Day one of the 2025 Lloyds National Road Championships opens with a coastal figure-of-eight around Ceredigion’s postcard lanes. Each name on the provisional startlist carries its own storyline into Thursday’s race.
Josh Tarling (Ineos Grenadiers) is the obvious headline. The 21-year-old home-town ace arrives in Ffos-y-Ffin wearing two national stripes and, now, the glow of a first Grand Tour stage win after scorching the Giro’s opening test in Tirana last month. A third consecutive title on the same Welsh asphalt would cap a hat-trick and put a particularly gleaming stamp on his palmares. Yet he won’t have it his own way: Max Walker, last year’s silver medallist and newly minted WorldTour pro, has spent the spring fine-tuning his drag-strip cadence in EF colours and still smarts from that Catterick defeat, while Ethan Vernon — fresh from sprinting to a Volta a Catalunya stage and wielding a punchy 10-minute power curve — brings raw speed that can turn a wind-buffeted flat section into daylight on the clock.
In the women’s race Anna Henderson stands guard over her crown. The Lidl–Trek racer parlayed last year’s national win into Olympic silver and is hunting a third jersey to match Nicole Cooke’s tally. Pfeiffer Georgi arrives as a national road race champion with Paris-Roubaix pedigree, a rider who can levitate over Rhiw Goch’s ramps and still thunder the big ring on the run-in. Keep an eye, too, on Josie Nelson: runner-up to Ferguson in Scotland and desperate to flip that script when the gradients bite.
Reigning under-23 time-trial champion Tomos Pattinson (Team Visma | Lease a Bike Development) lines up to defend his crown, but must hold off the ambitious Ben Wiggins (Hagens Berman Jayco CT), intent on upgrading last year’s silver to gold. In the women’s under-23 event, the most obvious threat is Yorkshire prodigy Cat Ferguson, whose audacious Tour of Britain stage victory in Kelso — at nineteen, on rain-slick cobbles no less — confirmed that her hype is fully warranted.
Here are the provisional startlists.
U23 – Open
| Bib | Rider | Team | Start time |
| #101 | Tomos Pattinson (U23) | Team Visma-Lease a Bike Development | 10:18 |
| #102 | Ben Wiggins (U23) | Hagens Berman Jayco | 10:16 |
| #103 | Joshua Golliker (U23) | EF Education – Aevolo | 10:14 |
| #104 | Mattie Dodd (U23) | Tirol KTM Cycling Team | 10:12 |
| #105 | Josh Charlton (U23) | Private Member | 10:10 |
| #106 | Cormac Nisbet (U23) | Private Member | 10:08 |
| #107 | Jacob Bush (U23) | Development Team Picnic PostNL | 10:06 |
| #108 | Jamie Whitcher (U23) | BmthCycleworks VitecFire FordCE | 10:04 |
| #109 | Finlay Tarling (U23) | Israel – Premier Tech Academy | 10:02 |
| #110 | Jack Brough (U23) | AVC Aix en Provence | 10:00 |
| #111 | Callum Thornley (U23) | Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe Rookies | 09:58 |
| #112 | Sebastian Grindley (U23) | Lidl-Trek Future Racing | 09:56 |
| #113 | Alex Beldon (U23) | MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK | 09:54 |
| #114 | Tyler Hannay (U23) | Private Member | 09:52 |
| #115 | Elliot Rowe (U23) | Team Visma-Lease a Bike Development | 09:50 |
| #116 | Lewis Tinsley (U23) | BCC Race Team | 09:48 |
| #117 | Joseph Cosgrove (U23) | Team Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank | 09:46 |
| #118 | Sam Fisher (U23) | Wales Racing Academy | 09:44 |
| #119 | William Salter (U23) | BCC Race Team | 09:42 |
| #120 | William Lowden (U23) | HUUB WattShop | 09:40 |
| #121 | Angus Stoneham (U23) | Development Team Picnic PostNL | 09:38 |
| #122 | Adam Howell (U23) | MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK | 09:36 |
| #123 | Tom Williams (U23) | Monzon – Incolor – Gub | 09:34 |
| #124 | Maxwell Hereward (U23) | 360 cycling | 09:32 |
| #125 | Ahron Dick (U23) | Equipo Finisher | 09:30 |
| #126 | Alistair Gardner (U23) | CC Etupes | 09:28 |
| #127 | Deetray Jarrett (U23) | ESSAX-Svico Foundation-Grupo Arrfran | 09:26 |
| #128 | Toby Bush (U23) | BCC Race Team | 09:24 |
| #129 | Max Bufton (U23) | Wheelbase CabTech Castelli | 09:22 |
| #130 | Harry Codd (U23) | Reflex Nopinz | 09:20 |
| #131 | Sam Chaplin (U23) | Cycling Sheffield | 09:18 |
| #132 | Zachary Metheringham (U23) | Team PB Performance | 09:16 |
| #133 | Pedro Hutchinson (U23) | trainSharp Development Team | 09:14 |
| #134 | Alex Pickering (U23) | Ride Revolution Coaching | 09:12 |
| #135 | James Pearcy (U23) | Mid Devon CC | 09:10 |
| #136 | Sion Jones (U23) | Clancy Briggs Cycling Academy | 09:08 |
| #137 | Hamish Hunter (U23) | Primera-TeamJobs | 09:06 |
| #138 | Archie Findlay (U23) | Vanelli-Project Go | 09:04 |
| #139 | Reuben Corlett (U23) | AC Pays de Baud | 09:02 |
| #140 | Archie Atkinson (U23) | Team Inspired | 09:00 |
| #141 | Lucas Jowett (U23) | MyPadRacing p/b Discovery Properties | Reserve |
| #142 | Bradley Perkins (U23) | CC Plancoët | Reserve |
| #143 | Charlie Lewis-Follows (U23) | Huesca La Magia – Renault Auto Cuatro | Reserve |
| #144 | Ollie Cadin (U23) | Casp Racing | Reserve |
Elite – Women
| Bib | Rider | Team | Start time |
| #201 | Anna Henderson | Lidl – Trek | 11:47 |
| #202 | Claire Steels | Movistar | 11:45 |
| #203 | Zoe Bäckstedt (U23) | CANYON//SRAM RACING | 11:43 |
| #204 | Elinor Barker MBE | Uno‐X Pro Cycling Team | 11:41 |
| #205 | Elizabeth Holden | UAE Team ADQ | 11:39 |
| #206 | Pfeiffer Georgi | Team Picnic-PostNL | 11:37 |
| #207 | Elynor Backstedt | UAE Team ADQ | 11:35 |
| #208 | Anna Morris | Private Member | 11:33 |
| #209 | Josie Nelson | Team Picnic-PostNL | 11:31 |
| #210 | Hayley Simmonds | Ribble Outliers | 11:29 |
| #211 | Lucy Harris | Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team | 11:27 |
| #212 | Kate Richardson | Handsling Alba Development Road Team | 11:25 |
| #213 | Lucy Lee | DAS-Hutchinson | 11:23 |
| #214 | Lucy Gadd | Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team | 11:21 |
| #215 | Francesca Hall | Private Member | 11:19 |
| #216 | Emily Martin | Team Bottrill | 11:17 |
| #217 | Jessica Roberts | Spectra Racing | 11:15 |
| #218 | Abi Smith | Team Picnic-PostNL | 11:13 |
| #219 | Arianne Holland | Handsling Alba Development Road Team | 11:11 |
| #220 | Alice McWilliam | Hess Cycling Team | 11:09 |
| #221 | Dannielle Watkinson | Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Glasdon | 11:07 |
| #222 | April Tacey | Team Coop‐Repsol | 11:05 |
| #223 | Charlotte Hodgkins-Byrne | Raptor Factory Racing | 11:03 |
| #224 | Rebecca Newark | Jadan Vive le Velo p/b Glasdon | 11:01 |
| #225 | Tamsin Miller | DAS-Hutchinson | 10:59 |
| #226 | Miriam Jessett | Loughborough Lightning | 10:57 |
| #227 | Olivia French | StolenGoat Race Team | 10:55 |
| #228 | Lauren Dickson | Handsling Alba Development Road Team | 10:53 |
| #229 | Lucy Morley | Velotik Racing Team | 10:51 |
| #230 | Laura Davies | FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing | 10:49 |
| #231 | Joanne Rea | Team Boompods | 10:47 |
| #232 | Rachel Brown | Brother UK – On Form | 10:45 |
U23 – Women
| Bib | Rider | Team | Start time |
| #301 | Cat Ferguson (U23) | Movistar | 14:18 |
| #302 | Madelaine Leech (U23) | Handsling Alba Development Road Team | 14:16 |
| #303 | Isabel Sharp (U23) | Lidl – Trek | 14:14 |
| #304 | Imogen Wolff (U23) | Team Visma-Lease a Bike | 14:12 |
| #305 | Flora Perkins (U23) | Fenix‐Deceuninck | 14:10 |
| #306 | Niamh Murphy (U23) | Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team | 14:08 |
| #307 | Holly Ramsey (U23) | Hess Cycling Team | 14:06 |
| #308 | Millie Couzens (U23) | Fenix‐Deceuninck | 14:04 |
| #309 | Eilidh Shaw (U23) | UAE Development Team | 14:02 |
| #310 | Robyn Clay (U23) | DAS-Hutchinson | 14:00 |
| #311 | Carys Lloyd (U23) | Movistar | 13:58 |
| #312 | Mari Porton (U23) | Handsling Alba Development Road Team | 13:56 |
| #313 | Lowri Richards (U23) | Wales Racing Academy | 13:54 |
| #314 | Isabel Mayes (U23) | CJ O’Shea Racing | 13:52 |
| #315 | Noémie Thomson (U23) | Brother UK – On Form | 13:50 |
Elite – Open
| Bib | Rider | Team | Start time |
| #401 | Joshua Tarling (U23) | Ineos Grenadiers | 15:58 |
| #402 | Max Walker | EF Education ‐ EasyPost | 15:56 |
| #403 | Ethan Vernon | Israel – Premier Tech | 15:54 |
| #404 | Geraint Thomas | Ineos Grenadiers | 15:52 |
| #405 | Ethan Hayter | Soudal Quick‐step | 15:50 |
| #406 | Samuel Watson | Ineos Grenadiers | 15:48 |
| #407 | Max Poole (U23) | Team Picnic-PostNL | 15:46 |
| #408 | Joseph Blackmore (U23) | Israel – Premier Tech | 15:44 |
| #409 | Connor Swift | Ineos Grenadiers | 15:42 |
| #410 | Oliver Knight | Cofidis | 15:40 |
| #411 | Joshua Giddings (U23) | Lotto | 15:38 |
| #412 | Matthew Brennan (U23) | Team Visma-Lease a Bike | 15:36 |
| #413 | Michael Gill | DAS Richardsons | 15:14 |
| #414 | Ben Turner | Ineos Grenadiers | 15:12 |
| #415 | Harrison Wood | Sabgal – Anicolor | 15:10 |
| #416 | Rowan Baker | Raptor Factory Racing | 15:08 |
| #417 | Hamish Armitt | Team Novo Nordisk | 15:06 |
| #418 | Thomas Lee | Team Bottrill | 15:04 |
| #419 | Toby Tanfield | Leadout Performance | 15:02 |
| #420 | Ben Pease | Moonglu SpatzWear | 15:00 |
| #421 | Timothy Torrie | Defined Cycling Team | 14:58 |
| #422 | Dom Jackson | Foran CT | 14:56 |
| #423 | Ben Goodwin | StolenGoat Race Team | 14:54 |
| #424 | Jimmy Smith | Army Cycling Union | 14:52 |
| #425 | Matthew Rossiter | University of Durham Cycling Club | 14:50 |
