The country’s elite male and female riders descend on Bristol this weekend, as the women’s HSBC UK | National Circuit Series gets underway, and the men’s HSBC UK | National Road Series reaches round 4 – the Circuit of the Mendips.

The event is the reincarnation of the race which was a popular fixture on the calendar in previous decades.

The event organiser, Andy Cook, is a former winner of the race, having been victorious in 1990, and says that it is set to be a ‘special’ addition to the current calendar.

He explains:

“We’ve listened to feedback from riders and team managers, and created what promises to be an excellent race in the challenging Mendips, with a city centre start and finish.

“Back in the day I rode the original Circuit of the Mendips and managed to win it, so for me personally to be involved in an event of this standard on such an iconic route is something quite special.

“It was a privilege to win it back then, and this year’s winner will be a worthy one, as the distance and amount of climbing will mean that the winner is a rider of some standing.”

The race will begin and end in Bristol city centre, taking in 95 miles of spectacular scenery and tough climbing in between. The riders will head south out of the city centre via Dundry Hill and the B3114, and initially do one lap of a smaller circuit to the east of the Mendips. The riders join the circuit at West Harptree and immediately climb Harptree Hill.

Upon returning to West Harptree the riders continue along the A368 towards Blagdon where they turn sharp left and climb back up onto the Mendips via the steep climb out of Blagdon.

Two larger laps will then follow, taking in Burrington Combe and the villages of Compton Martin and Ubley to the west. The peloton will then come back in towards Bristol climbing back up over the fearsome Dundry Hill, eventually finishing the gruelling course back in the centre of the city.