Britain's best and brightest cyclocross talent is set to descend on the riverside town of Gravesend in Kent this weekend for the 2019 Cyclocross National Championships. Across Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th January, six men and six women across a variety of age groups will have the chance to win the red, white and blue jersey of Great Britain.
This year's event heads to Gravesend, a town that is becoming as well known for cyclocross as it is for being the resting place of captive Native American-cum-Disney heroine Pocahontas, who is buried in the town.
The reason for its notoriety is the difficulty of the Cyclopark's course with many local riders marking its technical aspects as something that can split a race wide open.
The course is guided by the adjoining road circuit, taking detours off-road for sections such as the sand pit and hurdles.
Although, the biggest area of excitement could be that of the gravel steps. Many riders have suffered race-ending fates attempting to ride these steps, with some snapping frames and others being knocked unconscious in the process.
Besides course difficulty, the riders will also have to contend with a permanent wind that sweeps the course, and is pushed by traffic from the parallel A2 motorway onto this exposed circuit.
The races are set to be stacked with talent as Tom Pidcock, Helen Wyman and Evie Richards all return to defend their respective titles while others like Ian Field enter with the form to regain lost jerseys.
Although overwhelming favourite, Pidcock could be pushed closed in the Under 23 ranks by talented teammate Dan Tulett and Ben Turner of Corendon-Circus. Then again, Pidcock could also destroy the field and even finish ahead of the entire senior men's field which is raced concurrently.
Grant Ferguson will look to defend his senior men's title, although will have stiff competition from National Series winner Ian Field.
The elite women's race will also see Helen Wyman go for national title number 11 with Nikki Brammier likely to be her biggest rival.
British Cyclocross National Championships 2019: Key information
Dates: Saturday 12the January to Sunday 13th January
Host: Cyclopark, Gravesend, Kent, DA11 7NP
Number of races: 12
British National Cyclocross Championships: Schedule
Saturday 12th January
09:00 Course open for practice
09:30 Veteran Women
11:00 Veteran Men 50+
12:15 Youth Girls Under 16
12:15 Youth Girls Under 14
13:15 Youth Boys Under 16
13:15 Youth Boys Under 14
14:30 Veteran Men 40-49
Sunday 13th January
09:00 Course open for practice
10:30 Junior Women's Championship
12:00 Junior Men's Championship
13:15 Senior and Under 23 Women's Championship
14:30 Senior and Under 23 Men's Championship
Following on from the announcement that the HSBC UK National Cyclocross Championships, which take place this weekend, will be live streamed on British Cycling's website and Facebook profile, the BBC has confirmed that it will also be showing the racing live on its Red Button and website.
This is a major step for the sport of cyclocross and should widen its audience beyond its usual base of dedicated fans.
The championships will run on Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th January, but only the action from the second day will be broadcast across each outlet.
Rising star Tom Pidcock, who spoke to us recently about his intentions on the road in the 2018 season, will not be defending the Junior Men's title he won in 2017 but will instead be vying for the win in the U23 category having moved up this season.
He has already been successful at that level, coming a close second at the European Championships and he took the overall win in the UCI World Cup series.
Helen Wyman, who recently secured a new sponsorship package to keep her racing, will take the line looking for a 10th National title in the Elite Women's race.
British National Cyclocross Championships: Key information
Date: Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th January
Venue: Hetton Lyons Country Park, nr Sunderland
Live coverage:
- British Cycling: britishcycling.org.uk/britishcrosschampionships
- British Cycling Facebook: facebook.com/britishcycling
- British Cycling YouTube: youtube.com/live-2018-national-cyclocross
- BBC Sport: bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling
- BBC Red Button: On the television
British National Cyclocross Championships: BBC live coverage schedule
Men's & women's U23 races - 09:15-12:00
Men's & women's Elite races - 13:10-15:30
British National Cyclocross Championships: Schedule
Saturday 13th January
09:00 Course open for practice
09:30 Veteran Women
11:00 Veteran Men 50+
12:15 Youth Girls Under 16
12:15 Youth Girls Under 14
13:15 Youth Boys Under 16
13:15 Youth Boys Under 14
14:30 Veteran Men 40-49
Sunday 14th January
09:00 Course open for practice
09:30 Under 23 Women's Championship
10:45 Under 23 Men's Championship
12:00 Junior Men's Championship
13:15 Senior Women's Championship
14:30 Senior Men's Championship