Some rides stay with you. Others reshape how we look at a rider entirely. The Outstanding Performance of the Year award recognises the single most remarkable ride by a domestic rider in 2025.
This was one of the categories where we invited open nominations – and the response was exceptional. Fans, riders, parents, teammates and clubmates sent in dozens of thoughtful entries, many in long form, describing the rides that struck them most powerfully this season. From that groundswell of submissions, three performances stood out for their significance, impact and the way they were remembered by those who witnessed or followed them.
Last year’s winner, Dom Jackson, set the standard with his unforgettable victory at the Rás Tailteann. This year, three riders delivered efforts that echoed that same blend of courage, clarity and execution.
Shortlist
Ben Granger | Victory at the Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic
Among all the nominations, one performance kept reappearing – and with striking consistency. Riders, fans and teammates described Ben Granger’s Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic win as “outstanding,” “phenomenal,” and “the ride of the season.”
The CiCLE Classic is Britain’s most unforgiving one-day race: 177 km of gravel, farm tracks, exposed sectors and repeated climbs. This year’s edition was even more distinctive, starting and finishing in Oakham for the first time. On a day when the race splintered again and again over the Rutland farm tracks, Granger endured an early puncture, regained contact, and placed himself in the decisive selection.
What nominators highlighted most was the decisive moment: with 5 km to go, Granger attacked the front group and committed fully, riding clear while the chasers hesitated. It was his first UCI victory, delivered on the hardest terrain in British racing, and described by several nominators as “the moment he proved he belonged at international level.”
A controlled, intelligent and hard-earned win – one that captured the imagination of the domestic scene.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
Alex Beldon | 8th at the National Road Championships Road Race
In terms of volume of nominations, no rider came close to matching Alex Beldon. The messages were long, passionate and unanimous: this was a ride of rare maturity and grit.
At 19, and racing as an amateur for Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck, Beldon finished eighth in the elite men’s National Road Championships road race — the highest-placed non-professional rider on the day. The field was stacked with WorldTour and ProTeam riders, many with full support structures behind them, yet Beldon not only made the front group, he raced it.
Nominators consistently referenced three things. First, he made the elite split when the race was at full intensity. Second, he didn’t simply sit in — he took pulls, covered moves and attacked. Finally, he closed a gap in the final kilometres after being distanced, showing resilience beyond his years.
Several submissions noted that coming eighth “in a field that looked like a spring classic,” without the backing of a major team, was “something special.” Beldon’s ride was a breakthrough in every sense – one that placed him firmly among the most exciting young British riders.
Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Kate Richardson | General Classification victory at the Tour de Feminin
Kate Richardson’s 2025 season already carried a sense of momentum – but it was in Czechia, at the Tour de Feminin, where she delivered one of the most complete British performances of the year. Handsling Alba’s returnee, once left without a team and contemplating walking away from the sport after the trauma of her 2024 hit-and-run, produced a ride of iron resilience and tactical clarity to take both her first UCI victory and the first UCI win in Handsling Alba’s history.
After the opening team time trial left the squad 43 seconds down, Richardson grew stronger as the race wore on. On the torrential, mountainous Queen Stage she forced her way into a decisive break with Ester Wong, Emilie Fortin and Robyn Clay, attacking for bonus seconds and shedding Wong before finishing 55 seconds ahead of the peloton – enough to take yellow. The final stage demanded nerve more than strength, with repeated attacks from Malwina Mul and Tess Moerman, but Richardson held firm, finishing safely in the front group to secure the biggest stage-race win of her career. Her manager, Bob Lyons, called her “exceptional… incredibly talented and strong,” praising both her composure and the team’s unity.
Richardson’s Tour de Feminin GC victory – as well as her National Circuit Race Championship title a month later – marked an extraordinary personal turnaround. From the despair of 2024 – injury, trauma, team collapse, and months of mental struggle – to a season reborn in the environment where her career first took shape, she has re-established herself as one of Britain’s most versatile and resilient talents.
A performance not just of strength, but of resolve. A reminder that some victories are measured not only on the road, but in the journey back to it.
Image: Jakob Trial
What’s Next
Three defining performances of the 2025 season. One award.
The winner of Outstanding Performance of the Year will be announced next week.
Some rides stay with you. Others reshape how we look at a rider entirely.
The Outstanding Performance of the Year award recognises the single most remarkable ride by a domestic rider in 2025.
This was one of the categories where we invited open nominations – and the response was exceptional. Fans, riders, parents, teammates and clubmates sent in dozens of thoughtful entries, many in long form, describing the rides that struck them most powerfully this season. From that groundswell of submissions, three performances stood out for their significance, impact and the way they were remembered by those who witnessed or followed them.
Last year’s winner, Dom Jackson, set the standard with his unforgettable victory at the Rás Tailteann. This year, three riders delivered efforts that echoed that same blend of courage, clarity and execution.
Shortlist
Ben Granger | Victory at the Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic
Among all the nominations, one performance kept reappearing – and with striking consistency. Riders, fans and teammates described Ben Granger’s Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic win as “outstanding,” “phenomenal,” and “the ride of the season.”
The CiCLE Classic is Britain’s most unforgiving one-day race: 177 km of gravel, farm tracks, exposed sectors and repeated climbs. This year’s edition was even more distinctive, starting and finishing in Oakham for the first time. On a day when the race splintered again and again over the Rutland farm tracks, Granger endured an early puncture, regained contact, and placed himself in the decisive selection.
What nominators highlighted most was the decisive moment: with 5 km to go, Granger attacked the front group and committed fully, riding clear while the chasers hesitated. It was his first UCI victory, delivered on the hardest terrain in British racing, and described by several nominators as “the moment he proved he belonged at international level.”
A controlled, intelligent and hard-earned win – one that captured the imagination of the domestic scene.
Alex Beldon | 8th at the National Road Championships Road Race
In terms of volume of nominations, no rider came close to matching Alex Beldon. The messages were long, passionate and unanimous: this was a ride of rare maturity and grit.
At 19, and racing as an amateur for Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck, Beldon finished eighth in the elite men’s National Road Championships road race — the highest-placed non-professional rider on the day. The field was stacked with WorldTour and ProTeam riders, many with full support structures behind them, yet Beldon not only made the front group, he raced it.
Nominators consistently referenced three things. First, he made the elite split when the race was at full intensity. Second, he didn’t simply sit in — he took pulls, covered moves and attacked. Finally, he closed a gap in the final kilometres after being distanced, showing resilience beyond his years.
Several submissions noted that coming eighth “in a field that looked like a spring classic,” without the backing of a major team, was “something special.” Beldon’s ride was a breakthrough in every sense – one that placed him firmly among the most exciting young British riders.
Kate Richardson | General Classification victory at the Tour de Feminin
Kate Richardson’s 2025 season already carried a sense of momentum – but it was in Czechia, at the Tour de Feminin, where she delivered one of the most complete British performances of the year. Handsling Alba’s returnee, once left without a team and contemplating walking away from the sport after the trauma of her 2024 hit-and-run, produced a ride of iron resilience and tactical clarity to take both her first UCI victory and the first UCI win in Handsling Alba’s history.
After the opening team time trial left the squad 43 seconds down, Richardson grew stronger as the race wore on. On the torrential, mountainous Queen Stage she forced her way into a decisive break with Ester Wong, Emilie Fortin and Robyn Clay, attacking for bonus seconds and shedding Wong before finishing 55 seconds ahead of the peloton – enough to take yellow. The final stage demanded nerve more than strength, with repeated attacks from Malwina Mul and Tess Moerman, but Richardson held firm, finishing safely in the front group to secure the biggest stage-race win of her career. Her manager, Bob Lyons, called her “exceptional… incredibly talented and strong,” praising both her composure and the team’s unity.
Richardson’s Tour de Feminin GC victory – as well as her National Circuit Race Championship title a month later – marked an extraordinary personal turnaround. From the despair of 2024 – injury, trauma, team collapse, and months of mental struggle – to a season reborn in the environment where her career first took shape, she has re-established herself as one of Britain’s most versatile and resilient talents.
A performance not just of strength, but of resolve. A reminder that some victories are measured not only on the road, but in the journey back to it.
What’s Next
Three defining performances of the 2025 season.
One award.
The winner of Outstanding Performance of the Year will be announced next week.
Share this:
Discover more from The British Continental
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.