North East Road Race Series Round 1 Delivers a Brilliant Return to Regional Racing

The opening round of the North East Road Race Series took place on Saturday 23rd May on the Whalton circuit, hosted by Wansbeck Wheelers and Reifen Racing, and it was hard to imagine a better start to the new series.

After months of planning between clubs, volunteers, officials and sponsors, it was fantastic to finally see riders rolling out onto the roads of Northumberland to contest the first round of what we hope will become a fixture on the North East racing calendar for years to come.

The day began with the Open race, which attracted a full field of riders along with a reserve list, demonstrating the appetite for quality regional road racing in the North East. Under bright skies and on fast roads, the bunch raced aggressively throughout, with attacks constantly testing the fieldwith an average speed of over 42km/h.

The Women's race followed in the afternoon and marked an important milestone for racing in the region. For the first time in a few years, a dedicated regional women's road race was held in the North East, providing female riders with a valuable opportunity to race on local roads.

As the afternoon progressed, the wind picked up around the exposed sections of the circuit, helping to keep the bunch together and setting the scene for an exciting bunch sprint to decide the podium places. Despite over two hours of racing on the Whalton circuit, just 1.2 seconds separated the top ten riders as the race came down to a tight sprint.The riders who supported the event delivered a fantastic race and demonstrated that women's road racing has a place in the North East calendar.

Beyond the racing itself, Round 1 showcased what can be achieved when clubs work together towards a common goal. The North East Road Race Series has been built through collaboration between Wansbeck Wheelers, Reifen Racing, NE1 Cycling Performance and Muckle Cycle Club, with support from British Cycling, NEG, accredited marshals, volunteers and the local communities.

A huge thank you must go to the staff at Kirkley Cafe, every marshal, driver, commissaire, NEG rider, first aider, and volunteer who gave up their time to make the event possible. Road racing simply cannot happen without the dedication of these individuals.

We would also like to thank our sponsors and supporters whose generosity has helped create a series that rewards riders throughout the season. Support from SCOTT Sports, Wahoo, QUOC, Spatzwear, Band of Climbers, Ride Sunderland, HYPT Bike Performance, Pedalling Squares and Endurance Academy has enabled us to offer some fantastic prizes and recognition across the series.

Louis Herring - winner of the Open Race

With Round 1 successfully completed, attention now turns to Round 2 at the Wallridge Circuit on 11th July, hosted by NE1 Cycling Performance with the HQ at Matfen. The competition for the overall series classifications, team competition and category prizes is already beginning to take shape, and we look forward to seeing riders continue their campaigns rest of the series. SCOTT Sports have provided a £500 prize pot to be split between the series winners in both the Open and Women's standings as well as the best team fielding at least 3 riders at each round.

Most importantly, Round 1 proved that regional road racing in the North East is alive and well. When clubs work together, riders support events and volunteers step forward, great things can happen.

See you at Round 2.

🏁

Open Race – Top 10

Pos	Rider	Club
1	Lewis Herring	Prolouge
2	Daniel Smith	TS Racing
3	Lewis Wake	Independent
4	Hugo Lutz-Atkinson	EuroCyclingTrips - CCN
5	Joel Hurt	Moonglu SpatzWear
6	Jake Dobson	Muckle Cycle Club
7	Sean Dodsworth	Leadout Performance
8	Daniel Middlebrooke	Otley Cycle Club
9	Jack Rees	Moonglu SpatzWear
10	Richard King	VC Briganti

Women's Race – Top 10

Pos	Rider	Club
1	Libby Bell	Loughborough Lightning
2	Amy Scott	The Hera Project
3	Alice Colling	Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team
4	Anna Kay	Essec Cycling Team
5	Rachel Galler	FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing
6	Elizabeth Chng	Loughborough Students CC
7	Emily Middlebrooke	Otley Cycle Club
8	Fran Bell	TS Racing
9	Olivia Channon	Kendal Cycle Club
10	Kacey Eyeington	SCOTT Alpha Theta

Open Race – Team Classification

Pos	Team	Riders Counted	Total Points
1	Moonglu SpatzWear	5th, 9th, 13th	27
2	Otley Cycle Club	8th, 11th, 18th	37
3	Muckle Cycle Club	6th, 14th, 21st	41
4	TS Racing	2nd, 16th, 33rd	51
5	Wansbeck Wheelers CC	47th, 49th, 55th	151

Women's Race – Team Classification

Only two teams fielded three or more finishers:

Pos	Team	Riders Counted	Total Points
1	FTP-Fulfil The Potential-Racing	5th, 12th, 14th	31
2	Kendal Cycle Club	9th, 13th, 21st	43