The British Cycling Elite Circuit Series riders and support crews hardly have time to draw breath after Wednesday’s thrilling Sheffield Grand Prix, with a short drive up the road for round six, the Beverley Grand Prix on Friday 24 July.
Jon Mould’s hold on the series tightened further after Sheffield and with just two rounds left in Chepstow and Abergavenny, his rivals will need to move fast if they’re to prevent the ONE Pro Cycling rider from taking the honours.
Form guide
While the plaudits deservedly went to Madison Genesis’ Tom Scully in Sheffield after his impressive solo victory, Jon Mould extended his lead from 14 to 30 points, taking the bunch sprint and ensuring that his major series rival Dave McGowan was behind him.
McGowan’s Pedal Heaven RT team was on the offensive in Sheffield in support of the 34-year-old rider who has taken the fight to the big name teams this season, with McGowan’s teammate Will Fox moving to third overall in the series standings.
Andrew Hawdon proved in Sheffield that his win at round four in Colne was no fluke, taking third behind Mould and continuing his advance up the series standings to fourth overall. His Raleigh-GAC squad are currently ruling the roost in the Elite Road Series, leading the team, Grand Prix and individual standings. The boys in red, yellow and black will be keen to ascend the circuit series rankings further.
Mike Northey lapped the field to win in 2014 and returns for Madison Genesis, alongside fellow New-Zealander Scully, who with on-form Matt Cronshaw, form the nucleus of Roger Hammond’s talented squad.
Third place in 2014, Graham Briggs is back in black with JLT Condor alongside Ed Clancy, Kristian House and Felix English, the latter coming close to victory two rounds ago with a third place in Colne.
Last year’s runner up Adam Blythe, then riding for NFTO, is absent but the squad sends Ian Bibby, currently flying high in the Elite Road Series.
The event
The small town of Beverley in East Yorkshire has a long history of town centre bike racing, previously hosting the Elite Circuit Series and British Cycling Circuit Race Championships.The race, presented by Hull Thursday RC, takes place over one hour plus five laps of a tight, technical street circuit with a challenging variety of surfaces, from tarmac, through pavement to slick granite cobbles.
The course starts and finishes at Saturday Market, heading for Sow Hill. A right turn takes riders into Old Walkergate and on to Wednesday Market before turning into Lord Roberts Road. The race then hits the pedestrianised zone on Cross Street before a left onto Toll Gavel which leads racers back to Saturday Market and the finish.
Action begins at 6:20pm with the Keith Jordan Memorial support race for third and fourth category riders, before the Jadan Press Women’s Circuit Race for E123s at 7:15pm. The grand finale of the Elite Circuit Series events concludes the evening’s spectacle in style, with the flag dropping at 8:15pm
How to follow the race
- Follow @BritishCycling on Twitter for live updates from 8:15pm
- A report, results, reaction and images will appear on the British Cycling website
