Bec Cycling Club has confirmed to The British Continental that its long-running open road race, first held in 1983, has come to an end. Organisers cited dwindling rider interest and increasing financial pressures as the main reasons for discontinuing the race after more than forty years.
We took the decision not to run it any more as there’s not really enough interest
The Bec CC Road Race was a National B event set on the challenging roads of Ashdown Forest in East Sussex and boasted an illustrious list of winners. Past champions include former professional Tony Gibb and more recent notable riders Rory Townsend, Sam Culverwell, and Alex Richardson. The 2024 edition, held on 12 May, nearly did not go ahead due to low entry numbers, but a late surge of participants ensured it took place. Gabe Dellar claimed victory with a solo breakaway, unknowingly becoming the final winner of the event.
Organiser James Hughes told The British Continental that the club would not stage the race again. “We took the decision not to run it any more as there’s not really enough interest,” Hughes explained. “It’s a lot of work and barely scrapes even financially. Since the pandemic, we’ve not had the numbers to make it a viable event, and with costs going up, the club has decided to work on other things instead.” He noted rider entries had steadily declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, with participants increasingly waiting until the last minute to enter, complicating the planning and logistics for volunteer organisers.
Since the pandemic, we’ve not had the numbers to make it a viable event, and with costs going up, the club has decided to work on other things instead
Reflecting on his 17 years as organiser, Hughes recalled challenging moments over the years, including an edition disrupted by sudden roadworks. “One year we had to put a marshal on a set of pop-up roadworks to manually change their lights and wave us through on a red light,” he recounted. “He ended up digging tarmac as well to speed them up, and they were gone in the second half of the race.”
Despite the difficulties, Hughes added: “While it always caused me a bit of stress, it was certainly fun on the day.”
With the road race now discontinued, Bec Cycling Club will refocus its efforts on other open events, including its annual 10-mile time trial and the popular Bec Hill Climb on White Lane at the end of the season. Hughes thanked all riders and supporters who have been part of the event’s history, emphasising that the club continues its broader commitment to supporting cycle sport. “The club is always looking for new opportunities to support the sport,” Hughes concluded.
Featured image: Mark James
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Rather sad situation since Covid. I organised “The Wadley”((always 2nd Sunday in March) for 24 years and we faced a similar situation for the last 2 years whereby entries were so slow coming in that the current organiser was on the point of cancelling the race. Very disappointing to find currently less enthusiasm for both Road Racing and Time Trials. Plenty of Club Runs/Sportives: is it a fear of competing and losing??
Malcolm Hargreaves, Colchester Rovers CC.
“is it a fear of competing and losing?”. That’s an interesting suggestion. I suspect in the current climate of safe spaces and harm avoidance, there is some truth to that.