Podiums, points, and pending plot-twists: who holds the cards in Rapha’s Super-League?

Ten rounds down, six to go, and the inaugural Rapha Super-League is perfectly poised. In the women’s competition, Robyn Clay has turned consistency into currency, her string of podiums in every discipline opening a commanding 72-point lead for DAS-Hutchinson as the peloton pivots from city-centre circuits to lumpier lanes. Over in the open ranks, TEKKERZ CC crit assassin Matt Bostock has translated a summer of hot-corner dominance into a 49-point cushion—but three monster road races still lurk on the horizon.

Lincoln’s cobbles, Wymeswold’s windswept lanes and neon-lit crit nights opened Act I; Act II now beckons. With equal parts crit chaos and hilly road race rumbles still to come, the all-round crown remains tantalisingly within reach for many challengers.

In this article, we rewind the Super-League’s first ten rounds, then spotlight who has the form—and the firepower—to seize the title over the final six.

How the format shapes the fight

Because the calendar front-loaded six crits against four road events, explosive riders were always likely to set the early pace. In practice, the first six crit races were worth a maximum of 315 points, versus 270 from the road races– but the road tally was spread over fewer, harder-to-win days, including a National Road Championships road race dominated by WorldTour riders. Little wonder Matt Bostock and Robyn Clay, both armed with repeatable sprint power, used the rolling crit block (Otley–Ilkley–Guildford–Sheffield) to tighten their grip on the leader’s jerseys.

Discipline	1st	2nd	3rd	10th	20th
Road race (6 one-day races)	60 – 75 pts	45 – 65	30 – 55	10 – 16	1 – 4
Stage race (Ronde van Wymeswold)*	50 pts	35	30	8	1
Crit (9 races)	45 – 65 pts	35 – 50	30 – 40	5 – 14	0

That dynamic flips now. The closing six rounds divide neatly: three crits (Colne, Dawlish, Cambridge) and three road races (Witheridge, Curlew Cup/Beaumont Trophy, Wentworth Woodhouse). Crucially the road wins pay the fattest cheques – up to 75 points – so one big ride can still melt a seemingly comfortable buffer. The pendulum is designed to swing: a pure rouleur who hoovered up modest crit points could yet cash in twice on the Devon and Northumberland hills and find themselves at the top by August’s end.

“We wanted a league where a killer sprint or diesel engine alone wouldn’t be enough,” says Rapha’s Jess Morgan. “The aim is an all-round crown – one rider who’s mastered every facet of British racing in a single summer.”

With the scoring ladder weighted to keep both disciplines relevant the Super-League rewards riders who mix audacity with versatility. The opening chapters have favoured the crit assassins; the final chapters throw the script back to the road racers, the breakaway barouders and the opportunists who’ve been counting the rounds, waiting for the balance to tilt their way.

See the detailed scoring system here.

The story so far

Women’s Series

At the midway point, the women’s competition has seen significant momentum swings between the top contenders. Early on, different names held the lead as the rounds unfolded. Lauren Dickson (Handsling Alba Development RT) shot to the top after winning the opening Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix in May (earning 70 points as the winner).

The very next round, U23 rider Noémie Thomson – then of Brother UK-Team On Form (now signed to DAS-Hutchinson) surged ahead by scoring strongly in the Ronde van Wymeswold stage race. Thomson’s consistency through the early June races – she podiumed at both Wymeswold and the hilly Tour of the Reservoir – gave her the league lead through round 6 (the National Road Championships road race). Thomson’s performances were made even more the remarkable given that she only began racing this season. However, momentum is fickle in a long series. As the crit season began in earnest with Otley, Thomson’s lead had stalled at 137 points, and others were closing in fast.

The momentum graph above illustrates these shifts: Thomson (purple line) was the pace-setter in the first half, but her curve flattened when she hit a points drought in some crit rounds. In contrast, Robyn Clay (orange line) gathered steam with each round – her line climbing relentlessly. Clay didn’t win a race until Round 4, but she scored solid points in nearly every round (from a 4th place at Lincoln to a victory at the Tour of the Reservoir). Her breakthrough came at the Otley Grand Prix (Round 7), where a resounding home-town win catapulted her into the overall lead (she amassed 65 points at Otley, vaulting from third to first overall). From that point on, Clay’s momentum has been unmatched; she has led the standings since early July, her confidence boosted by more crit success (including a win at the cobbled Guildford Town Centre Races).

An early lead can evaporate if a rider has a few low-scoring rounds. We saw Dickson quickly lose her lead after her perfect start at Lincoln (admittedly, her focus has been on UCI racing abroad). Thomson’s early advantage eroded once Clay and others found their stride. And in the most recent round, Anna Morris reminded everyone that momentum can swing yet again – Morris outsprinted Clay to win the Sheffield Grand Prix, securing a hefty 45 points that shot her up in the rankings and proved that Clay is not untouchable. The cumulative points lines are converging among the top few riders, setting the stage for a tense run to the finish.

Open Series

The first half of the season has been a rollercoaster, with the overall lead changing hands as the calendar flipped between road and crit events. James McKay (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) emerged as the early leader after his historic Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix victory, grabbing the full 70 points on offer, setting the initial benchmark. But the advantage of that big one-day haul began to erode as the league moved into a block of rapid-fire summer criteriums. After the two-day Ronde van Wymeswold stage race in June and the first crit, the VIA Criterium, the leaderboard was already tightening up. By Round 4, the Tour of the Reservoir road race, McKay’s lead had melted, usurped by a MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK 1-2-3, as Reservoir victor Adam Howell led with 90 points, closely followed by Alex Beldon on 89 and Ronde van Wymesworld winner Ed Morgan on 80. 

It wasn’t until late June, however, that Matt Bostock’s momentum truly kicked in. Bostock scored a crucial podium at the National Circuit Race Championships (Round 5), then capitalised on another big points crit soon after. Following the National Road Championships road race (Round 6), the league standings were at their most volatile: the road champs awarded the single highest points payout (75 to the winner), injecting new names into the top ten. Alpecin-Deceuninck devo rider Cameron Mason – who took the national crit title and a top placing on the road – briefly surged up the standings, underscoring how one marquee result could swing the balance. Yet even as Mason made gains, Bostock’s consistency kept him in touch with the lead.

The pivotal moment came in early July during the back-to-back crit rounds at Otley and Ilkley. Here Bostock and his TEKKERZ squad went on the offensive, seeking to build a buffer before the summer’s end. By Round 8 (Ilkley), Bostock had ridden into the overall lead – a position he would not relinquish. In fact, he sat out Round 9 (Guildford) and still retained the leader’s jersey thanks to the cushion he’d built. Guildford’s victory went to a 17-year-old breakout rider, TEKKERZ CC’s Milo Wills, proving there’s no shortage of hungry talent, but Bostock’s absence also allowed others to close the gap. MUC-OFF’s Howell sprinted to seventh in Guildford, gaining enough points to move into second overall by that point.

Round 10 then delivered arguably the most thrilling showdown yet. Bostock out-sprinted Beldon and Mason to win the Sheffield Grand Prix, extending his championship lead even further. Beldon’s gutsy second place finish in that race vaulted him past Howell into the runner-up spot in the standings. Mason, who animated the Sheffield breakaway, settled for third on the night. After ten rounds, the cumulative points graph above tells the story: Bostock’s orange line shoots upward mid-season, while his rivals’ progress has been steadier or in spurts. Beldon’s red line saw a late jump with his big Sheffield points, and Will Truelove (MUC-OFF-SRCT-STORCK) in third, proving that consistency pays. As it stands, the top seven riders are separated by roughly 90 points – a gap that could either widen if Bostock continues his streak, or shrink rapidly if road specialists Beldon and Howell take advantage in the upcoming rounds.

Unassailable Leads?

Women’s Series

With a 72-point cushion over second place, Robyn Clay has a comfortable lead – but is it unassailable? In two words: not yet. Clay’s total is 266 points, while her nearest rival Kate Richardson sits at 194. There are 6 rounds left and a massive haul of points still on the table (a single victory in a remaining race could be worth 70 points). Theoretically, Richardson or any other top-7 rider could overturn the deficit with a couple of big wins. For example, if Richardson won the final Wentworth Woodhouse Grand Prix (70 points) and Clay finished outside the top 10 in that race, the swing could be huge. Even Anna Morris (176 pts) or Noémie Thomson (154 pts), despite being over 100 points down, remain mathematically in the hunt – especially since both have shown they can win major races. One big result in a road race (where first place = 60+ points) combined with a strong crit performance could close the gap dramatically.

That said, Clay can make her lead effectively untouchable by continuing to score consistently. She doesn’t necessarily need to win every round; even a few podiums or top-5 finishes might suffice to keep her challengers at bay. How many points would effectively secure the title? A good benchmark is to stay more than one full race victory’s worth of points ahead of rivals. With the final round (Wentworth Woodhouse GP) offering 70 points to the winner, Clay would love to carry at least a ~70+ point lead into that finale – meaning she’d be safe even if someone else wins and she scores zero. To achieve that, she likely needs to gain on Richardson by 20 more points over the next few rounds. If Clay can bump her total into the 320+ range before the final event, her rivals would have to produce multiple wins (or a win plus other high placings) to catch her.

“There’s no room for complacency” – Robyn Clay

“I’ll keep racing in the same way, just taking each race as it comes and not so much thinking about the overall, with the support of my super team mates,” Clay says of her approach to the rest of the series. “There’s no room for complacency – I’m going to keep trying to get results and if that goes well then the two should go hand in hand”

Looking ahead, if Clay can podium in one of the remaining road races and maintain top-10 finishes in the crits, it might be enough to put the title out of reach. But until it’s mathematically certain, the pressure is still on. All it would take is one round where a rival wins (65+ points) and Clay scores very little, and the equation changes overnight. As the league stands, Robyn Clay is in the driver’s seat – but the road ahead (literally and figuratively) could still hold some twists.

Open Series

At halfway Matt Bostock commands the standings on 191 pts, 49 clear of Alex Beldon (142 pts). It’s a healthy margin – equal to a high-value crit win plus a minor placing – yet with six rounds and 340 win-points still up for grabs it is anything but banked. Three road races (worth 60–70 pts each) and three crits (45–55 pts) mean one blockbuster ride from a rival could melt that buffer overnight.

“I fancy my chances in any Super-League round” – Matt Bostock

Bostock sounds bullish but realistic:

“I’m definitely targeting it now we’re past halfway,” he says. “It’d be nice to win – Rapha are a big partner of Tekkerz. I’m fifth in the National Road Series so road races aren’t a weakness; I fancy my chances in any Super-League round. I will miss a couple of events for a training camp, which makes life harder, but looking at what’s left I still like my odds.”

Those missed rounds are the lifeline Bostock’s pursuers need. Beldon, just 19, has proved equally sharp on rolling roads and twisting crit circuits and will sense a real shot if Bostock’s absence coincides with a big-points road day. Adam Howell tops the National Road Series and will be hard to beat in races like Witheridge and Wentworth, while the consistency of riders like Truelove and National Circuit Series leader Tom Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) will give them hope of late series charge. 

In short: Bostock holds the cards, but a lighter July race schedule and one opportunistic rival could yet turn this seemingly comfortable lead into a late-summer knife-fight for the inaugural men’s crown.

A dramatic run-in?

With six rounds to go the Super-League story splits into two parallel thrillers. Robyn Clay and Matt Bostock lead their respective tables, each wearing a target and each drawing comfort from the knowledge that the finale at Wentworth Woodhouse is a big-points road race where a well-timed podium could cement their crowns. But the hunters can smell opportunity.

On the open side, Alex Beldon excels in attritional road contests yet can still knife through a crit finish; while precocious young gun Adam Howell and evergreen scorers Will Truelove and Tom Armstrong have the firepower to mount a mega-points haul in the remaining six rounds. Over in the women’s series Kate Richardson has the punch to score anywhere, Anna Morris loves a lumpy circuit, and U23 star Noémie Thomson could use the hilly Devon and Northumberland tests to reboot her title bid.

With a perfectly balanced run-in – three crits, three road races – no rider can claim the calendar now favours “the other discipline”. From Colne’s tight corners to Wentworth’s rolling estate roads, every style of racer still has skin in the game. Crit speed owned the first half; the puncheurs and long-range attackers get their say next. Expect the unexpected: six rounds, two jerseys, and not a single point to waste.

Featured image: Conor Courtney