Over 100 students from 34 universities traveled to Leicestershire, England, to take part in this year’s BUCS road racing championships.
After a two-year gap due to the pandemic, the BUCS Road Racing Championships returned on Sunday. The final race in the BUCS cycling season this year saw hosts Loughborough University welcome the UK’s best student cyclists for the Men’s and Women’s Championships.
Both races took place on the 15.3km long, Wymondham course, in rural Leicestershire. The women’s race took place first, lasting 6 laps (91.8km), and the men’s race followed, lasting 8 laps (122.4km).
We look at the results from a hard day of racing to see who came out on top.
The Course
A reasonably open course, the 15.3km route starts on a generous downhill and opens into a steady incline for around 3km. A steep downhill section is met with a huge climb at around 11km in, with a number of short climbs littered along the way, allowing for some fast and competitive racing for elite cyclists from universities around the U.K.
Men’s Road Race
78 students were entered into this year’s BUCS Men’s Road Race, making it one of the biggest races in the event’s history. After 8 grueling laps of the Wymondham circuit, three cyclists came out on top to earn a BUCS medal after 122.4km of racing.
The Podium
| Place | Name | University |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adam Mitchell | Loughborough |
| 2 | Jamieson Blain | Birmingham |
| 3 | Edward Morgan | Swansea |
It was a home win for Loughborough University as Adam Mitchell took gold in a close sprint with Jamieson Blain (Birmingham), while Edward Morgan (Swansea) secured 3rd.
Women’s Road Race
29 students from 12 different universities were entered into this year’s BUCS Women’s Road Race. With a total race distance of 91.8km, we look at which cyclists made the podium after 6 laps of the Wymondham circuit.
The Podium
| Place | Name | University |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucy Gadd | Southampton |
| 2 | Francesca Hall | Loughborough |
| 3 | Beth Morrow | Loughborough |
Finishing with a 7 minute advantage over the chase, Southampton’s Lucy Gadd took the women’s title ahead of Loughborough pair, Frankie Hall, and Beth Morrow.
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