Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic: Domestic Race of the Year
A race that stands alone: Britain’s only UCI 1.2 one-day event delivered one its most complete editions yet - a reminder of what ambition, community and continued innovation can achieve.
In 2025, our judging panel agreed that no event shaped the identity, atmosphere and competitive heartbeat of British road racing quite like the Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic – the British Conti Awards’ Domestic Race of the Year.
Britain’s only UCI 1.2 one-day race, the CiCLE Classic remains a category of one on the domestic calendar – an uncompromising test of skill, strength and intuition across the rough farm tracks, gravel sectors and backroads of Rutland and Melton. It is the UK’s sole opportunity for elite domestic riders to measure themselves against a full international field, and to be noticed beyond home roads. In a season where riders, organisers and teams often spoke of the sport’s challenges, CiCLE stood as proof of what remains possible when ambition and community meet.
And in 2025, it delivered one of its most complete editions yet.
After the 2024 cancellation due to severe weather, anticipation for the race was immense. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Race Director Colin Clews told The British Continental. “With the fine weather, a revamped course, excellent racing and a new finish in Oakham, everything just came together perfectly.”
The course changes – including the Oakham finish – deepened the sense of occasion and allowed the race to unfold with a new rhythm, while retaining the elements that define CiCLE’s identity: the crunch of gravel, the attritional sectors, and the sense that anything can happen at any moment.
The racing delivered on that promise. The peloton fractured, reformed and split again before Ben Granger — crowned our International-Based Rider of the Year in 2025 – claimed a signature win that captured the spirit of the event: tough, tactical, and rooted in absolute commitment.
But CiCLE’s significance extends far beyond the results sheet. Clews explained the ethos that has sustained the race for two decades: “Create a race that is not just a bike race, but a wider community event… Never stand still, never take no for an answer. Always look for how the product can be improved.”
That philosophy continues into 2026, with Clews revealing plans for a new finishing circuit around Oakham and a new ‘special sector’ with 25 km to go – the result of eight years of persistent negotiation with a landowner. Few races evolve as deliberately or as restlessly.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
CiCLE’s longevity is no accident. It is the product of a committed volunteer team, loyal local sponsors, and a race director who has spent twenty years refusing to let the event stagnate.
“You don’t need big names to make a race,” Clews said. “The riders will make their own names. For example: Ben Granger.”
In 2025, CiCLE once again stood as a benchmark – the race riders talk about, remember, and measure themselves against. A genuine British classic, and a thoroughly deserving winner.
🏆 Domestic Race of the Year 2025: Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic
A word too for Otley Cycle Races and the VIA Criterium, who were worthy contenders, each offering something unique and memorable in 2025. Their presence on the shortlist underlines the breadth of quality across British domestic racing this year.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
Some races are important. Others are defining.
In 2025, our judging panel agreed that no event shaped the identity, atmosphere and competitive heartbeat of British road racing quite like the Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic – the British Conti Awards’ Domestic Race of the Year.
Britain’s only UCI 1.2 one-day race, the CiCLE Classic remains a category of one on the domestic calendar – an uncompromising test of skill, strength and intuition across the rough farm tracks, gravel sectors and backroads of Rutland and Melton. It is the UK’s sole opportunity for elite domestic riders to measure themselves against a full international field, and to be noticed beyond home roads. In a season where riders, organisers and teams often spoke of the sport’s challenges, CiCLE stood as proof of what remains possible when ambition and community meet.
And in 2025, it delivered one of its most complete editions yet.
After the 2024 cancellation due to severe weather, anticipation for the race was immense. “Absence makes the heart grow fonder,” Race Director Colin Clews told The British Continental. “With the fine weather, a revamped course, excellent racing and a new finish in Oakham, everything just came together perfectly.”
The course changes – including the Oakham finish – deepened the sense of occasion and allowed the race to unfold with a new rhythm, while retaining the elements that define CiCLE’s identity: the crunch of gravel, the attritional sectors, and the sense that anything can happen at any moment.
The racing delivered on that promise. The peloton fractured, reformed and split again before Ben Granger — crowned our International-Based Rider of the Year in 2025 – claimed a signature win that captured the spirit of the event: tough, tactical, and rooted in absolute commitment.
But CiCLE’s significance extends far beyond the results sheet. Clews explained the ethos that has sustained the race for two decades: “Create a race that is not just a bike race, but a wider community event… Never stand still, never take no for an answer. Always look for how the product can be improved.”
That philosophy continues into 2026, with Clews revealing plans for a new finishing circuit around Oakham and a new ‘special sector’ with 25 km to go – the result of eight years of persistent negotiation with a landowner. Few races evolve as deliberately or as restlessly.
CiCLE’s longevity is no accident. It is the product of a committed volunteer team, loyal local sponsors, and a race director who has spent twenty years refusing to let the event stagnate.
“You don’t need big names to make a race,” Clews said. “The riders will make their own names. For example: Ben Granger.”
In 2025, CiCLE once again stood as a benchmark – the race riders talk about, remember, and measure themselves against. A genuine British classic, and a thoroughly deserving winner.
🏆 Domestic Race of the Year 2025: Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic
A word too for Otley Cycle Races and the VIA Criterium, who were worthy contenders, each offering something unique and memorable in 2025. Their presence on the shortlist underlines the breadth of quality across British domestic racing this year.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
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