News: Rutland – Melton CiCLE Road Races

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In 2017, the popular Rutland – Melton CiCLE Classic Junior/Women and UCI International races will see changes for the better

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News: Rutland – Melton CiCLE Road Races

In 2017 the format of the popular Rutland – Melton CiCLE Classic programme is to be revamped, and very much for the better.

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After 2016, which saw the introduction of a Women’s race for the first time as a result of sponsorship from Pete Stanton, a longtime supporter of Women’s racing in the UK, this race looks to be consolidated into its own race day on Sunday 4th June, and alongside this will be the 4th edition of The Junior Men’s CiCLE Classic. Both events are set to be included in the respective National Series of road races for their categories.

“Since its inception in 2014, there have been calls from the Junior Men for their event to include a passage of ‘Somerberg’, well in 2017 they will get TWO such passages and also be able to savour the true CiCLE Classic atmosphere at Owston village as well”, said Race Director Colin Clews. Continuing, Clews added,” Both the Junior Men and Elite Women will start and finish their races in Melton town centre, where after a 105 kms course they will also complete a 15 kms finishing circuit, in the same way as the International race has pioneered for the last few years.”  … continued after advert

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The Junior Men will ride in the morning starting at around 9.30 and the Women will then stage the ‘main attraction’ starting at 2.00 pm.

In 2016, the Junior race held on a somewhat ‘milder’ course from and back to Oakham was won by Reece Wood (Velocity Globalbike), and the first Women’s CiCLE Classic over the same course as that to be used in 2017 was won by Rebecca Durrell (Drops Cycling) who led home the field to take the £1000 first prize. The total of just eleven riders officially classified in the race, is a testament to the severity of the ‘Classic’ parcours that the race presented to the Women taking part.

With the International race standing alone on its traditional Sunday date in April, the 23rd in 2017, the race is nevertheless being revised for 2017 with the introduction of at least two new ‘special sectors’ for the competitors to contest. These changes will have the effect of adding a further 6.5 kms to the existing course.

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The first of these sector will come at just under 50 kms into the race and will offer a stiff additional challenge to the riders at that stage as it comprises not only a climb of 1.6 kms but a narrow and rough road surface that the CiCLE Classic is noted for. Whist the second additional sector is yet to be properly confirmed, this is planned to feature a new unmade road of approximately 1.5 kms within the last 20 kms of the race shortly before the race’s first entrance of Melton town.

Up to 12 foreign registered teams are expected to take the start with several new entities already expressing interest in taking part for the first time. Amongst these, it is hoped, will be the newly formed Irish Pro Continental Team Aqua Blue who have already announced that 2016 CiCLe Classic winner Conor Dunne will form part of their roster in 2017.

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