Preview: Road Race Championships

Bioracer_Example

The road races the country are waiting for with baited breathe are this Sunday, the British Road Race Championships in Lincoln

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

Preview: Road Race Championships

The road races the country are waiting for with baited breathe are this Sunday, the British Road Race Championships in Lincoln. On a modified course for the country’s most prestigious road race, the Lincoln GP, there will be no easy wins on the cobbles of Michaelgate.

Whilst the men and women will both have a transitional loop (or two for the men) to do before they race through Lincoln, it is the cobbled climb at Lincoln that will split the races asunder. Once on the finishing circuit, the Men will do eight and a half laps and the women four and half. It’s a classic course for a classic event and I fully expect the jerseys to be heading to Europe.

MEN’S
Defending champion Peter Kennaugh is in superb form following an excellent ride in the Criterium du Dauphine earlier in June, where the 26-year-old Manxman took the opening stage and with it the first yellow jersey.

2013_Lincoln_12

The jersey may be different but the rider may well be the same – Peter Kennaugh

Kennaugh’s record in the championship is second to none in modern times. Not since Roger Hammond in 2003 and 2004 has a rider retained the British champion’s jersey but Kennaugh also boasts good knowledge of this year’s course, having won the Lincoln Grand Prix two years ago.

So, he will therefore go into the race as one of the major favourites. Peter was second in 2008, 3rd in 2009, 2nd 2010, 3rd in 2011 and first in 2014.

But what about number 34? Mark Cavendish who won the title in Glasgow which was very lumpy as well. It could be both Isle of Man riders on the podium but the race can be very unpredictable and so predictions are near on impossible. We don’t even know who will ride as being on the start sheet is no guarantee. In the TT champs, almost half the field didn’t start!

Based on who is on the start sheet though, looking for favourites, you can’t go past the Yates brothers who are known for their climbing and many expect them and the likes of Stephen Cummings to be among the favourites.

2005_Mens_RR_Champs_Downing

Ten years ago, 2005 and Russell Downing was British Champion beating Stephen Cummings. Can the four time Lincoln winner repeat that championship win?

As the event is on a classics course who better to put in the list of favourites than a classics rider, Ian Stannard who is such a champion on the cobbled climbs.

Other names that stand out as possible podium candidates are Luke Rowe, Scott Davies, Josh Edmondson, Tao Geoghegan Hart, former Lincoln winner Scott Thwaites, a four time winner at Lincoln and , former RR champion Russell Downing, former champs winner & Lincoln winner Kristian House, Tom Stewart, Erick Rowsell, TT champion Alex Dowsett, Ian Bibby, former Lincoln winner Yanto Barker, Adam Blythe and Andrew Tennant.

There are at least a dozen others who could be in that mix but by the time the race gets to the final two or three laps, the contenders should be easy to see and the crowd can enjoy a great battle on the cobbles in an attacking war of wheels.

2015_VISION_MetronMidStory

WOMEN’S

2015_WomensTour_Stage1_14

No doubting the supreme form that Lizzie Armitstead had at the Women’s Tour – if she’s in the same shape at Lincoln, beating her will be a difficult challenge for her rivals.

The Women’s race will also see an exciting battle for the jersey with a dozen or so riders favourites to be in the mix. The defending champion Laura Trott has shown over and over she can win and win well on the road but the out and out favourite is Lizzie Armitstead.

The former champion crashed on stage 1 of the Aviva Women’s Tour when it’s said a gust of wind caught her whilst she had the hands up after winning that stage. In an interview with Eddie Allen of British Cycling, Lizzie has spoken of having her first proper ride on Tuesday.

“I felt okay, the leg was a bit tired towards the end but way better than I expected to be so all set for the nationals.” Whilst some of her rivals, such as Trott,  Hannah Barnes and former champion Sharon Laws completed the Women’s Tour and have had a week to recover, Armistead only had the one day of racing. “I think I’ll miss the racing speed I would have gained from five days racing in the UK – it would have been fast, sprinty type – it would have been good for the nationals and difficult to replicate on your own in training.”

“Okay, I’ve been on the sofa while everyone else has been racing’ but it’s not been long enough to lose form anyway. I had a good run into that – the last three races I’d done I won them.”

2014_WomensRRChamps_10

Laura Trott winning in 2014. The champion looked in great form at the Women’s Tour, at the front on the climbs and is one of the big favourites again for the title.

The race is also on a course that Armitstead has said all along is well suited to her riding style. “It’s perfect for me. My favourite kind of races are those spring classics that have got those short, steep cobbled climbs in them so it should be a nice finish for me. I’m pretty excited about the finish.”

Who can beat her on such a course? After what I saw at the Women’s Tour, no-one but then that was pre-crash. Should Lizzie not be in the form she was on stage 1 of the Women’s Tour then the likes of Trott, King, Laws, and Barnes are all contenders for the crown of the road queen. Two young riders, Molly Weaver and Lucy Garner should also be in the mix as should Jessie Walker.

Other riders who could be in the selection are Alice Barnes, sister of Hannah, Women’s National Series leader Nicola Juniper, TT winner Hayley Simmonds, Lucy Coldwell, Anna Christian and Nikki Harris.

There are a lot of the near 100 riders entered not mentioned and Katie Archibald who was at the head of the sprint on the final stage of the Women’s Tour showed she could well be a title contender.

The Scottish rider is one of many of the big domestic teams who could throw a spanner in the works of the European riders who won’t have team support making the race a delightful prospect to watch especially over those final few laps.

2015_fsa_contador_SM

MENS
Wearing number 1 will be last years champion Peter Kennaugh (riders in number order)

Peter Kennaugh Team Sky
Andy Fenn Team Sky
Luke Rowe Team Sky
Ian Stannard Team Sky
Geraint Thomas Team sky (not riding)
Germain Burton 100% ME
Gabriel Cullaigh 100% ME
Scott Davies 100% ME
Matt Gibson 100% ME
Jake Kelly 100% ME
Chris Latham 100% ME
Mark Stewart 100% ME
Alistair Slater An Post – ChainReaction
Josh Edmondson An Post – ChainReaction
Tao Geoghegan Hart Axeon Cycling Team
Andrew Feather Bikeshed – Exeter Uni
Scott Thwaites Bora Argon 18
Daniel Mclay Bretagne-Seche Environnement
Hugh Carthy CAJA RURAL-SEGUROS RGA
Lawrence Carpenter Catford CC Equipe/Banks
Ashley Dennis Catford CC Equipe/Banks
Harry Godding Catford CC Equipe/Banks
Joshua Green Catford CC Equipe/Banks
Henry Latimer Catford CC Equipe/Banks
Jez McCann Catford CC Equipe/Banks
Tom Neale Catford CC Equipe/Banks
Liam Yates Catford CC Equipe/Banks
Ashley Cox CC Luton
William Goulbourne Corley Cycles – Drops RT
Michael Smith Corley Cycles – Drops RT
Russell Downing CULT Energy Pro Cycling
Taylor Johnstone Cycling Team Tomacc
Charlie Tanfield Easton Ritte
Mark Cavendish MBE Etixx – QuickStep
Thomas Bustard Giordana-Mitsubishi Electric RT
David Clarke Giordana-Mitsubishi Electric RT
Nathan Edmondson Giordana-Mitsubishi Electric RT
Jacob Scott ILLI-Bikes Cycling Team
Jake Womersley ILLI-Bikes Cycling Team
Graham Briggs JLT Condor
Dante Carpenter JLT Condor
Edward Clancy MBE JLT Condor
Michael Cuming JLT Condor
Luke Grivell-Mellor JLT Condor
Richard Handley JLT Condor
Kristian House JLT Condor
Edward Laverack JLT Condor
Thomas Moses JLT Condor
Joseph Moses JLT Condor
Harry Tanfield JLT Condor
Andrew Nichols Langsett Cycles RT
James Shaw Lotto Soudal
Matt Cronshaw Madison Genesis
Joe Evans Madison Genesis
Matthew Holmes Madison Genesis
Liam Holohan Madison Genesis
Tobyn Horton Madison Genesis
James McLaughlin Madison Genesis
Mark McNally Madison Genesis
Tristan Robbins Madison Genesis
Erick Rowsell Madison Genesis
Thomas Stewart Madison Genesis
Alex Dowsett Movistar Team
Stephen Cummings MTN – Qhubeka
Alex Anderson Neon-Velo Cycling Team
Jack Donaldson Neon-Velo Cycling Team
Steven Lawley Neon-Velo Cycling Team
James Local Neon-Velo Cycling Team
James Lowden Neon-Velo Cycling Team
Alex Minting Neon-Velo Cycling Team
Peter Murdoch Neon-Velo Cycling Team
Hugo Robinson Neon-Velo Cycling Team
Jacob Tipper Neon-Velo Cycling Team
Dale Appleby NFTO
Tom Barras NFTO
Ian Bibby NFTO
Edmund Bradbury NFTO
Sam Harrison NFTO
James Lewis NFTO
Rhys Lloyd NFTO
James Lowsley – Williams NFTO
Zachery May NFTO
Rob Partridge NFTO
Joseph Wiltshire NFTO
George Atkins One Pro Cycling
Yanto Barker One Pro Cycling
Thomas Baylis One Pro Cycling
Dexter Gardias One Pro Cycling
George Harper One Pro Cycling
Joshua Hunt One Pro Cycling
Jonathan Mould One Pro Cycling
Chris Opie One Pro Cycling
Samuel Williams One Pro Cycling
Peter Williams One Pro Cycling
Adam Blythe ORICA GreenEDGE
Adam Yates ORICA GreenEDGE
Simon Yates ORICA GreenEDGE
William Harper Pedal Heaven RT
Gruffudd Lewis Pedal Heaven RT
Chris McNamara Pedal Heaven RT
Robert Moore Pedal Heaven RT
Alex Paton Pedal Heaven RT
Max Stedman Pedal Heaven RT
Rory Townsend Pedal Heaven RT
Mitchell Webber Pedal Heaven RT
Stephen Williams Pedal Heaven RT
David Fletcher Pines Cycles – Felt – Enve
Russell Hampton Polypipe Cycling Team
Tom Mazzone Polypipe Cycling Team
Connor Swift Polypipe Cycling Team
Simon Wilson Polypipe Cycling Team
Joshua Teasdale Prorace Cycling Team
Andrew Hawdon Raleigh GAC
Steve Lampier Raleigh GAC
Sam Lowe Raleigh GAC
Brad Morgan Raleigh GAC
Evan Oliphant Raleigh GAC
George Pym Raleigh GAC
Liam Stones Raleigh GAC
Ian Wilkinson Raleigh GAC
Simon Alexander Richardsons-Trek RT
Kieran Brady Richardsons-Trek RT
Jamie Caldwell Richardsons-Trek RT
Lloyd Chapman Richardsons-Trek RT
Andrew Hastings Richardsons-Trek RT
Rhys Howells Richardsons-Trek RT
Owen Lake Richardsons-Trek RT
Luke Ryan Richardsons-Trek RT
George Wood Richardsons-Trek RT
Alex Peters SEG Racing
William Bjergfelt SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
Dan Fleeman SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
Jonathan Gildea SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
Richard Hepworth SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
Adam Kenway SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
Oliver Maxwell SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
Robert Orr SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
Ryan Perry SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
Ben Stockdale SportGrub KUOTA Cycling Team
Elliott Porter Team 3M
Joe Kirkham Team Bricquebec Cotentin
Tom Bracegirdle Team Handi-Ness
Edward Clemens Team Handi-Ness
Andy Leigh Team Handi-Ness
Jack Barrett Team Moda-Anon
Joshua Lawless Team Moda-Anon
Philip Trodden Team Soda-Anon
Finlay Young Team Moda-Anon
David Brearley Team Vertex
Mark Christian Team Wiggins
Jonathan Dibben Team Wiggins
Owain Doull Team Wiggins
Luc Hall Team Wiggins
Christopher Lawless Team Wiggins
Iain Paton Team Wiggins
Daniel Patten Team Wiggins
Andrew Tennant Team Wiggins
Michael Thompson Team Wiggins
Stephen Bradbury Velosure Starley Primal
Joshua Burns Velosure Starley Primal
James Davey Velosure Starley Primal
James Gullen Velosure Starley Primal
Jack Pullar Velosure Starley Primal
Daniel Pearson Zalf Euromobil Desiree Fior
Scott Auld Zappi’s Racing Team
Callum Ferguson Zappi’s Racing Team
Owen James Zappi’s Racing Team
James Knox Zappi’s Racing Team
James Locker Zappi’s Racing Team
James Newey Zappi’s Racing Team

WOMEN’S
Wearing number 1 will be last years champion Laura Trott (riders in number order)

Laura Trott Matrix Fitness
Elinor Barker Matrix Fitness
Melissa Lowther Matrix Fitness
Lucy Martin Matrix Fitness
Harriet Owen Matrix Fitness
Penny Rowson Matrix Fitness
Jessie Walker Servetto Footon
Molly Weaver Matrix Fitness
Alice Cobb Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire
Amy Gornall Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire
Rebecca Rimmington Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire
Elinor Thorogood Aprire Bicycles/HSS Hire
Hayley Jones Bicycle Superstore.
Sharon Laws Bigla Cycling Team
Elizabeth Armitstead Boels Dolmans Cycling Team
Annabel Fisher Bonito Squadra Corse
Madeline Verdegaal Boston Whls CC
Sandra Mackay Carnac-Planet X
Nicola Soden Carnac-Planet X
Hannah Payton Corley Cycles – Drops RT
Rebecca Womersley Corley Cycles – Drops RT
Ashleigh Fraser Deeside Thistle CC
Sophie Black Elitevelo Kalas Sportswear CRT
Alice Miller Elitevelo Kalas Sportswear CRT
Francesca Morgans-Slader Elitevelo Kalas Sportswear CRT
Jennifer Powell Elitevelo Kalas Sportswear CRT
Rebecca Johnson Fast Test Racing Team
Sophie Faulkner Fusion RT Gearclub Bike Science
Natalie Grinczer Fusion RT Gearclub Bike Science
Jennifer Hudson Fusion RT Gearclub Bike Science
Rebecca Nixon Fusion RT Gearclub Bike Science
Lorna Ferguson Glasgow Green Cycle Club
Melissa Brand IKON – Mazda
Julie Erskine IKON – Mazda
Emma Grant IKON – Mazda
Ella Hopkins IKON – Mazda
Louise Mahe IKON – Mazda
Laura Massey IKON – Mazda
Dani Christmas Isorex Cycling Team
Jennifer George Les Filles Racing Team
Laura Greenhalgh Les Filles Racing Team
Nicole Oh Les Filles Racing Team
Helen Ralston Les Filles Racing Team
Lucy Garner Liv-Plantur
Suzetta Guerrini London Dynamo
Bella Leach London Phoenix CC
Hetty Niblett Mid Shropshire Wheelers
Maryka Sennema Paceline RT
Katie Archibald Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int’l
Katie Curtis Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int’l
Bethany Hayward Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int’l
Ciara Horne Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int’l
Joanna Rowsell Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int’l
Gabriella Shaw Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int’l
Dame Sarah Storey Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int’l
Anna Turvey Pearl Izumi Sports Tours Int’l
Sophie Coleman PMR@Toachim House
Louise Laker PMR@Toachim House
Adele Martin PMR@Toachim House
Victoria Strila PMR@Toachim House
Ruth Summerford PMR@Toachim House
Chloe Weller PMR@Toachim House
Alice Barnes Team Betch NL Superior-Brentjens
Nicola Juniper Team Giordana- Triton
Keira McVitty Team Giordana- Triton
Annasley Park Team Giordana- Triton
Charlotte Colclough Team Jadan
Chloe Fraser Team Rytger
Amy Hill Team Rytger
Ellie Coster Team USN
Emily Kay Team USN
Manon Lloyd Team USN
Emily Nelson Team USN
Hayley Simmonds Team Velosport
Sam Burman Team WNT
Rebecca Carter Team WNT
Charline Joiner Team WNT
Sophie Lankford Team WNT
Rose Osborne Team WNT
Brit Tate Team WNT
Lauryn Therin Team WNT
Jo Tindley Team WNT
Hannah Walker Team WNT
Lucy Coldwell Unattached
Claire Thomas Unattached
Hannah Barnes Unitedhealthcare Professional Cycling Team
Elizabeth Stedman University of Sheffield CC
Jane Barr Velocity 44 Stirling
Sian Botteley Velosure Starley Primal
Laura Cheesman Velosure Starley Primal
Josephine Gilbert Velosure Starley Primal
Gabriella Leveridge Velosure Starley Primal
Anna Christian Wiggle Honda
Danielle King Wiggle Honda (not riding, ill)
Amy Roberts Wiggle Honda
Eileen Roe Wiggle Honda
Genevieve Whitson WV Avanti
Nikki Harris Young Telenet Fidea Cycling Team
Karen Poole Team WattCycle

Send your results as well as club, team & event news here

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: ,