On your bike: National Road Championships return to Lincoln

The National Road Championships will take place in Lincoln in October, returning to the city for the first time since 2015.

The event will take place between October 14 and 17, 2021. It will begin with the time trials on the Thursday with the circuit races on Friday and the road races on Sunday.

In addition, there will also be a Sportive on Saturday and the Newells Michaelgate Hill Dash that evening.

For the first time in the event’s history, the national champions’ jersey will be presented for the road race, time trial and circuit in the same week.

The Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix was initially planned to be the opening round of this year’s HSBC UK National Road Series, but due to COVID-19 restrictions
the event was postponed.

After British Cycling decided to move the HSBC UK National Road Championships from its traditional calendar date in June, the organisation worked with Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix organisers Dan Ellmore and Peter Odam to bring the championships back to the city.

The Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix and its iconic Michaelgate climb have brought a host of the world’s best teams and riders to Lincoln since its inception in 1956. Past winners of the race have included Malcolm Elliott, Keith Reynolds, Russell Downing and Lizzie Deignan, with the latter winning her third national title in Lincoln in 2015.

This year’s championships are being delivered with the support of City of Lincoln Council.

Event organiser Dan Ellmore said: “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 economic benefit 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.”

Councillor 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.”

Brian Facer, British Cycling CEO, added: “Lincoln is one of the true spiritual homes of British cycling and we are thrilled to be returning to the city for what promises to be a momentous four days of racing. Bringing the three championship races together in the space of a week will be a unique and exciting challenge for riders, and a proud new chapter in the race’s storied history.”