With the Portsdown Classic kicking off the 2024 British road racing season in style, elite racing returns to the North of England next Sunday (25 February), with the prestigious Clayton Spring Classic Handicap set for its 56th edition on the roads surrounding the picturesque Lancashire town of Clitheroe.
Featured image: James York
What is it?
One of the most famous early season races in Britain, the Clayton Spring Classic Handicap is a Regional C+ race, taking in 15 laps of the short Bashall Eaves circuit, just across the River Ribble from Clitheroe, for 58 miles of tense, full gas racing. This year the race is sponsored by PM+M.
As the name suggests, the race is based on a handicap, with the scratch group consisting of Elite/First Category riders starting seven minutes in arrears of the first group to be set off, containing the four female entries. 3rd category licence holders go off one minute aft the women. And then a large group containing the 2nd category entrants sets off four minutes after the women. These timings may be changed on the day courtesy of the chief commissaire.
Handicap races are rarely straightforward affairs, as the list of previous winners would suggest. In 2016 a young Tom Pidcock held off a charging Ian Wilkinson for a memorable victory as a junior, the Yorkshireman adding his name to a list of winners containing some of the biggest names in domestic racing – Paul Curran, Rob Hayles and Pete Williams have all stood in the top step of the podium here.
Ollie Rees (HMT Hospitals) wins the 2019 edition, ahead of teammate Dylan Westley. Image: James York
The course
Coming in at only 3.9 miles long, the course is gently rolling, offering just under 100ft of elevation per lap, managing to avoid the more difficult climbs the area is famous for.
Taking in four left hand turns, the main challenge each lap is long drag up towards the finishing line, where riders take a fast sweeping bend at the top, marking 200m to go.
The sporting nature of the course leaves the race open for the strongest riders to shine, with harsh February conditions often playing their part – it is no coincidence that powerful riders such as a young Ian Stannard, winner back in 2007, have excelled on the parcours before.
With Si Wilson’s course record of 7:48 set in a summer 2020 time trial, it is likely we’ll see lap times in the region of a little over 8 minutes, with the scratch group needing just shy of 40 seconds per lap on the first group to complete the catch in good time.
Riders to watch
Such is the nature of a handicap, it is hard to discount any rider from taking the win, although the advantage should lie with the scratch group, given the obvious talent in their ranks. 15 riders are due off in this group, a number that almost perfectly lends itself to some form of cohesion, at least until the gap narrows.
Last year’s edition went largely to script with Wheelbase CabTech Castelli’s Tom Martin taking the spoils ahead of Josh Whitehead as the scratch group dominated proceedings. Returning to defend his title, the versatile Martin faces stiff opposition from some of the best young riders in the UK after an impressive 2023 campaign, which saw him take a win in Spain.
Making his debut in Hagens Berman Jayco colours is Ben Wiggins, the 18 year old Lancashire local splitting his weekend between this race and the national track championships in nearby Manchester, having turned heads as a junior with impressive results across the disciplines. The only junior in the scratch group is Wiggins’ former Fensham Howes – MAS Design teammate Seb Grindley, who was edged out by a tyre width for the national junior road race title only a stones throw away from here last year. Grindley will look to continue his good winter form, having won two rounds of the junior National Cyclocross Trophy and finished second at the national junior cyclocross race last month in Falkirk.
Sebastian Grindley after the 2023 MAS Design Yorkshire Classic. Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Damien Clayton is a rider familiar to most after a number of years on UCI teams. He unofficially retired at the end of last season but it seems he is back for more in 2024. Racing in the colours of Le Col Race Team, the Yorkshireman has the experience, and grit, to challenge for victory.
Dylan Westley, in his final year as an under-23, returns from Spain for the first time since 2020 and donned the USKIS Saint Piran colours for the first time earlier this month, racing to a fine 8th place at the Portsdown Classic. By all accounts he has been going very well this winter, with the versatile climber proving his race craft with wins from small groups against the odds during his time in Spain.
Other notable riders starting in the scratch group include Elite licence holder Ben Pease (Moonglu Race Team), Scot Logan Maclean who debuts with the new Project 1 Cycling Team after spending 2023 in France with the AG2R Citroën U23 setup, and 2023 junior national road race bronze medallist Zak Machin, a first year under-23 with the new HUUB BCC Race Team.
Headlining the 2nd Category group is course record holder Si Wilson (HUUB Wattshop). The former Ribble Weldtite veteran won this race in 2014 and brings a wealth of local knowledge and experience to proceedings.
Saint Piran are never too far away from the pointy end of a British road race, and the UCI Continental squad’s hopes are pinned on 20-year-old Tyler Hannay, who joins Wilson in the 2nd Category group. The Manxman is a former winner of the Junior Tour of Wales and his big engine will need to be finely tuned to stave off the challenge of the scratch riders, although the course should be to his liking.
Updated: 9.00pm, 24 February
With the Portsdown Classic kicking off the 2024 British road racing season in style, elite racing returns to the North of England next Sunday (25 February), with the prestigious Clayton Spring Classic Handicap set for its 56th edition on the roads surrounding the picturesque Lancashire town of Clitheroe.
Featured image: James York
What is it?
One of the most famous early season races in Britain, the Clayton Spring Classic Handicap is a Regional C+ race, taking in 15 laps of the short Bashall Eaves circuit, just across the River Ribble from Clitheroe, for 58 miles of tense, full gas racing. This year the race is sponsored by PM+M.
As the name suggests, the race is based on a handicap, with the scratch group consisting of Elite/First Category riders starting seven minutes in arrears of the first group to be set off, containing the four female entries. 3rd category licence holders go off one minute aft the women. And then a large group containing the 2nd category entrants sets off four minutes after the women. These timings may be changed on the day courtesy of the chief commissaire.
Handicap races are rarely straightforward affairs, as the list of previous winners would suggest. In 2016 a young Tom Pidcock held off a charging Ian Wilkinson for a memorable victory as a junior, the Yorkshireman adding his name to a list of winners containing some of the biggest names in domestic racing – Paul Curran, Rob Hayles and Pete Williams have all stood in the top step of the podium here.
The course
Coming in at only 3.9 miles long, the course is gently rolling, offering just under 100ft of elevation per lap, managing to avoid the more difficult climbs the area is famous for.
Taking in four left hand turns, the main challenge each lap is long drag up towards the finishing line, where riders take a fast sweeping bend at the top, marking 200m to go.
The sporting nature of the course leaves the race open for the strongest riders to shine, with harsh February conditions often playing their part – it is no coincidence that powerful riders such as a young Ian Stannard, winner back in 2007, have excelled on the parcours before.
With Si Wilson’s course record of 7:48 set in a summer 2020 time trial, it is likely we’ll see lap times in the region of a little over 8 minutes, with the scratch group needing just shy of 40 seconds per lap on the first group to complete the catch in good time.
Riders to watch
Such is the nature of a handicap, it is hard to discount any rider from taking the win, although the advantage should lie with the scratch group, given the obvious talent in their ranks. 15 riders are due off in this group, a number that almost perfectly lends itself to some form of cohesion, at least until the gap narrows.
Last year’s edition went largely to script with Wheelbase CabTech Castelli’s Tom Martin taking the spoils ahead of Josh Whitehead as the scratch group dominated proceedings. Returning to defend his title, the versatile Martin faces stiff opposition from some of the best young riders in the UK after an impressive 2023 campaign, which saw him take a win in Spain.
Making his debut in Hagens Berman Jayco colours is Ben Wiggins, the 18 year old Lancashire local splitting his weekend between this race and the national track championships in nearby Manchester, having turned heads as a junior with impressive results across the disciplines. The only junior in the scratch group is Wiggins’ former Fensham Howes – MAS Design teammate Seb Grindley, who was edged out by a tyre width for the national junior road race title only a stones throw away from here last year. Grindley will look to continue his good winter form, having won two rounds of the junior National Cyclocross Trophy and finished second at the national junior cyclocross race last month in Falkirk.
Damien Clayton is a rider familiar to most after a number of years on UCI teams. He unofficially retired at the end of last season but it seems he is back for more in 2024. Racing in the colours of Le Col Race Team, the Yorkshireman has the experience, and grit, to challenge for victory.
Dylan Westley, in his final year as an under-23, returns from Spain for the first time since 2020 and donned the USKIS Saint Piran colours for the first time earlier this month, racing to a fine 8th place at the Portsdown Classic. By all accounts he has been going very well this winter, with the versatile climber proving his race craft with wins from small groups against the odds during his time in Spain.
Other notable riders starting in the scratch group include Elite licence holder Ben Pease (Moonglu Race Team), Scot Logan Maclean who debuts with the new Project 1 Cycling Team after spending 2023 in France with the AG2R Citroën U23 setup, and 2023 junior national road race bronze medallist Zak Machin, a first year under-23 with the new HUUB BCC Race Team.
Headlining the 2nd Category group is course record holder Si Wilson (HUUB Wattshop). The former Ribble Weldtite veteran won this race in 2014 and brings a wealth of local knowledge and experience to proceedings.
Saint Piran are never too far away from the pointy end of a British road race, and the UCI Continental squad’s hopes are pinned on 20-year-old Tyler Hannay, who joins Wilson in the 2nd Category group. The Manxman is a former winner of the Junior Tour of Wales and his big engine will need to be finely tuned to stave off the challenge of the scratch riders, although the course should be to his liking.
Startlist
Updated 9pm, 24 February 2024
Reserves
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