The HSBC UK | National Women’s Road Series returns this weekend as the teams descend upon Melton Mowbray for round four of the 2017 series - the CiCLE Classic in Leicestershire.
Storey Racing’s Chanel Mason kept her overall lead in the standings at the Lincoln Grand Prix after Drops’ Alice Barnes won the race for a second consecutive year.
Cycle Team OnForm lead the team standings on 100 points, just two points ahead of Drops.
About the series
The CiCLE Classic is one of nine races in this year’s National Women’s Road Series, which runs from April until August.
Elizabeth Banks of SunSport Velo got off to the perfect start at the series opener, the Tour of the Wolds, before Wiggle High5’s Grace Garner was victorious at the Essex Giro.
Alice Barnes triumphed over the cobbles and up the brutal climbs of the Lincoln Grand Prix, but it is Chanel Mason of Storey Racing who leads the standings, after a strong all-round performance so far.
The series will now see three races in June, starting with the CiCLE Classic in Leicestershire, followed by the Curlew Cup in Northumberland and the Otley Grand Prix in West Yorkshire.
The first weekend of July sees the always popular two-day Alexander Tour of the Reservoir followed by the Newton Longville Festival of Cycling Grand Prix in Buckinghamshire later that month.
The series concludes on Sunday 6 August with the Ryedale Grand Prix in North Yorkshire.
Ones to watch
Series leader Chanel Mason will line up for Storey Racing once more but will have to contest with previous round winners Garner and Banks if she wants to hang on to the top spot.
Lincoln Grand Prix winner Alice Barnes will sit this one out but teammate Rebecca Durrell will be looking to challenge the podium places; continuing the good form she has shown throughout the spring.
Drops, who are currently leading the Matrix Fitness Grand Prix Series and have two riders in the top ten of the Women’s Road Series standings, are once again fielding a very strong squad for the CiCLE Classic, with Abi Van Twisk and Rebecca Wormersley sure to be in the mix.
Ejay Harris of Storey Racing will be on hand to support series leader Mason but is more than capable of taking the individual victory for herself.
Eileen Roe will race for WNT Team, fresh from her Tour Series victory in Bath; the tightly twisting course should suit the criterium specialist’s racing sensibilities.
Starting at 2pm in Melton Mowbray, the course takes a route across the Leicestershire countryside, visiting Somerberg, Sawgate and Owston as part of a 95 kilometre race.
How to follow
Follow the action from CiCLE Classic on our live blog from 1.45pm on Sunday 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.
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