2025 PB Performance Espoirs Road Race: preview and startlist
A fresh wave of under-23 talent is set to descend on Leicestershire this Sunday (30 March) for the first round of the National U23 Open Road Series – the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race
The National U23 Open Road Series kicks off this weekend with Round 1: the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race. A rolling, attritional test on Leicestershire’s Breedon circuit awaits, with a kicker inside the final kilometre primed to shape the finale. We preview the course, its key challenges, and the riders to watch.
Featured image: Emma Wilcock
What is it?
The PB Performance Espoirs Road Race is the first of three confirmed rounds in the Under-23 National Open Road Series.
Organised by the development outfit Team PB Performace, the race joined the Under-23 series in 2023. Will Truelove was the inaugural winner under the new format, racing in the colours of ROKiT-SRCT, while Archie Peet (Reflex Nopinz) was the surprise winner last season.
The race begins at 14.00, preceded by a Regional A road race in the morning.
Archie Peet wins in 2024. Image: Emma Wilcock
Route
Set in North West Leicestershire, the race unfolds over the Breedon circuit – a local favourite for road races and time trials alike.
Riders will face 10 laps of the 14.5km circuit, totalling 144km. The course is relentlessly rolling, with little flat to speak of – a typical National B-style circuit peppered with short drags and sweeping descents. Each lap packs in 148m of elevation gain, making for a sporting test. While not mountainous, the cumulative fatigue will sap the legs, setting the stage for a selective, attritional contest where only the strongest will remain in contention by the final laps.
The lap opens with a long, straight descent heading north, steepening as riders reach a roundabout and swing left towards the A453. A sharp change in gradient follows as the road rises towards Breedon-on-the-Hill, its prominent hilltop church a landmark on the skyline. This is one of the circuit’s key features – a drag that invites attacks and can open gaps.
From there, the course threads through the village (speed bumps included) before heading south to Lount. A left turn here signals the transition to the bottom of the loop, taking riders east across more rolling terrain. A flowing descent then leads into the race’s decisive feature – a 500m kicker, known locally as Vinegar Hill, with gradients of up to 11% inside the final kilometre. With the finish line just 300 metres beyond the summit, this climb will likely shape the outcome. The run-in takes a final left turn onto a grinding false flat to the line.
Riders to watch
Restricted to under-23s, the series offers a platform for young talent to make a name for themselves and gain experience racing against a peer group, often in different conditions and styles than they’re used to.
At just 20, Dylan Hicks already boasts a professional win at the 2024 International Tour of Hellas, where he claimed a stage victory. His 2024 performances also include a win at the Stars of the South West Road Race, the first round of the 2024 Under-23 National Open Road Series. Transitioning from Saint Piran to Raptor Factory Racing this season, Hicks will be eager to start his campaign with a statement performance; the finish suiting the fast finisher perfectly. After a challenging 2024 season, teammate Alex Franks is making a comeback with Raptor Factory Racing. His junior accolades include a stage win at the UCI Aubel-Stavelot race and victory at the French Boucles de l’Oise. A recent 10th place finish at the Peaks 2 Day suggests he’s regaining form and could be a contender in this race.
Hicks winning the 2024 Stars of the South West road race. Image: Charlie Tompkins
Stepping up from the junior ranks, Wheelbase CabTech Castelli’s Max Bufton has quickly adapted to senior racing. He finished 9th overall at the recent Peaks 2 Day, showcasing his climbing abilities and endurance. As a first-year under-23, this performance indicates his potential to be a significant contender in the series. Bufton outshone his more senior teammate Dexter Leeming-Sykes at the Peaks 2 Day a fortnight ago, with the latter looking for a return to his breakthrough 2023 form which saw him notch up a 7th place at the Lincoln GP and 5th at the Yorkshire U23 Classic, a race in this series. After a year in France with Team U Charente Maritime, Leeming-Sykes is another rider who will be looking for a big performance to kick start his season, and return to the UK, on Sunday.
There are a host of Scottish riders making the journey to the East Midlands with their eye on a National Series win. Ahron Dick has good memories of the region after taking the Junior CiCLE Classic last year. Now with Equipo Finisher, the development arm of Spanish ProTeam Equipo Kern Pharma, the first year U23 should arrive in good form having ridden on the track throughout the winter. Finn McHenry (Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT) made a name for himself at last year’s Lancaster GP, going with the early break and holding his own in the closing stages on the way to a memorable 4th place. A gifted climber, the steep gradients of Vinegar Hill are the natural place for him to make a difference, if it is hard enough for the pure climbers remains to be seen. Ross Birrell is a rider with opposing credentials, the sprinter looking to get his career back on track with Moonglu Spatzwear in 2025 after a difficult couple of years with the closure of the GB Senior Academy, AT85 Pro Cycling, and a bout of glandular fever. Should he make it over the final climb in contention, the final straight to the line suits his powerful sprint.
Last year’s race didn’t run to script, with a breakaway foiling the heavyweight combination of Saint Piran and a number of EliteDevelopment Teams. James Satoor and Ben Pierce (Bridgnorth Cycling Club) were the benefactors, with both stepping onto the podium, and will be hoping for a repeat of that performance. However, there are a number of teams who will be keen to rectify their mistakes from last year, such as Cycling Sheffield, who’s youthful squad contains Sam Chaplin and AlexFoster, riders in their second year on Dave Coulson’s squad.
A local race for BCC RT, they promised to animate races this season and bring a full quota of six riders including ZakMachin, who was 6th in the Holme Moss time trial at the Peaks 2 Day. 360Cycling are another team with six riders, JohnBardsley leading their charge as potential winner of the series. 5th here last year and a very consistent performer, he will have the perfect foil in Jake Edwards, who is one of the form riders of 2025 thus far. After almost pulling off an heroic win at the Clayton Spring Classic from a long range solo attack, he proved it was no fluke on the opening two stages of the Peaks 2 Day, putting him in contention for the overall title until the Rowan Baker show on the final stage. A rider full of confidence, he is one the peloton will need to keep their eye on, such is penchant for going up the road.
Image: Emma Wilcock
Elsewhere on the startlist Alex Pickering (Ride Revolution Coaching) is a rider with a National B win who could spring a surprise. His victory in the Sherpa Performance Stage Race last season was built on a strong time trial where he beat specialist Jamie Whitcher, and he is another rider the favourites will not want to give too much rope to. Host team PB Performance have played a part in the careers of some of the best riders to have graced the domestic scene, and in Welsh Road Race Champion SamLlewelyn they have a potential winner here. He outfoxed favourites Will Roberts and Ed Morgan to take his national crown, a win which makes him a rider to watch on Sunday.
One of the riders on the reserve list is late entry Alex Beldon (Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck). A gifted climber with excellent results as a junior, the former Trinity Racing rider will need to use the course to his advantage should he wish to play a part in the race’s final stages.
The National U23 Open Road Series kicks off this weekend with Round 1: the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race. A rolling, attritional test on Leicestershire’s Breedon circuit awaits, with a kicker inside the final kilometre primed to shape the finale. We preview the course, its key challenges, and the riders to watch.
Featured image: Emma Wilcock
What is it?
The PB Performance Espoirs Road Race is the first of three confirmed rounds in the Under-23 National Open Road Series.
Organised by the development outfit Team PB Performace, the race joined the Under-23 series in 2023. Will Truelove was the inaugural winner under the new format, racing in the colours of ROKiT-SRCT, while Archie Peet (Reflex Nopinz) was the surprise winner last season.
The race begins at 14.00, preceded by a Regional A road race in the morning.
Route
Set in North West Leicestershire, the race unfolds over the Breedon circuit – a local favourite for road races and time trials alike.
Riders will face 10 laps of the 14.5km circuit, totalling 144km. The course is relentlessly rolling, with little flat to speak of – a typical National B-style circuit peppered with short drags and sweeping descents. Each lap packs in 148m of elevation gain, making for a sporting test. While not mountainous, the cumulative fatigue will sap the legs, setting the stage for a selective, attritional contest where only the strongest will remain in contention by the final laps.
The lap opens with a long, straight descent heading north, steepening as riders reach a roundabout and swing left towards the A453. A sharp change in gradient follows as the road rises towards Breedon-on-the-Hill, its prominent hilltop church a landmark on the skyline. This is one of the circuit’s key features – a drag that invites attacks and can open gaps.
From there, the course threads through the village (speed bumps included) before heading south to Lount. A left turn here signals the transition to the bottom of the loop, taking riders east across more rolling terrain. A flowing descent then leads into the race’s decisive feature – a 500m kicker, known locally as Vinegar Hill, with gradients of up to 11% inside the final kilometre. With the finish line just 300 metres beyond the summit, this climb will likely shape the outcome. The run-in takes a final left turn onto a grinding false flat to the line.
Riders to watch
Restricted to under-23s, the series offers a platform for young talent to make a name for themselves and gain experience racing against a peer group, often in different conditions and styles than they’re used to.
At just 20, Dylan Hicks already boasts a professional win at the 2024 International Tour of Hellas, where he claimed a stage victory. His 2024 performances also include a win at the Stars of the South West Road Race, the first round of the 2024 Under-23 National Open Road Series. Transitioning from Saint Piran to Raptor Factory Racing this season, Hicks will be eager to start his campaign with a statement performance; the finish suiting the fast finisher perfectly. After a challenging 2024 season, teammate Alex Franks is making a comeback with Raptor Factory Racing. His junior accolades include a stage win at the UCI Aubel-Stavelot race and victory at the French Boucles de l’Oise. A recent 10th place finish at the Peaks 2 Day suggests he’s regaining form and could be a contender in this race.
Stepping up from the junior ranks, Wheelbase CabTech Castelli’s Max Bufton has quickly adapted to senior racing. He finished 9th overall at the recent Peaks 2 Day, showcasing his climbing abilities and endurance. As a first-year under-23, this performance indicates his potential to be a significant contender in the series.
Bufton outshone his more senior teammate Dexter Leeming-Sykes at the Peaks 2 Day a fortnight ago, with the latter looking for a return to his breakthrough 2023 form which saw him notch up a 7th place at the Lincoln GP and 5th at the Yorkshire U23 Classic, a race in this series. After a year in France with Team U Charente Maritime, Leeming-Sykes is another rider who will be looking for a big performance to kick start his season, and return to the UK, on Sunday.
There are a host of Scottish riders making the journey to the East Midlands with their eye on a National Series win. Ahron Dick has good memories of the region after taking the Junior CiCLE Classic last year. Now with Equipo Finisher, the development arm of Spanish ProTeam Equipo Kern Pharma, the first year U23 should arrive in good form having ridden on the track throughout the winter. Finn McHenry (Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT) made a name for himself at last year’s Lancaster GP, going with the early break and holding his own in the closing stages on the way to a memorable 4th place. A gifted climber, the steep gradients of Vinegar Hill are the natural place for him to make a difference, if it is hard enough for the pure climbers remains to be seen. Ross Birrell is a rider with opposing credentials, the sprinter looking to get his career back on track with Moonglu Spatzwear in 2025 after a difficult couple of years with the closure of the GB Senior Academy, AT85 Pro Cycling, and a bout of glandular fever. Should he make it over the final climb in contention, the final straight to the line suits his powerful sprint.
Last year’s race didn’t run to script, with a breakaway foiling the heavyweight combination of Saint Piran and a number of Elite Development Teams. James Satoor and Ben Pierce (Bridgnorth Cycling Club) were the benefactors, with both stepping onto the podium, and will be hoping for a repeat of that performance. However, there are a number of teams who will be keen to rectify their mistakes from last year, such as Cycling Sheffield, who’s youthful squad contains Sam Chaplin and Alex Foster, riders in their second year on Dave Coulson’s squad.
A local race for BCC RT, they promised to animate races this season and bring a full quota of six riders including Zak Machin, who was 6th in the Holme Moss time trial at the Peaks 2 Day. 360Cycling are another team with six riders, John Bardsley leading their charge as potential winner of the series. 5th here last year and a very consistent performer, he will have the perfect foil in Jake Edwards, who is one of the form riders of 2025 thus far. After almost pulling off an heroic win at the Clayton Spring Classic from a long range solo attack, he proved it was no fluke on the opening two stages of the Peaks 2 Day, putting him in contention for the overall title until the Rowan Baker show on the final stage. A rider full of confidence, he is one the peloton will need to keep their eye on, such is penchant for going up the road.
Elsewhere on the startlist Alex Pickering (Ride Revolution Coaching) is a rider with a National B win who could spring a surprise. His victory in the Sherpa Performance Stage Race last season was built on a strong time trial where he beat specialist Jamie Whitcher, and he is another rider the favourites will not want to give too much rope to. Host team PB Performance have played a part in the careers of some of the best riders to have graced the domestic scene, and in Welsh Road Race Champion Sam Llewelyn they have a potential winner here. He outfoxed favourites Will Roberts and Ed Morgan to take his national crown, a win which makes him a rider to watch on Sunday.
One of the riders on the reserve list is late entry Alex Beldon (Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck). A gifted climber with excellent results as a junior, the former Trinity Racing rider will need to use the course to his advantage should he wish to play a part in the race’s final stages.
Provisional startlist
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