2025 Community Traffic Management Ltd East Cleveland Classic: preview
The 2025 East Cleveland Classic is back, promising another thrilling showdown on the iconic Saltburn Bank. With Britain's top elite teams lining up for an early-season battle, this race is set to deliver excitement and drama in equal measure. Read our full preview for the route details, key riders to watch, and everything you need to know.
The East Cleveland Classic returns for its second edition in 2025, once again serving up a demanding course, including the iconic ascent of Saltburn Bank. The event serves as the second round of the women’s National Road Series, following the drama and excitement of the season-opening ANEXO/CAMS CiCLE Classic last month. For the open category, the East Cleveland Classic marks the inaugural round of the 2025 Series, setting the stage for Britain’s premier elite teams to showcase their early-season form and ambition.
Read on for a comprehensive preview of the route, key riders to watch, how to follow the race and more.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
What is it?
The 2025 Community Traffic Management Ltd East Cleveland Classic returns for its second edition, continuing the area’s legacy of elite-level cycling. Building upon the successful National Road Championships hosted here in 2023, the event once again features a challenging route through East Cleveland, starting and finishing in Saltburn-by-the-Sea and prominently featuring the infamous Saltburn Bank just before the finish line.
The East Cleveland Classic serves as the second round of the women’s National Road Series, following a gripping opening race at the ANEXO/CAMS CiCLE Classic last month. For the open category, this marks the first round of the 2025 Series, showcasing Britain’s premier elite teams in action.
Click here for an explainer about how the National Road Series works.
Cat Ferguson of Shibden Apex RT wins the 2024 East Cleveland Classic. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Route
Those who tuned into previous editions of elite cycling events in East Cleveland, including the National Road Championships or the East Cleveland Klondike Grand Prix, will find the terrain of the East Cleveland Classic familiar yet enticingly challenging.
The 2025 race starts and finishes once again in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, an idyllic Victorian coastal town situated in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire. The revised circuit covers 28 kilometres per lap, offering riders a demanding route that ventures inland through Skelton to Guisborough before looping back via Boosbeck, Lingdale, Kilton Thorpe, and Brotton.
A highlight of each lap is the iconic Saltburn Bank, a brutal 400-metre climb with two tight hairpin turns, an average gradient of 8.3%, and sections ramping up to double digits.
With its steep ascent located just 200 metres from the finish line on Glenside, Saltburn Bank promises to be a decisive factor, particularly in the closing stages of the race.
With a total elevation gain of 507 metres per lap, the course’s challenging, undulating profile will test riders’ climbing skills and endurance. The open race takes in six laps of this demanding circuit for a total of 154.9km.
The women’s race features four laps, equating to 104km in total.
After a gruelling CiCLE Classic opener that saw Lucy Harris take a landmark win, she carries the National Road Series leader’s jersey into East Cleveland. Harris’s Smurfit Westrock squad has been the form team of the season, and the 31-year-old Harris has been at the heart of it. With a victory already under her belt, she’ll be brimming with confidence. Harris finished in the top ten at East Cleveland last year, proving she can handle steep gradients. An aggressive all-rounder unafraid of long-range moves, Harris will likely try to make it hard before the final climb – and with a strong Smurfit Westrock team around her, she has the tools to do so.
Indeed, Smurfit Westrock comes armed to Saltburn with multiple cards to play. Lucy Gadd adds firepower to Harris’s campaign; the 23-year-old was one of last season’s standout performers, consistently animating races with her attacking verve. The team also boasts seasoned road captain Jo Tindley, meaning Smurfit Westrock can afford to animate early or cover moves while Harris sits in wait. If a late breakaway sneaks away or a reduced group barrels into Saltburn for the uphill finish, expect a Smurfit Westrock rider to be in the mix.
Their biggest challenge is likely to come from the DAS–Hutchinson camp, a team brimming with talent and keen to one-up their rivals. DAS–Hutchinson dominated the Kennel Hill Classic with a resounding 1-2 finish: Lucy Lee took the win that day with teammate – and Peaks 2 Day stage winner – Lizzie Hermolle right on her wheel. Lee clinched the win at the Ryedale Grand Prix last year, underscoring her fast finish and savvy race craft. Hermolle has been stacking up results across the board and sharpened her form with UCI racing early this season. DAS–Hutchinson’s attacking options don’t end there. Robyn Clay brings a spark of unpredictability; she famously triumphed in the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix in 2023 . Clay has started this season strongly, finishing fifth at the CiCLE Classic.
Lauren Dickson (right) and Lucy Lee (centre) on the podium at the 2024 Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix. Image: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com
Handsling Alba Development RT is another strong team looking to make a mark. Leading the way is Lauren Dickson, whose rise has been nothing short of meteoric. A former triathlete who only turned to road racing in 2024, she delivered an exceptional debut season, scoring standout podiums at marquee National Series races like the Lancaster and Ryedale Grand Prix events. Dickson has continued her upward trajectory in 2025, notably cracking the top 15 in the Volta Limburg Classic, signalling that her domestic success can translate to bigger arenas. Kate Richardson’s 2024 season was a rollercoaster of soaring highs and crushing lows, from storming to victory at May’s Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, her first-ever National Road Series win, to a horrific training crash – when an impatient driver knocked her off her bike – which left her with a broken collarbone, multiple scapula fractures and a concussion, all on the eve of the Tour of Britain. She has hit the ground racing with a strong fifth-place finish at the Capernwray National B road race, her form now on the rebound. The team also boasts Neah Evans, who reminded everyone of her road racing pedigree by claiming a podium at that CiCLE Classic last month.
Alice McWilliam has quietly become one of the UK scene’s most consistent and dangerous contenders. The 29-year-old, riding for the Hess Cycling Team, has years of domestic experience and seems to be hitting peak form. She was an impressive sixth in last year’s inaugural East Cleveland Classic, surviving the gruelling finale up Saltburn Bank to finish just 13 seconds off the win. This year she’s upped her game even further. In March, McWilliam sprinted to second place at the CiCLE Classic – an agonisingly close step up from her third-place the year before finishing 5th last weekend at the UCI-level Volta NXT Classic.
Esther Wong represents an exciting dark horse contender. After a tumultuous off-season that saw her original team plans disrupted – she left her new team Hess after uncertainty about the squad’s future – Wong rebounded spectacularly by securing stage 3 victory at the Peaks 2 Day and a dominant solo win at the challenging Capernwray Road Race. Having placed ninth at East Cleveland last year, Wong has the route knowledge and climbing ability perfectly suited to this demanding course. With momentum and confidence in her favour, Wong could surprise the established favourites.
Esther Wong wins the 2025 Capernwray road race. Image: Darren Athersmith
Two young rising stars, Arabella Blackburn (Shibden Apex RT) and Abigail Miller (Tofauti Everyone Active), look set to follow last year’s teenage winner Cat Ferguson’s example. Blackburn placed ninth at CiCLE, while Miller, won the inaugural Witham Hall stage race last weekend.
MTB specialist Anna Flynn (Spectra Racing) adds yet another dynamic to the mix. Flynn impressed at CiCLE, riding into sixth place. Her bike-handling and punchy style could serve her well on East Cleveland’s challenging terrain.
Lastly, Emma Jeffers (Liv AlUla Jayco) is another intriguing contender. The 20-year-old reigning British national circuit race champion has exceptional bike handling and a blistering finishing sprint. Jeffers has tested herself against European competition and, if she survives the climbs, could threaten in a reduced sprint scenario.
Rowan Baker returns to East Cleveland as the reigning champion, but this time in the white-and-black of new outfit Raptor Factory Racing. The 22-year-old’s win here last year came with a long-range solo attack – an explosive move on Saltburn’s steep slopes that earned him victory by 48 seconds. Now Baker is eager to prove that was no one-off. He’s started 2025 in blistering form, having hammered home a strong message to rivals with a dominant overall win at the Peaks 2-Day stage race in March. That performance – attacking on the climbs and blowing apart the field by over four minutes – suggests Baker is ready to pick up right where he left off.
Rowan Baker wins the 2024 East Cleveland Classic. Image: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com
Equally important, Baker has a capable new team around him. Raptor Factory Racing may be a debutant squad, but it’s packed with firepower. Baker is joined by fellow former Saint Piran talents like Dylan Hicks (a UCI stage winner) and experienced road captain Bradley Symonds. Symonds nearly took a win himself last weekend – finishing second after a day-long break at the hilly Capernwray road race underlining that Raptor are hitting the ground running.
Arguably the strongest collective on the startlist is the Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck team, which enters 2025 with a stacked roster. Adam Howell, just 20 years old, has emerged as an early-season standout with two National B wins to his name: he claimed the Peaks 2-Day stage 1 and followed up with victory at the Kennel Hill Classic thanks to a well-timed attack on the final climb. His teammate Will Truelove is another to watch closely. Truelove quietly finished third overall at Peaks 2-Day and has a penchant for tough one-day races – he was runner-up at the Beaumont Trophy last autumn, one of the biggest road races on the calendar. Ed Morgan won the sprint competition at this race last year and has been on flying form in 2025, taking podiums at the Portsdown and Danum Trophy races. Morgan’s punchy style was evident in his recent 2nd place at the Danum Trophy and 5th at Kennel Hill. As for Alex Beldon, the former Trinity Racing rider’s pedigree suggests he’ll be right at home on a course like this. He is clearly in flying form, racking up wins in successive weekends at the PB Performance Espoirs road race and the Daum Trophy. With four potential leaders, Muc-Off have options aplenty.
Alex Beldon wins the 2025 Danum Trophy. Image: Sarah Jane Swinscoe
Wheelbase CabTech Castelli bring an experienced, all-round squad. At the forefront is Tim Shoreman, last year’s East Cleveland Classic runner-up. An absolute powerhouse, Shoreman has wins at the Colne Grand Prix and the final stage of Rás Tailteann on his résumé. Shoreman will be eager to go one better this time – if he can balance his racing with his full-time engineering job. New recruit James McKay adds to their strength. McKay was a regular National Road Series podium finisher in 2024 – including third place here at Saltburn last year – and he’s been brought in to lead Wheelbase in the big one-day races. Backing up Shoreman and McKay are two more proven racers: Tom Armstrong and Tom Martin. Armstrong is fresh off a podium last weekend – 3rd at the Capernwray Road Race – underscoring his form. Meanwhile, Martin won the Peaks 2-Day overall in 2024 and grabbed a stage win in Ireland’s Rás Tailteann last May, showcasing his breakaway prowess.
Not to be outdone, Foran CT has emerged as a domestic powerhouse over the past couple of seasons and will line up with their own array of contenders. Their road captain Dom Jackson is a proven aggressor – he spent much of last year animating breaks and even featured in the move of the day at the National Road Championships on similar terrain. Jackson’s aggressive style often forces selections on tough courses like this. Tom Springbett, who sprinted to second at the Portsdown Classic behind Giles, is another to watch; he’s shown he can handle hilly courses and still pack a punch in the finale. The Foran squad also includes Danylo Riwnyj, a versatile Ukrainian rider who adds climbing legs, and Alex Mayer, the Mauritian talent whose all-round abilities give the London-based team multiple cards to play.
George Kimber at the 2024 Ryedale Grand Prix. Image: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com
Reigning National Road Series champion George Kimber (Spirit Racing) is another to watch closely. Last year he took third in the Lancaster Grand Prix and came a superb fourth in the iconic Lincoln Grand Prix. What’s more, Kimber enters this race in red-hot form. He kicked off 2025 with a win at the Evesham Vale Road Race and a stage victory at the Totnes Vire 2-Day last weekend. He has never won a National Road Series race, however. Is that about to change? He lacks the team support that some rivals enjoy, but his aggressive racing style could turn that into an advantage: he’s unafraid to attack when he senses an opening.
At 27, the Primera-TeamJobs racer Josh Housley is enjoying the form of his life. Just last week, he scored “the biggest victory of his career,” winning the Capernwray Road Race in Lancashire after a race-long breakaway. He powered clear with Raptor’s Symonds and never looked back, ultimately outsprinting his break-mate to claim a landmark win. Now Housley arrives in East Cleveland as an intriguing dark horse for the overall – a label he himself modestly embraced after Capernwray.
Josh Housley wins the 2025 Capernwray road raceImage: Darren Athersmith
Adam Lewis of Team Skyline. Though not on the domestic scene full-time (his squad is a US-based UCI Continental team), Lewis is slated to join the fray in East Cleveland and brings a touch of international class. The 29-year-old from Walsall was runner-up at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix last year – arguably Britain’s hardest one-day race – and also raced extensively abroad, notching impressive results in UCI events. If he’s on form, he could very well insert himself among the contenders.
There are severall promising young riders poised to disrupt the established order. Alex Ball of the BCC Race Team is a bright domestic prospect whose early-season results speak volumes: 2nd in the Gifford Road Race, 8th at Capernwray, and 5th in the Danum Trophy on back-to-back days. That consistency – across different courses and against quality fields – suggests Ball can handle whatever East Cleveland throws at him. The 360cycling team might not feature in headline predictions, but their under-23 riders are making waves. Jake Edwards is having a breakthrough season, who took 4th at Capernwray last weekend. His teammate Maxwell Hereward was 7th in that race. Both are under 23 and fearless.
Jordan Giles (DAS–Richardsons) has shown strong early-season form with a solo victory at the Portsdown Classic, making him an outsider worth watching. His teammate Alex Peters, a former Team Sky professional, brings WorldTour experience that could prove decisive. Other contenders include Harry Macfarlane (Ride Revolution Coaching), who quietly placed seventh here last year and recently confirmed his consistency at Kennel Hill Classic, and Ollie Hucks (TAAP–Kalas), aggressive and consistent on punchy terrain.
Timings
Time
Description
9.00
Women’s race start
11.58
Women’s race finish (estimated)
13.15
Open race start
17.19
Open race finish (estimated)
Weather
The forecast is for sun in the morning for the women’s race but drizzle for the afternoon’s open race.
How to follow
We will have our live ticker running for step-by-step updates. It will be live here on race day for the women’s race and here for the open event.
The East Cleveland Classic returns for its second edition in 2025, once again serving up a demanding course, including the iconic ascent of Saltburn Bank. The event serves as the second round of the women’s National Road Series, following the drama and excitement of the season-opening ANEXO/CAMS CiCLE Classic last month. For the open category, the East Cleveland Classic marks the inaugural round of the 2025 Series, setting the stage for Britain’s premier elite teams to showcase their early-season form and ambition.
Read on for a comprehensive preview of the route, key riders to watch, how to follow the race and more.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
What is it?
The 2025 Community Traffic Management Ltd East Cleveland Classic returns for its second edition, continuing the area’s legacy of elite-level cycling. Building upon the successful National Road Championships hosted here in 2023, the event once again features a challenging route through East Cleveland, starting and finishing in Saltburn-by-the-Sea and prominently featuring the infamous Saltburn Bank just before the finish line.
The East Cleveland Classic serves as the second round of the women’s National Road Series, following a gripping opening race at the ANEXO/CAMS CiCLE Classic last month. For the open category, this marks the first round of the 2025 Series, showcasing Britain’s premier elite teams in action.
Click here for an explainer about how the National Road Series works.
Route
Those who tuned into previous editions of elite cycling events in East Cleveland, including the National Road Championships or the East Cleveland Klondike Grand Prix, will find the terrain of the East Cleveland Classic familiar yet enticingly challenging.
The 2025 race starts and finishes once again in Saltburn-by-the-Sea, an idyllic Victorian coastal town situated in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire. The revised circuit covers 28 kilometres per lap, offering riders a demanding route that ventures inland through Skelton to Guisborough before looping back via Boosbeck, Lingdale, Kilton Thorpe, and Brotton.
A highlight of each lap is the iconic Saltburn Bank, a brutal 400-metre climb with two tight hairpin turns, an average gradient of 8.3%, and sections ramping up to double digits.
With its steep ascent located just 200 metres from the finish line on Glenside, Saltburn Bank promises to be a decisive factor, particularly in the closing stages of the race.
With a total elevation gain of 507 metres per lap, the course’s challenging, undulating profile will test riders’ climbing skills and endurance. The open race takes in six laps of this demanding circuit for a total of 154.9km.
The women’s race features four laps, equating to 104km in total.
Riders to watch
Women’s race
View the provisional startlist here.
After a gruelling CiCLE Classic opener that saw Lucy Harris take a landmark win, she carries the National Road Series leader’s jersey into East Cleveland. Harris’s Smurfit Westrock squad has been the form team of the season, and the 31-year-old Harris has been at the heart of it. With a victory already under her belt, she’ll be brimming with confidence. Harris finished in the top ten at East Cleveland last year, proving she can handle steep gradients. An aggressive all-rounder unafraid of long-range moves, Harris will likely try to make it hard before the final climb – and with a strong Smurfit Westrock team around her, she has the tools to do so.
Indeed, Smurfit Westrock comes armed to Saltburn with multiple cards to play. Lucy Gadd adds firepower to Harris’s campaign; the 23-year-old was one of last season’s standout performers, consistently animating races with her attacking verve. The team also boasts seasoned road captain Jo Tindley, meaning Smurfit Westrock can afford to animate early or cover moves while Harris sits in wait. If a late breakaway sneaks away or a reduced group barrels into Saltburn for the uphill finish, expect a Smurfit Westrock rider to be in the mix.
Their biggest challenge is likely to come from the DAS–Hutchinson camp, a team brimming with talent and keen to one-up their rivals. DAS–Hutchinson dominated the Kennel Hill Classic with a resounding 1-2 finish: Lucy Lee took the win that day with teammate – and Peaks 2 Day stage winner – Lizzie Hermolle right on her wheel. Lee clinched the win at the Ryedale Grand Prix last year, underscoring her fast finish and savvy race craft. Hermolle has been stacking up results across the board and sharpened her form with UCI racing early this season. DAS–Hutchinson’s attacking options don’t end there. Robyn Clay brings a spark of unpredictability; she famously triumphed in the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix in 2023 . Clay has started this season strongly, finishing fifth at the CiCLE Classic.
Handsling Alba Development RT is another strong team looking to make a mark. Leading the way is Lauren Dickson, whose rise has been nothing short of meteoric. A former triathlete who only turned to road racing in 2024, she delivered an exceptional debut season, scoring standout podiums at marquee National Series races like the Lancaster and Ryedale Grand Prix events. Dickson has continued her upward trajectory in 2025, notably cracking the top 15 in the Volta Limburg Classic, signalling that her domestic success can translate to bigger arenas. Kate Richardson’s 2024 season was a rollercoaster of soaring highs and crushing lows, from storming to victory at May’s Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, her first-ever National Road Series win, to a horrific training crash – when an impatient driver knocked her off her bike – which left her with a broken collarbone, multiple scapula fractures and a concussion, all on the eve of the Tour of Britain. She has hit the ground racing with a strong fifth-place finish at the Capernwray National B road race, her form now on the rebound. The team also boasts Neah Evans, who reminded everyone of her road racing pedigree by claiming a podium at that CiCLE Classic last month.
Alice McWilliam has quietly become one of the UK scene’s most consistent and dangerous contenders. The 29-year-old, riding for the Hess Cycling Team, has years of domestic experience and seems to be hitting peak form. She was an impressive sixth in last year’s inaugural East Cleveland Classic, surviving the gruelling finale up Saltburn Bank to finish just 13 seconds off the win. This year she’s upped her game even further. In March, McWilliam sprinted to second place at the CiCLE Classic – an agonisingly close step up from her third-place the year before finishing 5th last weekend at the UCI-level Volta NXT Classic.
Esther Wong represents an exciting dark horse contender. After a tumultuous off-season that saw her original team plans disrupted – she left her new team Hess after uncertainty about the squad’s future – Wong rebounded spectacularly by securing stage 3 victory at the Peaks 2 Day and a dominant solo win at the challenging Capernwray Road Race. Having placed ninth at East Cleveland last year, Wong has the route knowledge and climbing ability perfectly suited to this demanding course. With momentum and confidence in her favour, Wong could surprise the established favourites.
Two young rising stars, Arabella Blackburn (Shibden Apex RT) and Abigail Miller (Tofauti Everyone Active), look set to follow last year’s teenage winner Cat Ferguson’s example. Blackburn placed ninth at CiCLE, while Miller, won the inaugural Witham Hall stage race last weekend.
MTB specialist Anna Flynn (Spectra Racing) adds yet another dynamic to the mix. Flynn impressed at CiCLE, riding into sixth place. Her bike-handling and punchy style could serve her well on East Cleveland’s challenging terrain.
Lastly, Emma Jeffers (Liv AlUla Jayco) is another intriguing contender. The 20-year-old reigning British national circuit race champion has exceptional bike handling and a blistering finishing sprint. Jeffers has tested herself against European competition and, if she survives the climbs, could threaten in a reduced sprint scenario.
Open race
View the provisional startlist here.
Rowan Baker returns to East Cleveland as the reigning champion, but this time in the white-and-black of new outfit Raptor Factory Racing. The 22-year-old’s win here last year came with a long-range solo attack – an explosive move on Saltburn’s steep slopes that earned him victory by 48 seconds. Now Baker is eager to prove that was no one-off. He’s started 2025 in blistering form, having hammered home a strong message to rivals with a dominant overall win at the Peaks 2-Day stage race in March. That performance – attacking on the climbs and blowing apart the field by over four minutes – suggests Baker is ready to pick up right where he left off.
Equally important, Baker has a capable new team around him. Raptor Factory Racing may be a debutant squad, but it’s packed with firepower. Baker is joined by fellow former Saint Piran talents like Dylan Hicks (a UCI stage winner) and experienced road captain Bradley Symonds. Symonds nearly took a win himself last weekend – finishing second after a day-long break at the hilly Capernwray road race underlining that Raptor are hitting the ground running.
Arguably the strongest collective on the startlist is the Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck team, which enters 2025 with a stacked roster. Adam Howell, just 20 years old, has emerged as an early-season standout with two National B wins to his name: he claimed the Peaks 2-Day stage 1 and followed up with victory at the Kennel Hill Classic thanks to a well-timed attack on the final climb. His teammate Will Truelove is another to watch closely. Truelove quietly finished third overall at Peaks 2-Day and has a penchant for tough one-day races – he was runner-up at the Beaumont Trophy last autumn, one of the biggest road races on the calendar. Ed Morgan won the sprint competition at this race last year and has been on flying form in 2025, taking podiums at the Portsdown and Danum Trophy races. Morgan’s punchy style was evident in his recent 2nd place at the Danum Trophy and 5th at Kennel Hill. As for Alex Beldon, the former Trinity Racing rider’s pedigree suggests he’ll be right at home on a course like this. He is clearly in flying form, racking up wins in successive weekends at the PB Performance Espoirs road race and the Daum Trophy. With four potential leaders, Muc-Off have options aplenty.
Wheelbase CabTech Castelli bring an experienced, all-round squad. At the forefront is Tim Shoreman, last year’s East Cleveland Classic runner-up. An absolute powerhouse, Shoreman has wins at the Colne Grand Prix and the final stage of Rás Tailteann on his résumé. Shoreman will be eager to go one better this time – if he can balance his racing with his full-time engineering job. New recruit James McKay adds to their strength. McKay was a regular National Road Series podium finisher in 2024 – including third place here at Saltburn last year – and he’s been brought in to lead Wheelbase in the big one-day races. Backing up Shoreman and McKay are two more proven racers: Tom Armstrong and Tom Martin. Armstrong is fresh off a podium last weekend – 3rd at the Capernwray Road Race – underscoring his form. Meanwhile, Martin won the Peaks 2-Day overall in 2024 and grabbed a stage win in Ireland’s Rás Tailteann last May, showcasing his breakaway prowess.
Not to be outdone, Foran CT has emerged as a domestic powerhouse over the past couple of seasons and will line up with their own array of contenders. Their road captain Dom Jackson is a proven aggressor – he spent much of last year animating breaks and even featured in the move of the day at the National Road Championships on similar terrain. Jackson’s aggressive style often forces selections on tough courses like this. Tom Springbett, who sprinted to second at the Portsdown Classic behind Giles, is another to watch; he’s shown he can handle hilly courses and still pack a punch in the finale. The Foran squad also includes Danylo Riwnyj, a versatile Ukrainian rider who adds climbing legs, and Alex Mayer, the Mauritian talent whose all-round abilities give the London-based team multiple cards to play.
Reigning National Road Series champion George Kimber (Spirit Racing) is another to watch closely. Last year he took third in the Lancaster Grand Prix and came a superb fourth in the iconic Lincoln Grand Prix. What’s more, Kimber enters this race in red-hot form. He kicked off 2025 with a win at the Evesham Vale Road Race and a stage victory at the Totnes Vire 2-Day last weekend. He has never won a National Road Series race, however. Is that about to change? He lacks the team support that some rivals enjoy, but his aggressive racing style could turn that into an advantage: he’s unafraid to attack when he senses an opening.
At 27, the Primera-TeamJobs racer Josh Housley is enjoying the form of his life. Just last week, he scored “the biggest victory of his career,” winning the Capernwray Road Race in Lancashire after a race-long breakaway. He powered clear with Raptor’s Symonds and never looked back, ultimately outsprinting his break-mate to claim a landmark win. Now Housley arrives in East Cleveland as an intriguing dark horse for the overall – a label he himself modestly embraced after Capernwray.
Adam Lewis of Team Skyline. Though not on the domestic scene full-time (his squad is a US-based UCI Continental team), Lewis is slated to join the fray in East Cleveland and brings a touch of international class. The 29-year-old from Walsall was runner-up at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix last year – arguably Britain’s hardest one-day race – and also raced extensively abroad, notching impressive results in UCI events. If he’s on form, he could very well insert himself among the contenders.
There are severall promising young riders poised to disrupt the established order. Alex Ball of the BCC Race Team is a bright domestic prospect whose early-season results speak volumes: 2nd in the Gifford Road Race, 8th at Capernwray, and 5th in the Danum Trophy on back-to-back days. That consistency – across different courses and against quality fields – suggests Ball can handle whatever East Cleveland throws at him. The 360cycling team might not feature in headline predictions, but their under-23 riders are making waves. Jake Edwards is having a breakthrough season, who took 4th at Capernwray last weekend. His teammate Maxwell Hereward was 7th in that race. Both are under 23 and fearless.
Jordan Giles (DAS–Richardsons) has shown strong early-season form with a solo victory at the Portsdown Classic, making him an outsider worth watching. His teammate Alex Peters, a former Team Sky professional, brings WorldTour experience that could prove decisive. Other contenders include Harry Macfarlane (Ride Revolution Coaching), who quietly placed seventh here last year and recently confirmed his consistency at Kennel Hill Classic, and Ollie Hucks (TAAP–Kalas), aggressive and consistent on punchy terrain.
Timings
Weather
The forecast is for sun in the morning for the women’s race but drizzle for the afternoon’s open race.
How to follow
We will have our live ticker running for step-by-step updates. It will be live here on race day for the women’s race and here for the open event.
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