{"id":485404,"date":"2026-03-20T07:11:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T07:11:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/485404\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T07:11:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T07:11:16","slug":"preview-and-startlist-the-british-continental-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/485404\/","title":{"rendered":"preview and startlist \u2013 The British Continental"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rapha<\/a> presents The British Continental.<\/p>\n

The 65th Dulwich Paragon Wally Gimber Trophy returns to the punchy Bletchingley circuit on Sunday, 22 March \u2013 a year after a fallen tree brought proceedings to an abrupt halt \u2013 with Dylan Hicks, OllyCurd, and a well-stocked JAKROO Handsling Racing line-up among the names to note on a startlist.<\/p>\n

Organised by Dulwich Paragon CC and sponsored by JAKROO, the 65th edition covers 140 kilometres on a circuit that has already established a reputation for producing selective, hard racing. This preview covers the course, the riders to watch, and the provisional startlist.<\/p>\n

Featured image: Mark James<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What is it?<\/p>\n

The Wally Gimber Trophy is one of the longest-running road races in the United Kingdom. First run in 1960, the race takes its name from Wally Gimber, a Dulwich Paragon member who excelled at Herne Hill in the late 1940s \u2013 London track, massed start, and roller champion in 1948\u201349, and holder of a national tandem-paced half-mile record of 48.55 seconds. He presented the trophy in person at the club\u2019s 50th anniversary dinner in 1985, and remained in contact with the club until his death in 1993.<\/p>\n

The roll of past winners is formidable: Sir Bradley Wiggins won in 2001; Andy Lyons \u2013 now team manager of DAS Richardsons \u2013 in 2000. Simon Cope and Rob Hurd each won four editions. More recently, Alex Richardson won in 2019 and 2022; Dylan Westley took the 2024 edition in a USKIS Saint Piran one-two. The 2023 edition was stopped after a collision on lap two, and last year\u2019s race was abandoned after a tree came down on the course. Both are unhappy memories the organisers are glad to leave behind.<\/p>\n

That the race is happening at all in 2026 owes something to the support of title sponsor JAKROO. Race organiser Patrick Hawkins explains that rising costs and the addition of professional medical provision have left Dulwich Paragon CC covering losses in recent years, compounded by rider numbers that have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels. \u201cThanks to JAKROO we were able to promote Wally Gimber 2026 with great confidence,\u201d Hawkins says. \u201cThey\u2019ve also given us a pretty cool winner\u2019s jersey too.\u201d It is a candid acknowledgement of the financial precarity that sits behind many National B promotions \u2013 and a reminder of what title sponsorship can mean in practice.<\/p>\n

Route<\/p>\n

The race covers 140km, made up of eight and a half laps of a 16.4km circuit. Riders will see eight laps to go the first time they cross the line, with the finish in Outwood.<\/p>\n

The circuit is characterised by short, sharp climbs leading into and out of the finish, a false flat along the A25, and a descent and flat section to the southern base of the loop. The key climb is Scott\u2019s Hill, which carries double-digit gradients and, over eight-and-a-half ascents, becomes the decisive selector. Pure rouleurs who can sustain power on repeated short climbs will thrive here; sprinters relying on a large bunch finish will find the terrain works against them.<\/p>\n

With 226 metres of elevation per lap, the total climbing sits just under 2,000 metres. It is a course that rewards riders willing to attack on the climbs, and penalises anyone who lets a gap open on the key ascent in the closing laps. <\/p>\n

Timings<\/p>\n

The race starts at 11.05am. A finish around 2.45pm is anticipated.<\/p>\n

Contenders<\/p>\n

This looks less like a race with one clear favourite than one where a small number of teams could decide how hard it becomes.\u00a0DAS Richardsons\u00a0has the clearest recent winning evidence, JAKROO Handsling\u00a0and\u00a0Ride Revolution Coaching\u00a0both have the numbers and depth to make the race awkward, and Foran CT has riders that suit a selective, wearing day.<\/p>\n

DAS Richardsons arrive with the strongest recent proof that they can turn control into a result.\u00a0Olly Curd\u00a0won the Jock Wadley Memorial two weeks ago, finishing off a well-executed DAS one-two, and that gives him the freshest outright road-race win of anyone here.\u00a0He had already opened his 2026 road season with 14th at the Portsdown Classic, so he comes in with both a result and a little continuity behind him.\u00a0Beside him,\u00a0Alex Peters\u00a0gives DAS a different kind of option: not simply another name, but a rider whose experience and judgement become more valuable the harder and more reduced the race gets. If the repeated drags take the edge off the quicker finishers, DAS has two very different but equally plausible winning cards.<\/p>\n

\"\"Curd (right) wins the Jock Wadley Memorial. Image: Mark James<\/p>\n

JAKROO Handsling Racing looks well built for a race that breaks up gradually.\u00a0Former national junior road race champion Oliver Dawson\u00a0has the clearest 2026 marker there: ninth on stage one and 11th on stage two of the Peak 2 Day, both signs that he is already competitive on punchy, wearing terrain.\u00a0Dylan Belton Owen\u00a0is a fast finisher, as demonstrated by his second place at the Jock Wadley last season, and offers the team another card that also fields road captain Tom Heal, Alex Franks and Oscar Nisbett.<\/p>\n

Ride Revolution Coaching has two riders who should come into the picture if the race becomes a proper selection.\u00a0Clay Davies\u00a0does not yet have a standout 2026 road result on the board, but his domestic pedigree means he rarely needs much prompting to be competitive deep into a hard National B.\u00a0Gabriel Dellar\u00a0has current form to point to: 12th on stage one and fourth on stage two at the Peaks 2-Day last weekend, with a Nat B win already on his record.\u00a0Alex Pickering\u00a0and\u00a0Cameron Still\u00a0add further race-winning potential to a team with genuine collective strength.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Foran CT also have strong options. Nathan Levitt\u00a0has already shown his hand in 2026 with fourth at the Portsdown Classic, a ride that immediately backed up the promise he showed as a junior.\u00a02024 R\u00e1s Tailteann winner Dom Jackson can never be ruled out if the racing gets selective, while Danylo Riwnyj\u00a0was one of the breakthrough domestic riders last season with two National B road race wins and a string of strong National Road Series results. <\/p>\n

\"\"Snodden wins the Evesham Vale Road Race. Image: Josh Wheeler\/JoWSportsMedia<\/p>\n

Oliver Snodden\u00a0(Mandene Racing) won the Evesham Vale Road Race two weekends ago, which puts him immediately on the shortlist for any selective National B.\u00a0Samuel Nisbet\u00a0(Team Tactic U23) finished fourth overall at the Peaks 2-Day and is among the strongest under-23s in the field.\u00a0Dylan Hicks\u00a0(UN Cycling Team x Py\u00f6r\u00e4varikko) is the most recognisable name here \u2013 Beaumont Trophy winner in 2025 and a UCI stage winner at the Tour of Hellas in 2024 \u2013 and will be marked closely from the start.<\/p>\n

Matthew Gilmour\u00a0(Nopinz RT) arrived at the season opener in second place at the Portsdown Classic and looks a natural fit for this circuit \u2014 his strength suits a race that rewards sustained output over repeated short climbs rather than a flat-out bunch finish.\u00a0Mohammad Ganjkhanlou\u00a0(Stolen Goat 4Endurance) showed a sharp finish with fifth at the Jock Wadley, while new Wheelbase CabTech Castelli signing\u00a0Ewan Warren\u00a0won the Primavera Road Race in Devon last weekend and arrives in form.<\/p>\n

Provisional startlist<\/p>\n

\tDiscover more from The British Continental<\/p>\n

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