The 15th edition of the Rutland – Melton International CiCLE Classic takes place this Sunday, 28 April.
All six UK-registered UCI Continental teams are named on the start list, with ten foreign-based teams to field full six-man squads.
The competitors
Included in the entries is Team Wiggins Le Col, who tasted victory in the 2018 edition of the race through the talented Gabriel Cullaigh.
The Yorkshire-born rider has already won a stage of the Volta ao Alentejo in Portugal this year and managed fourth at the East Cleveland Klondike in Guisborough, the first round of the HSBC UK | National Road Series.
Cullaigh is once again supported by his Team Wiggins Le Col team which includes current under-23 cyclo-cross world champion Tom Pidcock; forging a partnership that may be unstoppable.
The national road race champion Connor Swift, (Madison Genesis) powered to fourth in last year’s edition despite his chances being curtailed by a badly timed puncture on the penultimate sector of the race at Sawgate Lane.
This year, Swift returns heading a team which includes 2016 race winner Tom Moses. Swift will be looking to make amends after finishing second in Guisborough at the Klondike two weeks ago.
Race Director, Colin Clews, said:
“The quality of the foreign teams applying to enter this year is much higher, and it is gratifying to all involved with the event that the race’s reputation is so high throughout the cycling world, and continuing to grow year-on-year. We expect this year’s race to enhance that reputation and be the best edition yet, befitting a notable landmark in our 15th edition.
"The change to the course opening section is a major departure from previous editions and its potential influence on the final outcome will be watched closely. We hope more than ever that the strong spectator following the event has created over the years, will develop even further.
"What we can all be assured of, is that whoever wins on Sunday 28th, they will have earned their place in the history of the race that we continue to write year on year.”
The race
This year the CiCLE Classic, in addition to its place in the UCI Europe Tour, will also become part of the inaugural LCT Euro Cup series alongside several prestigious European races.
With the race’s total distance being increased to 198.5km, just short of the 200km maximum distance for a race at this level, another milestone is reached for the ever popular ‘Britain’s Belgian Classic’ race.
Going where no other race has gone before has always been a hallmark of the race and the revised course will simply add to that claim.
Competitors will well be aware of Owston, an area that the CiCLE Classic has become famous for, but the inclusion of Wymondham will bring something entirely different and new.
The race will traverse the village of Wymondham five times in just 35 minutes, featuring firstly two laps of 4.8km and then a further two of 6.5km. The potential effect being the insertion of a criterium race to enliven the first 50km of the race.
With two new sprints to fight for at Wymondham Windmill on the two initial laps of the village, plenty of action is expected, and a new spectator location will be created which,, occurring so early in the race, still allows anyone wishing to do so, to get to Owston ahead of the race’s first passage there.
The women’s and junior men’s race competitors will again ride their own edition of the CiCLE Classic on Sunday 9th June, encapsulating round three of the women’s HSBC UK | National Road Series and the 2019 British Cycling Junior Men's Road Series.
Both races – won in 2018 by Neah Evans and Alfie George - will take place over shortened versions of the International race route.
The teams
6-man team places
|
Wiggins -Le Col (GBR) UCI Continental |
Zappi-Holdsworth (GBR) Elite Club |
|
WPG Amsterdam (NED) Elite Club. |
Dovy -Keukens (BEL) UCI Continental |
|
Madison -Genesis (GBR) UCI Continental |
St .Piran (GBR) Elite Club |
|
Vitus-p.b. Brother (GBR) UCI Continental |
Bioracer-FR-DHL (IRL) Elite Club |
|
Monkey Town (NED) UCI Continental |
Swift Carbon (GBR) UCI Continental |
|
Canyon-DHB p.b. Bloor Homes (GBR) UCI Continental |
SVL Sauerland (GER) UCI Continental |
|
Ribble Pro Cycling (GBR) UCI Continental |
Beat ProCycling (NED) UCI Continental |
|
Latvian National Team (LAT) |
Spirit-Tifosi (GBR) Elite Club |
|
Rally -UHC (USA) UCI Pro Continental |
CC Sheffield (GBR) Elite Club |
|
Zico- Guerciotti (ESP) UCI Continental |
GSC Blagnac V 31 (FRA) Elite Club |
4-man team ‘Wildcard’ entries
|
Taap – Cervelo (GBR) UK Club |
Leisure Lakes Bikes (GBR) UK Club |
|
Welsh National Academy (GBR) UK Regional |
Active Edge RT (GBR) UK Club |
|
Holohan Coaching RT (GBR) UK Club |
DAP Cycling (GBR) UK Club |
|
Bikestrong KTM (GBR) UK Club |
OVB (GBR) UK Club |
|
Richardsons -Trek (GBR) UK Club |
Team LDN (GBR) UK Club |
|
East Midlands Regional Team (GBR) Regional |
ProVision RT (GBR) UK Club |
|
Flamme Rouge CT (GBR) UK Club |
Crimson Performance Marketing RT UK Club |
|
Team PB Performance (GBR) UK Club |
|
