Lincoln Grand Prix begins – where to watch the action

The British Cycling National Championships is here in Lincoln this week, with some of the country’s finest riders gunning for glory.

The championships take place between Thursday, October 14 and Sunday, October 17, with all events happening in the same week for the first time ever.

Six national champion’s jerseys will be awarded across three days of racing, as some of the country’s top talents weave through Lincoln’s streets.

The event is set to bring in the crowds. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The routes will cause road closures in and around Lincoln, which you can check out here.

The first event will be the National Time Trial Championships on Thursday, October 14, which will see the under-23 women, under-23 men and elite women cycle to set times over two laps of the route, while elite men complete three laps.

The two lap route totals 29.4km and the three lap route is 44.7km, including 500ft of climbing through the Lincolnshire Wolds in each lap, based around Tealby and Walesby.

The women’s time trial is at 5.40pm and the men’s is at 7pm, closing out the first day of action before the circuit race on Friday.

Cyclists take part in the 2019 race. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

The circuit race will start in Castle Square and follow round Bailgate, Westgate, Union Road, Drury Lane and then back to Castle Square for a high speed, twisty circuit around Lincoln Castle.

It will start at 9am on Friday with the under-23 men’s event, followed by the under-23 women at 10.30am, the elite men at midday and elite women at 3.30pm.

If you cannot watch in person, you can catch the highlights of both the time trials and the circuit race at 7pm on ITV4 on Monday, October 18.

The main event is on Sunday, with both the women’s and men’s national road race taking place through the streets of Lincoln.

Cycling greats Chris Froome, Ben Swift and Mark Cavendish will be among 150 competitors in the event. The men’s race is at 1pm, following the women’s race at 9am.

A look at the route for the Lincoln Grand Prix. | Photo: Visit Lincoln / Google Maps

Visit Lincoln has provided a list of key locations for people to go to in order to catch some of the action over the weekend.

The start/finish line is at Castle Square, and it is where people can hear the commentary as well as keeping up to date with the action.

| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Burton Road will be the best place to see top speeds, while Saxilby Road offers a great ‘Tour de France’ style peloton opportunity for the cyclists to catch their breath during the race.

Cobbled climbs can be watched at Michaelgate, while gripping action will be over at Long Leys Road, and the Bailgate is the perfect spot to grab a drink while the racers go by.

Failing that, you can see full race highlights on ITV4 at 7pm on Tuesday, October 19, as well as on British Cycling’s YouTube channel and live on Eurosport Player.

| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite