2025 East and West Midlands Road Race Championships: preview and startlist
No less than seven regional titles are on the line this Sunday (1st June) in Derbyshire, as the partnership between the University of Nottingham CC and Yomp Bonk Crew once again delivers the East and West Midlands Road Race Championships in the beautiful foothills of the Derbyshire Dales.
No less than seven regional titles are on the line this Sunday (1st June) in Derbyshire, as the partnership between the University of Nottingham CC and Yomp Bonk Crew once again delivers the East and West Midlands Road Race Championships in the beautiful foothills of the Derbyshire Dales.
Featured: Emma Wilcock
What is it?
It is the third straight year the championships have been promoted by the University’s Cycling Club and the prolific YBC, a clash with a nearby music festival forcing the organisers to move the races from the original venue just outside Grantham to Duffield, just north of the city of Derby.
Promoted for the first time as both the East and West Midlands Championships, the women’s race will also crown champions for the North East, North West, and Yorkshire regions in what promises to be a fascinating, tactical affair with every position potentially being a winning one.
Both races are National B events and allow entries from outside those regions, meaning all could still be to play for down the order as far as regional honours are concerned.
Route
Typically used for local time trials and several Derby Mercury road races, the undulating circuit promises a brutal affair for the riders, allowing little space to hide from the steep gradients, close to double digits in places, or the blustery wind.
The focal point of each 17.2km lap is a 2.5km climb which corkscrews up through the narrow lanes of Windley, with the first of two pitches hitting in excess of 9 percent. At points, the climb narrows to no more than a car’s width, meaning positioning will be key for those looking to use the ascent as a launch pad for attacks.
As riders cross the finish line and commence the next lap, they swing left past the Tiger Inn, the race turning direction almost 180 degrees into a strong tail wind. Speeds are likely to be high on the steep, fast, sweeping downhill to the base of a second rise. Carrying momentum from the tail wind the second climb is unlikely to feel much more than a speed bump in comparison to what came before. Following that, the riders once again plunge down a steep and sweeping left right sequence of s-bends towards Duffield.
The one bit of rest bite comes once riders take the turn at Duffield as a short section 2km of flat, the opportunity to replenish their supplies before hitting the narrow lanes of Windley once more.
Each lap takes in 17.2km of the lush Derbyshire dales and features 224m of elevation gain. The open race completes 7.5 laps for 125km, while the women tackle 5.5 laps to race over 90km.
Riders to Watch
Women
With an inexperienced field and five regional titles up for grabs, the women’s race is a difficult one to read with many small battles likely to be played out during the 90km war around Derbyshire.
Last year Ella Tandy (Tofuati Everyone Active Majaco) sprinted to the win at the end of a very attritional race, and although the circuit makes a rerun of that scenario unlikely, the 18-year-old, second year junior arrives in good form, taking 5th at the Banbury Star Road Race in her last outing. Impressive on some tough courses, third in the Witham Hall Grand Prix proves she still has a turn of speed while travelling uphill that marks her as one of the favourites should the race be decided from a group.
Tandy wins in 2024. Image: Emma Wilcock
While Tandy took the National B win and the West Midlands crown twelve months ago, Helena Shapton (Brother UK-OnForm) was the East Midlands victor. Having not competed at National B level since March, and with only a solitary top-20 in a Regional A to her name this season, it would be a surprise for Shapton to retain her title, although anything can happen as she proved last year.
Georgia Lancaster is a rider who has been quietly achieving good results this season as she continues her development, most recently taking a top ten in the BUCS Road Race Championship, her third in a National B road race this campaign. She forms part of a strong Loughborough Lightning team who will hope to dominate the race organised by their rivals, the University of Nottingham, with BUCS silver medallist Elena Day looking for gold. A National Cyclocross Trophy winner, Day showed a lot of potential when coming home in 14th place at the Lincoln GP this month. Also among their five riders is Georgina Oakley, who has been in scintillating form in 2025, taking four National B criterium wins. The Windley circuit provides a new challenge for Oakley, but one she may have the form to conquer.
Fresh from upgrading BUCS criterium silver to BUCS road-race gold a fortnight ago, Madeline Cooper (Montezumas Eventrex) arrives with momentum and confidence. Earlier in the spring she was fifth at the hilly Kennel Hill Classic, showing she can live with repeated climbs, and she then rode to 16th in the National Road Series opener at the East Cleveland Classic, surviving Saltburn Bank when many bigger names cracked.
Cooper wins the 2025 BUCS Road Race Championships. Image: Chris Godfrey
Their rivals, the University of Nottingham, have Hannah Clough among their ranks, who broke through at this race last year, her first National B, with 7th place. Clough continues to improve, another 7th place in the prestigious Capernwray Road Race in April demonstrating her climbing ability, while 5th in the BUCS Road Race indicates her form good enough for her to have an eye on taking a maiden National B win.
Gemma Mitchell (FTP-Fulfil-The-Potential-Racing) is one of the darkest horses in a race full of potential winners, having won two stages and the overall at the Tour ta Malta in April, while Sian Botteley (Smurfit Westrock CT) is another rider who fits into this bracket despite beingthe only rider from a UCI Continental team on the start list. Without a result of note this season, the Lincolnshire rider should be coming into form with the criterium season on the horizon and will lean on her vast experience to give her the upper hand on Sunday.
As far as wildcards go, Mika Söderström (Stockholm Cykelklubb) is a very good one. Swedish national champion, she races for the first time in Britain tomorrow after a number of years at the forefront of the Swedish national calendar. The 25-year-old is a complete unknown, but all eyes will be on the blue and yellow distinctive jersey as the race progresses.
Open
Walsall’s Adam Lewis sprinted up the finishing climb twelve months ago to win this race after an early breakaway dominated proceedings, and the Team Skyline rider looks to be in excellent shape for a repeat performance. A superb climber, the course will suit the former Saint Piran rider, who arrives on the back of dominating the King of the Hills competition at the Rás Tailteann, as well as finishing 6th on GC a week ago in Ireland’s premier stage race. Lewis’ UCI results of late have also been impressive, coming within inches of a first win at that level in the Tour of the Gila, while recently cracking the top ten at the Uno-Mobility dominated Sunvolden GP in Norway. As well as being a gifted climber, Lewis is no stranger to the tough environments that racing in the Benelux and Great Britain can produce, placing him among the favourites for Sunday’s race.
Lewis wins in 2024. Image: Emma Wilcock
Lewis went toe to toe with Josh Housley (Primera-TeamJobs) last year, the reigning East Midlands champion going from strength to strength in 2025. Always one to animate proceedings, Housley got his reward after a series of near misses at the Capernwray Road Race in April, taking an emotional win from a race long breakaway. After a low key week at the Ràs Tailteann, where he still finished inside the top-20, climber Housley could have saved his best performance yet for retaining his title and claiming another National B triumph.
Bradley Symonds (Raptor Factory Racing) narrowly missed out to his good friend Housley on the finishing slopes at Capernwray after matching him pedal stroke for pedal stroke until that point, and the Coalville climber is another rider who makes the trip to Derbyshire in good form, having taken a win in a circuit race in Milton Keynes on his most recent outing.
Will Perrett also makes the short trip to Duffield in excellent form, the multiple National Track Champion a stage winner in the Rás Tailteann last week. A former winner of the East Midlands title back in 2022, Perrett is now a full time rider on the boards with the Great Britain National Team. However, a podium at the tough Danum Trophy back in April is further proof Perrett shouldn’t be taken lightly in a race such as this. Also representing DAS-Richardsons is Pete Cocker, who could prove to be the perfect foil for Perrett after a series of strong performances this year, most notably lighting up Michaelgate during the Lincoln GP, forcing the hand of some of Britain’s finest riders in the process.
Will Perrett (DAS Richardsons) wins stage 2 of Rás Tailteann. Image: Lorraine O’Sullivan
BCC RT bring a large squad to the race, hoping their strength in numbers can help them to a first National B win of 2025. The squad have worked well as a team recently, Jacob Bush sprinting to 3rd at the Timmy James Memorial at the start of the month; Lewis Tinsley and Zak Machin catching the eye on Monday at the GA Bennett Road Race. It could be Alex Galpin that delivers the knockout punch for Bryan Steel’s charges however after a silver medal in the BUCS Road Race.
Dark horses are again aplenty in this field, among them Sam Walsham (Reflex Nopinz) and Ollie Hurdle (Private Member), the latter on the podium at the DAP CC Road Race in Suffolk last weekend. Elsewhere, U23 rider Piers Mahn (Halesowen A & CC) demonstrated his all-round capability with 2nd at the Totnes Vire stage race, while James Satoor (Bridgnorth Cycling Club) made a welcome return to form last weekend with a bronze medal at the BUCS Road Race.
No less than seven regional titles are on the line this Sunday (1st June) in Derbyshire, as the partnership between the University of Nottingham CC and Yomp Bonk Crew once again delivers the East and West Midlands Road Race Championships in the beautiful foothills of the Derbyshire Dales.
Featured: Emma Wilcock
What is it?
It is the third straight year the championships have been promoted by the University’s Cycling Club and the prolific YBC, a clash with a nearby music festival forcing the organisers to move the races from the original venue just outside Grantham to Duffield, just north of the city of Derby.
Promoted for the first time as both the East and West Midlands Championships, the women’s race will also crown champions for the North East, North West, and Yorkshire regions in what promises to be a fascinating, tactical affair with every position potentially being a winning one.
Both races are National B events and allow entries from outside those regions, meaning all could still be to play for down the order as far as regional honours are concerned.
Route
Typically used for local time trials and several Derby Mercury road races, the undulating circuit promises a brutal affair for the riders, allowing little space to hide from the steep gradients, close to double digits in places, or the blustery wind.
The focal point of each 17.2km lap is a 2.5km climb which corkscrews up through the narrow lanes of Windley, with the first of two pitches hitting in excess of 9 percent. At points, the climb narrows to no more than a car’s width, meaning positioning will be key for those looking to use the ascent as a launch pad for attacks.
As riders cross the finish line and commence the next lap, they swing left past the Tiger Inn, the race turning direction almost 180 degrees into a strong tail wind. Speeds are likely to be high on the steep, fast, sweeping downhill to the base of a second rise. Carrying momentum from the tail wind the second climb is unlikely to feel much more than a speed bump in comparison to what came before. Following that, the riders once again plunge down a steep and sweeping left right sequence of s-bends towards Duffield.
The one bit of rest bite comes once riders take the turn at Duffield as a short section 2km of flat, the opportunity to replenish their supplies before hitting the narrow lanes of Windley once more.
Each lap takes in 17.2km of the lush Derbyshire dales and features 224m of elevation gain. The open race completes 7.5 laps for 125km, while the women tackle 5.5 laps to race over 90km.
Riders to Watch
Women
With an inexperienced field and five regional titles up for grabs, the women’s race is a difficult one to read with many small battles likely to be played out during the 90km war around Derbyshire.
Last year Ella Tandy (Tofuati Everyone Active Majaco) sprinted to the win at the end of a very attritional race, and although the circuit makes a rerun of that scenario unlikely, the 18-year-old, second year junior arrives in good form, taking 5th at the Banbury Star Road Race in her last outing. Impressive on some tough courses, third in the Witham Hall Grand Prix proves she still has a turn of speed while travelling uphill that marks her as one of the favourites should the race be decided from a group.
While Tandy took the National B win and the West Midlands crown twelve months ago, Helena Shapton (Brother UK-OnForm) was the East Midlands victor. Having not competed at National B level since March, and with only a solitary top-20 in a Regional A to her name this season, it would be a surprise for Shapton to retain her title, although anything can happen as she proved last year.
Georgia Lancaster is a rider who has been quietly achieving good results this season as she continues her development, most recently taking a top ten in the BUCS Road Race Championship, her third in a National B road race this campaign. She forms part of a strong Loughborough Lightning team who will hope to dominate the race organised by their rivals, the University of Nottingham, with BUCS silver medallist Elena Day looking for gold. A National Cyclocross Trophy winner, Day showed a lot of potential when coming home in 14th place at the Lincoln GP this month. Also among their five riders is Georgina Oakley, who has been in scintillating form in 2025, taking four National B criterium wins. The Windley circuit provides a new challenge for Oakley, but one she may have the form to conquer.
Fresh from upgrading BUCS criterium silver to BUCS road-race gold a fortnight ago, Madeline Cooper (Montezumas Eventrex) arrives with momentum and confidence. Earlier in the spring she was fifth at the hilly Kennel Hill Classic, showing she can live with repeated climbs, and she then rode to 16th in the National Road Series opener at the East Cleveland Classic, surviving Saltburn Bank when many bigger names cracked.
Their rivals, the University of Nottingham, have Hannah Clough among their ranks, who broke through at this race last year, her first National B, with 7th place. Clough continues to improve, another 7th place in the prestigious Capernwray Road Race in April demonstrating her climbing ability, while 5th in the BUCS Road Race indicates her form good enough for her to have an eye on taking a maiden National B win.
Gemma Mitchell (FTP-Fulfil-The-Potential-Racing) is one of the darkest horses in a race full of potential winners, having won two stages and the overall at the Tour ta Malta in April, while Sian Botteley (Smurfit Westrock CT) is another rider who fits into this bracket despite beingthe only rider from a UCI Continental team on the start list. Without a result of note this season, the Lincolnshire rider should be coming into form with the criterium season on the horizon and will lean on her vast experience to give her the upper hand on Sunday.
As far as wildcards go, Mika Söderström (Stockholm Cykelklubb) is a very good one. Swedish national champion, she races for the first time in Britain tomorrow after a number of years at the forefront of the Swedish national calendar. The 25-year-old is a complete unknown, but all eyes will be on the blue and yellow distinctive jersey as the race progresses.
Open
Walsall’s Adam Lewis sprinted up the finishing climb twelve months ago to win this race after an early breakaway dominated proceedings, and the Team Skyline rider looks to be in excellent shape for a repeat performance. A superb climber, the course will suit the former Saint Piran rider, who arrives on the back of dominating the King of the Hills competition at the Rás Tailteann, as well as finishing 6th on GC a week ago in Ireland’s premier stage race. Lewis’ UCI results of late have also been impressive, coming within inches of a first win at that level in the Tour of the Gila, while recently cracking the top ten at the Uno-Mobility dominated Sunvolden GP in Norway. As well as being a gifted climber, Lewis is no stranger to the tough environments that racing in the Benelux and Great Britain can produce, placing him among the favourites for Sunday’s race.
Lewis went toe to toe with Josh Housley (Primera-TeamJobs) last year, the reigning East Midlands champion going from strength to strength in 2025. Always one to animate proceedings, Housley got his reward after a series of near misses at the Capernwray Road Race in April, taking an emotional win from a race long breakaway. After a low key week at the Ràs Tailteann, where he still finished inside the top-20, climber Housley could have saved his best performance yet for retaining his title and claiming another National B triumph.
Bradley Symonds (Raptor Factory Racing) narrowly missed out to his good friend Housley on the finishing slopes at Capernwray after matching him pedal stroke for pedal stroke until that point, and the Coalville climber is another rider who makes the trip to Derbyshire in good form, having taken a win in a circuit race in Milton Keynes on his most recent outing.
Will Perrett also makes the short trip to Duffield in excellent form, the multiple National Track Champion a stage winner in the Rás Tailteann last week. A former winner of the East Midlands title back in 2022, Perrett is now a full time rider on the boards with the Great Britain National Team. However, a podium at the tough Danum Trophy back in April is further proof Perrett shouldn’t be taken lightly in a race such as this. Also representing DAS-Richardsons is Pete Cocker, who could prove to be the perfect foil for Perrett after a series of strong performances this year, most notably lighting up Michaelgate during the Lincoln GP, forcing the hand of some of Britain’s finest riders in the process.
BCC RT bring a large squad to the race, hoping their strength in numbers can help them to a first National B win of 2025. The squad have worked well as a team recently, Jacob Bush sprinting to 3rd at the Timmy James Memorial at the start of the month; Lewis Tinsley and Zak Machin catching the eye on Monday at the GA Bennett Road Race. It could be Alex Galpin that delivers the knockout punch for Bryan Steel’s charges however after a silver medal in the BUCS Road Race.
Dark horses are again aplenty in this field, among them Sam Walsham (Reflex Nopinz) and Ollie Hurdle (Private Member), the latter on the podium at the DAP CC Road Race in Suffolk last weekend. Elsewhere, U23 rider Piers Mahn (Halesowen A & CC) demonstrated his all-round capability with 2nd at the Totnes Vire stage race, while James Satoor (Bridgnorth Cycling Club) made a welcome return to form last weekend with a bronze medal at the BUCS Road Race.
Provisional startlist
Women
Open
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