Stourbridge CC U23 Road Race: preview and startlist
The U23 Open National Road Series reaches the Malvern Hills on Sunday, with Alex Foster defending the series lead, Luca Nicholson chasing a third solo win of the season, and a deep 60-rider field set for a rolling 130km test capped by a summit finish above Welland.
The U23 Open National Road Series reaches the Malvern Hills on Sunday (14 June), with Alex Foster defending the series lead, Luca Nicholson chasing a third solo win of the season, and a deep 60-rider field set for a rolling 130km test capped by a summit finish above Welland.
With just the Yorkshire U23 Classic and Chas Messenger Trophy remaining after Sunday’s race, and the best four results counting for the overall standings, the Stourbridge CC National U23 Road Race is likely to have a significant impact on the series as a whole, with a strong 60-rider field set to take to the start. The series gives the opportunity for riders in the U23 category to test themselves against their peers in a national setting.
Cycling Sheffield’s Alex Foster leads the way so far, the 21-year-old backing up 8th place in an attritional opening round in Leicestershire at the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race with a thrilling win at the Danum Trophy in April, courtesy of a long-range sprint.
Behind him are some of the most promising talents racing in the UK currently—Luca Nicholson, the season’s surprise package, sitting 6th after claiming maximum points in the opening round, while the likes of Henry Hunter (360 Cycling) and Lewis Tinsley (BCC Race Team) remain close to the series lead after two consistent performances, and both will be eyeing a good result here.
Route
Riders will complete five laps of a 25-kilometre loop from the village of Welland before entering the Malvern Hills National Landscape for a summit finish, the raised elevation of the area visible from much of the rolling course.
With each lap offering 175 metres of elevation gain but devoid of any major hills, and a total race distance in excess of 130 kilometres, the rolling terrain lends itself to an attritional race—the finish itself could prove decisive in the outcome, the final 1.5 kilometres rising at an average gradient of 3.8%.
With a maximum gradient of less than 6%, it is a climb which should suit the rider with the most left in their legs, rather than a pure climber, leaving the race an open one with a number of potential winners.
Riders to watch
With a field size limited to just 60 riders, the race promises to be fiercely competitive, with the previous two rounds raced with intensity from the flag drop. There are numerous potential winners throughout the start list, while a tactical battle may ensue with many riders keeping an eye on the series standings.
Series leader Alex Foster (Cycling Sheffield) wears the number one dossard and arrives during a breakthrough season in which he not only took the spoils at the Danum Trophy, but emerged from the chasing group on the slopes of Michaelgate to take a stunning 4th place in the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix. A strong all-rounder, the 21-year-old finished in the top 10 at the Capernwray Road Race atop Sunny Bank in April, so the course here, and its summit finish, should suit him.
Alex Foster wins at Danum. Image: Joe Hudson
With five riders, Dave Coulson’s Cycling Sheffield squad will have plenty of options—York’s Nathan Smith looking to build on his 3rd place in the opening round, with Denholm Edwards a powerful finisher should it be decided from a group.
Sitting 3rd in the series standings, Lewis Tinsley (BCC RT) arrives with designs on taking not only the lead but a breakthrough win with it. The West Midlands rider first caught the eye as a first-year junior at the Dudley GP, and now at the age of 19 has become a genuine contender in the UK’s biggest races—2nd place only to Adam Lewis at the East and West Midlands Road Race Championships sandwiched by top-six finishes in both the Lincoln Grand Prix and Tour of the Reservoir. In excellent form, he will be joined by teammate George Stephen, who continues to defy expectations—taking 2nd place in the opening round after making the race-winning move with Luca Nicholson.
Lowestoft’s Nicholson, who rides for local club Velo Club Barrachi, has enjoyed a brilliant breakthrough season at only 18 years old, the first-year U23 storming to a solo victory at the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race and backing it up with victory in the Eastern Road Race Championships a fortnight ago, taking the scalps of Rowan Baker, Callum Laborde, and Clay Davies. He will be heavily marked as he looks for a trio of solo victories here.
Henry Hunter had a breakthrough season of his own in 2025 after switching from fell running, strong performances in the National Road Series pointing to his endurance and earning him a ride with Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck. Now with 360 Cycling, the Kendal rider continues to be consistent, entering the race in 2nd place in the series, coming off the back of an impressive spell in France where he finished 4th in the GP Saint Maximin.
Oliver Gill is another rider with European experience, the first-year U23 plying his trade with C’Chartres Cyclisme across the Channel. Gill won a stage of the highly competitive Witham Hall Junior Open Race last year, and with a wealth of UCI racing under his belt will look to translate that experience into strong performances in the U23 class. He has been out of action since April, however, and the South Coast native’s form is unknown.
Jamie Whitcher (Hubo-Scott Cycling Team). Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Gill’s former teammate Rory Gravelle (Tirol KTM CT) is another first-year U23 with an impressive junior palmarès behind him, although he has struggled to complete races this year, 34th in the Tour of the Reservoir a welcome result for the 19-year-old, while it is a similar story for Jamie Whitcher, who now rides for Belgian outfit Hubo Scott RT. Whitcher is a gifted time triallist, with the majority of his wins coming against the clock, making him a danger should he force himself into a breakaway.
Closer to home, Caleb Pain is a rider due a breakthrough win, having caught the eye as runner-up to Adam Lewis last year at the East and West Midlands Road Race Championships on the hilly Windley course. Twelve months on, he has played a key role in his RideRevolution Coaching squad taking the team prize at both the East Cleveland Classic and Tour of the Reservoir, where he finished 9th and 13th respectively. Aggressive, he went head to head with Lewis again a fortnight ago in a repeat of their battle for the regional title, and will be relishing the climb to the finish, the obvious place for him to make the difference.
Matthew Gilmour (Nopinz RT) has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season, kicking it off with 2nd in the Portsdown Classic, while recently finishing 3rd in the London Dynamo Road Race in Sussex behind former WorldTour professional Jack Rootkin-Gray and Tour of the Reservoir winner Danylo Riwnyj. No stranger to a summit finish, Gilmour would be claiming his second—and most prestigious—National B victory after taking the Chitterne Road Race back in April in a field lacking this level of depth.
Third at Portsdown was Jack Baldie, another rider coming out of the junior ranks but making the transition to the U23 scene look seamless, with three National B top-10 finishes so far as well as 16th place at the Lincoln Grand Prix. He is one of a number of outsiders, which also includes track star Ryan Oldfield (Team Tactic U23), madison partner to Charlie Tanfield, and Iestyn Jones (Team PB Performance), who was a winner on this course back in March in the Regional A Halesowen Academy Road Race.
Maxwell Hereward at the 2025 Lloyds National Circuit Championships. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Finally, reigning series winner Maxwell Hereward (Zappi Racing) returns from Italy, having won the Yorkshire U23 Classic in solo fashion last season. Already 6th in the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race this season, his form has been solid in Italy and he comes in off the back of a pair of French UCI stage races which will have prepared him well for what is likely to be a fast and difficult race.
The U23 Open National Road Series reaches the Malvern Hills on Sunday (14 June), with Alex Foster defending the series lead, Luca Nicholson chasing a third solo win of the season, and a deep 60-rider field set for a rolling 130km test capped by a summit finish above Welland.
Featured image: Joe Hudson
Use code TBC10 at 4Endurance.co.uk for 10% off your order.
What is it?
With just the Yorkshire U23 Classic and Chas Messenger Trophy remaining after Sunday’s race, and the best four results counting for the overall standings, the Stourbridge CC National U23 Road Race is likely to have a significant impact on the series as a whole, with a strong 60-rider field set to take to the start. The series gives the opportunity for riders in the U23 category to test themselves against their peers in a national setting.
Cycling Sheffield’s Alex Foster leads the way so far, the 21-year-old backing up 8th place in an attritional opening round in Leicestershire at the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race with a thrilling win at the Danum Trophy in April, courtesy of a long-range sprint.
Behind him are some of the most promising talents racing in the UK currently—Luca Nicholson, the season’s surprise package, sitting 6th after claiming maximum points in the opening round, while the likes of Henry Hunter (360 Cycling) and Lewis Tinsley (BCC Race Team) remain close to the series lead after two consistent performances, and both will be eyeing a good result here.
Route
Riders will complete five laps of a 25-kilometre loop from the village of Welland before entering the Malvern Hills National Landscape for a summit finish, the raised elevation of the area visible from much of the rolling course.
With each lap offering 175 metres of elevation gain but devoid of any major hills, and a total race distance in excess of 130 kilometres, the rolling terrain lends itself to an attritional race—the finish itself could prove decisive in the outcome, the final 1.5 kilometres rising at an average gradient of 3.8%.
With a maximum gradient of less than 6%, it is a climb which should suit the rider with the most left in their legs, rather than a pure climber, leaving the race an open one with a number of potential winners.
Riders to watch
With a field size limited to just 60 riders, the race promises to be fiercely competitive, with the previous two rounds raced with intensity from the flag drop. There are numerous potential winners throughout the start list, while a tactical battle may ensue with many riders keeping an eye on the series standings.
Series leader Alex Foster (Cycling Sheffield) wears the number one dossard and arrives during a breakthrough season in which he not only took the spoils at the Danum Trophy, but emerged from the chasing group on the slopes of Michaelgate to take a stunning 4th place in the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix. A strong all-rounder, the 21-year-old finished in the top 10 at the Capernwray Road Race atop Sunny Bank in April, so the course here, and its summit finish, should suit him.
With five riders, Dave Coulson’s Cycling Sheffield squad will have plenty of options—York’s Nathan Smith looking to build on his 3rd place in the opening round, with Denholm Edwards a powerful finisher should it be decided from a group.
Sitting 3rd in the series standings, Lewis Tinsley (BCC RT) arrives with designs on taking not only the lead but a breakthrough win with it. The West Midlands rider first caught the eye as a first-year junior at the Dudley GP, and now at the age of 19 has become a genuine contender in the UK’s biggest races—2nd place only to Adam Lewis at the East and West Midlands Road Race Championships sandwiched by top-six finishes in both the Lincoln Grand Prix and Tour of the Reservoir. In excellent form, he will be joined by teammate George Stephen, who continues to defy expectations—taking 2nd place in the opening round after making the race-winning move with Luca Nicholson.
Lowestoft’s Nicholson, who rides for local club Velo Club Barrachi, has enjoyed a brilliant breakthrough season at only 18 years old, the first-year U23 storming to a solo victory at the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race and backing it up with victory in the Eastern Road Race Championships a fortnight ago, taking the scalps of Rowan Baker, Callum Laborde, and Clay Davies. He will be heavily marked as he looks for a trio of solo victories here.
Henry Hunter had a breakthrough season of his own in 2025 after switching from fell running, strong performances in the National Road Series pointing to his endurance and earning him a ride with Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck. Now with 360 Cycling, the Kendal rider continues to be consistent, entering the race in 2nd place in the series, coming off the back of an impressive spell in France where he finished 4th in the GP Saint Maximin.
Oliver Gill is another rider with European experience, the first-year U23 plying his trade with C’Chartres Cyclisme across the Channel. Gill won a stage of the highly competitive Witham Hall Junior Open Race last year, and with a wealth of UCI racing under his belt will look to translate that experience into strong performances in the U23 class. He has been out of action since April, however, and the South Coast native’s form is unknown.
Gill’s former teammate Rory Gravelle (Tirol KTM CT) is another first-year U23 with an impressive junior palmarès behind him, although he has struggled to complete races this year, 34th in the Tour of the Reservoir a welcome result for the 19-year-old, while it is a similar story for Jamie Whitcher, who now rides for Belgian outfit Hubo Scott RT. Whitcher is a gifted time triallist, with the majority of his wins coming against the clock, making him a danger should he force himself into a breakaway.
Closer to home, Caleb Pain is a rider due a breakthrough win, having caught the eye as runner-up to Adam Lewis last year at the East and West Midlands Road Race Championships on the hilly Windley course. Twelve months on, he has played a key role in his RideRevolution Coaching squad taking the team prize at both the East Cleveland Classic and Tour of the Reservoir, where he finished 9th and 13th respectively. Aggressive, he went head to head with Lewis again a fortnight ago in a repeat of their battle for the regional title, and will be relishing the climb to the finish, the obvious place for him to make the difference.
Matthew Gilmour (Nopinz RT) has enjoyed a brilliant start to the season, kicking it off with 2nd in the Portsdown Classic, while recently finishing 3rd in the London Dynamo Road Race in Sussex behind former WorldTour professional Jack Rootkin-Gray and Tour of the Reservoir winner Danylo Riwnyj. No stranger to a summit finish, Gilmour would be claiming his second—and most prestigious—National B victory after taking the Chitterne Road Race back in April in a field lacking this level of depth.
Third at Portsdown was Jack Baldie, another rider coming out of the junior ranks but making the transition to the U23 scene look seamless, with three National B top-10 finishes so far as well as 16th place at the Lincoln Grand Prix. He is one of a number of outsiders, which also includes track star Ryan Oldfield (Team Tactic U23), madison partner to Charlie Tanfield, and Iestyn Jones (Team PB Performance), who was a winner on this course back in March in the Regional A Halesowen Academy Road Race.
Finally, reigning series winner Maxwell Hereward (Zappi Racing) returns from Italy, having won the Yorkshire U23 Classic in solo fashion last season. Already 6th in the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race this season, his form has been solid in Italy and he comes in off the back of a pair of French UCI stage races which will have prepared him well for what is likely to be a fast and difficult race.
Provisional startlist
Share this:
Discover more from The British Continental
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.