The two new road race champions from the HSBC UK | National Road Championships will be in action at the Otley Cycle Races 2018.
About the HSBC UK | National Circuit Series
The HSBC UK | National Circuit Series is a six-event series throughout July, starting with the Otley Grand Prix on 4 July and ending in Colne on 25 July. Last year saw six rounds of fast and furious racing, with JLT Condor rider Matt Gibson securing the 2017 overall title.
The individual overall title is determined by performance throughout the six different series, as points are allocated for finish position. Winning a race gives the rider 30 points, down to one point for the rider who finishes in 20th position. The format of racing sees riders complete a set number of laps of the designated course, starting and finishing in the same location.
The course
The men’s race will see riders tackling the short (approx. 2.1km) course for 24 laps - a total of 50km or 31 miles. The start/finish line of the race is located in Bondgate.
Ones to watch
Last year the Otley Grand Prix was impacted by heavy rain and less than ideal racing conditions throughout, but Chris Lawless, now riding for Team Sky, dealt best with the inclement weather to take victory for a second year running. Lawless isn’t riding this year’s event but a number of stars will be in attendance, looking to start the series with a win.
Fresh off his stunning road race victory at the HSBC UK | National Road Championships, Connor Swift will be full of confidence and looking to recreate some of the magic from Northumberland in Otley. His Madison Genesis teammate Johnny McEvoy has also been in fine form in 2018.
Star riders Tom Pidcock and Ed Clancy have gone head to head on numerous occasions this season, with the Olympic champion Clancy having an advantage of 2:1 over the young prodigy. Pidcock was victorious at the National Circuit Championships in 2017 and has pedigree in this format of racing.
The Tanfield brothers both had stand-out performances at the National Road Championships, picking up medals in both the under-23 and elite categories and will be strong challengers for Canyon Eisberg.
About the HSBC UK | National Women’s Series
The HSBC UK | National Women’s Road Series consists of seven rounds of racing with the Otley round being the fourth. The National Women’s Series follows the same points system for race placing, with the overall winner accumulating the most points over the series. In the event of a points tie, the individual winner will be decided based on countback of the number of first places achieved then the number of second places achieved and so on.
The course
The women’s race consists of 15 laps of the same course, totalling 31.5km or 19.6 miles. The start/finish line of the race is located in Bondgate.
Ones to watch
As the series moves past the half way mark, Torrelli Brother rider Sophie Wright currently maintains a slender lead in the overall ranking from Nicola Juniper after securing victory at the Tour of the Reservoir in the previous race.
Neah Evans was the victor in the second stage of racing and she makes up one of the five Storey Racing riders in the top ten, placing them comfortably at the top of the team standings.
19-year old Jess Roberts gave the performance of her career so far to outlast Mel Lowther and claim the national champions jersey at the HSBC UK | National Road Championships last weekend. She will represent Team Breeze, along with Ellie Dickinson who also claimed a spot on the podium.
How to follow
- Follow the action from the HSBC UK | National Women’s Road Series on our live blog from 6.30pm on Wednesday for race updates, images and social media.
- Follow @BritishCycling on Twitter for updates from both events throughout the racing.
- Video highlights, reports, results, images and reaction will appear on the British Cycling website.
