Britain’s only UCI-sanctioned one-day race to return for 2025, after battling financial pressures that “could have ended the race forever”

In what will come as welcome news for the British professional road cycling scene, the Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic, the only UCI-sanctioned one-day race in the UK, is set to make a comeback in 2025 after managing to secure funding amidst financial pressures that according to the organiser “could have ended the race forever”.

The race is the top-ranked UCI men’s one-day race in the country, with the route consisting of narrow off-road sections through gravel and farms as well as short and steep climbs. The first iteration was held in 2005, aimed at becoming Britain’s own version of the revered Belgian classic-style races and the Hell of the North, Paris-Roubaix.

The CiCLE Classic will mark its 20th anniversary on Sunday, 27th April 2025 — smack in the middle of the spring classics calendar — as riders line up in Oakham, Rutland in the East Midlands to tackle the tricky course before finishing in Melton Mowbray.

Many prominent riders have taken part in the race, including Mark Cavendish, Magnus Bäckstedt and Mads Pedersen. The latest edition in 2023 was won by Trinity Racing’s American rider Luke Lamperti, who now rides for the Belgian team Soudal Quick-Step.

While the race couldn’t be organised in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 restrictions, the latest edition had to be abandoned due to heavy rain in the preceding days which caused several sections of the route to become significantly flooded, marking the first time that the race had to be cancelled since 2005.

> “It was a decision I never believed, or hoped, that I would ever be required to make”: CiCLE Classic organiser says race cancellation due to flooding was “dark moment”, thanks everyone for “overwhelming support”

The cancellation, which was announced an hour after the start time of the race, was seen as “disastrous” for its future by the organisers. However, thankfully for the British domestic racing scene, the CiCLE classic has managed to secure funding for 2025, with the organisers already looking to cement its place on the racing calendar for the next five years as well.

The 2023 Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic (Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com)

The race’s organiser Colin Clews told Melton Times that the last six months had been especially difficult since the abandonment in April this year, but there’s been an overwhelming amount of support from teams and financial backers, such as the title sponsors Sigma Sport and Schwalbe UK, who displayed a desire to have cyclists racing on the iconic route against all odds.

Clews said: “The 20-year anniversary of this race is a celebration of the individuals, partners, teams, riders and communities that pour their heart and soul into this race.

“That dedication and passion has never been more evident in the support I have received since this year's postponement. Teams and partners have helped us through the financial pressure facing us — a financial pressure that could have ended the race forever.

“But here we are with a new look and feel to the UK’s only UCI Classic-style race. If you are a fan of the Belgian Classics like Flanders or E3, be part of our own - The British Classic, CiCLE.”

The race will also be undergoing a branding makeover, with a fresh logo, online presence and an all-new fan experience, which Clews described as the next step in taking the race to new sponsors, teams and fans.

He added: “We do not ever want to be in the same situation as we found ourselves in this year. So we are looking at how we promote the race and how we take it forward for the next five years.

“I truly believe we have an incredible cycling culture in the UK and if we can use this race to build on that and capture imaginations of tomorrow’s cyclists, we will have achieved our goal.”

Former winner of the race and the first British rider to win the points classification at the Vuelta a España, Malcolm Elliott said: “I’m delighted to see the CiCLE Classic back for 2025.

“The race holds great memories for me, as the winner of the 2007 edition, it remains the highlight of my late career comeback. It’s a unique event in the UK calendar, with its meandering parkours and challenging off-road sectors making it always interesting for riders and spectators alike.

“Celebrating 20 years of top-class organisation, I wish the CiCLE Classic every success for the next 20 years.”

> British Cycling’s “unacceptable” transgender policy suspension makes leading women's race sponsor pull out, as organisers weigh up offers

Besides the CiCLE Classic on 27th April 2025, there will also be the CiCLE Classic Sportive the day before on 26th April 2025. The women’s and junior’s race will go ahead in 2025 on Sunday 23rd March, with more information to be published in the coming weeks.

Previously, the women’s and junior race had come under pressure in 2022 after long-term sponsor Pete Stanton announced that he was withdrawing his backing in protest against British Cycling’s recent suspension of its trans athlete policy.

Stanton, who had funded the women’s race since its inception in 2016 and was one of the driving forces behind its creation, said that he has many friends within the transgender community and that “I feel that I would be letting them down if I did not make a stand to show my support for their rights”.