2026 South Molton Grand Prix: open race report and results
Jed Smithson (Hagens Berman Jayco) soloed to victory in the inaugural open South Molton Grand Prix on his National A debut, winning by 26 seconds from Oliver Wood after the race broke apart on the final lap. Tom Armstrong finished third to extend his National Road Series lead to 39 points on a day when only 45 of 86 starters finished.
Jed Smithson won the inaugural open South Molton Grand Prix with a decisive final-lap attack. The Hagens Berman Jayco under-23 went clear as the race broke apart behind him and reached the top of East Street 26 seconds before anyone else.
Behind him, Ollie Wood (Rapha Cycling Club) won the four-man sprint for second ahead of series leader Tom Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), whose third place extended his National Road Series advantage to 39 points with two rounds remaining.
One of the longest races on this year’s calendar delivered exactly what its distance promised: of the 86 riders who rolled out of the Pannier Market into the warmest hours of the afternoon, only 45 finished.
Featured image: JOW Sports Media
Report
By the time the open field rolled away from South Molton’s Pannier Market, the day had settled into full summer heat. Round 5 of the Lloyds National Road Series would be one of the longest races on the domestic calendar: 161.3 kilometres, beginning with an 11.7-kilometre opening section before 1.75 laps of the 43.1-kilometre Witheridge circuit and 2.5 laps of the rolling 28.3-kilometre finishing circuit around South Molton. New in name, the race replaced the Witheridge Grand Prix as the South West’s round of the series and formed the second half of the Devon double-header after Friday evening’s Dawlish Grand Prix.
The early racing took its shape on the Witheridge roads. Peter Cocker (DAS Richardsons) was the first to commit, clipping away with a JAKROO Handsling Racing rider on the opening lap of the old circuit, but the move that stuck was a different selection. By the second passage through Witheridge, four riders had gone clear: Sam Chaplin (JAKROO Handsling Racing), Jude Taylor (Team PB Performance), Henry Hunter (360cycling) and Dom Jackson (Foran CT), holding an advantage of around 45 seconds over a large peloton.
Image: JOW Sports Media
By the time the race transferred to the finishing circuit, the four had been absorbed into the strongest selection of the day so far: a front group of around 16 riders with some 40 seconds in hand over a much-reduced peloton. Most of the principal contenders were there: Armstrong, Smithson and Wood, alongside George Radcliffe (Atom 6–Cycleur de Luxe–Auto Stroo Continental Team), Elliott Colyer (Aero CLCTV), Alex Murphy (Stolen Goat 4Endurance), Lewis Tinsley (BCC Race Team), Caleb Pain and Gabriel Dellar (both Ride Revolution Coaching), Oliver Dawson (JAKROO Handsling Racing) and Cocker. Chaplin had also survived from the early break.
The first ascent of East Street brought the next attack, and it came from the man who had barely left the front all day. Chaplin — whose solo BUCS Road Race Championship title in May was also won on Devon roads — jumped clear again, opening a handful of seconds over Dellar with Aaron King (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) leading the rest a few seconds further back. Within a quarter of an hour his lead had stretched to around 40 seconds.
Image: Alan Danby/SWpix.com
Behind him, the race regrouped: the peloton closed down the front group to reform as a single unit, and from it Jordan Giles (DAS Richardsons) attacked across the gap alone, catching Chaplin to make it two at the front, with the bunch around 25 seconds behind.
It did not last. By the bell the leaders had been retrieved, and a group of around 18 began the final 28.3-kilometre lap together — Pain, Armstrong, Smithson and Wood at its head, with Tom Martin (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) and Danylo Riwnyj (Foran CT) among those still in contention.
The final lap dismantled it. The closing 15 kilometres contained four back-to-back kickers, and with 150 kilometres in the legs they finally broke the race into pieces. Riwnyj attacked first, splitting the group over the top. It reformed on the descent, but on the next rise Smithson went. Armstrong and Wood tried to follow. Neither could close, and Smithson was gone.
He crossed the line 26 seconds clear. Wood led home the chase of four ahead of Armstrong, Dawson and Murphy.
Smithson wins. Image: JOW Sports Media
Tinsley won the sprint from the next group three seconds later, ahead of Pain, Colyer, Riwnyj and Nathan Hallett (Pronto Bikes).
It was Smithson’s first race at National A level. “Coming into this, I really didn’t know what to expect,” he told The British Continental. “I’d never done a Nat A before. I was anticipating a very hard day on the bike, but I didn’t know how the race would unfold. What I did know was that there were two strong teams: Wheelbase and JAKROO Handsling both had numbers.”
The winning move, he explained, came only after an afternoon of failed ones. “On such a hard, undulating course, it proved very difficult to escape. I was in a lot of moves with riders like Ollie Wood, Danny Riwnyj and Tom Armstrong, to name a few. So many times I was on my limit, but nothing would stick. It was definitely a struggle to take on enough fluid, but I was just able to survive.
“On the final lap, on the hardest climb of the race, I went all in. Full gas to the top, and I managed to go solo. From there I just had to cling on. It was a tough final few kilometres, but enjoyable.”
The manner of the victory surprised even its winner. “It’s strange to win a race solo, as someone who is normally a sprinter, but it backs up the hard training I have been doing. It felt satisfying to get my arms in the air.”
Armstrong (centre). Image: JOW Sports Media
Armstrong described a race that resisted control until the very end. “It took a long time for the race to finally split to bits,” he told The British Continental. “On the big laps it was very much going away and coming back together — all your usual culprits getting in moves, then being brought back by other teams and other riders. It was a very cagey race. The way the wind was blowing meant it was difficult to keep working and keep a gap, and with the fast downhills it just kept bunching back up again.”
The finale, he explained, turned on those closing kickers. “Danny attacked first and split the group over the top, but it came back together on the downhill. Jed went on the next rise. Ollie and I tried to follow, but we couldn’t close him down.
“Lewis Tinsley attacked with maybe two kilometres to go, but we brought him back, and after that the sprint was basically for second. Ollie led it out from about 500 metres and that was the order that stayed to the finish.”
Image: Alan Danby/SWpix.com
Under the National Road Series points scale, Smithson’s win was worth 50 points, Wood’s second 48, and Armstrong’s third 46 — taking the series leader from 166 points to 212. Martin, 11th on the day, remains second on 173, leaving 39 points between the Wheelbase teammates, with Radcliffe third on 146 and the Beaumont Trophy and North Yorkshire Grand Prix remaining.
Smithson also won the day’s under-23 classification, but the season-long contest remains tightly balanced: Tinsley leads on 138 points, ahead of Pain on 130 and Murphy on 128 — three riders separated by 10 points.
Wheelbase CabTech Castelli also strengthened their grip on the team standings. They lead on 510 points, 144 ahead of the field, while JAKROO Handsling Racing hold second by just four points from Ride Revolution Coaching.
Huge thanks to Jed Smithson, Tom Armstrong, Lucy Gadd, Tobias Dahlhaus, Jack Crook, Josh Earnest, BCC Race Team and JOW Sports Media for their input for this report.
Jed Smithson won the inaugural open South Molton Grand Prix with a decisive final-lap attack. The Hagens Berman Jayco under-23 went clear as the race broke apart behind him and reached the top of East Street 26 seconds before anyone else.
Behind him, Ollie Wood (Rapha Cycling Club) won the four-man sprint for second ahead of series leader Tom Armstrong (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli), whose third place extended his National Road Series advantage to 39 points with two rounds remaining.
One of the longest races on this year’s calendar delivered exactly what its distance promised: of the 86 riders who rolled out of the Pannier Market into the warmest hours of the afternoon, only 45 finished.
Featured image: JOW Sports Media
Report
By the time the open field rolled away from South Molton’s Pannier Market, the day had settled into full summer heat. Round 5 of the Lloyds National Road Series would be one of the longest races on the domestic calendar: 161.3 kilometres, beginning with an 11.7-kilometre opening section before 1.75 laps of the 43.1-kilometre Witheridge circuit and 2.5 laps of the rolling 28.3-kilometre finishing circuit around South Molton. New in name, the race replaced the Witheridge Grand Prix as the South West’s round of the series and formed the second half of the Devon double-header after Friday evening’s Dawlish Grand Prix.
The early racing took its shape on the Witheridge roads. Peter Cocker (DAS Richardsons) was the first to commit, clipping away with a JAKROO Handsling Racing rider on the opening lap of the old circuit, but the move that stuck was a different selection. By the second passage through Witheridge, four riders had gone clear: Sam Chaplin (JAKROO Handsling Racing), Jude Taylor (Team PB Performance), Henry Hunter (360cycling) and Dom Jackson (Foran CT), holding an advantage of around 45 seconds over a large peloton.
By the time the race transferred to the finishing circuit, the four had been absorbed into the strongest selection of the day so far: a front group of around 16 riders with some 40 seconds in hand over a much-reduced peloton. Most of the principal contenders were there: Armstrong, Smithson and Wood, alongside George Radcliffe (Atom 6–Cycleur de Luxe–Auto Stroo Continental Team), Elliott Colyer (Aero CLCTV), Alex Murphy (Stolen Goat 4Endurance), Lewis Tinsley (BCC Race Team), Caleb Pain and Gabriel Dellar (both Ride Revolution Coaching), Oliver Dawson (JAKROO Handsling Racing) and Cocker. Chaplin had also survived from the early break.
The first ascent of East Street brought the next attack, and it came from the man who had barely left the front all day. Chaplin — whose solo BUCS Road Race Championship title in May was also won on Devon roads — jumped clear again, opening a handful of seconds over Dellar with Aaron King (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) leading the rest a few seconds further back. Within a quarter of an hour his lead had stretched to around 40 seconds.
Behind him, the race regrouped: the peloton closed down the front group to reform as a single unit, and from it Jordan Giles (DAS Richardsons) attacked across the gap alone, catching Chaplin to make it two at the front, with the bunch around 25 seconds behind.
It did not last. By the bell the leaders had been retrieved, and a group of around 18 began the final 28.3-kilometre lap together — Pain, Armstrong, Smithson and Wood at its head, with Tom Martin (Wheelbase CabTech Castelli) and Danylo Riwnyj (Foran CT) among those still in contention.
The final lap dismantled it. The closing 15 kilometres contained four back-to-back kickers, and with 150 kilometres in the legs they finally broke the race into pieces. Riwnyj attacked first, splitting the group over the top. It reformed on the descent, but on the next rise Smithson went. Armstrong and Wood tried to follow. Neither could close, and Smithson was gone.
He crossed the line 26 seconds clear. Wood led home the chase of four ahead of Armstrong, Dawson and Murphy.
Tinsley won the sprint from the next group three seconds later, ahead of Pain, Colyer, Riwnyj and Nathan Hallett (Pronto Bikes).
It was Smithson’s first race at National A level. “Coming into this, I really didn’t know what to expect,” he told The British Continental. “I’d never done a Nat A before. I was anticipating a very hard day on the bike, but I didn’t know how the race would unfold. What I did know was that there were two strong teams: Wheelbase and JAKROO Handsling both had numbers.”
The winning move, he explained, came only after an afternoon of failed ones. “On such a hard, undulating course, it proved very difficult to escape. I was in a lot of moves with riders like Ollie Wood, Danny Riwnyj and Tom Armstrong, to name a few. So many times I was on my limit, but nothing would stick. It was definitely a struggle to take on enough fluid, but I was just able to survive.
“On the final lap, on the hardest climb of the race, I went all in. Full gas to the top, and I managed to go solo. From there I just had to cling on. It was a tough final few kilometres, but enjoyable.”
The manner of the victory surprised even its winner. “It’s strange to win a race solo, as someone who is normally a sprinter, but it backs up the hard training I have been doing. It felt satisfying to get my arms in the air.”
Armstrong described a race that resisted control until the very end. “It took a long time for the race to finally split to bits,” he told The British Continental. “On the big laps it was very much going away and coming back together — all your usual culprits getting in moves, then being brought back by other teams and other riders. It was a very cagey race. The way the wind was blowing meant it was difficult to keep working and keep a gap, and with the fast downhills it just kept bunching back up again.”
The finale, he explained, turned on those closing kickers. “Danny attacked first and split the group over the top, but it came back together on the downhill. Jed went on the next rise. Ollie and I tried to follow, but we couldn’t close him down.
“Lewis Tinsley attacked with maybe two kilometres to go, but we brought him back, and after that the sprint was basically for second. Ollie led it out from about 500 metres and that was the order that stayed to the finish.”
Under the National Road Series points scale, Smithson’s win was worth 50 points, Wood’s second 48, and Armstrong’s third 46 — taking the series leader from 166 points to 212. Martin, 11th on the day, remains second on 173, leaving 39 points between the Wheelbase teammates, with Radcliffe third on 146 and the Beaumont Trophy and North Yorkshire Grand Prix remaining.
Smithson also won the day’s under-23 classification, but the season-long contest remains tightly balanced: Tinsley leads on 138 points, ahead of Pain on 130 and Murphy on 128 — three riders separated by 10 points.
Wheelbase CabTech Castelli also strengthened their grip on the team standings. They lead on 510 points, 144 ahead of the field, while JAKROO Handsling Racing hold second by just four points from Ride Revolution Coaching.
Huge thanks to Jed Smithson, Tom Armstrong, Lucy Gadd, Tobias Dahlhaus, Jack Crook, Josh Earnest, BCC Race Team and JOW Sports Media for their input for this report.
Results
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