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Top Class Bike Racing Coming to York
Story posted 21, by Larry Hickmott | Promoting Club, Clifton CC
The penultimate round of the British Cycling Elite Circuit Series goes to York on Sunday, July 25 where the city will play host to an afternoon of cycle racing. After a year when bike racing has been to many a picturesque town and city around Britain, the Circuit Series will take place in one of the country’s most historic cities which is a mecca for tourists year round.
York is a walled city that has been a backdrop to major historical events throughout much of its two millennia of existence. The city was founded by the Romans in 71 AD and today, many of its historic buildings still stand in majestic splendour such as the York Minster.
The afternoon sees no less than twelve races take place encompassing events for those on folding and racing bikes as well as categories of riders including Disabled, Youth, club riders (3/4 category) and the top professionals. Something for everyone and the circuit too will be providing an iconic backdrop for the racing.
Clifford's Tower is a part of York Castle and dates back to the 13th century. From its start in 1068 through to the English Civil War, the castle in York had an eventful history and you can find out more by visiting York this weekend.
The racing will start in Duncombe Place in front of the dramatic west end of York Minster and the one kilometre circuit will see the riders racing over many of the normally pedestrianised streets. It all means the racing will be taking place as close to the heart of York as you can get.
Setting off southwards, the riders will sweep left into Blake Street and onto a short section of cobbles as the race crosses the northern end of St.Helen's Square (passing the Mansion House) and giving the diners in the famous Betty's Tea Rooms an excellent view.
At the end of Blake Street, the race takes a left around St.Sampson's Square, where there will be trade stalls and lots of good spectator space before heading up Church Street where the race passes King's Square and the end of the UK's most picturesque street - The Shambles - before the narrow sweep of Goodramgate where speeds will be high and spectators up close and personal!
The race then takes a very sharp left into Deangate and past the historic St.William's College before bringing the race back beneath the massive presence of the Minster, gaining speed through Minster Yard before the final sweep left into Duncombe Place and across the finish line. A quick wiz round the streets using Google’s Streetview is an ideal way to take a peak at what’s in store for the riders!
Champion field for York race
It is a truly beautiful setting and to compliment it, the race has an equally stunning line up for the final race of the day, the Elite Circuit Series event. Leading the way will be the new British Circuit Race champion who is no less than Olympic and World Champion, Ed Clancy. The Yorkshireman will be noticeable in his champion’s skin suit with the red and blue bands.
Ed Clancy on his way to winning in Blackburn on Wednesday night wearing the jersey of British Champion.
Ed has already won two rounds of the series (Stafford and Blackburn) and has shown brilliant bike handling skills on the twisty circuits where he can get down low on his bike and throw it into corners at speeds few can match. There are though plenty of others who can win the race such as any one of the riders in the black skinsuit with Rapha Condor Sharp on them. Their key rider is Dean Downing, twice a British circuit race champion and backed up by the 2010 Silver medallist in the Australia circuit championships, Dean Windsor!
As the riders in the Rapha team will testify, you need some good luck as well to win at this level but the tight, cobbled and narrow twisty streets of York will suit many of their riders including Graham Briggs who was second in Blackburn on Wednesday night. The course will also suit riders such as Dutchman Jefte De Bruin of the Kuota-Road CC team who has shone so well on the twisty streets of Stafford and Bradford. Other key names in the rider list include Tony Gibb of the www.cyclepremier.com - Metaltek team. Gibb, a Silver medallist in the World Track Championships in 2002, won a round of the Halfords Tour Series this year and has been riding strongly in the Elite Circuit Races lately.
In Ed Clancy’s Motorpoint team is another master of the circuit race, Malcolm Elliott who won the Tour Series round in Durham this year and he’ll have plenty of support with the likes of Bronze medallist in the circuit race championships, Jonny McEvoy.
Also on the start sheet is the winner of the East Yorkshire Classic, David Clarke of Pendragon-LeCol-Colnago as well as the first ever (1996) Open Circuit Race Champion in Britain, John Tanner of the Sportscover team.
John will be racing with his son Jake in the event, the only father/son combination to enter and the elder Tanner is showing great form lately. He was in the mix at the front of the East Yorkshire Classic last weekend as well as the Otley Town Centre Elite race a few weeks ago. Spectators can expect to see him in the thick of the action in York.
In the soap opera that is the Elite town centre racing series, there is plenty of drama like this moment in the British championships when James McCallum is caught in the final metres of the race.
The event also has a few local riders such as James Sharp and Alistair Kay, both of York Cycle Works while the promoting club has a former club member racing the event, Kit Gilham of Sigma Sport Specialised. With so many top riders in the 68 entries, the pace of the race is sure to explosive from early on and while the likes of Clancy, Briggs and Downing are favourites, any one of a dozen could be on the top step of the podium.
The icing on the cake is the York round will give both Downing and Clancy a chance to improve their overall series points tally to be in with a chance of winning the series overall. With current series leader Ian Wilkinson not riding, the door is open to the likes of Downing and Clancy to try and close the gap on him. With only two races left in the series, Wilkinson leads Downing by 77 points and so it is possible for both Clancy and Downing to get within touching distance of the Endura rider’s points tally in York before the series finishes in Preston on August 8.
Be sure to make the trip to York for the racing on Sunday, or even make a weekend of it, because the historical city is certainly a place where there is plenty to do and the fast and furious bike racing will be the icing on the cake.
Rider List (click here for the PDF)
Elite Circuit Series: Elite/1/2
1 James Sharpe York Cycleworks
2 Richard Lambert Cottingham Coureurs 1st/U23
3 Nathan Wilson Cottingham Coureurs 2nd
4 Duncan Moralee Private member
5 Cam Austin London Dynamo Prologue 1st
6 Jeroen Janssen Kuota-Road CC E
7 Jefte De Bruin Kuota-Road CC E
8 Jon Mozley Kuota-Road CC E
9 Andy Tinsley Kuota-Road CC E
10 Martin Smith Kuota-Road CC E
11 Dan Davies Kuota-Road CC 1st
12 David MacGowan Kuota-Road CC 1st
13 Matt Bailey Kuota-Road CC 1st/J
14 Gary Adamson Science in Sport 1st
15 Alistair Rutherford Science in Sport 1st
16 Tim Lawson Science in Sport 1st
17 Callum Sewell Chevin Bang & Olufsen 2nd/U23
18 Sam Pedder Tameside Cyclesports 2nd
19 Ashley Brown Team Sportscover 1st
20 John Tanner Team Sportscover 1st
21 Matthew Fenton Cottingham Coureurs 1st
22 Chris Clark York Cycleworks 2nd
23 Matt Mannakee Boneshakerbikes.com 2nd
24 Steve Lampier Pendragon-LeCol-Colnago E
25 Alistair Kay York Cycleworks 1st
26 Andrew Marsh Dinnington RC 2nd
27 Jordon Skinner Dinnington RC 2nd
28 Tony Gibb www.cyclepremier.com - Metaltek E
29 Andrew Magnier www.cyclepremier.com - Metaltek E
30 Simon Wilson www.cyclepremier.com - Metaltek E
31 Richard Hepworth www.cyclepremier.com - Metaltek E
32 Jason White www.cyclepremier.com - Metaltek E
33 Rob Smail www.cyclepremier.com - Metaltek E
34 Matthew Kipling MTS Cyclesport / Inkland E
35 Steven Burke Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta E
36 Ed Clancy Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta E
37 Josh Edmondson Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta 1st/J
38 Malcolm Elliott Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta E
39 Johnny McEvoy Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta 2nd
40 James Sampson Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta 1st
41 Andrew Tennant Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta E
42 Peter Williams Motorpoint Marshalls Pasta E
43 Dan Duguid Sigma Sport - Specialized Cycling TeEam
44 Phil Sykes Sigma Sport - Specialized Cycling TeEam
45 Tom Last Sigma Sport - Specialized Cycling TeEam
46 Tom Murray Sigma Sport - Specialized Cycling TeEam
47 Kit Gilham Sigma Sport - Specialized Cycling TeEam
48 Gareth Montgomerie Sigma Sport - Specialized Cycling TeEam
49 Stephen Adams Sigma Sport - Specialized Cycling TeEam
50 Graham Briggs Rapha Condor Sharp E
51 Dean Windsor Rapha Condor Sharp E
52 Dean Downing Rapha Condor Sharp E
53 Chris Newton Rapha Condor Sharp E
54 Kristian House Rapha Condor Sharp E
55 Zak Dempster Rapha Condor Sharp E
56 Matt Cronshaw Rapha Condor Sharp E
57 Darren Lapthorne Rapha Condor Sharp E
58 Will Bjergfelt Big Maggies / Wilier / Prendas E
59 Giles Pidcock Epic Viner RT 2nd
60 Julian Gromett Cottingham Coureurs 2nd
61 Richard Tanguy Pendragon-LeCol-Colnago
62 David Clarke Pendragon-LeCol-Colnago E
63 Jake Tanner Team Sportscover 1st
64 Ross Creber Endura Racing E
65 Evan Oliphant Endura Racing E
66 David Brearley Cottingham Coureurs 2nd
67 Benjamin Last Sportscover Strategic U23
68 Richard Chapman The Bicycleworks 2nd
RELATED LINKS
Round 1: Dumfries Bikefest
Round 2: Otley Town Centre Races
Round 3: Stafford Grand Prix
Round 4: Get Connected Wales Circuit races
Round 5: Colne Grand Prix
Round 6: Blackburn Grand Prix
