The HSBC UK | National Road Championships will race through Northumberland on Thursday 28 June for the time trial competition, as Alex Dowsett attempts to match national record.
Ones to watch
Elite men
Steve Cummings, winner of both the road race and time trial at the National Road Championships in 2017, will return as he looks to defend his title in Northumberland on Thursday.
Five-time national time trial champion, Alex Dowsett will start as another favourite in the elite men’s time trial this week. The Katusha-Alpecin rider will be looking to improve on recent good form in time trials during the Giro d’Italia and Tour of Slovenia.
2018 Critérium du Dauphiné winner Geraint Thomas (Team Sky), who is fine form will be looking to cause an upset and add another British champion jersey to his collection before taking on the Tour de France in July.
An intense challenge will most certainly come from last year’s bronze medallist James Gullen (JLT Condor) and 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Harry Tanfield (Canyon Eisberg).
Cummings’ Team Dimension Data team mate and four-time under 23 National Time Trial champions Scott Davies will also compete in the elite men’s category for the first time.
Elite women
Hannah Barnes (Canyon SRAM Racing) who finished second in last years’ time trial and Dani Rowe MBE (WaowDeals Pro Cycling) who secured the best British rider in the Women’s Tour earlier this month are two notable early favourites to win the national champions jersey.
Two-time national time trial champion Hayley Simmonds (WNT Rotor Pro Cycling Team) will return to challenge for her third title.
Last year’s winner in the elite women’s time trial Claire Rose (Cervélo-Bigla Pro Cycling) and third placed Katie Archibald (WNT Rotor Pro Cycling Team) are both notable absentees from this year’s start list, both currently recovering from injury.
Anna Christian (Trek-Drops) the 22-year-old will be looking to have a big impact against her older competitors, using her gold medal in the under-23 championship from last year as motivation.
Multiple Paralympic champion Dame Sarah Storey will also ride the 28.6km course in Northumberland alongside her Storey Racing team mates Neah Evans and Melissa Lowther.
Under-23 men
Thomas Baylis (One Pro Cycling) and Charlie Tanfield (Canyon Eisberg), second and third placed in 2017 respectively will dreaming of wearing the national jersey come Thursday with the exclusion of Scott Davies (Team Dimension Data).
Four-time winner Davies has had a stronghold on the jersey in the under-23 time trial championship for the last four years consecutively, and this year steps up to compete in the elite men’s competition.
Having recently being promoted to the Great Britain Cycling Team Podium Programme, Ethan Hayter will be looking to impress alongside his 100% ME team mates Matthew Bostock and Joe Holt.
Gabriel Cullaigh (Team Wiggins) winner of this year’s Rutland - Melton Cicle Classic is another one to watch alongside team mate and one of cyclists most promising talents, Thomas Pidcock.
The course
The women and under-23 men will complete two laps of the course, while the elite men will race three.
This year’s event will both start and finish at the 17th-century historic country mansion and Grade II-listed Kirkley Hall, near Ponteland.
The men and women will ride the same P-shaped, course, with the senior men completing three laps and the women and under-23 men completing two. The course starts in the grounds of Kirkley Hall before heading north past Kirkley Cycles, Shilvington and up to the Gubeon where it turns right towards Tranwell. It then heads south over Saltwick Hill and down to Twizzell to complete the lap.
Schedule
Start times
Time trial
11.00am – Women’s time trial
1.45pm – U23 time trial
5.00pm – Men’s time trial
How to follow
- Live streaming will be available on Facebook and from the British Cycling website from 11:00am on Thursday 28 June and Sunday 1 July.
- The road race action will be broadcast on ITV, with highlights of the women’s road race and live culmination of the men’s race being shown from 3:00pm on Sunday July 1. The programme will then be available on the ITV Hub for 27 days after the event.
- Follow @BritishCycling on Twitter for race updates and on Instagram for the behind the scenes story.
- A full report, results, images and reaction each day on the British Cycling website.
