The Isle of Man is hosting a round of British Cycling’s National Road Race Series in a fortnight’s time, from Friday to Sunday, July 22-24.
It is an elite competition for the top male and female British professional and amateur domestic racing teams.
Similar to 2019, when it was last held here, the Manx Telecom International Stage Race will begin with a kermesse race round the Isle of Man Business Park on the Friday evening.
Road closures will be in place for that between 5.45 and 10.30 at the latest, with the women’s race starting first at 6.30, followed by the men’s at 7.45.
This course proved highly popular in 2019, when the winner was Olympic champion Ed Clancy. The area should again be buzzing as, in addition to the racing, there are various corporate events taking place in conjunction with the event hosted by Manx Telecom, Cycle 360 and Canada Life International.
The start and finish will be located on the road near to the Manx Telecom HQ’s car park entrance, with the circuit taking an anti-clockwise route, turning left at Cycle 360 to Cooil Road roundabout, next left onto Cooil Road and left at Ocean Ford back into the business park.
Stage two will be a circuit race over the 1.7-mile Jurby airfield race circuit on the Saturday morning, with the women’s race getting under way at 9.30 and the men’s at 10.45.
An individual time trial will take place the same afternoon on the regular Jurby Road course used for the local time trial league.
The event will start from the entrance of Mountain View Innovation Centre, one mile outside of Ramsey, and ride south for five miles with a dead-turn close to the junction with Ballavarran Road.
Riders will be set off at one-minute intervals, led away by the women at 1.30.
The Queen stage (four) will be on the Sunday, initially involving a complete lap of the Mountain ‘TT’ Course, followed by a Baldwin loop that will include the notorious Injebreck climb.
The women’s field of around 76 riders will start first at 12.30pm, followed 45 minutes later by the men’s race of around 95 riders.
Road closures will be on a rolling road basis, with the busier stretch from Douglas to Ramsey generally only closed for little more than one hour total (dependant on the spread of the field).
The men will follow the same route as the women, but when the latter reach the Grandstand for the second time (having also completed the Baldwin/Injebreck loop) they will finish.
The men will then go onto a shorter 4.6-mile finishing circuit taking in Ballanard Road, Abbeylands crossroads, Scollag Road, Cronk-ny-Mona, Signpost Corner and Governor’s Bridge. This will be completed six times.
The distance of the men’s stage four race is 83 miles, the women’s 55 miles.
Although entries for the three-day, four-stage event have officially closed, a few late additions are currently being finalised and the total number is likely to be between 150 and 200 competitors, accompanied by team personnel, race officials and journalists.
The National Road Series is broadcast widely across a range of platforms generating significant exposure and awareness benefits for the host venues of each round.
helpers required
Marshals are required to assist with the running of the three-day event, email [email protected] if you are able to assist.