The 2017 HSBC UK | Grand Prix Series concludes on Sunday with the Leicester Castle Classic.
The title is on the line with just five points separating the top two riders as a festival of cycling heads to the East Midlands on the day Leicester also hosts the HSBC UK City Ride.
About the series
The HSBC UK | Grand Prix Series is a four-round British road race series which runs throughout July and August.
Racing began with the Tour of the Reservoir on Saturday 1 and Sunday 2 July with One Pro Cycling’s Karol Domagalski and JLT Condor’s Tom Moses getting the individual stage wins as Tom Stewart took the overall win.
But it was Bibby’s fifth and second places over the two stages that saw him collect the most series standings points.
Another JLT Condor rider, Brenton Jones, took the win at the Stockton Grand Prix in a photo finish, pipping Team Wiggins’ Chris Latham on the line.
Last weekend, Ollie Wood got the win for Team Wiggins at the Ryedale Grand Prix, sprinting up the outside on the final climb to beat Matt Holmes of Madison Genesis.
The series will be decided in Leicester at the ever-popular Leicester Castle Classic on Sunday 13 August.
The course
Starting and finishing on Western Boulevard, riders will head south, crossing the River Soar and travelling via Raw Dykes Road towards the King Power Stadium, home of the 2015/16 Premier League Champions Leicester City.
The peloton will loop around the stadium before heading back up Raw Dykes Road and reaching Western Boulevard via Eastern Boulevard, before taking in a lap around Leicester Castle.
Riders are set for 20 laps of the Leicester course, a total race distance of 80 kilometres.
What happened last year
Chris Lawless secured the series title in Leicester twelve months ago - leading a JLT Condor one-two as he crossed the line just ahead of teammate Russ Downing.
Ones to watch
Dexter Gardias is the series leader with one round remaining but the BIKE Channel Canyon rider knows he faces tough competition in Leicester.
Gardias has 70 points, but Madison Genesis’ Jonathan McEvoy, who also takes to the start line, is breathing down his neck on 65.
JLT Condor, leaders of the team standings, have had a terrific season domestically, with four riders in the top ten standings at present.
Graham Briggs and Ian Bibby are both joint third with 51 points, while Tom Moses is fifth on 50 and Brenton Jones has 42 points in eighth place - Briggs, Jones and Moses are part of a six-man JLT Condor team selected for Leicester, which includes three-time Olympic champion Ed Clancy.
Moses is tied with One Pro Cycling’s Thomas Stewart, while Stewart’s teammate Karol Domagalski cannot be discounted on 46 points - both will fancy their chances in the East Midlands.
How to follow the racing
- Follow the action from the HSBC UK | Grand Prix Series on our live blog from 9.45am on Sunday for race updates, images and social media.
- Follow @BritishCycling on Twitter for updates throughout the racing.
- Video highlights, reports, results, images and reaction will appear on the British Cycling website.
