Circuit racing returns to the agenda this weekend with the inaugural edition of the Cambridge Criterium, a standalone National A race for both the open and women’s fields.
Featured image: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com
What is it?
Monument Cycling, who have been providing live coverage of selected rounds of the National Road Series and National Circuit Series this season, turn their hand to organisation in the form of a standalone National A criterium around the picturesque streets of historic Cambridge, bringing a major race to the city for the first time since it hosted the start of Tour de France stage a decade ago.
The men will race over 50 minutes and the women 40, with a hefty purse offering the winners £1650 up for grabs.
The event harks back to the pre-Covid19 era of domestic cycling, where such city centre criteriums, such as Nottingham’s Milk Race, were a staple of the calendar. Monument Cycling are looking to bring the format up to date with a live broadcast and rider parade, introducing the pre-race favourites to the crowd.
Route
The 2.5km route is lengthy by town centre criterium standards and takes in some of the university city’s best known sites including Magdalene, St John’s and Jesus Colleges.
Featuring long straights and tight 90 degree corners, the route is typical of a town centre race, with little elevation change throughout. On paper it favours a bunch sprint, although few races in the UK end in such a way.
Riders to watch
Women’s race
Megan Barker (Tekkerz CC) heads the startlist, the 2023 National Circuit Race Champion fresh off the back of the Paris Olympics where she was the travelling reserve for Team GB. Her form has been good this season with a 6th at the Ilkley GP and 3rd in the shortened Sheffield GP, with her track speed a bonus in this discipline.
Picture by Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com – 21/06/2024 – British Cycling – 2024 Lloyds Bank National Road Championships – Circuit Race: Women – Darlington, County Durham, England – Megan Barker of TEKKERZ CC
Maddie Leech takes to the start after a 4th place in the Ilkley GP back in June and a strong 12th in last weekend’s Ryedale GP. With her team folding, the time triallist will be hoping to impress at every opportunity.
Alice McWilliam (HESS Cycling) has been in excellent form in Belgium, picking up a pair of top ten finishes in UCI races this month. This will be her first criterium of the season, but a podium in the CiCLE Classic, the opening round of the National Road Series, shows she remains adept at UK racing.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 05/06/2024 – Cycling – UCI Women’s World Tour – Lloyds Bank Tour of Britain Women Preview – Holiday Inn Chester West, Mold, Wales – Alice McWilliam of Hess Cycling Team
Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting bring an experienced line up headed by 2021 National Champion Jo Tindley. She will be joined by consistent performer Lucy Harris, with Bexy Dew and Maddie Heywood capable of a result.
DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK dominated the team standings in the National Circuit Series. They are spearheaded by Sophie Lewis, winner of the Fort Colne and Beverley GPs this season. Lewis is supported by Sian Botteley, Darcie Richards and Ronde van Wymeswold stage winner Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne.
Jayati Hine (Loughborough Lightning) was a standout performer in the National Circuit Series with top tens in Dudley, Sheffield and Colne. Emily Proud has had a quiet season compared to 2023, where the criterium specialist broke through with a string of strong performances in the National Circuit Series. With her preferred style of racing from the front, Proud stands a good chance of making the selection.
Picture Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 23/07/2024 – Cycling – 2024 British Cycling Lloyds Bank Elite National Circuit Series – Round 6 – The Colne Grand Prix – Women’s GP – Jayati Hine of Loughborough Lightning
Doltcini-O’Shea bring three young riders to the race in the form of Georgia Bullard, Matilda McKibben and Libby Smithson, the latter showing strong form during a block of racing in the Benelux over the past month.
Open race
Matt Bostock was in superb form during the National Circuit Series, the former national champion winning four of the seven rounds. His Ribble Rebellion team set out to disrupt the global criterium scene, and they’ve certainly dominated on these shores, the Manxman using his criterium skills and fast finish to great effect. Supported by Jim Brown,Tom Couzens, Max Rushby and Hugo Lutz-Atkinson, Bostock is the rider to beat.
Picture Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 23/07/2024 – Cycling – 2024 British Cycling Lloyds Bank Elite National Circuit Series – Round 6 – The Fort Vale Colne Grand Prix – Open Men’s GP – Matt Bostock, Ribble Rebellion wins
Bostock’s major rival during the Circuit Series was his former teammate Rob Scott, now plying his trade for Tekkerz CC. Scott soloed to a memorable victory in Guildford, also taking victory in Ilkley on the way to the overall series title after a string of consistent displays. He will have the support of teammate Alec Briggs, the criterium specialist a strong sprinter and winner of the Newark GP last season.
Saint Piran have had an indifferent circuit race season, although they bring a strong squad to Cambridge. Harry Tanfield, Will Tidball and Matt Gibson are all making their way back to fitness and this is a good test for the trio against top drawer opposition. Will Roberts is a consistent performer across road, track and criterium racing, and is in good form having been recently crowned National Omnium Champion.
Picture by Mathew Wells/SWpix.com – 28/06/2024 – Road Cycling – British Cycling 2024 Lloyds Bank National Circuit Series – Ilkley Cycle Races – Lister Horsfall Men’s Grand Prix – Alec Briggs of TEKKERZ CC shakes hands with Teammate Rob Scott of TEKKERZ CC after his win
Rory Townsend is a rider with a strong sprint, the former Irish National Road Race Champion and UCI race winner now plying his trade with Doug Ryder’s Q36.5 team. With no teammates he might find himself outnumbered by the big teams, although he is vastly experienced in domestic criterium racing.
Toby Barnes soloed to the win in a shortened Sheffield GP and is enjoying a fine season with the Spectra Racing team, who also field Welsh Champion Ed Morgan here.
Picture by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com – 12/07/2024 – Cycling – British Cycling Lloyds Bank 2024 National Open Circuit Series – Open Dudley GP – Dudley, England – Toby Barnes of Spectra Racing
Morgan was part of the recent trip to France along with Matt Lord (Richardsons Trek-DAS), who has taken great strides forward this season and is one to watch. Lord will form part of a string team likely to feature first reserve Alex Peters, the former WorldTour rider showing signs of being back to his best with a 5th place at last week’s Ryedale GP.
Tom Armstrong is enjoying his best season in the UK and was instrumental for Wheelbase CabTech Castelli in the National Circuit Series this season, where the Cumbrian outfit took second in the team standings.
Timings
The Open race is set to kick off at 3pm, followed by the Women’s at 4.20pm.
The event will be broadcast on Monument Cycling, with the programming beginning at 2.10pm.
Circuit racing returns to the agenda this weekend with the inaugural edition of the Cambridge Criterium, a standalone National A race for both the open and women’s fields.
Featured image: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com
What is it?
Monument Cycling, who have been providing live coverage of selected rounds of the National Road Series and National Circuit Series this season, turn their hand to organisation in the form of a standalone National A criterium around the picturesque streets of historic Cambridge, bringing a major race to the city for the first time since it hosted the start of Tour de France stage a decade ago.
The men will race over 50 minutes and the women 40, with a hefty purse offering the winners £1650 up for grabs.
The event harks back to the pre-Covid19 era of domestic cycling, where such city centre criteriums, such as Nottingham’s Milk Race, were a staple of the calendar. Monument Cycling are looking to bring the format up to date with a live broadcast and rider parade, introducing the pre-race favourites to the crowd.
Route
The 2.5km route is lengthy by town centre criterium standards and takes in some of the university city’s best known sites including Magdalene, St John’s and Jesus Colleges.
Featuring long straights and tight 90 degree corners, the route is typical of a town centre race, with little elevation change throughout. On paper it favours a bunch sprint, although few races in the UK end in such a way.
Riders to watch
Women’s race
Megan Barker (Tekkerz CC) heads the startlist, the 2023 National Circuit Race Champion fresh off the back of the Paris Olympics where she was the travelling reserve for Team GB. Her form has been good this season with a 6th at the Ilkley GP and 3rd in the shortened Sheffield GP, with her track speed a bonus in this discipline.
Maddie Leech takes to the start after a 4th place in the Ilkley GP back in June and a strong 12th in last weekend’s Ryedale GP. With her team folding, the time triallist will be hoping to impress at every opportunity.
Alice McWilliam (HESS Cycling) has been in excellent form in Belgium, picking up a pair of top ten finishes in UCI races this month. This will be her first criterium of the season, but a podium in the CiCLE Classic, the opening round of the National Road Series, shows she remains adept at UK racing.
Pro-Noctis – 200 Degrees Coffee – Hargreaves Contracting bring an experienced line up headed by 2021 National Champion Jo Tindley. She will be joined by consistent performer Lucy Harris, with Bexy Dew and Maddie Heywood capable of a result.
DAS-Hutchinson-Brother UK dominated the team standings in the National Circuit Series. They are spearheaded by Sophie Lewis, winner of the Fort Colne and Beverley GPs this season. Lewis is supported by Sian Botteley, Darcie Richards and Ronde van Wymeswold stage winner Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne.
Jayati Hine (Loughborough Lightning) was a standout performer in the National Circuit Series with top tens in Dudley, Sheffield and Colne. Emily Proud has had a quiet season compared to 2023, where the criterium specialist broke through with a string of strong performances in the National Circuit Series. With her preferred style of racing from the front, Proud stands a good chance of making the selection.
Doltcini-O’Shea bring three young riders to the race in the form of Georgia Bullard, Matilda McKibben and Libby Smithson, the latter showing strong form during a block of racing in the Benelux over the past month.
Open race
Matt Bostock was in superb form during the National Circuit Series, the former national champion winning four of the seven rounds. His Ribble Rebellion team set out to disrupt the global criterium scene, and they’ve certainly dominated on these shores, the Manxman using his criterium skills and fast finish to great effect. Supported by Jim Brown, Tom Couzens, Max Rushby and Hugo Lutz-Atkinson, Bostock is the rider to beat.
Bostock’s major rival during the Circuit Series was his former teammate Rob Scott, now plying his trade for Tekkerz CC. Scott soloed to a memorable victory in Guildford, also taking victory in Ilkley on the way to the overall series title after a string of consistent displays. He will have the support of teammate Alec Briggs, the criterium specialist a strong sprinter and winner of the Newark GP last season.
Saint Piran have had an indifferent circuit race season, although they bring a strong squad to Cambridge. Harry Tanfield, Will Tidball and Matt Gibson are all making their way back to fitness and this is a good test for the trio against top drawer opposition. Will Roberts is a consistent performer across road, track and criterium racing, and is in good form having been recently crowned National Omnium Champion.
Rory Townsend is a rider with a strong sprint, the former Irish National Road Race Champion and UCI race winner now plying his trade with Doug Ryder’s Q36.5 team. With no teammates he might find himself outnumbered by the big teams, although he is vastly experienced in domestic criterium racing.
Toby Barnes soloed to the win in a shortened Sheffield GP and is enjoying a fine season with the Spectra Racing team, who also field Welsh Champion Ed Morgan here.
Morgan was part of the recent trip to France along with Matt Lord (Richardsons Trek-DAS), who has taken great strides forward this season and is one to watch. Lord will form part of a string team likely to feature first reserve Alex Peters, the former WorldTour rider showing signs of being back to his best with a 5th place at last week’s Ryedale GP.
Tom Armstrong is enjoying his best season in the UK and was instrumental for Wheelbase CabTech Castelli in the National Circuit Series this season, where the Cumbrian outfit took second in the team standings.
Timings
The Open race is set to kick off at 3pm, followed by the Women’s at 4.20pm.
The event will be broadcast on Monument Cycling, with the programming beginning at 2.10pm.
Provisional startlists
Women’s race
Open race
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