The sixth Nick Clayton Memorial brings the West Midlands Road Race League to a close on Sunday 13 September: 124 kilometres between the Severn and the Wrekin.
Fifty-eight riders line up at Leighton on Sunday for eight laps of the Eaton Constantine circuit, a race that settles the West Midlands Road Race League and finishes at the top of a two-kilometre drag. None of the five previous winners is entered, and with 12 points between the top two in The British Continental’s team rankings, Ride Revolution Coaching bring four riders to JAKROO Handsling Racing’s one.
A National B road race organised by William Fotheringham with the volunteers of Halesowen A&CC, and the final round of the 2026 West Midlands Road Race League, supported by Fusion Media. It starts at 10am from Leighton, in the Shropshire countryside between Shrewsbury and Telford, and the organisers expect the finish at around 12.40pm.
The race remembers Nick Clayton, who died in May 2021, aged 23, from complications following blood cancer. He had ridden for Halesowen and its academy between 2016 and 2018, and the race programme, signed by Fotheringham and club chair Peter Hall, remembers him as “a talented, courageous and intelligent bike racer” and “a great guy to be with on the road”. It was first run later in 2021 and Sunday’s is the sixth edition. A proportion of any profit goes to a charity chosen by his parents, Mark and Liz.
The league is for second-, third- and fourth-category riders from any region, and Sunday’s result will be ranked among eligible riders and applied to the standings. Those standings, published after round five in July, have Huw Owen (Clwb Beicio Egni Eryri) leading on 314 points from Sean Dawson (Bridgnorth CC) on 251, with Halesowen’s Luke Mannings third on 233. Neither Owen nor Mannings is on the provisional startlist; Dawson is, and a strong ride could still turn the league over. Trophies for both the race and the league are presented at the West Midlands presentation evening on 20 November.
Harrison Dainty (JAKROO Handsling Racing) and Gabriel Dellar (Ride Revolution Coaching). Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
The race also counts towards our road rankings, and with only the Riders Collective GP on 19 September to come after Sunday, it is one of the last two chances to move. It is at the top of the team table that it matters most. Ride Revolution Coaching lead JAKROO Handsling Racing 1,343 to 1,331; Wheelbase CabTech Castelli, third on 1,228, have nobody entered at all. A National B win is worth 60 points to the rider and, through him, to his team. In the individual standings, Clay Davies (Ride Revolution Coaching) sits seventh on 317, two points behind Jack Rootkin-Gray and 10 behind Alex Murphy, and a podium finish would carry him past Oliver Dawson into fourth. A win would also lift Josh Housley, Oliver Snodden or Gabriel Dellar into the top 15.
Past winners are Travis Bramley (NoPinz) in 2021, Daniel Barnes (Spectra) in 2022, Matt Clarke (Bridgnorth) in 2023, Lewis Tinsley (BCC Race Team) in 2024 and Wan Lau, riding unattached, last year. None is entered this time. The prize fund is a minimum of £300, with £100 to the winner and £30 to the best third-category rider or junior.
Route
Eight laps of a 15.55-kilometre circuit, ridden anticlockwise, for 124 kilometres in total. The race rolls out neutralised from Leighton for a mile up the B4380 to the Eaton Constantine crossroads, turns right onto the circuit and is released at the commissaire’s discretion once clear of the village.
The circuit climbs about 150 metres, over 1,000 metres across the race, and nearly all of it sits in two places. From the Eaton Constantine crossroads at 72 metres the road rises for 2.2 kilometres to 121 metres, averaging a little over 2% and touching 5% in the middle, and the finish line sits at the top of it. The high point of the lap, 122 metres, follows a few hundred metres later. From there the road falls away for seven kilometres along Watling Street to the lowest point of the circuit, 47 metres near Norton, before turning back and climbing 45 metres over 3.7 kilometres past Wroxeter. The sharpest pitch of the lap comes in that stretch, roughly 6% for 200 metres about two kilometres before the crossroads, after which the road undulates downhill to the turn.
The riders see that finale nine times, the lapboard showing eight to go at the first passage: a descent to the crossroads, then a 2.2-kilometre drag with the line at the summit. Nothing here is severe enough to break the race on its own, but the finish rewards a rider who can hold a hard pace uphill over anyone hoping to freewheel into a bunch sprint, and the pitch before the crossroads is the obvious place to go from for anyone wanting to reach the line alone.
Riders to watch
William Truelove (JAKROO Handsling Racing) is the biggest name on the list by reputation, and the only rider his team has entered. One of the standout domestic riders of 2025 with Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck, he has had a quieter 2026, but fifth at the Beaumont Trophy in August and second at the Timmy James Memorial in May show what he can do on a road race that suits him. He will have to do it alone.
William Truelove (JAKROO Handsling Racing). Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Ride Revolution Coaching have no such problem. They bring Clay Davies, the highest-ranked rider on the startlist, whose season has brought second overall at the Totnes–Vire two-day, second at the GA Bennett Road Race and a run of top-10 finishes; Josh Housley, third at the Timmy James Memorial and fifth at the East Cleveland Classic; and Gabriel Dellar, whose second place at the Tour of the Reservoir in June is the best National Road Series result of anyone entered. With Josh Hall as a fourth rider, they have numbers and options.
Oliver Snodden (Mandene Racing) has already won on West Midlands roads this year, at Evesham Vale in March, and followed it with fourth at the East and West Midlands regional championships and sixth at the GA Bennett. Sam Walsham (Colina x Ciovita Racing) was fifth at the Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic in April, a UCI result that stands out on any domestic startlist, though a patchy summer with several abandons and non-starts makes his form harder to read.
Gabriel Dellar (Ride Revolution Coaching). Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Schils–Doltcini RT, as is their habit, have entered more riders than anyone. Among the eight are Carl Jolly, winner of the AeroCLCTV Royal Navy Cup in March and second on the opening stage of the Peak 2 Day, and Oscar Hutchings, fourth overall at the Ronde van Wymeswold in June. When Schils–Doltcini have the numbers, they tend to use them.
A week on from the Chas Messenger Trophy, the under-23 series finale, several of that race’s protagonists reappear. Benjamin Arey (O’Neills Spirit Racing Team) was second there, and the 18-year-old has a connection to Sunday’s race beyond the result: he began 2026 with Halesowen A&CC, the club that remembers Nick Clayton on Sunday, before moving to O’Neills in July. James Bacon (TAAP Kalas) was third at Chas Messenger, Kaleb Herbert (Halesowen A&CC) fifth, and Denholm Edwards (Cycling Sheffield) 10th, to add to third at the Northern regional championships and fifth at the Danum Trophy earlier in the year. Piers Mahn (DAS Richardsons), who rode for Halesowen in 2024 and 2025, was fourth at Evesham Vale and fifth at the Yorkshire U23 Classic.
Further down the list, Elliot Barratt (LCRT), second on stage one and fourth overall at the Clive Tiley Memorial in August, Tom Guccione (London Dynamo), second overall at the same race, Joshua Horsfield (Cycling Sheffield), sixth at the Portsdown Classic in February, and Mohammad Ganjkhanlou (Stolen Goat 4Endurance), fifth at the Jock Wadley Memorial, all have results this season to suggest a top-10 is within reach. Dom Jackson (Foran CT), the 2024 Rás Tailteann winner, is a name that always warrants a line.
Fifty-eight riders line up at Leighton on Sunday for eight laps of the Eaton Constantine circuit, a race that settles the West Midlands Road Race League and finishes at the top of a two-kilometre drag. None of the five previous winners is entered, and with 12 points between the top two in The British Continental’s team rankings, Ride Revolution Coaching bring four riders to JAKROO Handsling Racing’s one.
Featured image: Matt de-B Photography
Use code TBC10 at 4Endurance.co.uk for 10% off your order.
What is it?
A National B road race organised by William Fotheringham with the volunteers of Halesowen A&CC, and the final round of the 2026 West Midlands Road Race League, supported by Fusion Media. It starts at 10am from Leighton, in the Shropshire countryside between Shrewsbury and Telford, and the organisers expect the finish at around 12.40pm.
The race remembers Nick Clayton, who died in May 2021, aged 23, from complications following blood cancer. He had ridden for Halesowen and its academy between 2016 and 2018, and the race programme, signed by Fotheringham and club chair Peter Hall, remembers him as “a talented, courageous and intelligent bike racer” and “a great guy to be with on the road”. It was first run later in 2021 and Sunday’s is the sixth edition. A proportion of any profit goes to a charity chosen by his parents, Mark and Liz.
The league is for second-, third- and fourth-category riders from any region, and Sunday’s result will be ranked among eligible riders and applied to the standings. Those standings, published after round five in July, have Huw Owen (Clwb Beicio Egni Eryri) leading on 314 points from Sean Dawson (Bridgnorth CC) on 251, with Halesowen’s Luke Mannings third on 233. Neither Owen nor Mannings is on the provisional startlist; Dawson is, and a strong ride could still turn the league over. Trophies for both the race and the league are presented at the West Midlands presentation evening on 20 November.
The race also counts towards our road rankings, and with only the Riders Collective GP on 19 September to come after Sunday, it is one of the last two chances to move. It is at the top of the team table that it matters most. Ride Revolution Coaching lead JAKROO Handsling Racing 1,343 to 1,331; Wheelbase CabTech Castelli, third on 1,228, have nobody entered at all. A National B win is worth 60 points to the rider and, through him, to his team. In the individual standings, Clay Davies (Ride Revolution Coaching) sits seventh on 317, two points behind Jack Rootkin-Gray and 10 behind Alex Murphy, and a podium finish would carry him past Oliver Dawson into fourth. A win would also lift Josh Housley, Oliver Snodden or Gabriel Dellar into the top 15.
Past winners are Travis Bramley (NoPinz) in 2021, Daniel Barnes (Spectra) in 2022, Matt Clarke (Bridgnorth) in 2023, Lewis Tinsley (BCC Race Team) in 2024 and Wan Lau, riding unattached, last year. None is entered this time. The prize fund is a minimum of £300, with £100 to the winner and £30 to the best third-category rider or junior.
Route
Eight laps of a 15.55-kilometre circuit, ridden anticlockwise, for 124 kilometres in total. The race rolls out neutralised from Leighton for a mile up the B4380 to the Eaton Constantine crossroads, turns right onto the circuit and is released at the commissaire’s discretion once clear of the village.
The circuit climbs about 150 metres, over 1,000 metres across the race, and nearly all of it sits in two places. From the Eaton Constantine crossroads at 72 metres the road rises for 2.2 kilometres to 121 metres, averaging a little over 2% and touching 5% in the middle, and the finish line sits at the top of it. The high point of the lap, 122 metres, follows a few hundred metres later. From there the road falls away for seven kilometres along Watling Street to the lowest point of the circuit, 47 metres near Norton, before turning back and climbing 45 metres over 3.7 kilometres past Wroxeter. The sharpest pitch of the lap comes in that stretch, roughly 6% for 200 metres about two kilometres before the crossroads, after which the road undulates downhill to the turn.
The riders see that finale nine times, the lapboard showing eight to go at the first passage: a descent to the crossroads, then a 2.2-kilometre drag with the line at the summit. Nothing here is severe enough to break the race on its own, but the finish rewards a rider who can hold a hard pace uphill over anyone hoping to freewheel into a bunch sprint, and the pitch before the crossroads is the obvious place to go from for anyone wanting to reach the line alone.
Riders to watch
William Truelove (JAKROO Handsling Racing) is the biggest name on the list by reputation, and the only rider his team has entered. One of the standout domestic riders of 2025 with Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck, he has had a quieter 2026, but fifth at the Beaumont Trophy in August and second at the Timmy James Memorial in May show what he can do on a road race that suits him. He will have to do it alone.
Ride Revolution Coaching have no such problem. They bring Clay Davies, the highest-ranked rider on the startlist, whose season has brought second overall at the Totnes–Vire two-day, second at the GA Bennett Road Race and a run of top-10 finishes; Josh Housley, third at the Timmy James Memorial and fifth at the East Cleveland Classic; and Gabriel Dellar, whose second place at the Tour of the Reservoir in June is the best National Road Series result of anyone entered. With Josh Hall as a fourth rider, they have numbers and options.
Oliver Snodden (Mandene Racing) has already won on West Midlands roads this year, at Evesham Vale in March, and followed it with fourth at the East and West Midlands regional championships and sixth at the GA Bennett. Sam Walsham (Colina x Ciovita Racing) was fifth at the Rutland–Melton CiCLE Classic in April, a UCI result that stands out on any domestic startlist, though a patchy summer with several abandons and non-starts makes his form harder to read.
Schils–Doltcini RT, as is their habit, have entered more riders than anyone. Among the eight are Carl Jolly, winner of the AeroCLCTV Royal Navy Cup in March and second on the opening stage of the Peak 2 Day, and Oscar Hutchings, fourth overall at the Ronde van Wymeswold in June. When Schils–Doltcini have the numbers, they tend to use them.
A week on from the Chas Messenger Trophy, the under-23 series finale, several of that race’s protagonists reappear. Benjamin Arey (O’Neills Spirit Racing Team) was second there, and the 18-year-old has a connection to Sunday’s race beyond the result: he began 2026 with Halesowen A&CC, the club that remembers Nick Clayton on Sunday, before moving to O’Neills in July. James Bacon (TAAP Kalas) was third at Chas Messenger, Kaleb Herbert (Halesowen A&CC) fifth, and Denholm Edwards (Cycling Sheffield) 10th, to add to third at the Northern regional championships and fifth at the Danum Trophy earlier in the year. Piers Mahn (DAS Richardsons), who rode for Halesowen in 2024 and 2025, was fourth at Evesham Vale and fifth at the Yorkshire U23 Classic.
Further down the list, Elliot Barratt (LCRT), second on stage one and fourth overall at the Clive Tiley Memorial in August, Tom Guccione (London Dynamo), second overall at the same race, Joshua Horsfield (Cycling Sheffield), sixth at the Portsdown Classic in February, and Mohammad Ganjkhanlou (Stolen Goat 4Endurance), fifth at the Jock Wadley Memorial, all have results this season to suggest a top-10 is within reach. Dom Jackson (Foran CT), the 2024 Rás Tailteann winner, is a name that always warrants a line.
Provisional startlist
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