2025 Portsdown Classic: report and results

The British road racing season kicked off in traditional style on the south coast as Jordan Giles (DAS Richardsons) surged clear of his rivals on the punishing final climb of Crooked Walk Lane to claim victory in the 2025 Portsdown Classic.

Report

The British road racing season opened with the Portsdown Classic on Sunday, the reincarnation of the Perfs Pedal road race. Now under the stewardship of Seb Ottley, the event has firmly re-established itself as Britain’s traditional season opener, ensuring that this February test of form, endurance, and sheer grit remains a fixture on the domestic calendar.

The Portsdown Classic may be short—just 72 kilometres—but its relentless terrain and unpredictable weather demand respect. As usual, the race unfolded over five laps of a 13.6-kilometre circuit around Portsdown Hill, before deviating for a finale atop Crooked Walk Lane, a short, savage incline where fortunes are made and lost.

With its February date, the race has a reputation for unrelenting conditions—snow, ice, howling winds, and horizontal rain have all played their part in its history. The 2025 edition, however, was mercifully mild, with temperatures hovering in single digits—cold, but not race-breaking—and, crucially, the rain staying away.

A few early moves came and went, with Raptor Factory Racing making themselves noticed on their first outing, forcing the tempo up Portsdown Hill. Despite the aggression, the peloton remained largely intact over the first ascent.

Instead, the first lap’s defining moments came at the back, where several pre-race favourites suffered mechanical woes. Will Truelove (MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK) required an early wheel change. Rowan Baker (Raptor Factory Racing), one of the pre-race favourites, was forced to abandon after a puncture. Tom Williams (Monzon – Incolor – Gub), winner of the 2024 Ryedale Grand Prix, was another big name to struggle with mechanical issues early on.

By the end of the first lap, a leading group of four—Jordan Giles (DAS Richardsons), Thomas Springbett (Foran CT), Oliver Richardson (Le Col Race Team), and Judicael Clair (Raptor Factory Racing)—had edged clear, holding a slim advantage over the peloton.

On the second ascent of Portsdown Hill, Richardson was distanced as the leading trio of Giles, Springbett, and Clair stretched their advantage to 35 seconds. The peloton briefly responded, closing the gap before losing momentum, and the break quickly extended its lead again. Sensing the danger, Alexander Murphy (Stolen Goat RT), Clay Davies (Ride Revolution), and Adam Howell (VC Meudon) launched a counterattack. Their move looked promising for a moment, but the peloton reacted swiftly, dragging them back and reducing the leaders’ advantage with it.

The third ascent of Portsdown Hill saw the race splinter completely. The peloton was stretched across the road, with over 30 riders jettisoned from the bunch. Despite the chaos, the leading trio capitalised, rebuilding their advantage to 45 seconds as they reached the two-laps-to-go mark. By the bell lap, their lead had grown to 55 seconds.

With cooperation lacking in the peloton, four riders made a final attempt to bridge: Sam Long (VC Londres), Tom Couzens (Montezumas Eventrex Race Team), Joshua Horsfield (Reflex Nopinz), and Edward Morgan (MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK). Their effort briefly gained momentum, but the break’s advantage remained stubbornly large. Up front, Giles sensed his moment had come.

On the final climb of Portsdown Hill, he attacked. Springbett and Clair had no response as he carved out a ten-second gap heading into the headwind section. On the descent to the finish, the two chasers clawed back time, coming within metres of Giles as they hit the final turn onto Crooked Walk Lane.

But as the road pitched up, Giles proved the superior climber, pulling away from his pursuers on the double-digit gradients. The crowd lining the finish cheered him over the line, his early-season form delivering an emphatic win.

Springbett took second. Clair, suffering from cramp on the final slopes, had to cede third place to the fast-finishing Morgan.

At the finish, Giles was exhausted but elated. “Oh, pretty tired now,” he admitted. “Yeah, I made it hard for myself, put it that way.” On the fluctuating gap, he reflected, “Switching between pushing on and trying to build a lead, then trying to conserve it. I was a bit over-enthusiastic early on, but then settled in.”

For Springbett, second place was no disappointment. “Really satisfied,” he said. “It was a fun race, fast and smooth, just everyone pulling their turn. But in the end, Jordan was just stronger.”

Results

Provisional stats hub results are here.

Pos	Bib	Name	Team	Time
1	31	Jordan Giles	Richardsons Trek DAS	01:49:47
2	68	Thomas Springbett	Foran CT	01:49:57
3	55	Edward Morgan	MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK	01:50:03
4	17	Judicael Clair	Raptor Factory Racing	01:50:09
5	51	Sam Long	VC Londres	01:50:14
6	38	Adam Howell	MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK	01:50:17
7	58	Samuel Nisbet	Reflex Nopinz	01:50:19
8	20	Tom Couzens	Montezumas Eventrex Race Team	01:50:31
9	36	Joshua Horsfield	Reflex Nopinz	01:50:32
10	30	Alex Franks	Raptor Factory Racing	01:50:41
11	96	Thomas Gardner	University of Exeter	01:50:41
12	16	Max Bufton	Wheelbase CabTech Castelli	01:50:48
13	76	Jacob Vaughan	VC Londres	01:50:48
14	21	Oliver Curd	Primo RT	01:50:49
15	22	Tobias Dahlhaus	Foran CT	01:50:49
16	56	Alex Murphy	Stolen Goat Race Team	01:50:50
17	10	Dylan Belton Owen	VC Londres	01:50:50
18	5	Jacob Arnell	Southborough & District Whls	01:50:50
19	61	Archie Peet	Reflex Nopinz	01:50:52
20	65	Danylo Riwnyj	Foran CT	01:50:52
21	84	Evander Wishart	DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE U19 Team	01:50:52
22	85	Isaac Wright	Strada Wheels RT – Lucentsys	01:50:54
23	26	Gus Dutton	DECATHLON AG2R LA MONDIALE U19 Team	01:50:55
24	94	Guy Tucker		01:50:55
25	49	Oscar Lawrence	Team Culture Velo U19 Team	01:50:56
26	75	Sebastien Tyrie	Primera-TeamJobs	01:50:57
27	34	Thomas Heal	Raptor Factory Racing	01:50:57
28	6	Morris Bacon	DAP Cycling Club	01:50:58
29	50	Nathan Levitt	Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club	01:50:58
30	44	Jacob James	Wolfox x Pedal Mafia RT	01:50:59
31	32	Matthew Gilmour	Primera-TeamJobs	01:50:59
32	9	Matty Beecher	Primera-TeamJobs	01:51:00
33	63	Joe Reeves	Reflex Nopinz	01:51:00
34	74	Nicholas Tyrie	Foran CT	01:51:01
35	28	Isaac Dutton	VC Londres	01:51:02
36	62	Oscar Pratt	Schils – Doltcini Racing Team	01:51:06
37	1	Samuel Abbott	Shibden Apex RT	01:51:07
38	70	Tommy Stroud	Velo Club Venta	01:51:09
39	83	Tom Williams	Monzon – Incolor – Gub	01:51:09
40	78	Ted Ward	Le Col Race Team	01:51:09
41	89	Alvaro Trivino Martinez	Halesowen A & CC	01:51:10
42	41	Hamish Hunter	Primera-TeamJobs	01:51:12
43	53	Olivier Mangham	Richardsons Trek DAS	01:51:15
44	69	Alexander Stanley	Le Col Race Team	01:51:33
45	27	Sidney Dutton	VC Londres	01:51:55
46	42	Dom Jackson	Foran CT	01:51:56
47	23	Clay Davies	Ride Revolution Coaching	01:51:58
48	81	Brett Wheeler	Le Col Race Team	01:54:27
49	46	Jonty King	Wolfox x Pedal Mafia RT	01:54:28
50	33	Nathan Hallett	Pronto Bikes	01:54:29
51	37	Oscar Hoult	Velo Club Venta	01:54:29
52	72	Sam Talent	Velo Club Venta	01:54:32
53	71	Stephen Swindley	Royal Navy Cycling	01:54:36
54	8	Jack Bartholomew	Stolen Goat Race Club	01:54:38
55	15	Bobby Buenfeld	Velo Club Venta	01:54:40
56	19	Stanley Cooke	Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club	01:54:42
57	67	James Somerfield	TRASH MILE	01:54:49
58	77	Archie Waller	Raptor Factory Racing	01:54:49
59	11	Samuel Benge	trainSharp Club	01:54:50
60	95	Luke Geddes Gasco	Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club	01:54:55
61	79	Huw Watkins	Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club	01:54:58
62	13	David Bone	Racing Club Ravenna	01:55:01
63	39	Charlie Hoy	Pronto Bikes	01:55:06
64	14	Patrick Brown	Wolfox x Pedal Mafia RT	01:55:07
65	59	Finn O Brian	Team Inca	01:55:31
66	64	Oliver Richardson	Le Col Race Team	02:01:31
67	47	Sean Lancaric	Le Col Race Team	02:03:34
68	29	Sam Fox	Racing Club Ravenna	02:04:39
69	18	Samuel Clark	Obidos Cycling Team	02:08:02
70	2	Fletcher Adams	Wolfox x Pedal Mafia RT	02:08:02
71	66	Tom Smith	One Resourcing RT	02:08:14
72	45	Harry Johnson	VC St Raphael	02:09:19
73	57	Benjamin Myers	Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club	02:15:30
74	52	Jake Lunt	Lee Valley Youth Cycling Club	02:15:31
75	87	Daniel Hambridge	League Rt	02:15:39
DNF	4	John APPLEBY	Spirit TBW Stuart Hall Cycling	DNF
DNF	7	Rowan BAKER	Raptor Factory Racing	DNF
DNF	12	David BOLTON	Testa Dura Race Team	DNF
DNF	40	Justin HOY	Pronto Bikes	DNF
DNF	54	George MITCHELL	Foran CT	DNF
DNF	77	Archie WALLER	Raptor Factory Racing	DNF
DNF	82	Evan WILLIAMS	Racing Club Ravenna	DNF
DNF	86	Oliver FEATHERSTONE	League RT	DNF
DNF	92	Fredrick EDWARDS	Project 51	DNF
DNF	73	William TRUELOVE	MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK	DNF
DNS	3	Theo ANDERSON	Chipphenham & District Wheelers	DNS
DNS	24	Thomas DOIG	Primera-TeamJobs	DNS
DNS	25	Matthew DOWNIE	VC St Raphael	DNS
DNS	35	Theo HESTER	Schils –  Doltcini Racing Team	DNS
DNS	43	Jake JACKSON	MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK	DNS
DNS	48	Toby LANGSTONE	Le Col Race Team	DNS
DNS	60	August ORA	VC Londres	DNS
DNS	80	Matthew WEBBER	Wolfox x Pedal Mafia RT	DNS
DNS	88	Luke MANNINGS	Halesowen A & CC	DNS
DNS	90	Ben MEEK	Mid Devon CC	DNS
DNS	91	Sam BEATON	Plymouth Corinthian CC	DNS
DNS	93	Brendon STEAD	Twickenham CC	DNS