The first ever Lancaster Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, with the race marking round 3 of the men’s HSBC UK | National Road Series.
The peloton will depart Williamson Park at 9:30am, after which some of the country’s best domestic riders will do battle over the tough, hilly 100m route as they look to make headway in both the individual and team series standings.
The team standings have been dominated by one team thus far; Canyon DHB p/b Bloor Homes have won both previous rounds of the series, and the victors on those occasions – Rory Townsend and Tom Stewart – will both be lining up on Sunday.
The individual standings are currently headed by Matthew Holmes, and he will be part of a strong Madison Genesis contingent, with the likes of Ian Bibby, Tom Moses and Joey Walker also on the start list.
Team Wiggins le Col will also be well-represented, with Gabz Cullaigh, Mark Christian and Rob Scott in their ranks, while Scott Thwaites – currently sixth in the individual series standings – will line up for Vitus Pro Cycling p/b Brother UK.
Elsewhere, Kieran Savage (Cycling Sheffield Giant Sheffield) and Steve Lampier (Saint Piran) will also be looking to extend their impressive starts to the series.
The race will take in more than 2,600m (8,500 feet) of climbing. From Williamson Park, riders will travel to the well-known circuit based on the villages of Dolphinholme and Abbeystead, and will cover seven laps of this before returning - with a final tough climb of Conder Bottoms just 3km from the finish - to complete the race in Williamson Park at the foot of the Ashton Memorial.
The Lancaster Grand Prix takes place on the same day that the women’s series also reaches round 3, at the CiCle Classic. Following this weekend, both pelotons move on to Bristol, for round 4 of the men’s HSBC UK | National Road Series and round 1 of the women’s HSBC UK | National Circuit Series next weekend.
