A full field of 80 riders plus reserves kicks off the road season in the North on 26th of February.
Promoting club, Clayton Velo are organizing this Classic for the 46th time. The handicap format was introduced about 10 years ago and the race has never looked back with full fields and great racing. Race officials have broken with tradition of giving the 4th cats the maximum advantage and have put out front almost 20 juniors, and the chance to keep the Pros and Elite riders at bay with a seven minute advantage.
Don’t expect the young guns to get it all their own way though as the scratch group made up of 20 professional riders have made it to the head of the race by three quarter distance in the past and gone on to win. Organiser Peter Boast said “I’d love to see the Juniors hold them off as this race is all about the riders giving it full gas for the 55 mile. The Pros and Elite riders get a real workout if they want to make it to the head of the race and there’s no hiding place in the scratch group”.
Likewise, the Juniors can impress their team managers if they get their act together, with riders from GB’s Olympic Development Programme Plus Champion systems and the newly formed Mountivation team managed by Ex Pro Gary Sadler. With prime prizes at the end of laps two and four, they should at least battle it out for some early prize money. The third group away is pretty formidable too with several under 23 riders from the big teams and a mix of very experienced Elites and category 1 riders.
The race starts at 10am from Eddisford Bridge, Clithroe and covers a hard and grippy four mile lap 13 times. Last year’s ‘dead heat’ winners Dean Downing and Tom Murray both return and Malcolm Elliott manages the newly formed Node4 Giordana team. Add to the mix Tom Barras, Kristian House, Matt Cronshaw, and Dave Clarke to name a few, the race is bound to ignite towards the end.
It should be very interesting as the race unfolds in the shadow of the famous bewitched Pendle hill. It’s almost 400 years since the Pendle witches passed this way on their way to the gallows at Lancaster; Aussies Richard Lang and Ben Grenda plus South African Chris Jennings.
RIDER LIST IN THEIR GROUPS
Scratch Group 4 Pro/Elite At 7 Mins
69. Tom Barras
70. Matt Cronshaw
71. Peter Williams
72. James Sampson
73. Kieren Frend (former pro in Europe)
74. David Clarke
75. Richard Hepworth
76. Dillon Byrne
77. Alistair Rutherford
78. Conan Mayman
79. Robert Smail
80. Robbie Hassan
81. Richard Bott
82. Andy Coupe
83. Andrew Hawden
85. Richard Lang
86. Chris Jennings
87. Richard Handley
88. Mike Cumming
89. Kristian House
90. Ben Grenda
91. Dean Downing
92. Tom Murray
Group 3 Cat 1/2/E U23
44. L Grivell-Mellor
45. Oliver Rossi
46. Felix English
47. Ben Greenwood
48. Jack Pullar
49. Sam Jackson
50. Harry Grey
51. Ash Finn
52. J. Pearson
53. Mat Pilkington
54. Shane O’Neil
55. Stephen Leigh
56. Chris Sherriffs
57. Ben Dean
58. Jack Waller
59. Cal Nicholson
60. Steve Abbott
61. John Crellin
62. F Pilkington
63. Declan Byrne
64. Ben Kellett
65. Sam Boast
66. David McGowan
67. Matt Robinson
68. Martin woffindin
Group 2 Cat 4/3/2
19. Craig Maude
20. Lee Carter
21. Roy Pearson
22. John Clegg
23. Adam Blackley
24. Jason Wilshire
25. John Bamford
26. Thomas Walsh
27. Darran Acton
28. Nick Heap
29. Carl Pawson
30. Neil Higgins
31. Nathan Harrison
32. James Claydon
33. James Warren
34. Chris Southworth
35. Chris Danby
36. Sam Dobson
37. Steve Gibson
38. Graham Payne
39. Matt Limacher
40. Jed Hartley
41. Hamish Graham
42. Michael Knight
43. Luke Boulton
44. Ady Lawrence
45. J Warrington
Group 1 Juniors (age 16 -18)
1. Stuart McCluskey
2. William Thomas
3. Andrew Leigh
4. Luc Hall
5. Chris Laython
6. Hugh Carthy(world Tour in 2024)
7. Jacob Ragan
8. Chris Lawless (Tour of Yorkshire winner)
9. Henrey Hunter
10. Ash Clitheroe
12. Jordan Rigby
13. Jack Sadler
14. Matt Flynn
15. Josh Knights
16. James King
17. Tom Armstrong
18. James Knox (World Tour in 2024)
Related Link: Feature on this early season classic
