Scottish road racing opens its account on Saturday. The Gifford Road Race - Round 1 of both the Alba Road Series and the Scotia Series - is where form gets tested for the first time, reputations get made, and the season's early narratives begin to take shape
Scottish road racing opens its account on Saturday. The Gifford Road Race – Round 1 of both the Alba Road Series and the Scotia Series – is where form gets tested for the first time, reputations get made, and the season’s early narratives begin to take shape. Edinburgh RC’s 18th edition takes place on 28 March in the East Lothian countryside east of Edinburgh, with a full three-race programme culminating in the open National B over 120 kilometres and nine laps of a course that has a habit of producing surprises.
Featured image: Charles McSherry
What is it?
The Gifford Road Race has earned its place as one of the most dependable fixtures in Scottish domestic cycling: a well-organised, well-attended National B event that draws riders from across Britain and serves, year after year, as the first genuine test of the season. Organised by Edinburgh Road Club – founded in 1925 – it returns for its 18th edition on Saturday.
The race carries double significance in 2026, opening both the Alba Road Series and the Scotia Series on the same afternoon. The Alba Road Series is the highest level of Scottish domestic competition, running across five rounds through the season; the Scotia Series sits alongside it as a parallel points competition, supported by Santini, giving the Gifford result added weight whichever jersey a rider is chasing. A strong performance here does not just announce a season – it puts points on the board.
The 2025 edition was arguably the race’s best yet by most measures. Glorious weather, racing good enough to earn a nomination for Scottish Cycling event of the year, and the first women’s race in the event’s history, which drew 30 entrants ranging from first-timers to riders who have competed at the highest level. Logan Maclean took the open race with a controlled breakaway win, while Jenny Holl (Loughborough Lightning) claimed the inaugural women’s edition from a four-rider move. Tom Martin, Zeb Kyffin, John Archibald and Finn Crockett are among those to feature on the race’s roll of honour.
Edinburgh RC has worked to make the event as accessible as possible. A discounted entry scheme – funded partly through Scottish Cycling’s additional regional events fund and partly by the club itself – is designed to ease the financial burden on riders aged 18 to 30, the age group where the cost of racing typically bites hardest. It is a commitment backed by real money, not just good intentions.
As ever, the club’s relationship with the village is at the heart of the event. Race HQ is at Gifford Village Hall, and Edinburgh RC extends its thanks to the Lantern Rouge Café and the residents of Gifford, Bolton, and all points along the course, without whose goodwill none of this would be possible.
Logan Maclean pips Alex Ball in 2025. Image: Charles McSherry
Route
The open Nat B race covers nine laps of the 13.35-kilometre circuit – 120 kilometres in total – through rolling East Lothian countryside approximately 40 kilometres east of Edinburgh. The women’s race and the open Cat 3/4 and Junior open each complete four laps of the same loop, around 53 kilometres. All races start from Gifford Village Hall on the B6355, with the finish line positioned approximately 800 metres before the return to the village.
Each lap accumulates 150 metres of climbing, with the main feature a 73-metre rise from Parkend to Bolton Muir Wood over 3.2 kilometres. The course begins with a neutralised section until after the sharp left-hander at the foot of Cockles Brae on the B6369, before racing proper gets under way. The first significant challenge comes early – Broun’s Hill is enough to splinter the bunch on tired legs even if it reads quietly on the elevation profile. A long, often wind-exposed straight towards Haddington follows, regularly producing echelons, before the Bolton climb becomes the decisive arena in the closing laps: a sharp ramp, a right-hand bend, a long drag to the summit, and then the rolling terrain of Bolton Woods before the final kick to the line.
Contenders
Open race
Logan Maclean returns to defend his 2025 title, and arrives as the most proven rider in the field at this particular race. His victory 12 months ago was a model of controlled aggression — an attacking move four laps out, driven to the finish without drama, settled in the sprint — and he backed it up later in the year with a prologue win at the Mennock Pass Stage Race and third place at the Scottish National Road Race Championships. He has raced Gifford three times now and knows exactly where the race is decided.
The most compelling form in the field belongs to Jake Edwards (Zappi Racing Team), who arrives having won the Peaks 2-Day overall just a fortnight ago – including the summit-finish stage two. A year ago he was second at the Yorkshire U23 Classic and second at the Witheridge Grand Prix; he is clearly a rider on an upward curve, and a course that rewards those who can climb and sustain an effort over nine laps suits his profile well.
Jake Edwards on his way to time trial victory on Holme Moss at the Peak 2 Day. Image: Joe Hudson
Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT field ten riders – the largest squad in the race – and their options are formidable. Sam Chisholm is the headline name: he won the 2025 Scottish National Road Race Championships and was in the first meaningful move here in 2025 before being brought back by the bunch. Converting early aggression into a result on home roads is the next step. Finn McHenry has the strongest Gifford pedigree of the squad, finishing seventh here in 2024, and his fourth place at the 2024 Lancaster Grand Prix remains one of the more striking results by any rider in this field on a hard course. Elijah Kwon comes in with early-season form behind him – fifth at the Evesham Vale Road Race earlier this month – while Ahron Dick is another presence in a squad that can afford to be patient, cover moves, and still keep cards in reserve.
Jack Hartley (Moonglu SpatzWear) is a serial winner at National B level – the GA Bennett Road Race in consecutive years, the Yorkshire and North West regional road race championship in 2024 – and Moonglu send several riders in support, which gives them genuine options tactically. His 54th at Evesham Vale two weeks ago is less than his best, but form fluctuates early in a season and he is dangerous in any race that comes together for a sprint.
Finn Mason (Hubo–Scott Cycling Team) has quietly assembled the best Gifford record in the field among those returning: eighth in 2024, ninth in 2025. He was also seventh at the 2025 Beaumont Trophy, which suggests he can perform on demanding courses later in the season too. A DNF at the Peaks 2-Day this year is a setback, but his knowledge of this circuit is an asset most of the field cannot match. Sam Barbour (Cycling Sheffield) opened his 2026 account with 12th at the Evesham Vale Road Race and is improving season on season – still only 19, this will be his third Gifford start.
Robert Smart makes the step up to Wheelbase CabTech Castelli for 2026 after a quietly impressive 2025: ninth at the Scottish Nationals, tenth at the Drummond Trophy, 11th at the Yorkshire U23 Classic. He starts here as one of Wheelbase’s younger riders but with a résumé that already suggests he belongs in stronger company.
Among the juniors, Zach Barbour (Spokes Racing Team) is a 17-year-old making his first appearance at the senior level after a strong start to 2026 having finished 8th at both the Hatherleigh Junior Road Race and the Junior CiCLE Classic Results aside, the willingness of junior riders to test themselves against elites at this level is exactly what Gifford is designed to encourage.
Women’s race
Handsling Alba Development Road Team are the team to beat, and it would be a surprise if the result didn’t come from their three-rider lineup. Anna Flynn is the most obvious threat – she finished second in last year’s inaugural women’s race at Gifford after driving the decisive four-rider move, and arrives having won the national cyclocross championships earlier this year. Arabella Blackburn is the most compelling newcomer: a junior world team pursuit champion in 2025 with Great Britain, and a European junior champion, she makes her domestic road race debut for Alba having stepped up from Shibden Apex RT over the winter. Amelia Tyler completes the Alba trio and adds further depth to a squad that, even at three riders, carries more collective quality than most of the rest of the startlist combined.
Anna Flynn (Handsling Alba Development Road Team). Image: by Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Rebecca Saunderson (Studio Velo) has Gifford form to draw on – third here in 2025 – and will know how the race tends to develop. Kayla Dinnin (FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing) is one of the stronger U23 additions to the domestic scene this season and worth watching if the race splinters. Hervelo Cycling send four riders including the experienced Jodie Brumhead, and Vanelli–Project Go’s Miriam Gilbride was a finisher here in 2025.
With 41 starters ranging from first-timers to riders racing at Continental level, the women’s race retains the inclusive character that made its debut such a success. The racing at the front is likely to be brisk; Alba’s numbers make it difficult for anyone to counter without real intent early on.
Scottish road racing opens its account on Saturday. The Gifford Road Race – Round 1 of both the Alba Road Series and the Scotia Series – is where form gets tested for the first time, reputations get made, and the season’s early narratives begin to take shape. Edinburgh RC’s 18th edition takes place on 28 March in the East Lothian countryside east of Edinburgh, with a full three-race programme culminating in the open National B over 120 kilometres and nine laps of a course that has a habit of producing surprises.
Featured image: Charles McSherry
What is it?
The Gifford Road Race has earned its place as one of the most dependable fixtures in Scottish domestic cycling: a well-organised, well-attended National B event that draws riders from across Britain and serves, year after year, as the first genuine test of the season. Organised by Edinburgh Road Club – founded in 1925 – it returns for its 18th edition on Saturday.
The race carries double significance in 2026, opening both the Alba Road Series and the Scotia Series on the same afternoon. The Alba Road Series is the highest level of Scottish domestic competition, running across five rounds through the season; the Scotia Series sits alongside it as a parallel points competition, supported by Santini, giving the Gifford result added weight whichever jersey a rider is chasing. A strong performance here does not just announce a season – it puts points on the board.
The 2025 edition was arguably the race’s best yet by most measures. Glorious weather, racing good enough to earn a nomination for Scottish Cycling event of the year, and the first women’s race in the event’s history, which drew 30 entrants ranging from first-timers to riders who have competed at the highest level. Logan Maclean took the open race with a controlled breakaway win, while Jenny Holl (Loughborough Lightning) claimed the inaugural women’s edition from a four-rider move. Tom Martin, Zeb Kyffin, John Archibald and Finn Crockett are among those to feature on the race’s roll of honour.
Edinburgh RC has worked to make the event as accessible as possible. A discounted entry scheme – funded partly through Scottish Cycling’s additional regional events fund and partly by the club itself – is designed to ease the financial burden on riders aged 18 to 30, the age group where the cost of racing typically bites hardest. It is a commitment backed by real money, not just good intentions.
As ever, the club’s relationship with the village is at the heart of the event. Race HQ is at Gifford Village Hall, and Edinburgh RC extends its thanks to the Lantern Rouge Café and the residents of Gifford, Bolton, and all points along the course, without whose goodwill none of this would be possible.
Route
The open Nat B race covers nine laps of the 13.35-kilometre circuit – 120 kilometres in total – through rolling East Lothian countryside approximately 40 kilometres east of Edinburgh. The women’s race and the open Cat 3/4 and Junior open each complete four laps of the same loop, around 53 kilometres. All races start from Gifford Village Hall on the B6355, with the finish line positioned approximately 800 metres before the return to the village.
Each lap accumulates 150 metres of climbing, with the main feature a 73-metre rise from Parkend to Bolton Muir Wood over 3.2 kilometres. The course begins with a neutralised section until after the sharp left-hander at the foot of Cockles Brae on the B6369, before racing proper gets under way. The first significant challenge comes early – Broun’s Hill is enough to splinter the bunch on tired legs even if it reads quietly on the elevation profile. A long, often wind-exposed straight towards Haddington follows, regularly producing echelons, before the Bolton climb becomes the decisive arena in the closing laps: a sharp ramp, a right-hand bend, a long drag to the summit, and then the rolling terrain of Bolton Woods before the final kick to the line.
Contenders
Open race
Logan Maclean returns to defend his 2025 title, and arrives as the most proven rider in the field at this particular race. His victory 12 months ago was a model of controlled aggression — an attacking move four laps out, driven to the finish without drama, settled in the sprint — and he backed it up later in the year with a prologue win at the Mennock Pass Stage Race and third place at the Scottish National Road Race Championships. He has raced Gifford three times now and knows exactly where the race is decided.
The most compelling form in the field belongs to Jake Edwards (Zappi Racing Team), who arrives having won the Peaks 2-Day overall just a fortnight ago – including the summit-finish stage two. A year ago he was second at the Yorkshire U23 Classic and second at the Witheridge Grand Prix; he is clearly a rider on an upward curve, and a course that rewards those who can climb and sustain an effort over nine laps suits his profile well.
Edinburgh Bike Fitting RT field ten riders – the largest squad in the race – and their options are formidable. Sam Chisholm is the headline name: he won the 2025 Scottish National Road Race Championships and was in the first meaningful move here in 2025 before being brought back by the bunch. Converting early aggression into a result on home roads is the next step. Finn McHenry has the strongest Gifford pedigree of the squad, finishing seventh here in 2024, and his fourth place at the 2024 Lancaster Grand Prix remains one of the more striking results by any rider in this field on a hard course. Elijah Kwon comes in with early-season form behind him – fifth at the Evesham Vale Road Race earlier this month – while Ahron Dick is another presence in a squad that can afford to be patient, cover moves, and still keep cards in reserve.
Jack Hartley (Moonglu SpatzWear) is a serial winner at National B level – the GA Bennett Road Race in consecutive years, the Yorkshire and North West regional road race championship in 2024 – and Moonglu send several riders in support, which gives them genuine options tactically. His 54th at Evesham Vale two weeks ago is less than his best, but form fluctuates early in a season and he is dangerous in any race that comes together for a sprint.
Finn Mason (Hubo–Scott Cycling Team) has quietly assembled the best Gifford record in the field among those returning: eighth in 2024, ninth in 2025. He was also seventh at the 2025 Beaumont Trophy, which suggests he can perform on demanding courses later in the season too. A DNF at the Peaks 2-Day this year is a setback, but his knowledge of this circuit is an asset most of the field cannot match. Sam Barbour (Cycling Sheffield) opened his 2026 account with 12th at the Evesham Vale Road Race and is improving season on season – still only 19, this will be his third Gifford start.
Robert Smart makes the step up to Wheelbase CabTech Castelli for 2026 after a quietly impressive 2025: ninth at the Scottish Nationals, tenth at the Drummond Trophy, 11th at the Yorkshire U23 Classic. He starts here as one of Wheelbase’s younger riders but with a résumé that already suggests he belongs in stronger company.
Among the juniors, Zach Barbour (Spokes Racing Team) is a 17-year-old making his first appearance at the senior level after a strong start to 2026 having finished 8th at both the Hatherleigh Junior Road Race and the Junior CiCLE Classic Results aside, the willingness of junior riders to test themselves against elites at this level is exactly what Gifford is designed to encourage.
Women’s race
Handsling Alba Development Road Team are the team to beat, and it would be a surprise if the result didn’t come from their three-rider lineup. Anna Flynn is the most obvious threat – she finished second in last year’s inaugural women’s race at Gifford after driving the decisive four-rider move, and arrives having won the national cyclocross championships earlier this year. Arabella Blackburn is the most compelling newcomer: a junior world team pursuit champion in 2025 with Great Britain, and a European junior champion, she makes her domestic road race debut for Alba having stepped up from Shibden Apex RT over the winter. Amelia Tyler completes the Alba trio and adds further depth to a squad that, even at three riders, carries more collective quality than most of the rest of the startlist combined.
Rebecca Saunderson (Studio Velo) has Gifford form to draw on – third here in 2025 – and will know how the race tends to develop. Kayla Dinnin (FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing) is one of the stronger U23 additions to the domestic scene this season and worth watching if the race splinters. Hervelo Cycling send four riders including the experienced Jodie Brumhead, and Vanelli–Project Go’s Miriam Gilbride was a finisher here in 2025.
With 41 starters ranging from first-timers to riders racing at Continental level, the women’s race retains the inclusive character that made its debut such a success. The racing at the front is likely to be brisk; Alba’s numbers make it difficult for anyone to counter without real intent early on.
Provisional startlist
Open National B
Women’s race
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