State of the nation

With the number of British-registered teams in decline, marquee races cancelled and cross-curricular funding at historic lows, what hope is there for the UK race scene? Cyclist joins domestic squad Saint Piran at the Rutland- Melton International CiCLE Classic to find out

- GILES BELBIN

Five days after the 17th edition of the men’s Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic and race organiser Colin Clews is busy raising invoices and paying bills. Clews, a qualified commissaire, founded the race in 2005 after travelling to international races and growing frustrated that those in Britain often lacked such a spectacle. So, inspired by the Classics of northern France and Belgium, he set about creating a race across the lanes and farm tracks near his home in Rutland. His CiCLE Classic was an instant hit, and two years later was awarded UCI status.

In the years since, the CiCLE Classic has grown into Britain’s most important one-day race outside the National Championships. This year, around 5,000 spectators braved heavy rain to cheer on the riders as they battled over the 11 off-road sectors that punctuate the 185km course. Bodies hunched over bars, mud-caked faces set to permanent grimace, this was every bit the scene that had inspired Clews all those years ago. Trinity Racing’s Luke Lamperti eventually triumphed, leading home a 26-man final sprint in the centre of Melton Mowbray.

‘The quality of the teams was higher this year,’ Clews says when asked to reflect on the event. ‘That’s very encouraging, and the higher-quality teams are the ones already asking to come back. Our philosophy of presenting something different is what is making our race a hit.’

Not all guts and glory