Location: Leicester Castle
Event: 18 August 2013
Report: Phil West/Snowdon Sports
Photos: Mike Spencer

Simon Yates (100 Per Cent ME) secured victory in the Leicester Castle Classic after a thrilling fast-paced race around the historic streets of Leicester City Centre on Sunday.

Yates, 21 and from Bury in Lancashire, formed part of a long break in the race which pulled the field apart and provided the large crowds with a thrilling spectacle.

A technical course provided the riders with many challenges, and early pressure led to several riders dropping off the back of the bunch. After around 30 minutes a group of six riders, including Yates and prolific crit rider Graham Briggs (Team Raleigh) got clear and their lead hovered around 15 seconds for the next four laps.

The gap rose steadily as the pressure continued to put the bunch on the rack, but a group of strong riders launched off the front of the bunch and were soon on the coat tails of the leaders, swelling the leading group which included most of the main teams in the race.

Their lead grew to around 1-45, and although it came down as the race neared the final few laps, the leaders weren’t going to be caught.

Several of the riders in the leading group – including Yates – tried to escape in the closing stages, but it stayed together right to the final lap, when Yates just had enough in his legs to take the win ahead of Richard Handley (Rapha Condor-JLT) and Graham Briggs (Team Raleigh).

Results:

1 Simon Yates (100 Per Cent ME)
2 Richard Handley (Rapha Condor-JLT)
3 Graham Briggs (Team Raleigh)

Please credit www.britishcycling.org.uk and link back if you use any of our race results.

British Cycling would like to thank the organising team, officials and everyone else who helped promote this event. Our sport could not exist without the hundreds of people, many of them unpaid volunteers, who put in many hours of hard work running events, activities and clubs.