For the fourth consecutive year, Loughborough University’s campus is playing host to a feast of cycling with the Youth Series showcasing potential stars of tomorrow, while Women’s and Open Nat Bs will give riders the opportunity to get their eyes back in on technical laps ahead of the National Circuit Series kicking back into life in a few weeks.

With a handful of other races taking place over the weekend, the Festival will be hoping to catch the eyes of anyone looking to pull a double – the racing is on Bank Holiday Monday, 27 May.

What is it?

With Loughborough becoming an increasingly significant hub of cycling – and looks set to expand even further, if Dave Nichols has his way – it was logical that the campus held its own series of races to add another road-based criterium to the calendar, complementing longer established races on purpose-built circuits.

A key round of the National Youth Circuit Series, the race has already seen a number of rising stars etch their names in the history books with Cat Ferguson, Seb Grindley and newly-signed Team Visma Lease a Bike WorldTour rider Matthew Brennan all taking victories since the first edition of the race in 2021.

The Senior Women’s Race participants compete for the Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy – named after the pro racer who sadly passed away having been hit by a lorry out on a training ride – with previous winners including Jo Tindley, Beth Morrow, and Isabel Darvill.

Elite Open winners have included Callum Laborde and Toby Barnes (twice).

Route

The racing will be held in the heart of the campus, with a number of link roads being combined to create a 1.5km course which includes something of everything – short, sharp, climbs, technical descents and a mix of sweeping and 90degree corners.

The course starts with a climb which hits 7.8% at its steepest over the first 300m of the course. Throw in relatively square left and right corners, and the course lands its most significant punch right in the early stages. Weaving round the edge of a cluster of campus buildings, the course descends pretty much for the rest of the lap and with a few right-angled turns thrown in to get round the sports pitches and back to the start in front of the Hazelrigg building.

Dan Barnes holds the Strava segment record with a 1m58sec lap, meaning stamina and power are going to be key. With the Elite races clocking at 60 minutes, and the Youth races just 10 minutes less, the course lends itself to those who can manage their energy best and have enough left in the tank for a final lap sprint.

Riders to watch

Women’s Race

A field of 58 is set to do battle round the campus, and home ground advantage would suggest that the sizeable contingent of Loughborough Lightning riders would be the ones to watch. With National Road Series leader Lucy Harris, BUCS Road Race winner Miriam Jessett, and recent Spatzwear Friday Night Crit Series winner Jay Hine part of a strong contingent in the purple kit it’s hard to look past a local win.

That said, there’s a strong field up and down the order with reigning British Gravel Champion Xan Crees (Spectra Racing) making her circuit return, Bexy Dew looking to continue a run of top 20s for Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting and her team-mate Lucy Ellmore is also looking to continue a positive run of form.

Notably, none of the previous race winners are back to add a second win to their palmarès so whatever happens come Monday, we’ll have a new race winner.

Open Race

Compared to the Women’s Race, there’s winners aplenty for the Open Race as Callum Laborde (Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli) looks to take his second successive win in Loughborough while Toby Barnes (Spectra Racing) will look to pull ahead of him with a third victory.

Elsewhere on the 52-rider startlist, Joe Shillabeer (Shibden-A.Fawcett Racing) should – in theory – be hot-footing it across from the 360 Tour of the Northwest (where he’s already taken a 10th on the opening stage), while Spectra’s second Barnes – this time Dan Barnes – will be looking for a continuation of the circuit form that netted him a third at Colne and an eighth at the Newark Grand Prix last year.

A positive run of form is also something Richardsons Trek DAS rider Matthew Lord will be looking to continue – an eighth at the BUCS Road Race, a 10th at the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race, and eighth in the GC at The Peaks 2 Day the stand-outs from the season so far.

Timings

3/4 Support Race	8.30
Youth B Open	10.00
Youth B Girls	11.10
The Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy	12.30
Youth A Girls	14.15
Youth A Open	15.40
Elite Open Criterium	17.00

How to follow

Joe Hudson will be at the races, providing updates on our Instagram.

Provisional Startlists

Jose Gilbert Memorial Trophy

Number	Name	Team
51	Alderney Baker	Team Empella
52	Sian Botteley	Das-Hutchinson-Brother Uk
53	Anastasia Bowler	Saint Piran Wrt
54	Lily Brindle	Brother Uk – On Form
55	Eva Callinan	Loughborough Lightning
56	Katie-Anne Calton	Saint Piran Wrt
57	Ruby Carleton	Loughborough Students CC
58	Rebecca Carter	Brother Uk – On Form
59	Amelia Cebak	Tofauti Everyone Active
60	Olivia Channon
61	Penny Colloff	Loughborough Lightning
62	Madeline Cooper	Montezumas Race Team
63	Xan Crees	Spectra Racing
64	Daniella Florence Cullum	Rule 28 X Atp Performance
65	Bexy Dew
66	Kirstie Drakeford	Jadan Vive Le Velo Glasdon
67	Philippa Draper	Loughborough Lightning
68	Lucy Ellmore
69	Harriet Evans	Ftp-Fulfil The Potential-Racing
70	Samantha Fawcett	Spectra Racing
71	Evelyn Field	Solas Cycling
72	Becky Gardiner	Tofauti Everyone Active
73	Ingrid Gascoigne	Team Empella
74	Rebecca Hair	Ftp-Fulfil The Potential-Racing
75	Lucy Harris	Loughborough Lightning
76	Jayati Hine	Loughborough Lightning
77	Jenny Holl	Loughborough Lightning
78	Pippa Inderwick	Army Cycling Union
79	Miriam Jessett	Loughborough Lightning
80	Olivia Kelly	Loughborough Students CC
81	Jacqueline Kinsey	Doltcini – Cycle Division
82	Roisin Lally	Loughborough Lightning
83	Georgia Lancaster	Loughborough Lightning
84	Emily Middlebrooke	Otley CC
85	Abigail Miller	Tofauti Everyone Active
86	Gemma Mitchell	Team Boompods
87	Electra Morris	Brother Uk – On Form
88	Shona Mosley	Doddington Cycling Club
89	Claire Nott	Ftp-Fulfil The Potential-Racing
90	Georgina Oakley	Loughborough Lightning
91	Mari Porton	Tofauti Everyone Active
92	Lilja Raine	Loughborough Students CC
93	Natasha Reddy	Team Empella
94	Mia Rutterford	Tofauti Everyone Active
95	Laura Senior	Spectra Racing
96	Peggy Simpkins	Doltcini – Cycle Division
97	Millie Skinner	Alba Development Road Team
98	Amelia Southall	Doltcini – Cycle Division
99	Amelia Staunton	Brother Uk – On Form
100	Amelia Staunton	Brother Uk – On Form
101	Lola Stevenson	Huddersfield Star Wheelers
102	Ella Tandy	Tofauti Everyone Active
103	Abbie Taylor	Jadan Vive Le Velo Glasdon
104	Vivienne Tomlin	Ftp-Fulfil The Potential-Racing
105	Jasmine Townend	Inspire Racing Adaston Scape
106	Lindsay Toy	Doltcini – Cycle Division
107	Lydia Turan
108	Grace Ward	Brother Uk – On Form

Open Race

Number	Name	Team
114	William Abbott	Primera-Teamjobs
115	Fletcher Adams	Wolfox X Pedal Mafia Rt
116	Toby Barnes	Spectra Racing
117	Daniel Barnes	Spectra Racing
118	Joseph Beckingsale	Thriva-Srct
119	Benjamin Bright	Thriva-Srct
120	Sam Chaplin	Cycling Sheffield
121	Adam Charleston	Team PB Performance
122	Tom Cullen	Otley CC
123	Matthew Ellis	Thriva-Srct
124	Tiago Fougo	Elpis Pro Cycling
125	Alex Galpin	Beeston Cycling Club
126	Dan Galpin	Huub Bcc Race Team
127	Joshua Gilbert	Ilkeston Cycle Club
128	Jamie Gostick	Team PB Performance
129	Nathan Hardy	Team PB Performance
130	Reuben Heal	Team Tor 2000 Kalas
131	Lee Higlett	Wolfox X Pedal Mafia Rt
132	Harrison Hunter
133	Jake Jackson	Thriva-Srct
134	Aidan James	Loughborough Students CC
135	Kieran Jarvis	Optimum Coaching
136	Elijah Kwon
137	Callum Laborde	Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli
138	Cian Leveridge	Team PB Performance
139	Tom Lightfoot	Ride Revolution Coaching
140	Sam Long	Vc Londres
141	Matthew Lord	Richardsons Trek Das
142	Dexter Mansel-Thomas	Cardiff University
143	Joseph Martin	One Resourcing Rt
144	Alexander Miller
145	Adam Millington	Beeston Cycling Club
146	Thomas Mitchell	Dolan Ellesse Race Team
147	Alexander Montero	Lee Velo (South East London)
148	Anthony Morris	Loughborough Students CC
149	Andrew Nichols	Team Lifting Gear Products
150	Ryan Oldfield	Halesowen A & Cc
151	Reuben Orr	Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy
152	Caleb Pain	Ride Revolution Coaching
153	George Pittock	Thanet Rc Race Team
154	Joshua Price	Thriva-Srct
155	Steve Sandles	Ride Revolution Coaching
156	Frederik Scheske	Spectra Racing
157	Oliver Sewell	Beeston Cycling Club
158	Joe Shillabeer	Shibden-A.Fawcett Rt
159	Toby Simpson	Fietsen Tempo
160	Joseph Smith	Wheelbase Cabtech Castelli
161	Joseph Tate	Huub Wattshop
162	Thomas Timberlake	Trash Mile
163	Jamies Vanieris
164	Simon Wyllie	Spectra Racing
165	Joseph Yee	Knights London