Talking points: seven conclusions from the Lloyds Bank National Road Championships

The Lloyds Bank National Road Championships remain the jewel in the crown of Britain’s cycling calendar, the historic red and blue banded jersey one every rider wants to win.

As the dust settles on an excellent weekend of racing on the picturesque roads of Ceredigion, we take a look at what the Championships meant for the the riders and teams who form part of the vibrant patchwork that is the domestic scene. From victories and eye catching performances to disappointments and crashes, here are our seven key takeaways from Wales.

Beldon’s brilliance a credit to him, and Britain’s domestic scene

The closure of Trinity Racing late last year may still be felt by the current generation of U23 talents both at home and abroad, but 19-year-old Alex Beldon has turned it into an oppurtunity, one that he has grabbed with both hands. Learning to race, and win, with Muc-Off-SRCT-Storck in 2025, Beldon is serving his apprenticeship in Britain’s domestic scene and looks the better rider for it, the significance of his bronze medal in the U23 Men’s Road Race hard to overplay for the Yorkshireman.

Beldon was able to keep pace with some of the biggest talents in the WorldTour at the head of Sunday’s race, the experience of racing to win over the past few months showing as he exchanged blows with the likes of Matthew Brennan and Ethan Hayter, both winners in the WorldTour, sprinting to 8th place in a group behind Sam Watson.

The result not only propels Beldon to the top of the Rapha Super-League standings, but demonstrates the depth of talent in the UK – despite being a three time National B winner this season, Beldon has yet to climb on the top step of a National Road Series podium, something which he will be looking to change as the season continues.

The crash that broke hearts, as well as bodies

While the debate around whether the men’s road race should have been neutralised or not after a mass pile up in the peloton saw a number of riders crash rages on, one thing is for sure: the race was over for the riders caught behind it.

With the road blocked by a sea bodies and bikes, the race ambulance caught behind, the front of affairs quickly became out of reach for a large number of riders, including the majority of the domestic scene’s biggest names, as the sheer number of DNFs on the results sheet demonstrates.

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It was a bitter pill to swallow for many given the National Road Championships is one of the few, and potentially best, opportunities amateur riders have to catch the eye of the big teams.

Last year’s Ryedale GP winner Tom Williams summed up the frustration perfectly, captioning his Instagram story, showing a well circulated video of the choas, with the words: ‘Well that’s nationals over for another year’.

Clay has the power to mix it with the best

Robyn Clay came into the Championships in excellent form, her epic win at the Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir extending her National Road Series lead and putting her in an enviable position in the Rapha Super-League. However, the 21-year-old DAS-Hutchinson rider turned heads on Thursday, kicking off her weekend with a silver medal in the U23 Time Trial.

In an event that hands the advantage to riders on WorldTour teams, Clay’s blistering time around the 27km test was only bettered by Sunday’s Road Race winner Millie Couzens, as she took the scalps of reigning Junior World Champion Cat Ferguson, now riding for Movistar, Izzy Sharp (Lidl-Trek), and Visma-Lease a Bike’s Imogen Wolff; her power enough to overcome the potential technical advantages the backing of one of the sport’s biggest teams can produce.

In the Road Race her DAS-Hutchinson team played the long game by not putting a rider in the early break, and with Clay set to feature in the latter stages of the race it paid off as she came home in 13th place, less than a minute off the win, sprinting to the line in such company as Zoe Backstedt (CANYON//SRAM zondacrypto) and, again, Cat Ferguson.

It would be no surprise if Clay were to make any of the names mentioned above one of her teammates in 2026 as she continues to demonstrate her ability in a variety of different settings. First though is the National Circuit Series, races her fast finish and raw power were made for.

Handsling Alba Development Road Team win the battle of the UCI Continental teams

Despite Clay’s heroics, it is Bob Lyon’s Handsling Alba Development Road Team who come away from the Championships with the most credit of the Women’s UCI Continental squads.

With Kate Richardson’s circuit race victory and Maddie Leech’s bronze medal in the U23 time trial already in the bag, the Scottish team headed into Sunday’s road race with the pressure off, Lauren Dickson’s 5th place the icing on the cake.

Dickson’s ride was one that demonstrated just how far she had come in the space of a year, handling the technical circuit well on the wet roads, riding a tactically astute race to outmanoeuvre some of the strongest riders in the WorldTour in the final laps.

Dickson’s consistency both at home and abroad may see her move onto the WorldTour ranks sooner rather than later, although she currently forms part of a team flying high and full of confidence, the signings of Leech and Richardson over the winter adding more firepower to a squad now delivering on the potential it showed in 2024.

Thomson impresses again, while Roberts presses her case

Outside of the UCI teams it was Noèmie Thomson who again impressed with strong performances in the U23 Time Trial and Road Race, while Jessica Roberts (Spectra Racing) demonstrated why she spent two years in the WorldTour, taking a bronze medal in the Circuit Race and impressing with a gutsy, attacking ride in the Road Race.

It is easy to forget that just a few months ago 22-year-old Thomson had never entered a bike race, a fact scarcely believable given she was seen attacking some of the world’s best riders at the head of Sunday’s Road Race on her televised debut.

The fairytale continues for BrotherUK-OnForm rider, who was snapped up by Mark Botteley’s team after a now typical glass ceiling smashing ride at the Rapha Lincoln GP. The National Championships are an all together different proposition however, and Thomson proved she has what it takes to mix it with the best.

7th in the U23 Time Trial, her ride over the 27km test is even better than it looks at first glance when analysed further,  Thomson overcoming a lack of experience and makeshift aerodynamic position on her time trial bike to record a time close to the WorldTour riders. The 22-year-old was the bridge between the top-6 and the rest of the field, losing only 1:28 to Izzy Sharp, but beating another young domestic rider, Mari Porton (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) by an almost identical margin.

Active throughout Sunday’s Road Race, Thomson’s lack of racecraft may have been her undoing as she took it upon herself to chase, and attack, in an effort to bring the race back together, despite rubbing shoulders with some of the WorldTour’s finest talent. Every race is a learning curve for Thomson who already sits atop of the Rapha Super-League. Who knows what she could achieve when the 2026 Championships roll around?

Meanwhile, track rider Roberts, who spent two years with the Greenedge outfit in the WorldTour, finds herself outside of the UCI ranks for the second year in 2025, riding for Spectra Racing. She demonstrated she still has a lot to offer on the road in all the disciplines over the weekend, the National Championships the perfect place to catch the eye with the WorldTour teams casting a gaze over the action.

Could Tekkerz have done more to win the circuit race?

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.’ The final 15 minutes of Friday’s National Circuit Race Championship from the perspective of Tekkerz CC might not have been what Charles Dickins was referring to when he opened ‘A Tale Of Two Cities’ with those famous words, but the ones folllwing it, ‘it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness’ , were even more pertinent as Matt Bostock soloed to a bronze medal.

Criteriums are often won in the final fifteen minutes, and it was here that Tekkerz put on a masterclass. Ollie Wood lit the first match with a stinging attack which only the strongest were able to match, while Matt Bostock’s counter set the seaside town ablaze, the Manxman’s power and cornering speed something to behold.

It was a brilliant display of strength, the only issue was that by the time Bostock lit the afterburners, Bjoern Koerdt and Cameron Mason were 30 seconds up the road and heading for victory. Despite the diamonds in Bostock’s legs closing the gap to just seven seconds at one point, no amount of carats were going to give him a chance to taking the jersey even if he did make the junction to the leaders.

The Tekkerz squad let the race slip from their grasp in the opening 40 minutes, first letting Koerdt go, then allowing Mason to bridge across to the Picnic PostNL rider. After big turns from the likes of Tom Portsmouth (Wagner Bazin WB) stabilised the gap, Tekkerz turned to domestiques Milo Wills and Ben Tuchner to marshal the peloton, the fireworks from their big hitters at at the end only for a bronze medal, not the jersey they so desperately wanted.

All is not lost for the London-based collective however, as they looked comfortably the best domestic squad in the race ahead of the National Circuit Series, which starts on Wednesday in Otley.

Their rivals Wheelbase CabTech Castelli had a disappointing night with only Tom Armstrong showing that he was ready for the challenge as he featured heavily throughout the hour in Aberystwyth. Attacking alone in the middle portion of the race, he regrouped and sprinted to a very credible 7th place on the final lap after being caught.

Is British Cycling doing enough to engage fans and local communities?

The National Road Championships are one of the biggest events British Cycling organises—alongside the Men’s and Women’s Tours of Britain—and winning the iconic red, white and blue jersey remains the pinnacle of many a rider’s career.

It’s one of the few times each year when the UK’s top domestic riders line up against WorldTour professionals, offering a rare and valuable showcase for emerging talent.

Yet you might not have realised that if you were relying solely on British Cycling’s own coverage. While the governing body did produce preview articles, race reports, finish-line images and TV broadcasts of the circuit and road races via its social media, website, and YouTube channels, the output often lacked immediacy or narrative depth.

This was particularly apparent during Thursday’s time trials—races that weren’t shown on TV—where fans were left with few live updates or context. The absence created a vacuum that others stepped in to fill. Our live ticker at The British Continental, for instance, became one of the few ways for supporters to follow events in real time.

Even where coverage was available, there were limitations. Commentary from Matt Stephens and Hannah Walker on the circuit and road races was engaging and informed, but the on-screen graphics and real-time race information were minimal. On social media, British Cycling focused largely on results and behind-the-scenes snapshots – like post-race ice cream photos – rather than delivering substantive updates on how the racing was unfolding.

Meanwhile, locals in Ceredigion also expressed frustration online about the disruption caused by road closures, with comments on social media suggesting they hadn’t been fully informed about the event or its potential benefits. While it’s impossible to please everyone, it raised questions about whether British Cycling and the local council could have done more to engage the community ahead of time – helping residents feel part of the experience, not sidelined by it.

The circuit races in Aberystwyth, held on Friday night, offered a prime opportunity to showcase the town and build local buzz. But the atmosphere never quite reached the heights it might have. It raises the question: could a more active local engagement strategy have turned a night of inconvenience into a celebration of elite sport?

With so much effort going into the organisation of the racing itself, it’s clear British Cycling has the ambition and ability to deliver at a high level. Organising bike races is no easy task, especially in this day and age. But to truly elevate the Championships – to turn them into the major sporting and community event they could be- it needs to raise its game off the bike too. That means investing in coverage, storytelling, and community activation that matches the calibre of the competition.