2026 Clayton Spring Classic Handicap: preview and startlist
On Sunday 22 February, the Clayton Spring Classic Handicap returns to the Bashall Eaves circuit near Clitheroe for its 58th edition, once again bringing together Britain’s domestic elite and ambitious lower-category riders in one of the North’s most distinctive and unpredictable early-season contests.
With training camps completed and spring on the horizon, road racing returns to the North of England on Sunday, with a host of Britain’s top riders hoping to get their seasons off to a perfect start with victory in the prestigious Clayton Spring Classic Handicap, a staple of the early-season calendar back for its 58th edition.
A typically fast and furious affair around the Bashall Eaves Circuit near Clitheroe, the Regional C+ race offers the rare chance for 3rd and 4th category riders to line up alongside the stars of the domestic scene, the handicap format allowing anyone to dream of taking the win.
Featured image: Joe Hudson
What is it?
The traditional start to the season in the north, the race has taken on an even more significant role with the continued absence of another famous handicap, the Eddie Soens Memorial, last run around the Aintree motor circuit in 2024.
Sponsored once again by PM&M, with additional support from the local 360Cycling organisation, the 58.5-mile race has a stellar list of winners including Paul Curran and Rob Hayles. More recently, a young Tom Pidcock held off a charging Ian Wilkinson for a breakthrough win in 2016. Course record holder and last-minute entrant Si Wilson soloed to his second victory last year in a rain-soaked affair.
Riders are grouped, generally, according to their British Cycling licence category – the scratch group, containing Elite/1st category riders, plus previous winners Tyler Hannay and Si Wilson, starts six minutes behind the first group, who set off at 10am sharp and consist of 4th category riders and the sole female entry, Kim Baptista.
Sandwiched between them at two-minute intervals are the 3rd and 2nd category groups, with the winners of three of the past four editions coming from here. Lancashire Road Club’s Carl Potter completed a famous upset in 2022 from the second group to start, before Tyler Hannay and Si Wilson took advantage not only of the handicap, but of their youthful exuberance and experience to upset the scratch group as 2nd category riders in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
Image: Joe Hudson
These times are all subject to the chief commissaire’s discretion, the scratch group usually setting off when the first riders come into view of the finishing line if the six-minute mark has not passed.
It was once commonplace for junior riders, often experiencing their first taste of racing on open roads, to take the race to the household names as they started in their own group, Ollie Rees the last to taste victory from the U19 ranks in 2019. Now racing on unrestricted gears since a change in the rules at the start of 2023, the 14 junior entrants will once again not have that advantage, setting off instead with their respective licence categories.
The Course
Fast and largely flat, the 3.9-mile course is covered 15 times in total, the challenge lying in the race’s intensity and often harsh weather conditions as opposed to its topography.
With only 100ft of elevation per lap, the route avoids the more difficult climbs the area is famous for, a number of small drags instead punctuating the course, the toughest being the rise to the finish line, a sweeping bend marking the 200m-to-go point.
Kermesse-like in nature, with technical left-hand turns punctuating each lap, the wind can also play a crucial role in proceedings. The forecast for a strong south-westerly breeze will put riders on alert as the race crosses exposed sections of road multiple times on each of the 15 laps.
Riders to watch
Naturally, the scratch group contains the majority of the favourites, their number and firepower bolstered by the addition of Si Wilson (HUUB-Wattshop), Tyler Hannay (Private Member), and John Roberts (Zappi RT). The former two bring with them a course record and a combined three victories as they step up from their 2nd category licences.
Wearing number one and now well into his 40s, former UCI Continental rider Wilson will need another long-range move to complete a hat-trick in this company, while Hannay has become something of a social media phenomenon since leaving 7 Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines last season. The Manxman already has a victory to his name on his home island this year, although this race will be a much tougher test for the 22-year-old Junior Tour of Wales winner.
Roberts may not be a name familiar to many followers of the domestic scene, the first-year senior heading into his fifth year in Italy, having ridden as a stagiaire with UCI Continental outfit MG.K vis Construzioni Ambiente last year. With some impressive results in UCI races, his international experience belies his 3rd category status.
Hannay wins in 2024. Image: Joe Hudson
With their number up to 18, the scratch group does not lack the class to chase the race down; however, cooperation can be an issue. All eyes will be on the Cycling Sheffield quintet of Josh Horsfield, Oliver Sergeant, Nathan Smith, Alexander Foster and James Sawyers to help set the pace. The latter pair enter their second year under Dave Coulson’s leadership, while Horsfield will want to lay down a marker as the team’s marquee winter signing.
Adding to Zappi RT’s firepower are Maxwell Hereward and Jake Edwards, the pair having broken through in 2025 with 360Cycling to earn their move to Italy, their debuts for Flavio’s eponymous squad coming on the edge of the Pennines rather than the Mediterranean. The pair formed quite the double act last year as all-rounder Hereward claimed the U23 National Road Series title, his ponytailed team-mate often setting him up with audacious long-range attacks, his move in this race last year the catalyst for his breakthrough season.
James McKay (Decca Bikes-Cycleur de Luxe-Auto Stroo) is another rider making his debut for a new team, stepping back up to UCI level with the Australian squad after a very successful year with Wheelbase CabTech Castelli. Winner of the Lincoln and Wentworth Woodhouse Grand Prixs, the course is ideally suited to McKay’s strength and explosive finish. He will race alongside new team-mate Matt King, the Leicester rider himself packing a strong sprint should it come down to a gallop to the line.
Strong time trialist Jack Crook (Moda RT) returns to the UK, having graced the French scene over the past two seasons. Traditionally strong in the early season, he could be one to watch, as is Sam Walsham (Colina x Ciovita Racing), who was second here last year before finishing an impressive fourth in the Peaks 2-Day. A strong criterium rider, the short duration and kermesse-style nature of the course should again suit him.
Dexter Leeming-Sykes (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) proved his worth on a flat course when he took victory in the combined North East, North West and Yorkshire Road Race Championships last season, the 22-year-old hoping to put the injury troubles of the past 18 months behind him with a positive start to the season here. John Bardsley (360Cycling) put in a breakthrough performance two years ago as the only rider strong enough to follow Tyler Hannay’s attack, and after an indifferent 2025 in which he did not kick on as many expected, he will be another rider eager to start 2026 on a positive note.
Image: Joe Hudson
The second category group contains the 2024 Junior National Road Race champion Oliver Dawson (JAKROO-Handsling) as he returns to the UK after a season with Team Hopplà in Italy. Despite finding life abroad challenging, Dawson will bring a huge amount of experience from races such as the Giro Next Gen back to the UK. He showed his penchant for attacking racing in the East and West Midlands Championship last year on a tough course, attacking early and forcing Adam Lewis into a thrilling chase up the final climb before succumbing and finishing third. With a head start on his main rivals, expect to see him attack early, as Hannay did two years ago, and take the race to the scratch group.
Other notable riders on the start list include Cai Curtis-Roberts (360Cycling), who was third last year, and new Prologue RT signing Isaac Oliver, who impressed during his first road race two years ago, keeping pace with a flying Logan Maclean and Tom Martin as the pair set off in pursuit of the race win.
Third category entrant Carl Potter (Lancashire Road Club) will be hoping that lightning does strike twice, while Karl Smith (Unattached) once again takes to the start, the former professional first entering the race 41 years ago.
Provisional startlist
#
First name
Surname
Team
Cat
Group 1
1
Simon
Wilson
HUUB WattShop
2nd
2
Maxwell
Hereward
Zappi Racing Team
Elite
3
Joshua
Horsfield
Cycling Sheffield
Elite
4
James
McKay
Atom 6 – Cycleur de Luxe – Auto Stroo Continental Team
Elite
5
Sam
Walsham
Colina x Ciovita Racing
Elite
6
Benjamin
Arey
Halesowen A & CC
1st
7
John
Bardsley
360cycling
1st
8
Jack
Crook
Moda RT
1st
9
Jake
Edwards
Zappi Racing Team
1st
10
Matthew
King
Atom 6 – Cycleur de Luxe – Auto Stroo Continental Team
With training camps completed and spring on the horizon, road racing returns to the North of England on Sunday, with a host of Britain’s top riders hoping to get their seasons off to a perfect start with victory in the prestigious Clayton Spring Classic Handicap, a staple of the early-season calendar back for its 58th edition.
A typically fast and furious affair around the Bashall Eaves Circuit near Clitheroe, the Regional C+ race offers the rare chance for 3rd and 4th category riders to line up alongside the stars of the domestic scene, the handicap format allowing anyone to dream of taking the win.
Featured image: Joe Hudson
What is it?
The traditional start to the season in the north, the race has taken on an even more significant role with the continued absence of another famous handicap, the Eddie Soens Memorial, last run around the Aintree motor circuit in 2024.
Sponsored once again by PM&M, with additional support from the local 360Cycling organisation, the 58.5-mile race has a stellar list of winners including Paul Curran and Rob Hayles. More recently, a young Tom Pidcock held off a charging Ian Wilkinson for a breakthrough win in 2016. Course record holder and last-minute entrant Si Wilson soloed to his second victory last year in a rain-soaked affair.
Riders are grouped, generally, according to their British Cycling licence category – the scratch group, containing Elite/1st category riders, plus previous winners Tyler Hannay and Si Wilson, starts six minutes behind the first group, who set off at 10am sharp and consist of 4th category riders and the sole female entry, Kim Baptista.
Sandwiched between them at two-minute intervals are the 3rd and 2nd category groups, with the winners of three of the past four editions coming from here. Lancashire Road Club’s Carl Potter completed a famous upset in 2022 from the second group to start, before Tyler Hannay and Si Wilson took advantage not only of the handicap, but of their youthful exuberance and experience to upset the scratch group as 2nd category riders in 2024 and 2025 respectively.
These times are all subject to the chief commissaire’s discretion, the scratch group usually setting off when the first riders come into view of the finishing line if the six-minute mark has not passed.
It was once commonplace for junior riders, often experiencing their first taste of racing on open roads, to take the race to the household names as they started in their own group, Ollie Rees the last to taste victory from the U19 ranks in 2019. Now racing on unrestricted gears since a change in the rules at the start of 2023, the 14 junior entrants will once again not have that advantage, setting off instead with their respective licence categories.
The Course
Fast and largely flat, the 3.9-mile course is covered 15 times in total, the challenge lying in the race’s intensity and often harsh weather conditions as opposed to its topography.
With only 100ft of elevation per lap, the route avoids the more difficult climbs the area is famous for, a number of small drags instead punctuating the course, the toughest being the rise to the finish line, a sweeping bend marking the 200m-to-go point.
Kermesse-like in nature, with technical left-hand turns punctuating each lap, the wind can also play a crucial role in proceedings. The forecast for a strong south-westerly breeze will put riders on alert as the race crosses exposed sections of road multiple times on each of the 15 laps.
Riders to watch
Naturally, the scratch group contains the majority of the favourites, their number and firepower bolstered by the addition of Si Wilson (HUUB-Wattshop), Tyler Hannay (Private Member), and John Roberts (Zappi RT). The former two bring with them a course record and a combined three victories as they step up from their 2nd category licences.
Wearing number one and now well into his 40s, former UCI Continental rider Wilson will need another long-range move to complete a hat-trick in this company, while Hannay has become something of a social media phenomenon since leaving 7 Eleven Cliqq Roadbike Philippines last season. The Manxman already has a victory to his name on his home island this year, although this race will be a much tougher test for the 22-year-old Junior Tour of Wales winner.
Roberts may not be a name familiar to many followers of the domestic scene, the first-year senior heading into his fifth year in Italy, having ridden as a stagiaire with UCI Continental outfit MG.K vis Construzioni Ambiente last year. With some impressive results in UCI races, his international experience belies his 3rd category status.
With their number up to 18, the scratch group does not lack the class to chase the race down; however, cooperation can be an issue. All eyes will be on the Cycling Sheffield quintet of Josh Horsfield, Oliver Sergeant, Nathan Smith, Alexander Foster and James Sawyers to help set the pace. The latter pair enter their second year under Dave Coulson’s leadership, while Horsfield will want to lay down a marker as the team’s marquee winter signing.
Adding to Zappi RT’s firepower are Maxwell Hereward and Jake Edwards, the pair having broken through in 2025 with 360Cycling to earn their move to Italy, their debuts for Flavio’s eponymous squad coming on the edge of the Pennines rather than the Mediterranean. The pair formed quite the double act last year as all-rounder Hereward claimed the U23 National Road Series title, his ponytailed team-mate often setting him up with audacious long-range attacks, his move in this race last year the catalyst for his breakthrough season.
James McKay (Decca Bikes-Cycleur de Luxe-Auto Stroo) is another rider making his debut for a new team, stepping back up to UCI level with the Australian squad after a very successful year with Wheelbase CabTech Castelli. Winner of the Lincoln and Wentworth Woodhouse Grand Prixs, the course is ideally suited to McKay’s strength and explosive finish. He will race alongside new team-mate Matt King, the Leicester rider himself packing a strong sprint should it come down to a gallop to the line.
Strong time trialist Jack Crook (Moda RT) returns to the UK, having graced the French scene over the past two seasons. Traditionally strong in the early season, he could be one to watch, as is Sam Walsham (Colina x Ciovita Racing), who was second here last year before finishing an impressive fourth in the Peaks 2-Day. A strong criterium rider, the short duration and kermesse-style nature of the course should again suit him.
Dexter Leeming-Sykes (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) proved his worth on a flat course when he took victory in the combined North East, North West and Yorkshire Road Race Championships last season, the 22-year-old hoping to put the injury troubles of the past 18 months behind him with a positive start to the season here. John Bardsley (360Cycling) put in a breakthrough performance two years ago as the only rider strong enough to follow Tyler Hannay’s attack, and after an indifferent 2025 in which he did not kick on as many expected, he will be another rider eager to start 2026 on a positive note.
The second category group contains the 2024 Junior National Road Race champion Oliver Dawson (JAKROO-Handsling) as he returns to the UK after a season with Team Hopplà in Italy. Despite finding life abroad challenging, Dawson will bring a huge amount of experience from races such as the Giro Next Gen back to the UK. He showed his penchant for attacking racing in the East and West Midlands Championship last year on a tough course, attacking early and forcing Adam Lewis into a thrilling chase up the final climb before succumbing and finishing third. With a head start on his main rivals, expect to see him attack early, as Hannay did two years ago, and take the race to the scratch group.
Other notable riders on the start list include Cai Curtis-Roberts (360Cycling), who was third last year, and new Prologue RT signing Isaac Oliver, who impressed during his first road race two years ago, keeping pace with a flying Logan Maclean and Tom Martin as the pair set off in pursuit of the race win.
Third category entrant Carl Potter (Lancashire Road Club) will be hoping that lightning does strike twice, while Karl Smith (Unattached) once again takes to the start, the former professional first entering the race 41 years ago.
Provisional startlist
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