Teams revealed for the 2025 edition of the Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic

After last year’s heartbreak cancellation due to flooding, the Sigma Sports/Schwalbe Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic is roaring back with a record line-up and a new twist to its storied parcours. On Sunday 27 April, 33 teams – spanning national squads, British elite teams and international outfits – will take on the uniquely brutal East Midlands terrain in what remains one of the UK’s most popular and distinctive races.

While much of the domestic racing scene has been in retreat, the CiCLE Classic continues to flourish. “Enthusiasm for this year’s race seems greater than ever,” said long-time race director Colin Clews in a press release. “While many long-standing races in Britain are falling by the wayside due to falling participation numbers, the CiCLE Classic continues to buck the trend”.

That trend-bucking status is borne out in the entry list. UCI Continental squads such as Park Hotel Valkenburg (Netherlands), Atom6 Bikes-Decca CT (Australia), MgKvis-Colors of Peace (Italy), and X-Speed United (Canada) will rub shoulders with Britain’s best domestic teams, including Wheelbase CabTech Castelli, Muc-Off SCRT-Storck, DAS-Richardsons, and a Great Britain national team. Such is the demand that the organisers say that more than eight teams had to be turned away​.

And there’s a fresh twist this year too. For the first time in its history, Oakham – the race’s traditional roll-out location – will host both the start and finish. It’s a move prompted by road closures in Melton that forced an eleventh-hour reroute. Rutland County Council stepped up, offering the historic market town as both a launchpad and destination, ensuring the show could go on​.

Set across a punishing 180km route of narrow rural lanes, twisting farm tracks, and gravel sectors, the CiCLE Classic is Britain’s answer to the Spring Classics – a race that blends the unpredictability of Roubaix with a very local, East Midlands charm. As ever, it promises big crowds, tough racing and – this time – redemption after last year’s last-minute washout.