British Cycling has released the national series calendars for the 2026 season, confirming the road and circuit schedules that will shape the domestic summer. The announcement includes an earlier start to the National Circuit Series, an evolved South West racing weekend, and a noticeably earlier end to the elite road season.
There will be eight rounds in the Women’s National Road Series, seven in the Open, and six in the Open and Women’s National Circuit Series. Last season each race also doubled as a round of the new Rapha Super-League; Super-League, although plans for the 2026 Super-League are yet to be confirmed.
National Road Series: calendar shifts, course changes, and a compressed season
The 2026 National Road Series brings notable changes for both the Women’s and Open calendars. The Women’s series expands to eight rounds, beginning with the 10th Anexo/CAMS Women’s CiCLE Classic on 22 March. The East Cleveland Classic (12 April), Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix (10 May), and a returning Tour of the Reservoir (7 June) follow at the front end of the season.
The Open (men’s) series mirrors much of this structure — though without the CiCLE Classic opener — beginning with the East Cleveland Classic on 12 April, followed by Lincoln (10 May) and the Tour of the Reservoir (7 June). For both series, the mid-summer phase becomes more tightly defined.
A TBA round sits on 12 July, with no organiser confirmed. The date aligns with the traditional mid-July slot previously occupied by the Lancaster Grand Prix. While the event was lost from the 2025 calendar, the organisers stated at the time that they intended to continue running the race, despite the enforced year-off caused by funding and logistical pressures. It is therefore one of several plausible candidates for the vacant 2026 position, though British Cycling has made no announcement on this.
South Molton joins the calendar on 19 July, replacing the Witheridge GP. In 2025, the South West already hosted a mid-summer double-header, pairing the Dawlish Grand Prix with Witheridge. That structure continues in 2026, but in an evolved form: the Sunday race effectively relaunches as South Molton, running on a new course rather than the former Witheridge route.
The season concludes in mid-August across both series, with the Women’s finale at the Curlew Cup (9 August) and the North Yorkshire Grand Prix (16 August). The latter takes place in Ampleforth, long the home of the Ryedale Grand Prix. While the Ryedale name has not returned, its traditional venue has — suggesting a possible continuation of that racing heritage under a new title. At the very least, the move to Ampleforth indicates a shift away from the 2025 season’s finale at the Wentworth Woodhouse Grand Prix and signals a likely change of circuit for 2026.
| Round | Date | Race | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 March 2026 | Anexo/CAMS Women’s CiCLE Classic | Rutland |
| 2 | 12 April 2026 | East Cleveland Classic | Saltburn |
| 3 | 10 May 2026 | Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix | Lincoln |
| 4 | 7 June 2026 | Tour of the Reservoir | Consett |
| 5 | 12 July 2026 | TBA | TBA |
| 6 | 19 July 2026 | South Molton GP | South Molton |
| 7 | 9 August 2026 | Curlew Cup | Stamfordham |
| 8 | 16 August 2026 | North Yorkshire Grand Prix | Ampleforth |
| Round | Date | Race | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 April 2026 | East Cleveland Classic | Saltburn |
| 2 | 10 May 2026 | Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix | Lincoln |
| 3 | 7 June 2026 | Tour of the Reservoir | Consett |
| 4 | 12 July 2026 | TBA | TBA |
| 5 | 19 July 2026 | South Molton GP | South Molton |
| 6 | 9 August 2026 | Beaumont Trophy | Stamfordham |
| 7 | 16 August 2026 | North Yorkshire Grand Prix | Ampleforth |
One of the most notable structural shifts is when the National Road Series now ends. For 2026, both the Women’s and Open series finish on 16 August, several weeks earlier than the pre-2023 pattern, when the Beaumont Trophy and Curlew Cup frequently carried the season into mid-September.
The result is a significantly compressed elite (National A) road season. The earlier conclusion appears designed to create space for the anticipated move of the Tour of Britain Women into an August slot, while removing the late-summer fixtures that once extended the domestic season.
For riders and teams, the implications are clear: a tighter competitive window, with decisive rounds clustered in July and early August and fewer late-season opportunities to race at National A level
The shift alters the rhythm of the domestic year, placing greater emphasis on the mid-season block that now carries the bulk of the elite racing and reshaping how teams plan their calendars and build their form.
National Circuit Series: earlier start, earlier finish
The 2026 Lloyds National Circuit Series begins two weeks earlier than in recent seasons, opening on 16 June with the Fort Vale Colne Grand Prix. This is a significant shift: for the first time in several years, the series will now start before the National Circuit Race Championships, which take place on 26 June.
From there, the series resumes its familiar July backbone — Otley (1 July), Ilkley (3 July), Guildford (8 July), Dawlish (17 July) and the Sheffield Grand Prix (22 July) — but the earlier start broadens the footprint of the crit season and adds an additional layer of complexity for riders targeting both the championships and the series.
For teams and riders, the change means a meaningful overlap between championship preparation and early-series scoring, and a potential shift in how riders periodise form for June and July.
| Round | Date | Race | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 16 June 2026 | Fort Vale Colne Grand Prix | Colne |
| 2 | 1 July 2026 | LOGCO Otley Cycle Races | Otley |
| 3 | 3 July 2026 | Ilkley Cycle Races | Ilkley |
| 4 | 8 July 2026 | CANYON Guildford Town Centre Races | Guildford |
| 5 | 17 July 2026 | Dawlish Grand Prix | Dawlish |
| 6 | 22 July 2026 | Sheffield Grand Prix | Sheffield |
