National Road Championships road race: domestic riders to watch

This year’s National Road Championships receive their curtain call on Sunday, going out with a bang; two races to crown the kings and queens of the road, four prestigious jerseys on offer.

The road race is the championship every British rider dreams of winning, with victory bringing a year in the blue and red bands, every race an opportunity to represent the country. It also offers a unique opportunity for riders who ply their trade away from the professional ranks; an annual chance to catch the eye, dare to dream, and as the likes of Rob Hayles and Connor Swift will attest, defy the odds and pull off the biggest win of their careers.

While it will remain only a dream for many, it is a perfect opportunity for riders to showcase their skills: the cameras rolling and the world watching, potential employers included. As they prepare to go toe to toe with some of the WorldTour’s finest, here is our guide to the riders who have impressed on the domestic scene this year and will be looking to do the same on Sunday.

The 2025 breakthrough stars

This season is likely to become synonymous with the performances Adam Howell and Noémie Thomson, the pair taking multiple wins between them and smashing every ceiling they face, entering the race on exceptional highs.

Howell entered the season as a relative unknown, having made the top 15 of the Ryedale GP with the VC Meudon club last year. A surprise signing for Adam Ellis and Scott Redding’s Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck team over the winter, the former Surrey labourer hasn’t looked back since, taking the domestic scene by storm and eclipsing his performances from last year on an almost weekly basis. 

Howell heads to Aberystwyth as the National Road Series and Rapha Super-League leader, setting the ball rolling in March with a stage win in the Peaks 2-Day which even took him by surprise. Describing himself as a rouleur on the British Continental Podcast, the 20-year-old has gone from strength to strength over a variety of terrains since that win,  claiming the Kennell Hill Classic before taking the East Cleveland Classic in a two up sprint with George Kimber to take the National Road Series lead. Perhaps Howell’s finest performances, thus far, were still to come, however. A stage win and 5th overall at the Tour de la Manche in the highly competitive world of French amateur racing proved that he is not just limited to impressing on home roads; his victory at the weekend’s Tour of the Reservoir one for the ages. Blown off in severe cross winds early, Howell, carrying the weight of the series leader’s jersey on his shoulders, fought his way through the decimated field throughout the attritional race, battling the elements, and the strongest riders in Britain, to take a magnificent win. 

The National Road Race Championship does pose a new challenge for the U23 rider, having failed to finish the race last year. However, he comes into the race as possibly the best rider on an Elite Development Team, his curve of progress in the last sixth months startling. It is difficult to declare another eye catching performance beyond his reach, no matter the opposition, just how long he can stay with the WorldTour engines the question hanging above him.

If Howell’s 2025 has demonstrated a serious upturn in form, Noèmie Thomson’s is remarkable. New to the sport and having not entered a race prior to 2025, she won her first road race in the colours of Southborough and District Wheelers at the Florrie Newbury Classic in April, followed by 6th in her first National A, the historic Lincoln GP, earning her a ride with the BrotherUK-OnForm squad. Cleaning up at the London Dynamo Road Race and Ronde van Wymeswold, where she also claimed two of the three stages, the U23 rider arrives for the road race in excellent form, coming second in the Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir on Sunday, only missing out on victory on a two up sprint with Robyn Clay, followed by an excellent 7th place in the U23 Time Trial on Thursday, the result not doing her ride justice.

Thomson’s remarkable rise has certainly caught the eye, her lack of experience seemingly no barrier, whatever the task. Her novice status may be wearing off, but could work in her favour on Sunday where the pressure is off and few will have encountered her before. Thomson’s strength will be once again tested, however, something she has passed with flying colours at every time of asking so far. 

The Battle of Britain’s best teams 

While Adam Howell has taken the lion’s share of plaudits, and both National A wins, for Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck this season, the low-budget squad have impressed as a unit, with the likes of Alex Beldon and Ed Morgan demonstrating their capabilities over the course of 2025. 19-year-old Beldon has bounced back from the disappointment of his Trinity Racing team closing at the end of 2024, learning how to become a winner under the tutelage of DS Phill Maddocks, notching up multiple National B successes so far. Ed Morgan was the beneficiary of a fine team performance at the Ronde van Wymeswold, taking his biggest win to date, aided by both Beldon, with the squad using their strength in numbers with exceptional efficiency.

With the trio all featuring in the top five at the Tour of the Reservoir, few would bet against The British Continental team ranking leaders having at least one rider catch the eye on Sunday, each one with an eye on furthering their career in a UCI setup.

While Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck may have forged a reputation as the team to beat across 2025, Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli are the only team to have consistently exchanged blows with their rivals, turning the tables when James McKay delivered the goods at the end of a frantic Rapha Lincoln GP.

McKay is a rider who needs little introduction after coming of age in 2023, the Sheffield rider spending just over a season at UCI level with Saint Piran. After getting the National Road Series win he was missing, McKay heads a squad with the potential to go deep into the race.

Tom Martin played a starring role on the roads around Saltburn last year as he fired himself into a select leading group with a host of WorldTour riders, his aggressive approach paying dividends. Winner of the Ràs Mumhan in Ireland over Easter, Martin has been in good form again this year, a strong ride in the brutal Tour of the Reservoir the perfect preparation for the tough day in the saddle he is likely to give himself.

Lancastrian Tom Armstrong is also one of the best all-rounders on the scene, climbing well to make the top 20 back in 2023, and the trio will be joined by the tall Scot, Tim Shoreman, fresh off the back of two stage wins in the Ràs Tailteann. DS Stu Reid described Shoreman as a rare example of a rider who can win on any course in the UK, and while the title may be slightly out of his reach, he has proved his climbs with speed that belies his size and sprint numerous times in the past, finishing second atop Saltburn Bank in last year’s East Cleveland Classic.

Raptor Factory Racing have perhaps flattered to deceive in 2025, talisman Rowan Baker’s heroics at the Peaks 2-Day and Dylan Hicks’ podium at the CiCLE Classic the highlights of a surprisingly quiet campaign thus far for the London-based team, who looked incredibly strong on paper at the dawn of the season. Baker, who has been again troubled with injury, did show green shoots of form with an excellent, battling 4th place at the Tour of the Reservoir at the weekend, his performances with Saint Piran demonstrating that he has the ability to play a major role in Sunday’s Road Race.

If the men’s road race will be a battle between Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck and Wheelbase-CabTech-Castelli to make the leading group, the women’s is shaping up for a similar affair between the Alba Development Road Team, DAS-Hutchinson, Smurfit Westrock CT, and Hess Cycling Team; a quartet of squads fielding a number of riders with the potential to cause an upset.

Robyn Clay continues to impress, her silver medal in the U23 Time Trial testament to her excellent form and dedication in the winter, where she improved her track credentials greatly. Winner of the three rounds of the National Road Series in her career thus far, including the brutal Tour of the Reservoir last Sunday, where she consolidated her current series lead. Clay has a strong sprint but often chooses to be the aggressor rather than relying on her speed. Her DAS-Hutchinson team manager, Simon Howes, told the British Continental over the winter that Clay would have possibly moved on to bigger things by now if her 2024 wasn’t hampered by a nasty crash; a performance on Sunday could seal the deal for 2026.

Clay has a number of teammates alongside her, most notably Lizzie Hermolle, the 30-year-old stepping up to the UCI ranks for the first time this season and quietly being very successful. A gifted climber, Hermolle was 13th in the Championships last year and kicked off 2025 with a stage win and second overall in the Peaks 2-Day. Her exposure to a number of high-quality UCI races, such as the Tour de Suisse, can only benefit her coming into a race of this nature.

While DAS-Hutchinson have been the team to beat in the UK for a number of years, Bob Lyon’s Handsling Alba Development Road Team are certainly challenging for that mantle and have amassed a squad capable of delivering a surprise result in the road race. Lauren Dickson has risen from novice to Lincoln GP winner in the space of a year, the climber’s ability to win almost any race making her perhaps the most dangerous rider in the UK. Dickson has also shown promise overseas when finishing second in the Pointe du Raz, a single day race in France not dissimilar to the CiCLE Classic, and 3rd in the Tour of Norway, where the 25-year-old went head to head with the WorldTour’s finest climbers in the brutal landscape to the South West of the country.

Joining Dickson will be fellow Scot Kate Richardson, who blew the field away at the Lincoln GP twelve months ago, coming back even stronger in 2025 after a devastating hit and run incident curtailed her 2024 ambitions. Winner of the Tour de Femenin in Czechia, she has been the model of consistency throughout the season, rarely out of the top 5 both at home and on a trip to Belgium, an excellent 8th in Thursday’s Elite Time Trial a demonstration of her form. Finishing only a handful of seconds away from her teammate Dickson, the pair ran the WorldTour riders close.

Smurfit Westrock CT took an emotional win in the opening round of the National Road Series in March at the CiCLE Classic courtesy of Lucy Harris and they bring a strong team to the Road Race, having impressed as a unit at the Tour of the Reservoir. Jo Tindley proved she is still a force to be reckoned with, finishing 5th, ahead of Harris, who will have an eye on the overall series in 9th.

Alex Morrice has maybe not had the impact many expected when she dropped down from the WorldTour this year, but has good memories of this race, finishing 7th two years ago, a week before demolishing the field at the Guildford GP; form the 25-year-old would love to find again. Also looking to make an impression is Lucy Gadd, who joined the team last year after a stint in France. The 24-year-old started the season in fine form, demonstrating her ability to battle hard and climb well when winning of the Peaks 2-Day in March.

Hess Cycling Team started 2025 with an uncertain future, rumours circulating about their owner and financial position leading to a number of riders leaving before a pedal stroke had turned. However, the British registered UCI Continental team brings three riders to the Road Race, each with the calibre to trouble the WorldTour talent. Former rower Alice McWilliam opened her campaign with second place in the CiCLE Classic before leading home a Hess 1-2 at the East Cleveland Classic in April with 19-year-old Holly Ramsey atop Saltburn Bank. McWilliam was full of praise for her teammates that day, U23 rider Grace Lister then stepping up at the Rapha Lincoln GP to take third in a stacked field. Lister looks to have held her form, having impressed with 15th at the Tour of Britain, the precursor to her finishing the Copenhagen Sprint in the top-30 at the weekend – another good result in a WorldTour race.

Others to watch – women’s race

While the startlist is packed with talent in the WorldTour and household names from the domestic scene, leading the list of other notable entrants in the Women’s race is Frankie Hall (Praties CT), whose sole appearance in Britain before these Championships came at the Lincoln GP where she battled to 10th in a high class field. After cutting her teeth with Loughborough Lightning and DAS-Hutchinson the Lancaster GP winner moved to pastures new over the winter, gaining UCI experience all over the world, a valuable asset when taking on riders with WorldTour prowess.

Sophie Holmes (CJ O’Shea Racing) is a name that may have slipped under the radar, but she also will come into the race with hopes of a strong ride. Having won two National B road races this season, she is a rider who knows which moves to follow.

Other Riders to watch – men’s race

While the full force of Britain’s WorldTour talent will be out for the win on Sunday, the domestic scene harbours a number of riders away from the three biggest teams eager to show themselves.

Reigning National Road Series champion George Kimber (Spirit Racing Team) is chief amongst them. The civil engineer revealed to the British Continental in his recent interview the road race is his big target as he aims for a move overseas next season. A skilled tactician, Kimber is enjoying another fine season, taking the Ràs Tailteann GC with a show of strength up the Wolftrap climb and narrowly missing out on a maiden National Road Series win at the East Cleveland Classic. Surviving what he described as a “brutal” race at the Tour of the Reservoir in the leading group, Kimber’s form is exactly where it needs to be to mix it with the professionals.

Alex Ball is another rider on an Elite Development Team with designs on a similar showing, the first year senior has been BCC RT’s talisman since joining the East Midlands team this season. A punchy climber, the course should suit him, as it should fellow Scot and sparring partner Logan Maclean (Private Member), who is on the comeback trail after suffering with tonsillitis throughout the opening part of the season. Winner of the prologue in the Mennock Pass Stage Race, Maclean may want to abandon his power meter again as he goes all in to keep up with the head of the race.

Charlie Genner (Telcom-On Clima-Osés) was another rider to catch the eye over that weekend in Scotland and having won the Chiterrne Road Race in April clearly enjoys racing in the UK having moved to Spain. Cameron Still (Ride Revolution Coaching) arrives in Wales in hot National B form, the U23 rider making a leap forward this year when taking victory in the Halesowen Academy U23 National Series races with a powerful solo move late on. It is a big step up for the 20-year-old to race in this company, but he will be full of confidence after some consistent performances recently. Danylo Riwnyj (Foran CT) is another ride who has made a similar step up in 2025. The model of consistency with a number of early season podiums, Riwnyj took his first National B win of the season in the opening stage of the Ronde van Wymeswold, again making the crucial break. 10th in the Ràs Tailteann is an excellent result in a race of that nature, Riwnyj taking up the mantle of his team’s leader from Dom Jackson in the process.

Tom Williams got the better of Riwnyj at the London Dynamo Road Race, the Monzon-Incolor-Gub making sporadic appearances recently in the UK after joining the Romanian UCI squad over the winter. The British Continental’s Breakthrough Rider Of The Year in a 2024 where he conquered the Ryedale GP, Williams boasts an impressive turn of speed and ability to hang in with the strongest climbers, valuable skills for the course and field on Sunday.

Adam Lewis (Team Skyline) is another UCI Continental riders eager to make the next step in his career, the Walsall rider making contact with some ProTeams after a strong 2024. Part of the all conquering Saint Piran squad who dominated the National Road Series two years ago,  Lewis recently eased to victory in the East and West Midlands Road Race Championships on a tricky Derbyshire course before transferring his climbing prowess to become involved in a GC battle with Oscar Sevilla in a fiery edition of the Tour de Beauce in Canada, making every split to finish 5th on GC.

George Radcliffe (X-Speed United) made the headlines in January at the Challenge Mallorca, where he earned the combativity prize at the Trofeo Ses Salines, hitching a lift back to the hotel with the stars of Team UAE Emirates. It was a taste of the big time and a breakthrough moment for the Yorkshireman who showed it wasn’t a flash in the pan when 3rd at the Tour of the Reservoir on Sunday, heartbreakingly caught after going solo on the final rise to the finish line in Consett.

Finally, of the UCI contingent, is Ben Granger (MG.K vis Costruzioni Ambiente), the rider closest of the quartet to cracking the professional ranks who heads into Sunday with an outside chance of a medal. Winning his home race, the Lancaster GP, solo last August, Granger has kicked on in 2025, taking a big win in his team’s homeland of Italy before breaking his UCI duck with a brilliant late solo attack into Oakham at the CiCLE Classic. An all rounder, Granger won’t be marked out of this like he was at the Lincoln GP and could make his case for a professional contract even stronger should be produce the ride he’s capable of.

Already having been in the WorldTour, the sport’s top division, are Alex Peters (DAS-Richardsons) and Matt Holmes (One Good Thing-Factor Racing), the pair bringing a wealth of experience to Sunday’s field from a domestic point of view. Peters was a Team Sky recruit almost a decade ago and despite blowing hot and cold since leaving the UCI ranks has proved he still has the legs with a battling second place at the Rapha Lincoln GP this year. Holmes meanwhile ran out victorious in that race a year ago, marking a fairytale return to road racing. Predominantly a gravel rider now having flirted with the track, Holmes famously took a Tour Down Under stage win on Old Willunga Hill. The former Lotto rider still has that ability and could cause an upset on Sunday where team dynamics play far less of a role than usual.