2026 Community Traffic Management East Cleveland Classic: preview and startlists
The East Cleveland Classic opens the open National Road Series on Sunday 12 April — 140 riders on a 25-kilometre circuit that finishes atop Saltburn Bank. The women's field, 87 riders strong, contest Round 2 of their series on the same roads.
The East Cleveland Classic is three years old. In that time it has established something most races take far longer to find: a reason to matter. On Sunday, 140 open riders come to Saltburn-by-the-Sea for the first round of the open National Road Series; the 87-strong women’s field are here for the second. All of them will face Saltburn Bank, the fierce, double-digit uphill finale overlooking the sea. Whatever the early form lines suggest, the Bank will have the final word.
The British Continental‘s National Road Series previews are powered by Topp Cycling.
Featured image: SWpix.com
The race
The East Cleveland Classic holds dual National Road Series status: the open race counts as Round 1 of the 2026 series, while the women’s runs as Round 2, following the ANEXO/CAMS Women’s CiCLE Classic in March.
The event is one of only a handful of domestic races that can point to Tour of Britain stages and National Championship hosting as part of its recent history. Add in the East Cleveland Klondike Grand Prix that previously ran on a similar course and its clear that the East Cleveland Classic has an unusual pedigree for a race still in its infancy.
Last season Adam Howell pipped George Kimber in a nail-biting, shoulder-to-shoulder finish in the open race, while Alice McWilliam stormed to the win in a select sprint in the women’s race.
The peloton climbs Saltburn Bank in 2025. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
The route
Both races use the same 25.83-kilometre circuit, starting and finishing on Glenside in Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The open field covers six laps — 155 kilometres; the women four — 105 kilometres. With a profile score (a measure of how challenging the course is) of 73.2, this is tougher course than an average National A road race.
The circuit heads south-west out of Saltburn, dropping through Upleatham and descending towards Guisborough before looping back east through Charltons, Boosbeck, Lingdale, and Kilton Thorpe, then north through Brotton and back down to Saltburn. In the final kilometres, the descent into town is fast and technical — a series of sweeping corners before a left hairpin introduces Saltburn Bank, the defining feature of the course.
The Bank is short but ugly. Gradients exceed double digits, with an average elevation of 14.7% according to VeloViewer, a decisive factor in the race.
Elsewhere the course demands attention: the race manual flags a sharp descent under trees near Kilton Thorpe — 90-degree bends on a narrow road — and a railway bridge with a further turn immediately after. And with 416 metres of climbing to contend with on each lap, this is not simply a matter of waiting for Saltburn Bank; the selection is normally made well before the final ascent of the seaside climb.
Timing
The women’s race begins at 9.00 with the open field rolling out at 13:15.
Weather
The forecast for Saltburn-by-the-Sea on Sunday is not yet fully resolved, but the week is trending cool and predominantly dry. Current indications point to temperatures around 10–12°C, with relatively low precipitation chances. A coastal venue, Saltburn is exposed to wind off the North Sea. In 2025, a stiffening headwind shaped the final lap of the open race significantly.
Riders to watch
Open race
Wheelbase CabTech Castelli arrive as arguably the most resourced outfit on the domestic scene. Tom Armstrong took the open National Circuit Series overall in 2025 and has been one of the most consistent National Road Series performers in recent seasons. Tom Martin won the overall at Rás Mumhan last year and is a perennial threat in top domestic road races. Tim Shoreman finished second here in 2024, holds a Great Britain track squad place and one of the fastest finishers in the domestic peloton. At eight riders, Wheelbase have the numbers to control and multiple options to capitalise.
James McKay (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) wins the 2025 Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
James McKay (Atom 6–Cycleur de Luxe–Auto Stroo) won the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix last season for Wheelbase before departing for a UCI Continental opportunity. He returns to a National Road Series open field facing his former team on terrain that suits his profile.
Danylo Riwnyj (Foran CT) won the Rás Mumhan this week — taking yellow on the queen stage after riding solo over the Coomanaspig into a block headwind, then defending the lead across two further stages to take the overall in Killorglin. He described it as his best result yet. East Cleveland, less than a week later, is a different kind of race, but a rider in that kind of form is not one to overlook.
Similarly, Gabe Dellar (RideRevolution Coaching) podiumed on stages two and three of the Rás Mumhan, won the final stage in Killorglin, took the points classification, and finished sixth overall — having arrived, by his own account, expecting the race to be too hard for him. East Cleveland is his first domestic National A of the season. The Rás Mumhan suggests he should be taken seriously in it. His teammate Clay Davies (RideRevolution Coaching) opened 2026 in good form and confirmed it last weekend with second overall at the Totnes Vire. Together with Josh Housley, last year’s Capernwray victor, the pair give RideRevolution real depth.
Deetray Jarrett (Vigo–Rías Baixas) is another form rider. Last weekend at Capernwray he soloed clear on the final climb with 40 seconds in hand after attacking off a two-rider lead group with one lap remaining. He has been racing in Spain since his junior years — mountains classifications in the Basque Country, U23 racing with Technosylva, Essax-Svico, and now Vigo–Rías Baixas. He arrives here with current form and a profile built for repeated climbing.
Rowan Baker wins the 2024 East Cleveland Classic. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
JAKROO Handsling Racing have the strongest claim of anyone to understanding this course. Rowan Baker won the 2024 edition — a solo move with 48 seconds in hand and demonstrated with his Kennel Hill Classic win two weeks ago that he arrives in strong form. William Truelove was one of the most consistent domestic performers last year and can never be discounted, while Oliver Dawson, a former national junior road race champion, has begun the season well and is eager for a breakthrough result.
Alex Murphy (Stolen Goat 4Endurance) won the Portsdown Classic in February and has looked the part all early season. Dylan Hicks (UN Cycling Team x Pyörävarikko) won the 2025 Beaumont Trophy on Northumberland roads and will want to make himself felt on a course of this quality.
Henry Hunter (360cycling) was 13th here in 2025 for Kendal CC and was active at Capernwray last weekend. Jake Edwards (Zappi Racing Team) was second at the Witheridge Grand Prix and second at the Yorkshire U23 Classic in 2025 with 360cycling, before moving to Zappi’s Italy-based programme for 2026. Cameron Mason (Private Member) is the four-time British national cyclocross champion and 2025 British national circuit race champion; a wily racer that no-one will want to let go up the road alone.
Women’s race: riders to watch
DAS-Hutchinson hold the National Road Series lead and the Rapha Super-League lead through ANEXO-CAMS CiCLE Classic victor Noémie Thomson, who placed four DAS riders inside the top 14 at CiCLE. Thomson is not on the startlist here but the team has plenty of other options.
Alice McWilliam wins the 2025 East Cleveland Classic. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Alice McWilliam is the defending champion, having won in 2025 in a bunch sprint atop Saltburn Bank. She returns in DAS-Hutchinson colours on a course proven to suit her. Morven Yeoman — third at CiCLE, third in the Super-League — is consistently strong in domestic races, while Lucy Lee, a two-time National Road Series winner, is yet another option for the ever-powerful DAS squad.
Kate Richardson (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) won the Tour de Feminin in 2025 and the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix in 2024. Another big is surely just around the corner. Her teammate Madeline Cooper was in the decisive CiCLE move and was good enough that Thomson chose to attack from distance rather than risk a sprint. A rider who forces the winner’s hand is worth tracking.
Anna Morris (Private Member) won the women’s race at Capernwray last weekend. She and Henchoz and Oakes worked together for the better part of five laps, building an advantage of nearly three minutes, before Morris came through in the closing metres of a three-way sprint to take the victory. Morris is the individual pursuit world champion and finished fifth here in 2025. A win would be no surprise for a rider that won the Peak 2 Day earlier this year and four National Circuit Series races in 2025.
Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT) was second at Capernwray and has been in the front group at multiple early-season races, including the Peak 2-Day. Her cross-disciplinary background — she won the 2022 national XC marathon title — points to an engine well-suited to repeated climbing efforts. Her teammate Katie Scott finished third overall at the Peaks 2-Day — third on the opening stage — and seventh at CiCLE. That is a consistent early-season record across different course types, and on a circuit that rewards sustained climbing rather than one decisive moment, it makes her one of the more credible threats to the front-running names.
Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT) in action at the Anexo Cams Women’s Cicle Classic. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Ruby Oakes (FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing) was third at Capernwray and active at the front of the race at CiCLE. A under-23 rider with UCI Continental experience, Oakes will be looking to prove a point.
Melanie Rowe (camsmajaco) punctured at CiCLE, chased back, and still won the sprint for second on senior debut. Zoe Roche, her camsmajaco teammate, was fourth at CiCLE. Both are juniors racing like they haven’t been told they shouldn’t. The Shibden Apex RT junior pair of Maia Howell and Mabli Phillips are also worth watching.
Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning) is having a breakthrough season. Fourth at the Peak 2 Day and 8th at CiCLE, she will be looking to build on her strong early season form. Elena Day is arguably the strongest option for the Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team. She already has a top ten National Road Series finish to her name and is capable of more as she continues to develop. Finally, Abigail Miller (UAE Development Team) arrives in her first year as an under-23 with a high-end junior pedigree on both road and track. She has had a block of solid UCI road racing so far this season and has the potential to excel.
The East Cleveland Classic is three years old. In that time it has established something most races take far longer to find: a reason to matter. On Sunday, 140 open riders come to Saltburn-by-the-Sea for the first round of the open National Road Series; the 87-strong women’s field are here for the second. All of them will face Saltburn Bank, the fierce, double-digit uphill finale overlooking the sea. Whatever the early form lines suggest, the Bank will have the final word.
The British Continental‘s National Road Series previews are powered by Topp Cycling.
Featured image: SWpix.com
The race
The East Cleveland Classic holds dual National Road Series status: the open race counts as Round 1 of the 2026 series, while the women’s runs as Round 2, following the ANEXO/CAMS Women’s CiCLE Classic in March.
The event is one of only a handful of domestic races that can point to Tour of Britain stages and National Championship hosting as part of its recent history. Add in the East Cleveland Klondike Grand Prix that previously ran on a similar course and its clear that the East Cleveland Classic has an unusual pedigree for a race still in its infancy.
Last season Adam Howell pipped George Kimber in a nail-biting, shoulder-to-shoulder finish in the open race, while Alice McWilliam stormed to the win in a select sprint in the women’s race.
The route
Both races use the same 25.83-kilometre circuit, starting and finishing on Glenside in Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The open field covers six laps — 155 kilometres; the women four — 105 kilometres. With a profile score (a measure of how challenging the course is) of 73.2, this is tougher course than an average National A road race.
The circuit heads south-west out of Saltburn, dropping through Upleatham and descending towards Guisborough before looping back east through Charltons, Boosbeck, Lingdale, and Kilton Thorpe, then north through Brotton and back down to Saltburn. In the final kilometres, the descent into town is fast and technical — a series of sweeping corners before a left hairpin introduces Saltburn Bank, the defining feature of the course.
The Bank is short but ugly. Gradients exceed double digits, with an average elevation of 14.7% according to VeloViewer, a decisive factor in the race.
Elsewhere the course demands attention: the race manual flags a sharp descent under trees near Kilton Thorpe — 90-degree bends on a narrow road — and a railway bridge with a further turn immediately after. And with 416 metres of climbing to contend with on each lap, this is not simply a matter of waiting for Saltburn Bank; the selection is normally made well before the final ascent of the seaside climb.
Timing
The women’s race begins at 9.00 with the open field rolling out at 13:15.
Weather
The forecast for Saltburn-by-the-Sea on Sunday is not yet fully resolved, but the week is trending cool and predominantly dry. Current indications point to temperatures around 10–12°C, with relatively low precipitation chances. A coastal venue, Saltburn is exposed to wind off the North Sea. In 2025, a stiffening headwind shaped the final lap of the open race significantly.
Riders to watch
Open race
Wheelbase CabTech Castelli arrive as arguably the most resourced outfit on the domestic scene. Tom Armstrong took the open National Circuit Series overall in 2025 and has been one of the most consistent National Road Series performers in recent seasons. Tom Martin won the overall at Rás Mumhan last year and is a perennial threat in top domestic road races. Tim Shoreman finished second here in 2024, holds a Great Britain track squad place and one of the fastest finishers in the domestic peloton. At eight riders, Wheelbase have the numbers to control and multiple options to capitalise.
James McKay (Atom 6–Cycleur de Luxe–Auto Stroo) won the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix last season for Wheelbase before departing for a UCI Continental opportunity. He returns to a National Road Series open field facing his former team on terrain that suits his profile.
Danylo Riwnyj (Foran CT) won the Rás Mumhan this week — taking yellow on the queen stage after riding solo over the Coomanaspig into a block headwind, then defending the lead across two further stages to take the overall in Killorglin. He described it as his best result yet. East Cleveland, less than a week later, is a different kind of race, but a rider in that kind of form is not one to overlook.
Similarly, Gabe Dellar (RideRevolution Coaching) podiumed on stages two and three of the Rás Mumhan, won the final stage in Killorglin, took the points classification, and finished sixth overall — having arrived, by his own account, expecting the race to be too hard for him. East Cleveland is his first domestic National A of the season. The Rás Mumhan suggests he should be taken seriously in it. His teammate Clay Davies (RideRevolution Coaching) opened 2026 in good form and confirmed it last weekend with second overall at the Totnes Vire. Together with Josh Housley, last year’s Capernwray victor, the pair give RideRevolution real depth.
Deetray Jarrett (Vigo–Rías Baixas) is another form rider. Last weekend at Capernwray he soloed clear on the final climb with 40 seconds in hand after attacking off a two-rider lead group with one lap remaining. He has been racing in Spain since his junior years — mountains classifications in the Basque Country, U23 racing with Technosylva, Essax-Svico, and now Vigo–Rías Baixas. He arrives here with current form and a profile built for repeated climbing.
JAKROO Handsling Racing have the strongest claim of anyone to understanding this course. Rowan Baker won the 2024 edition — a solo move with 48 seconds in hand and demonstrated with his Kennel Hill Classic win two weeks ago that he arrives in strong form. William Truelove was one of the most consistent domestic performers last year and can never be discounted, while Oliver Dawson, a former national junior road race champion, has begun the season well and is eager for a breakthrough result.
Alex Murphy (Stolen Goat 4Endurance) won the Portsdown Classic in February and has looked the part all early season. Dylan Hicks (UN Cycling Team x Pyörävarikko) won the 2025 Beaumont Trophy on Northumberland roads and will want to make himself felt on a course of this quality.
Henry Hunter (360cycling) was 13th here in 2025 for Kendal CC and was active at Capernwray last weekend. Jake Edwards (Zappi Racing Team) was second at the Witheridge Grand Prix and second at the Yorkshire U23 Classic in 2025 with 360cycling, before moving to Zappi’s Italy-based programme for 2026. Cameron Mason (Private Member) is the four-time British national cyclocross champion and 2025 British national circuit race champion; a wily racer that no-one will want to let go up the road alone.
Women’s race: riders to watch
DAS-Hutchinson hold the National Road Series lead and the Rapha Super-League lead through ANEXO-CAMS CiCLE Classic victor Noémie Thomson, who placed four DAS riders inside the top 14 at CiCLE. Thomson is not on the startlist here but the team has plenty of other options.
Alice McWilliam is the defending champion, having won in 2025 in a bunch sprint atop Saltburn Bank. She returns in DAS-Hutchinson colours on a course proven to suit her. Morven Yeoman — third at CiCLE, third in the Super-League — is consistently strong in domestic races, while Lucy Lee, a two-time National Road Series winner, is yet another option for the ever-powerful DAS squad.
Kate Richardson (Handsling Alba Development Road Team) won the Tour de Feminin in 2025 and the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix in 2024. Another big is surely just around the corner. Her teammate Madeline Cooper was in the decisive CiCLE move and was good enough that Thomson chose to attack from distance rather than risk a sprint. A rider who forces the winner’s hand is worth tracking.
Anna Morris (Private Member) won the women’s race at Capernwray last weekend. She and Henchoz and Oakes worked together for the better part of five laps, building an advantage of nearly three minutes, before Morris came through in the closing metres of a three-way sprint to take the victory. Morris is the individual pursuit world champion and finished fifth here in 2025. A win would be no surprise for a rider that won the Peak 2 Day earlier this year and four National Circuit Series races in 2025.
Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT) was second at Capernwray and has been in the front group at multiple early-season races, including the Peak 2-Day. Her cross-disciplinary background — she won the 2022 national XC marathon title — points to an engine well-suited to repeated climbing efforts. Her teammate Katie Scott finished third overall at the Peaks 2-Day — third on the opening stage — and seventh at CiCLE. That is a consistent early-season record across different course types, and on a circuit that rewards sustained climbing rather than one decisive moment, it makes her one of the more credible threats to the front-running names.
Ruby Oakes (FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing) was third at Capernwray and active at the front of the race at CiCLE. A under-23 rider with UCI Continental experience, Oakes will be looking to prove a point.
Melanie Rowe (camsmajaco) punctured at CiCLE, chased back, and still won the sprint for second on senior debut. Zoe Roche, her camsmajaco teammate, was fourth at CiCLE. Both are juniors racing like they haven’t been told they shouldn’t. The Shibden Apex RT junior pair of Maia Howell and Mabli Phillips are also worth watching.
Lily Martin (Loughborough Lightning) is having a breakthrough season. Fourth at the Peak 2 Day and 8th at CiCLE, she will be looking to build on her strong early season form. Elena Day is arguably the strongest option for the Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team. She already has a top ten National Road Series finish to her name and is capable of more as she continues to develop. Finally, Abigail Miller (UAE Development Team) arrives in her first year as an under-23 with a high-end junior pedigree on both road and track. She has had a block of solid UCI road racing so far this season and has the potential to excel.
Provisional startlists
Open race
Women’s race
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