The Kennel Hill Classic has become one of those races that earns its place on the spring calendar through the quality of its winner. It returns for a fifth edition on Saturday (28 March).
The Kennel Hill Classic has become one of those races that earns its place on the spring calendar through the quality of its winner. Back for a fifth edition on Saturday (28 March), it arrives with a healthy open field, a course that has already produced some memorable finishes, and no settled favourite to read the race around.
Featured image: Paceline Media
What is it?
The Kennel Hill Classic is a National B open road race organised by Racing Club Ravenna and run on roads associated with one of the more overlooked landmarks in British cycling history. In 1982, Goodwood hosted the UCI Road World Championships, and it was here that Mandy Jones – now Mandy Bishop – rode to the rainbow jersey, becoming Britain’s first women’s road world champion. The circuit fell quiet in the decades that followed, largely forgotten by the domestic calendar until Seb Ottley revived it in 2022 under the name RCR FatCreations Road Race. His aim was a spring classic for the British scene, something with a course to remember. Four editions in, the race has earned that description.
Ottley is also the organiser behind the Portsdown Classic and has built the Kennel Hill race on similar principles: hard terrain, tight margins, and no hiding place for riders who can’t climb. The race was rebranded as the Kennel Hill Classic for the 2025 edition, taking its name from the defining feature of the circuit.
Ollie Peckover won the inaugural edition in 2022, Zeb Kyffin took the 2023 race. Rowan Baker won the 2024 edition, returning this year for JAKROO Handsling Racing. The most recent champion is Adam Howell, who took the 2025 open race with a well-timed attack on the final ascent – but Howell now races in France with Bourg en Bresse Ain Cyclisme and will not be defending. The women’s race, which Lucy Lee won in 2025, has been cancelled for this edition after attracting insufficient entries; The British Continentalcovered that development earlier this month.
Route
The 17.3-kilometre circuit begins outside Goodwood racecourse and heads east along Selhurstpark Road for around five kilometres before turning right onto the A285 and descending south through Halnaker and past the Boxgrove crossroads for approximately six and a half kilometres. A right turn onto New Road carries riders west for two kilometres to a roundabout, where the third exit points north and the main climb begins.
From the roundabout, the road rises for roughly 3.5 kilometres – gently at first, then steepening sharply in the final kilometre, with ramps reaching ten percent in places. A right-hand bend near the summit sets up the run-in to the finish line. With 263 metres of elevation gain per lap and no significant flat sections to recover on, the circuit is relentlessly selective – an asset for attackers, a test of resolve for anyone hoping to survive to a sprint. The field will complete seven laps for a total of approximately 121 kilometres.
Timings
The open race starts at 09:30.
Contenders
The clearest narrative thread in the startlist runs through JAKROO Handsling Racing. Rowan Baker is the headline name – winner here in 2024 on a day when he controlled the race from the front, and fourth in 2025 when Adam Howell’s late attack proved too sharp to follow. His 2025 season was one of the strongest on the domestic scene: Peaks 2-Day overall, Beaumont Trophy winner, and consistent deep runs across National B and National A level. He arrives here as the man who knows the Kennel Hill circuit better than anyone in the field and with the climbing legs to use that knowledge. Around him, the JAKROO squad has genuine depth: Thomas Heal, Alex Franks, Oscar Nisbett, and Conor White give the team the numbers to animate the race rather than simply protect one card.
The most compelling counter-argument arrives in the shape of Alex Murphy. The Stolen Goat 4Endurance rider won the Portsdown Classic in February in only his second season at this level, and was in Europe last weekend fine-tuning his form – finishing 12th at the Prix de Chaudun. Kennel Hill is a different kind of test from Portsdown, but Murphy’s ability to hold pace over repeated efforts and finish with conviction makes him a genuine threat regardless of how the race is won.
Murphy wins the 2026 Portsdown Classic. Image: Paceline Media
Matthew Gilmour arrives at the top of The British Continental road race rankings after the most consistent early-season run of any rider in the field: second at Portsdown, fourth at the AeroCLCTV Royal Navy Cup, and ninth at the Jock Wadley Memorial. His results have come on courses of varying character, which speaks to versatility as much as form. Olly Curd (DAS Richardsons) has his own claim on the week – he won the Jock Wadley this year and finished second here in 2025. He races alongside Jordan Giles and Olivier Mangham in one of the more experienced and cohesive domestic squads. The DAS Richardsons three could be a real factor if they race as a unit on the climbs.
Jack Baldie of Pronto Bikes finished second at Portsdown earlier this season and deserves a mention among the riders capable of making the final selection. Danylo Riwnyj (Foran CT) is in fine fettle after winning the Dulwich Paragon Wally Gimber Trophy last weekend in dominant fashion – a performance that marks him out as one of the form riders heading into this race. Clay Davies (RideRevolution Coaching) has been quietly building a strong early season; his improving form on punchy parlours suggest Kennel Hill’s repeated climbing suits could suit him. Teammate Josh Housley adds further quality to the RideRevolution card.
Jed Smithson is listed alongside Hagens Berman Jayco – a renowned development programme – and brings a UCI pedigree that puts him apart from most of this field. A stage win at the Okolo Jižních Čech last season was among numerous top results on the UCI Europe circuit; if he’s here to race, he will be competitive. And at the other end of the age scale, Leon Atkins of camsmajaco made an immediate impression at the Guido Reybrouck Juniors stage race last weekend, winning the opening time trial stage and finishing eighth overall. The 17-year-old Lidl-Trek future signing has shown repeatedly that he can match seniors on climbing terrain. Nathan Levitt (Foran CT), who won a stage at the Junior Tour of Ireland last season, is another young ridercapable of going deep into the race on a circuit that rewards climbing ability and sustained power.
The Kennel Hill Classic has become one of those races that earns its place on the spring calendar through the quality of its winner. Back for a fifth edition on Saturday (28 March), it arrives with a healthy open field, a course that has already produced some memorable finishes, and no settled favourite to read the race around.
Featured image: Paceline Media
What is it?
The Kennel Hill Classic is a National B open road race organised by Racing Club Ravenna and run on roads associated with one of the more overlooked landmarks in British cycling history. In 1982, Goodwood hosted the UCI Road World Championships, and it was here that Mandy Jones – now Mandy Bishop – rode to the rainbow jersey, becoming Britain’s first women’s road world champion. The circuit fell quiet in the decades that followed, largely forgotten by the domestic calendar until Seb Ottley revived it in 2022 under the name RCR FatCreations Road Race. His aim was a spring classic for the British scene, something with a course to remember. Four editions in, the race has earned that description.
Ottley is also the organiser behind the Portsdown Classic and has built the Kennel Hill race on similar principles: hard terrain, tight margins, and no hiding place for riders who can’t climb. The race was rebranded as the Kennel Hill Classic for the 2025 edition, taking its name from the defining feature of the circuit.
Ollie Peckover won the inaugural edition in 2022, Zeb Kyffin took the 2023 race. Rowan Baker won the 2024 edition, returning this year for JAKROO Handsling Racing. The most recent champion is Adam Howell, who took the 2025 open race with a well-timed attack on the final ascent – but Howell now races in France with Bourg en Bresse Ain Cyclisme and will not be defending. The women’s race, which Lucy Lee won in 2025, has been cancelled for this edition after attracting insufficient entries; The British Continental covered that development earlier this month.
Route
The 17.3-kilometre circuit begins outside Goodwood racecourse and heads east along Selhurstpark Road for around five kilometres before turning right onto the A285 and descending south through Halnaker and past the Boxgrove crossroads for approximately six and a half kilometres. A right turn onto New Road carries riders west for two kilometres to a roundabout, where the third exit points north and the main climb begins.
From the roundabout, the road rises for roughly 3.5 kilometres – gently at first, then steepening sharply in the final kilometre, with ramps reaching ten percent in places. A right-hand bend near the summit sets up the run-in to the finish line. With 263 metres of elevation gain per lap and no significant flat sections to recover on, the circuit is relentlessly selective – an asset for attackers, a test of resolve for anyone hoping to survive to a sprint. The field will complete seven laps for a total of approximately 121 kilometres.
Timings
The open race starts at 09:30.
Contenders
The clearest narrative thread in the startlist runs through JAKROO Handsling Racing. Rowan Baker is the headline name – winner here in 2024 on a day when he controlled the race from the front, and fourth in 2025 when Adam Howell’s late attack proved too sharp to follow. His 2025 season was one of the strongest on the domestic scene: Peaks 2-Day overall, Beaumont Trophy winner, and consistent deep runs across National B and National A level. He arrives here as the man who knows the Kennel Hill circuit better than anyone in the field and with the climbing legs to use that knowledge. Around him, the JAKROO squad has genuine depth: Thomas Heal, Alex Franks, Oscar Nisbett, and Conor White give the team the numbers to animate the race rather than simply protect one card.
The most compelling counter-argument arrives in the shape of Alex Murphy. The Stolen Goat 4Endurance rider won the Portsdown Classic in February in only his second season at this level, and was in Europe last weekend fine-tuning his form – finishing 12th at the Prix de Chaudun. Kennel Hill is a different kind of test from Portsdown, but Murphy’s ability to hold pace over repeated efforts and finish with conviction makes him a genuine threat regardless of how the race is won.
Matthew Gilmour arrives at the top of The British Continental road race rankings after the most consistent early-season run of any rider in the field: second at Portsdown, fourth at the AeroCLCTV Royal Navy Cup, and ninth at the Jock Wadley Memorial. His results have come on courses of varying character, which speaks to versatility as much as form. Olly Curd (DAS Richardsons) has his own claim on the week – he won the Jock Wadley this year and finished second here in 2025. He races alongside Jordan Giles and Olivier Mangham in one of the more experienced and cohesive domestic squads. The DAS Richardsons three could be a real factor if they race as a unit on the climbs.
Jack Baldie of Pronto Bikes finished second at Portsdown earlier this season and deserves a mention among the riders capable of making the final selection. Danylo Riwnyj (Foran CT) is in fine fettle after winning the Dulwich Paragon Wally Gimber Trophy last weekend in dominant fashion – a performance that marks him out as one of the form riders heading into this race. Clay Davies (RideRevolution Coaching) has been quietly building a strong early season; his improving form on punchy parlours suggest Kennel Hill’s repeated climbing suits could suit him. Teammate Josh Housley adds further quality to the RideRevolution card.
Jed Smithson is listed alongside Hagens Berman Jayco – a renowned development programme – and brings a UCI pedigree that puts him apart from most of this field. A stage win at the Okolo Jižních Čech last season was among numerous top results on the UCI Europe circuit; if he’s here to race, he will be competitive. And at the other end of the age scale, Leon Atkins of camsmajaco made an immediate impression at the Guido Reybrouck Juniors stage race last weekend, winning the opening time trial stage and finishing eighth overall. The 17-year-old Lidl-Trek future signing has shown repeatedly that he can match seniors on climbing terrain. Nathan Levitt (Foran CT), who won a stage at the Junior Tour of Ireland last season, is another young ridercapable of going deep into the race on a circuit that rewards climbing ability and sustained power.
Provisional startlist
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