Lincoln saddles up for British Cycling road race

With a week to go until the British Cycling National Road Championships battle takes place in Lincoln, residents and visitors are preparing for one of the biggest sporting events the city has seen.

The championships kick off at the Cadwell Park Time Trials in the Lincolnshire Wolds on Thursday, June 25.

Lincoln then gears up to host its segment of the event, the National Road Race Championships, and welcome some of the UK’s most accomplished names on Sunday, June 28.

Annually, the city of Lincoln is transformed into a vibrant race track, with sportsmen, and women and fans lining the streets to compete for the Lincoln Grand Prix titles.

This year, as the city celebrates the grand prix’ 60th year, it was chosen as the national road race championships host by British Cycling, the national governing body for cycling in the UK.

British riders in professional teams will compete through the city out to an area within West Lindsey District Council before connecting to the Grand Prix circuit in the Cathedral Quarter.

British Cycling has confirmed a world class field for the race – including Mark Cavendish, Geraint Thomas, Peter Kennaugh, Alex Dowsett, Lizzie Armitstead, Laura Trott and Dame Sarah Storey.

Paralympic hero Dame Sarah Storey has already warmed her tyres on the Lincoln route in preparation of the event.

Dame Sarah Storey. Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Other dates for the diary are:

• Thursday, June 25 – The British Cycling National Time Trial Championships
• Friday evening, June 26 – The Uphill Dash
• Saturday, June 27 – The Lincoln Grand Prix Sportive
• Saturday evening, June 27 – The Castle Criteriums
• Sunday, June 28 – The British Cycling National Road Race Championships

More details can be found on the event website.

The road race routes

The women’s race will start at 10am and cover one lap of a 28 mile country loop followed by four and a half laps of the eight mile Lincoln Grand Prix town curcuit for a total distance of 67 miles (107Kms), and five climbs of the cobbled Michaelgate.

Click to enlarge

The men’s race will start at 11.30am and cover two laps of the country circuit and eight and a half laps of the Lincoln Grand Prix town curcuit for a total distance of 123.5 miles (197.6 Kms), and nine climbs of Michaelgate.

Click to enlarge

The women’s race is expected to finish on Castle Hill at 1pm and the men’s race at 4.30pm.

The winners of these championships will wear their championship jerseys in all the major road race and time trial events, both at home and abroad, in the following 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Road closures

There will be several road closures over the course of the weekend. The City of Lincoln Council is advising that people find alternative routes and obey waiting restrictions set by convoy vehicles.

Friday, June 26 from 6.30pm to 10.30pm

Michaelgate, Castle Square

Saturday, June 27 from 6.30pm to 10.30pm

Castle Square, Bailgate, Westgate, Union Road, Drury Lane, Castle Square

Sunday, June 28 from 9.45am to 1pm

Castle Square, Bailgate, Newport, Yarborough Crescent, Burton Road, Burton Village, Fen Lane, A57, Long Leys Road, Yarborough Road, West Parade, Hungate, Michaelgate, Wordsworth Street, Drury Lane, Castle Square.

Lincoln and beyond

Villages along then route are preparing to give competitors a warm welcome.

Communities in the West Lindsey district are gearing up to welcome the event’s competitors and will be out flying flags along the route.

As racers speed through 16 West Lindsey villages they’ll get a warm welcome and a glimpse of events for all the family.

Councillor Roger Patterson, Vice Chairman of West Lindsey District Council, who are sponsoring the event, said: “Cycling is becoming more and more popular and the fact this championship is coming to Lincolnshire is amazing in itself. That it’s coming to Upton as well is tremendous. We’ll probably not see this kind of thing here again in our lifetime.”

Events taking place along the route include:

Sturton by Stow: The Methodist Church will be hosting a fun day with picnic space, craft and novelty activities between 10am and 1pm.

Stow: Drinks and cakes will be available for purchase through the morning on the green, opposite the historic Minster. The village’s annual friendly bike ride will be taking place in the afternoon.

Kexby: The village hall will be hosting a large screen where you can watch the rest of the race after riders have flown through. Pupils from Francis Alexander School in Lea will be displaying futuristic bike designs alongside refreshments.

Upton: The Rose and Crown pub will be open for carvery lunches and the Upton chippy will also be open for its coal-fired fish and chips from 11am to 1.30pm. You can also secure your bike here at the yard to watch the race, knowing your pride and joy is being looked after by the Viking Velo Club.

Ingham: A great spectator spot, both the Black Horse and the Inn on the Green are holding barbecues to meet the demand of the crowds.

The Lincolnite will be reporting live from the Lincoln road race, bringing you the latest results, pictures and videos. Follow @RoadChamps on Twitter for updates.