The Lancaster Grand Prix cycling road race provided great entertainment on a glorious Sunday in the city.
The inaugural women’s race in the morning was followed by the third edition of the men’s race later in the day – both starting and finishing at Williamson Park.
The participants were competing to win round four of the women’s series and round three of the men’s series. The women’s race consisted of six laps of the 14.8km circuit, whilst the men navigated the course 10 times.
Awards for being King or Queen of the Mountains were also given at the presentations once the respective races had concluded.
This award is for the cyclist who received the most points in hill climbs.
Finally, the current leader of the series was presented at the podium.
This was the first time that Lancaster has hosted a women’s National Road Series race, and the build-up and reaction to it was very impressive.
There was a high-profile name in the running: 17-time Paralympic Gold-winning athlete Dame Sarah Storey, who unfortunately didn’t complete the race after a mechanical error during the first lap.
It was a morning of firsts in the first ever edition of the Lancaster Grand Prix women’s race.
Team Boompods’ Mary Wilkinson was the winner and it was thoroughly deserved, with Josie Nelson crowned Queen of the Mountains – a historic and proud moment for them both.
As the excitement for the men’s race, starting at 2pm, increased, so did the temperature.
There were several points during the afternoon where I couldn’t believe how the cyclists were managing to cope in such intense conditions.
Things were made slightly easier for them by people at various points spraying them with water and giving them words of encouragement!
Robert Scott was this year’s winner and both he and Mary Wilkinson celebrated their victories by uncorking the traditional bottle of champagne at their separate podium presentations, alongside second and third placed in each race.
The King of the Mountains was Zeb Kyffin, who was particularly impressive during the middle stages of the race, and the new leader of the National Road Series, Finn Crockett, was presented with the white jersey that he’ll wear in round four in the Isle of Man next weekend.
Hundreds of people were sat on the banking outside Ashton Memorial throughout the day to watch the livestream of the races, displayed on a big screen opposite the Memorial.
This livestream was also available to watch for the first time via YouTube. At one point during the day, towards the end of the men’s race, the viewership for the livestream was over 400, demonstrating how popular an event the Lancaster Grand Prix is, not just for those who turned out at Williamson Park, but for those who were unable to attend too.
The commentators for the races. Marty McDonald and Dani Christmas, were brilliant at giving their thoughts on the races, livening up the action even further and talking the viewers through a cyclist’s mindset.
Away from the cycling, Williamson Park put on various fun-filled entertainment for all ages including bouncy castles, face-painting, live music and mountain biking. It was certainly a contrast from when I was last at Williamson Park for Highest Point! On that night, it was dark, slightly damp and loud, but on Sunday it was very bright, warm and tranquil.
All in all, it was a fantastic day of racing on what must have been a physically and mentally testing circuit; the heat combining with high gradients to really challenge the riders. I can’t wait to go back and watch the 2023 edition next year!
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