News: British Road Championships in Lincoln

For over six decades, the road race in Lincoln has grown in popularity and become a local Monument and following on from 2015, the British Road Race Championships return to Lincoln for a really unique event

RST Cycle Clothing & Trigon Bikes

News: British Road Championships in Lincoln

Interview with Organiser Dan Ellmore in 2020

For over six decades, the road race in Lincoln has grown in popularity and become a local Monument and following on from 2015, the British Road Race Championships return to Lincoln for a really unique event.

For the first time in the Road Championships history, all three road disciplines; Circuit Race, Time Trial and Road Race, will be held during the championship event. This is a far cry from the days when all the championships were held at separate times including each of the men’s and women’s races.

Championship Week 14-17 October
Oct 14: Time Trials
Oct 15: Circuit Races (evening)
Oct 16: Non championship events Inc Sportive & Newells Michaelgate Hill Dash
Oct 17: Rapha Lincoln GP British Championships

The championships coming to Lincoln again came about during the many discussions that the organisers were having with British Cycling about finding an alternative date for the postponed Rapha Lincoln GP which was originally going to be in May. The calendar late in the year with so many postponements, both here and abroad, was a tough one to crack but the date in Mid October was soon approved and comes the week after the Women’s Tour (Britain) and two weeks after Paris Roubaix (France).

Grand Prix organisers Dan Ellmore & Peter Odam have certainly come up with a set of races that will have fans buzzing. Back in 2015, the Championships, that were part of the Lincoln Grand Prix, were the last events organised by the long time organiser of the Lincoln GP, Ian Emmerson. Dan Ellmore, who has worked on the event for a lot of years with Ian, then took over as organiser of the next edition (2016).

For the 2021 road championships, the organiser of the 2015 championships Ian Emmerson, will be advising the organisation led by Dan Ellmore. Over the years, Ian has overseen many a classic race on a classic parcour with legends in the sport winning on the same set of cobbles the race has finished on since 1987.

Two riders have won the Lincoln GP four times, Russell Downing and Paul Curran and double winners include Tom Stewart, Peter Kennaugh, John Tanner, Albert Hitchen, Alice Barnes & ‘local’ Rebecca Durrell. There was also a triple winner during the formative years of the race in the form of Ron Coe. The list of other formers winners certainly has many a star name like Malcolm Elliott, Peter Kennaugh, Lizzie Deignan, Chris Walker, Neil Martin, Steve Joughin, eurosport commentator Brian Smith, Bill Nickson, Phil Edwards and John Tanner to name but a few of them over the many decades the race has been held.

Event organiser, Dan Ellmore, said in the press release: “We are incredibly pleased to bring the National Road Race Championships back to Lincoln on the historic Michaelgate cobbles. The event brought over £1m in income to Lincoln when held in 2015 without the inclusion of the circuit championships so we hope to not only bring some fantastic racing to Lincoln in October but also a much welcome boost to the local economy.”

Cllr Bob Bushell, Portfolio Holder for Remarkable Place at City of Lincoln Council, said: “As a Council we are proud to be supporting this event and happy to see the return of the National Championships to the city. Lincoln prides itself in being a destination for cycling enthusiasts and we look forward to welcoming visitors back to the city for this event in October.”

Talking to the organiser Dan Ellmore hours after the announcement was made, the event certainly looks like being one that will bring the sport alive at a time of the year when road racing is all but over and riders are resting and looking ahead to the following season.

The championships will begin on the Thursday with the time trials on a course outside of the city so those worried about having to TT up Michaelgate can relax… a bit. In 2015, the event start and finish was held at Cadwell Motor Racing circuit in the Lincolnshire Wolds and whilst Cadwell is already booked for other events, the time trials may well end up in the Lincolshire Wolds. Finding an appropriate circuit and HQ is work in progress.

Photo: www.philcrow.com

The circuit race championships are going to be soooooooo exciting as they will be a Nocturne (evening) event on a very technical, narrow, twisty course in the heart of historic Lincoln and its Castle. The race will not be on Michaelgate so no repeat of a Durham Tour Series style course as the event will be held on the plateau where the castle is situated taking in roads like Bailgate and finishing on that same set of historic cobbles for the race.

The last time the crit was held in Lincoln as a support event for the road race, a certain Tom Pidcock won as a junior. He arrived late, held up by traffic (Lincoln has its traffic issues like any city) and started at the back and four by four, five by five, picked off riders lap by lap before soloing to victory. Tom won the circuit race championships in Sheffield as a junior as well. Whether he rides after his momentous year already is anyone’s guess but the title is such an important one for British riders, the racing in both events will be super exciting. The defending champions are Joey Walker (Crimson Orientation Marketing RT) and Rebecca Durrell, the latter living locally near Lincoln.

The road race parcour for the championships will be on the usual eight mile circuit wit its cobbled climb and the organisers are not expecting to add any loops like they did for the 2015 championships. The races will finish on a row of cobbles that the Lincoln has finished on since 1987.

With such a packed programme of events, the days there will be super exciting and for sure, the most exciting championship event held yet with four days of awesome racing!

 

Cycle Division’s Shop

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

Other Results on VeloUK (including reports containing results)

Other News on VeloUK

Tags: