June on a very technical town centre course in Darlington. The championships culminate with the road races on Sunday 23 June, revisiting Saltburn, the scene of last year’s road races, but on a far less brutal route.
Individual time trials | Wednesday 19 June
The individual time trials open the National Road Championships on a lumpy circuit near Richmond, North Yorkshire. Four jerseys are up for grabs, one each for under-23 women, under-23 men, elite women, and elite men.
Refreshingly, all riders will face the same 30km circuit, something Dan Bigham called for two years ago. Starting and finishing at the Military Court Centre in Catterick, riders face a tough test that includes 512 metres of elevation gain over two laps.
The climb of Throstle Gill appears early on in the circuit. It’s only half a kilometre long but its gradients reach 15% in places, presenting a challenge for legs and pacing strategies.
Once over the top, the climbing doesn’t end there either, with the road rising for a further four kilometres before a section of false flat. A steep descent then precedes less demanding terrain to take the riders back to the circuit’s end.
Circuit races | Friday 21 June
Action shifts to Darlington on June 21, where riders will compete on a 1.28km technical circuit through the town centre. Starting and finishing on West Row, the circuit features a modest elevation gain of 13 metres per lap.
Looking at the course of Google Street View, this is a very technical circuit. Even the long finishing straight is not as simple as it appears on paper. It starts on Northgate, a pedestrianised street covered with paving slabs that is likely to be narrow once barricaded, and West Row, too, is also a paved section, so the surfaces could be treacherous if wet.
At the end of West Row, riders dive right through a very narrow turn onto Blackwellgate. Then there is an almost 180 degree turn as the route takes riders slightly downhill to Houndgate.
The twists and turns continue as the circuit winds its way back to Northgate and the long finishing straight.
Both the open and women’s races will run for 50 minutes plus five laps, promising high-speed, tactical racing that will keep spectators on the edge of their seats.
Road races | Sunday 23 June
The championships culminate on June 23 with the road races, which will once again feature the dramatic finish up Saltburn Bank—where last year, Fred Wright and Pfeiffer Georgi clinched memorable victories.
Last year’s road race route was brutal, the men’s race featuring over 4000 metres of climbing, the women’s race close to 3000 metres.
This year, the course has been revised. It is a longer circuit, extending to Guisborough, and features less climbing. In fact it is almost identical to the course used for the East Cleveland Classic in April.
Women competitors will complete five laps of a 26km loop totalling 130km with 2,025 meters of elevation gain. The men’s race will see them navigating seven laps totalling 182km, with 2,835 meters of climbing. Still a tough circuit then, but it should mean that the racing is more strategic than last year’s slugfest.
The main hurdles are the Forge climb into Brotton and the stinging ascent of Saltburn Bank just before the finish line. The Forge climb is a little under a kilometre in length and averages 6.4%.
Once at the top of the climb, four kilometres from the finish line, there is a long downhill section. It is perilously steep in places; there is a short section as the road leaves Brotton that is over 24% according to VeloViewer.
And then once into Saltburn itself, there is the small matter of Saltburn Bank. Beginning less than a kilometre from the finish line, the climb is the punchiest test on the course. 300 metres long, with two tight hairpin bends, the wall of a climb will be familiar to anyone who witnessed Georgi and Wright claim their national jerseys last year, the climb filled with spectators.
The finish line is only around 200 metres from the crest of the Bank, meaning the climb is likely to be the final decisive test on the final laps of both races.
Featured image: SWpix.com
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