The UCI, cycling’s top organisation, recently announced its 2025 Women’s World Tour (WWT) racing calendar, and one race in particular has raised some eyebrows, the RideLondon Classique, which usually takes place over the late May bank holiday weekend in the UK.
Next year, the UCI—apparently without consulting organisers—has scheduled the race for a week later, from May May to June 1st, 2025. I assume to bring the event closer to the other British WWT race, the Tour of Britain Women, which occurs the following week from 5th to 8th June and thus benefiting squads who would otherwise travel back to their native country or rack up hefty accommodation costs to stay in the UK between the break.
From a logistic point of view, the decision makes a lot of sense, however it fails to address one key factor, London will not be able to host on the proposed dates and thus the race has to be cancelled as confirmed by RideLondon on X.
So in the spirit of fiction and hopefulness, I have accumulated five alternative places the race could take place in – and in the spirit of the UCI, I have not considered the wider logistics, it is merely fantasy planning on my part.
Isle Of Man
As the birthplace of Mark Cavendish, and other island-born riders like Pete Kennaugh, Becky Storrie and Elizabeth Holden, the Isle of Man can be deemed a spiritual home of UK’s cycling nation. In addition to hosting the Isle of Man Youth Tour for several years (which I also participated in some 14 years ago), the island has also held the Manx International Grand Prix bike race, making it a familiar location for hosting races. Away from cycling, it is the site of the world-famous TT motorbike races.
Ridden over three days like the current RideLondon Classique, or as a single stage race, there’s a plethora of options for stages. My ideal would be three stages: stage one: Douglas to Ramsey, a shorter more sprint stage (around 100km) using a circuitous route and visiting some villages and sites like the amazing Great Wheel at Laxey en route, with the finish along the promenade at Ramsey, highlighting the east coast of the island.
Stage two would take riders back to the island’s capital of Douglas from Ramsey via Peel, this time showing off the delights the west coast have to offer. The prospect of fairly windy weather would surely make for entertaining riding.
By the final stage, only the hardy riders will still be in contention as they face the sting in the tail – a time-trial on road bikes. This would act as a leveller for some of the smaller teams who don’t possess highly specialised time-trial bikes unlike their rivals.
The course would start in Douglas and go up the island’s mountain with the finish at the summit of Snaefell. If the UCI was willing, it would be a pursuit time-trial like the Tour de Ski in cross-country skiing, where the riders start in their current order and time, ie the leading rider overall starting first, with the remainder starting at their deficit and the first rider to finish wins.
Nottingham
Inspired by my desire for a race close to home, but also because of the ties to Raleigh, I believe Nottingham would be an ideal location for a world class race.
As an under-18 racer, there was a race called the Sid Standard Memorial, and in his honour I would suggest a single-day WWT race, the Sunday before the Tour of Britain Women.
Starting in Nottingham to showcase the riders to the crowds before heading towards Sutton Bonington area of the region, with the same circuit repeated involving Kingston-on-Soar and West Leake. It’s neither hilly nor flat and could be attritional – then riders would return to the city centre finishing in the shadow of Nottingham Castle.
Glasgow
Host of the 2023 ‘Super’ Worlds where a plethora of disciples were on display, including road, teack, mountain bike, BMX, artistic cycling and many others in a true festival of cycling. So why not relive those memories by re-using the circuit from the road races.
The course was exciting and led to incredible racing so it’s an easy win from that perspective and Glasgow is a lovely city. By making it the focal point of a WWT race, it could then precede the Tour of Britain Women making its way down from Scotland towards England and Wales.
North-West England
Here I would try a two-day stage race, again with a time-trial, given Britain’s deep history of them it would feel wrong not to include one.
Stage One would start and end in Liverpool, taking in Manchester, Wigan, St. Helen’s and other interesting places in the North-West region.
Stage Two is the denouement of the race, the grand decider, which would use the well-renowned ‘Levens’ course, north of Morecambe. This 16km (10-mile) course starts with a downhill, then goes out-and-back before returning to Levens without the need to cycle back uphill. It is one of the fastest time-trial courses in the UK and would be incredible to see how top women pros contend with the course.
Birmingham
Another single-day race, leaning on past precedent.
The plan for Birmingham hosting would utilise the road-race course from the 2022 Commonwealth Games, starting in Birmingham before heading towards the circuit that took in Royal Leamington Spa and other places.
When raced by the women, it felt like a race towards an inevitable sprint finish with one dominant team controlling affairs and making it a tricky watch for some spectators, as there are strong teams in the women’s peloton, making this a spectacle risk but often it’s the riders that make the race and an easy course on paper, can be raced in an entertaining way.
Hopefully we can see a way forward for the RideLondon Classique, losing a race from the British calendar isn’t something anyone wants to see; I remain hopeful it may return.