British Cycling announces that the proposed final round for the 2024 National Road Series will no longer go ahead. Series now ends on 15th September with Beaumont Trophy and Curlew Cup.
British Cycling announced yesterday via X that the proposed final round of the 2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series will no longer take place. The series will now conclude on Sunday, 15 September, with the Beaumont Trophy and Curlew Cup.
The 2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series will now conclude on Sunday 15 September with the Beaumont Trophy and Curlew Cup.
Following discussions with the organising team, the proposed round on the weekend of 27-29 September will no longer take place.
The decision means that this year’s National Road Series will consist of five rounds for the open category and six for the women’s competition. The cancelled round – marked as ‘tbc’ when the calendar was announced in December 2023 – initially slated for the weekend of September 27-29, was expected to be a stage race, a valuable addition given the current rounds are all one-day races. We understand that the stage race was to take place in Scotland and had progressed significantly in its planning stages. However, the reasons for its cancellation remain unclear, and it is uncertain if the organisers will attempt to hold the event next season instead.
This development marks another challenging season for the National Road Series, which has faced increasing difficulties in recent years. Rising costs and administrative hurdles have made it harder for organisers to sustain races. Since 2019, several significant races, including the Chorley Grand Prix, Stockton Grand Prix, South Coast Classic, Circuit of the Mendips, and Manx International, have ceased operations. The Lincoln Grand Prix nearly vanished in 2020 due to sponsorship issues, only to be saved by Rapha’s intervention. Moreover, the Tour of the Reservoir, absent since 2019, was expected to return this year but was called off in February.
British Cycling Open National Road Series – 2024 East Cleveland Classic – Redcar and Cleveland and Saltburn by the Sea – The peloton. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
The National Road Series saw its peak in 2019 with ten rounds for men (now referred to as the open category) and eight for women. The latest news reflects a reduction in the series’ scope since then, now limited to five rounds for the open category and six for women, both concluding on September 15th.
Earlier this year, British Cycling’s Elite Road Task Force published recommendations to rejuvenate the domestic racing scene, including the National Road Series. While the Task Force did not specify future changes to the series’ size or format, it envisioned a “reinvigorated, varied and thrillingly competitive” series that is “more commercially sustainable for organisers and teams.” Among the recommendations was a call for British Cycling to “review race formats to provide more variety in course types” and include “at least one domestic stage race in the UK calendar (minimum three days).”
British Cycling has yet to formally respond to these recommendations. The governing body’s chief executive Jon Dutton promised a summer progress update when we interviewed him recently, which is anticipated later this month.
The recent announcement underscores the ongoing challenges facing British Cycling and the National Road Series. With fewer rounds and increasing pressures, the future of domestic road racing in the UK remains uncertain. The hope is that with British Cycling’s finances boosted by the recent Lloyds Bank sponsorship deal, the governing body will lead a dedicated and concerted effort to respond to and implement the Task Force’s recommendations to help create a more stable and sustainable calendar in the coming years.
Find out more
Read our explainer on the National Road Series here.
British Cycling announced yesterday via X that the proposed final round of the 2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Series will no longer take place. The series will now conclude on Sunday, 15 September, with the Beaumont Trophy and Curlew Cup.
The decision means that this year’s National Road Series will consist of five rounds for the open category and six for the women’s competition. The cancelled round – marked as ‘tbc’ when the calendar was announced in December 2023 – initially slated for the weekend of September 27-29, was expected to be a stage race, a valuable addition given the current rounds are all one-day races. We understand that the stage race was to take place in Scotland and had progressed significantly in its planning stages. However, the reasons for its cancellation remain unclear, and it is uncertain if the organisers will attempt to hold the event next season instead.
This development marks another challenging season for the National Road Series, which has faced increasing difficulties in recent years. Rising costs and administrative hurdles have made it harder for organisers to sustain races. Since 2019, several significant races, including the Chorley Grand Prix, Stockton Grand Prix, South Coast Classic, Circuit of the Mendips, and Manx International, have ceased operations. The Lincoln Grand Prix nearly vanished in 2020 due to sponsorship issues, only to be saved by Rapha’s intervention. Moreover, the Tour of the Reservoir, absent since 2019, was expected to return this year but was called off in February.
The National Road Series saw its peak in 2019 with ten rounds for men (now referred to as the open category) and eight for women. The latest news reflects a reduction in the series’ scope since then, now limited to five rounds for the open category and six for women, both concluding on September 15th.
Earlier this year, British Cycling’s Elite Road Task Force published recommendations to rejuvenate the domestic racing scene, including the National Road Series. While the Task Force did not specify future changes to the series’ size or format, it envisioned a “reinvigorated, varied and thrillingly competitive” series that is “more commercially sustainable for organisers and teams.” Among the recommendations was a call for British Cycling to “review race formats to provide more variety in course types” and include “at least one domestic stage race in the UK calendar (minimum three days).”
British Cycling has yet to formally respond to these recommendations. The governing body’s chief executive Jon Dutton promised a summer progress update when we interviewed him recently, which is anticipated later this month.
The recent announcement underscores the ongoing challenges facing British Cycling and the National Road Series. With fewer rounds and increasing pressures, the future of domestic road racing in the UK remains uncertain. The hope is that with British Cycling’s finances boosted by the recent Lloyds Bank sponsorship deal, the governing body will lead a dedicated and concerted effort to respond to and implement the Task Force’s recommendations to help create a more stable and sustainable calendar in the coming years.
Find out more
Read our explainer on the National Road Series here.
Featured image: SWpix.com
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