Both the men’s and women’s HSBC UK | National Road Series are heading for a grandstand finish in Ryedale next weekend.

A fixture on the calendar since 2005, Ryedale has hosted the national championships three times – in 2005, 2008 and 2012 – before moving to the picturesque Ampleforth Abbey in 2013.

Riders this year will be looking add to their name to the list of recent winners, as well as secure the highest possible finishing position in this year’s overall standings.

2018:

Ryedale was the concluding race on the men’s HSBC UK Grand Prix Series calendar in 2018, with Graham Briggs (JLT Condor) won a four-man sprint after the peloton had battled awful conditions at the start of the race. Max Stedman (Canyon Eisberg) was second and Connor Swift (Madison Genesis) third, a result which rubber-stamped Swift’s overall series victory.

The women’s race also brought the curtain down on the series, and saw two Annas – Christian and Henderson – break away decisively from the peloton. It was Henderson (Cycle Team OnForm) who won the sprint between the two, taking her series points total to 157, agonisingly close to the 158 of winner Sophie Wright (Torelli-Brother).

2017:

A frantic sprint finish ended the 2017 men’s race, with Ollie Wood (Team Wiggins) sprinting up the outside on the final climb to beat Matt Holmes of Madison Genesis by the faintest of margins.

Briggs took third place in a race that saw his team-mate, Tom Moses, fade after leading for much of the contest.

Laura Massey (Drops Cycling) won the women’s race, just edging out Laura Sharp and Lizzie Banks on the last climb. Earlier in the race Stephanie Mottram (NCC Group Kuota Torelli) had launched an impressive solo attack, eventually to be caught only eight kilometres from the finish.

2016:

The 2016 men’s race saw Ian Bibby claim Ryedale victory for the second year in a row. After a dangerous break got away, the race eventually came back together and Chris Lawless launched an attack off the front. When he was caught, Matt Holmes took his turn on the front, and had looked to have established a winning margin before being overhauled agonisingly close to the line by Bibby and the chasing group.

Meanwhile, the women’s race saw Nikki Juniper extend her Ryedale dominance by winning the event for a third year in a row – a result which saw her tie up the