2026 ANEXO/CAMS Junior CiCLE Classic: report and results
William Coles claimed one of the biggest junior wins of the British spring on Saturday 22 March, winning the Junior CiCLE Classic from a reduced sprint after the Melton lanes and sectors had done their work.
William Coles (Cannibal B Victorious) won the Junior CiCLE Classic on Saturday morning, taking a reduced sprint at the end of one of the most selective races on the junior calendar. William Brown (Shibden Apex RT) was second on the same time, with Arthur Limb (Harrogate Nova Race Team) third at two seconds.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
Report
Run on the same morning as the Women’s CiCLE Classic, the junior race again underlined why it is one of the hardest and most prestigious rounds of the Junior National Road Series. The gravel sectors, narrow lanes and steep climbs made it a race of constant pressure rather than one dramatic rupture, with position and judgement mattering almost as much as raw power.
Coles said afterwards that he had made riding near the front a priority from the start, conscious of how easily a rider could lose their race to a crash or a badly timed split on such a relentless course. “From the beginning I wanted to make sure I was at the pointy end of things to ensure I wasn’t caught up in crashes and the mayhem of such a relentless course,” he told The British Continental. “I found some footing through the gravel sectors and was pushing the pace as a result of being near the front heading into each gravel sector.”
A key moment came when a dangerous move involving Milo Wills (camsmajaco) and Matthew Fletcher (Harrogate Nova Race Team) forced the race behind to respond. That move was brought back with around 20 kilometres remaining, helping set up the reduced sprint that would decide the race.
The closing kilometres were, in Coles’s words, “an electric last 3km as everyone was fighting for every inch”. As the race swept back into town and through the final corners, the front group remained tightly packed, with little separating the riders still in contention.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
Coles described finding himself fourth wheel out of the final corner before launching his sprint and reaching the line first for his biggest win yet as a junior. “Will Brown opened up his sprint first and I found myself in the wheel. I soon after opened up and made it to the finish line with my hands in the air for the first time as my time in the junior category,” said Coles.
Behind him, Brown continued his strong early-season run with second place after winning the opening round at Hatherleigh, while Limb took third for Harrogate Nova. Harrison Evans (Prologue Racing Team) and Freddie Winkley (Harrogate Nova Race Team) completed the top five.
Coles admitted afterwards that the scale of the result had not fully sunk in. “Really pleased to take the win on such a prestigious race in the British calendar,” he said. “I knew it would make for a hard race and was hoping for a good result but still can’t believe I came away with the win today.”
William Coles (Cannibal B Victorious) won the Junior CiCLE Classic on Saturday morning, taking a reduced sprint at the end of one of the most selective races on the junior calendar. William Brown (Shibden Apex RT) was second on the same time, with Arthur Limb (Harrogate Nova Race Team) third at two seconds.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
Report
Run on the same morning as the Women’s CiCLE Classic, the junior race again underlined why it is one of the hardest and most prestigious rounds of the Junior National Road Series. The gravel sectors, narrow lanes and steep climbs made it a race of constant pressure rather than one dramatic rupture, with position and judgement mattering almost as much as raw power.
Coles said afterwards that he had made riding near the front a priority from the start, conscious of how easily a rider could lose their race to a crash or a badly timed split on such a relentless course. “From the beginning I wanted to make sure I was at the pointy end of things to ensure I wasn’t caught up in crashes and the mayhem of such a relentless course,” he told The British Continental. “I found some footing through the gravel sectors and was pushing the pace as a result of being near the front heading into each gravel sector.”
A key moment came when a dangerous move involving Milo Wills (camsmajaco) and Matthew Fletcher (Harrogate Nova Race Team) forced the race behind to respond. That move was brought back with around 20 kilometres remaining, helping set up the reduced sprint that would decide the race.
The closing kilometres were, in Coles’s words, “an electric last 3km as everyone was fighting for every inch”. As the race swept back into town and through the final corners, the front group remained tightly packed, with little separating the riders still in contention.
Coles described finding himself fourth wheel out of the final corner before launching his sprint and reaching the line first for his biggest win yet as a junior. “Will Brown opened up his sprint first and I found myself in the wheel. I soon after opened up and made it to the finish line with my hands in the air for the first time as my time in the junior category,” said Coles.
Behind him, Brown continued his strong early-season run with second place after winning the opening round at Hatherleigh, while Limb took third for Harrogate Nova. Harrison Evans (Prologue Racing Team) and Freddie Winkley (Harrogate Nova Race Team) completed the top five.
Coles admitted afterwards that the scale of the result had not fully sunk in. “Really pleased to take the win on such a prestigious race in the British calendar,” he said. “I knew it would make for a hard race and was hoping for a good result but still can’t believe I came away with the win today.”
Results
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