British Cycling has today published the calendars for its 2026 youth circuit, junior road and under-23 open road racing series, alongside several national championship events. Running from March through to September, the schedules set out the competitive framework for Britain’s age-group road pathways for the coming season.
Across the calendars, familiar themes emerge: continuity in some areas, adaptation in others, and ongoing questions around how different parts of the pathway are supported, promoted and sustained.
One of the clearer stories to emerge from the 2026 calendars is the shape of the National U23 Open Road Series, which returns with a five-round structure after a disrupted 2025 campaign.
U23 Open National Road Series
The 2026 Under-23 Open National Road Series begins with the PB Performance Road Race, before moving north to the Danum Trophy, which will form part of the series in Doncaster during the club’s 100th-anniversary year. The inclusion of the Danum marks a notable shift: traditionally a race open to all senior age groups, it will be promoted as a U23 National Series round in 2026. Doncaster Wheelers’ Martin Maltby told The British Continental the decision was taken to celebrate the centenary while helping to promote the U23 series.
The calendar then moves to the Stourbridge CC National U23 Road Race, which effectively replaces the Halesowen Academy Road Race that formed the West Midlands round in 2025, before heading to the Yorkshire U23 Classic and concluding with the Chas Messenger Trophy, a new addition that restores a late-season finale.
Two events now stand out as long-standing pillars of the U23 calendar: the PB Performance Road Race and the Yorkshire U23 Classic. The former, in particular, remains a strong example of an elite development team giving something back to the domestic calendar — not simply racing within the pathway, but actively sustaining it.
| Round | Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PB Performance Road Race | Leicestershire | Sunday 29 March 2026 |
| 2 | Danum Trophy (DW 100-year Anniversary) | Doncaster | Sunday 19 April 2026 |
| 3 | Stourbridge CC National U23 Road Race | Worcestershire | Sunday 14 June 2026 |
| 4 | Yorkshire U23 Classic | Barnsley, Yorkshire | Sunday 2 August 2026 |
| 5 | Chas Messenger Trophy | Buckinghamshire | Sunday 6 September 2026 |
The return to a full five-round calendar in 2026 follows a truncated 2025 campaign, but also sits within a longer pattern of disruption for the Under-23 Open Road Series. First launched in 2022, the series was initially announced as a five-round competition but was ultimately reduced to just two rounds after several cancellations. In 2023, five rounds were again planned before the series concluded after three events, while six rounds were scheduled for 2024, only for the season to finish with four completed races.
Last season’s edition was similarly affected. The 2025 series was scheduled to run across four rounds, but was left without a finale when the Kenton RC Autumn Classic was cancelled less than a week before it was due to take place. Organisers cited low entries, noting that “the financial burden of running the event with just a small field was too great”. The British Continental reported at the time that the race had received very limited promotion from British Cycling in the build-up, raising wider questions about visibility and support for events within the series.
That decision left the Yorkshire U23 Classic as the de facto final round and confirmed Maxwell Hereward as overall series winner. Reflecting later in the year, Hereward described the title as being handed to him in an understated way, highlighting the lack of the publicity the series receives: “There should be more of a relevance to it online… [British Cycling] should post about it, make it seem that it’s important to win a race.”
Against that backdrop, the publication of a clearly defined five-round calendar for 2026 offers something of a reset. For under-23 riders increasingly balancing domestic racing with programmes abroad, consistency of delivery, visibility and clarity of structure remain as important as the racing itself.
Junior Open National Road Series
The junior open programme remains well served, benefitting from a dense ecosystem of organisers and combined race days that help ensure viability across the season.
| Round | Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hatherleigh Junior Road Race | Devon | Sunday 8 March 2026 |
| 2 | ANEXO / CAMS Junior CiCLE Classic | Melton Mowbray | Sunday 22 March 2026 |
| 3 | Witham Hall 2 Day | Bourne, Lincolnshire | Saturday 18 – Sunday 19 April 2026 |
| 4 | Cadence Junior Road Race | Brecon, Powys | Sunday 26 April 2026 |
| 5 | Harrogate Nova Yorkshire Road Race | Dacre, Harrogate | Sunday 21 June 2026 |
| 6 | Bath Road Junior Road Race | Leighton Buzzard, Buckinghamshire | Sunday 26 July 2026 |
| 7 | Fenwick’s Tour of Mendip | Bath | Friday 7 – Sunday 9 August 2026 |
| 8 | John Richards Junior Tour | Wales | Saturday 29 – Monday 31 August 2026 |
Junior Women’s National Road Series
| Round | Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London Academy Easter Road Race | Peterborough | Sunday 5 April 2026 |
| 2 | Witham Hall 2 Day | Bourne, Lincolnshire | Saturday 18 – Sunday 19 April 2026 |
| 3 | Fenwick’s Women’s Road Race | Bath | Saturday 1 August 2026 |
By contrast, the Junior Women’s National Road Series will run across just three rounds, underlining the continued fragility of junior women-only racing.
Within that context, London Academy has stepped in to support the series, helping to ensure it exists at all. The London Academy Easter Road Race will be incorporated into a National B road race, open to E1/2/3 riders, with the junior women’s series round embedded within the wider event. The organisers have also confirmed the inclusion of a separate fourth-category-only women’s race on the same day.
In a story on Instagram, London Academy said it had taken on the role despite not having any junior riders on its roster this season, describing the move as an effort to “support the series” and expressing a desire to see “more standalone junior women’s races” in the future.
National Championship Events
British Cycling has also confirmed dates for several national championship events in 2026. The National Youth Circuit Championship will take place at Oliver’s Mount as part of the Scarborough Cycling Festival, while Yorkshire will host the Junior Open and Junior Women’s National Time Trial and Road Race Championships, organised by the recent winners of our Outstanding Contribution award, the Yomp Bonk Crew.
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| National Youth Circuit Championship | Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough | Sunday 28 June 2026 |
| Junior Open & Junior Women’s National TT Championships | Yorkshire | Saturday 4 July 2026 |
| Junior Open & Junior Women’s National Road Race Championships | Yorkshire | Sunday 5 July 2026 |
Youth National Circuit Series
The Youth National Circuit Series returns with an eight-round calendar running from early April through to the August Bank Holiday weekend. The programme again leans heavily on established stage races in Wales, Scotland, the Isle of Man and the North West, alongside single-day events at Hog Hill, Lee Valley and Wyke, offering a varied mix of formats and terrain across the season.
| Round | Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ride Flux 2 Day | Builth Wells Showground, Wales | Saturday 4 – Sunday 5 April 2026 |
| 2 | Youth Tour of Scotland | Forteviot & Fife, Scotland | Friday 10 – Sunday 12 April 2026 |
| 3 | Isle of Man Steam Packet Holidays Youth Tour | Isle of Man | Friday 1 – Sunday 3 May 2026 |
| 4 | Hog Hill GP | Redbridge Cycle Circuit, Hainault | Sunday 24 May 2026 |
| 5 | Youth Tour of Kent | Cyclopark & Lydden Hill | Saturday 20 – Sunday 21 June 2026 |
| 6 | Velopark GP | Lee Valley, London | Sunday 12 July 2026 |
| 7 | Wyke National Circuit Series Race | Wyke, Yorkshire | Sunday 9 August 2026 |
| 8 | North West Youth Tour | Lancaster | Saturday 29 – Monday 31 August 2026 |
Further event details are expected in due course, but the publication of the 2026 calendars provides an early framework for teams, riders and organisers planning their seasons.
