<\/p>\n The number of closed circuit races held in the UK has fallen 14% in the last four years, from around 700 in 2022, to 600 last year. Road races have followed a similarly downward trajectory: from 190 in 2022 to 160 last year \u2013 a 16% decline. These figures, provided to Cycling Weekly by British Cycling, are just a recent snapshot. In the years following the London 2012 Olympics-inspired boom, interest waned. The rot really set in around 2016, amid a decade of government austerity. The Covid pandemic<\/a> of 2020-21 then plunged the scene to new depths; many races were put on hiatus at first, and some never returned.<\/p>\n Article continues below <\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n Now, as Britain prepares to stage the start of the men\u2019s and women\u2019s Tours de France in 2027<\/a>, the pinnacle of global racing, what state is the grassroots scene in? Scholey\u2019s autumn races may have collapsed, but remember: the spring series had been a roaring success. The swift reversal in fortunes raises questions: is British road racing really on its knees? Is it the same outlook across the country? And what can be done to help?<\/p>\n Far and wide<\/p>\n The outdoor Maindy Velodrome<\/a>, pitched under floodlights on the outskirts of Cardiff, is a legendary facility. It is here that 2018 Tour winner Geraint Thomas<\/a> began his career, as did Olympic gold medal-winning track cyclist Elinor Barker<\/a> and nine-time world champion Zoe B\u00e4ckstedt<\/a>. All three came through the Maindy Flyers Cycling Club, the largest youth club in Wales, which today counts around 180 members. In fact, despite a nationwide waning of interest in cycling, the appetite to join the club remains so large that there\u2019s a waiting list. \u201cEven getting my own son in was difficult,\u201d says club chair Mike Richards.<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n Maindy Flyers are a prime example of a grassroots club that is thriving. Their remit involves teaching children cycling skills, but also encouraging them to pursue racing. For Richards, the biggest obstacle to the latter is not declining interest, but a lack of local events. \u201cThere is nothing here in Wales,\u201d he says. \u201cSome parents drive two-and-a-half hours, maybe longer, for a 15-minute race.\u201d Richards has to take his 10-year-old son Tom all the way to the West Midlands for youth events, and sometimes even makes the six-hour round trip to Cornwall. \u201cWe\u2019ll do that again this year,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n These commitments can be astronomically expensive for parents. Michael Tarling, the father of Ineos Grenadiers rider Josh<\/a>, has told of remortgaging the family home<\/a> to pay for childhood racing trips. The costs of long-distance travel are threefold: money, time and energy. As a result, only the most devoted and privileged child racers continue competing into adulthood.<\/p>\n Do you race? CW reader survey<\/p>\n We asked you on social media about your riding and racing habits. Here\u2019s what you said\u2026<\/p>\n 54% ride a bike 4-6 times a week89% do so \u201cto stay healthy\u201d64% have never competed in a race83% wouldn\u2019t consider starting racingReasons cited for not racing: \u201cNo good and too old\u201d; \u201cI don\u2019t have the necessary speed\u201d; \u201crisk of serious injuries\u201d; \u201cI can\u2019t afford superbikes\u201d55% have taken part in sportives or gran fondos. Others cite time trials and virtual racing, such as on Zwift.<\/p>\n These issues are being compounded by an ongoing cost of living crisis. According to William Fotheringham, who runs the Halesowen Cycling Club Academy and is part of the West Midlands regional racing board, a shortage of cash is a key obstacle holding back participation. \u201cThe country\u2019s economy has been stagnant now since 2008, and that has an effect,\u201d he says. \u201cPeople\u2019s wages aren\u2019t increasing. When I\u2019m organising races, I get riders saying, \u2018I want to enter a race, and I\u2019ll enter after pay day\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n Inflation in the UK is currently around 3%, above the Bank of England\u2019s 2% target. Property rental prices are at an all-time high. Faced with adversity, hobbies are regarded as non-essential, and down comes the axe on bike racing. \u201cIt\u2019s a hugely expensive sport,\u201d says Fotheringham, \u201cand obviously, as the calendar gets diminished, riders have to travel further, entry fees cost more.\u201d<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Andy Jones)<\/p>\n The average price to enter an amateur road race in the UK today is around \u00a330. Second-year student Scholey says he has paid between \u00a315 and \u00a390 for a single event. To fund his racing, he works outside of term time in his dad\u2019s bike shop in North Yorkshire, and usually has to travel south for events. \u201cMost of the drives take us four hours, and we need to find somewhere to stay the night before,\u201d he says. \u201cIt becomes really expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n What to read next<\/p>\n Cool cats: The tiers of senior racing<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Andy Jones)<\/p>\n The British racing system ranks riders into five categories, starting with Fourth Cat (entry-level), up through Third, Second, First and finally Elite, depending on the number of race points accrued. The tiers exist to ensure fairer racing, although different categories are often lumped together to help increase fields. If a race is open to \u2018E\/1\/2\/3\u2019, as most are, it means it will accept any entrant, except Fourth Cat. These are the different race levels:<\/p>\n National A \u2013 E\/1\/2 for \u2018open\u2019 category, E\/1\/2\/3 for women. (e.g. Lincoln Grand Prix and the rest of the National Road Series). Race entry: \u00a350<\/p>\n National B \u2013 E\/1\/2\/3. (e.g. Capernwray Road Races). Race entry: \u00a335-40<\/p>\n Regional A \u2013 2\/3\/4. (e.g. West Midlands Road Race League). Race entry: circa \u00a330<\/p>\n Regional B \u2013 3\/4 only. (e.g. Lewes Wanderers Crits). Race entry: circa \u00a325-30<\/p>\n Regional C and C+ \u2013 Generally open to all categories but run in a different format to cater to abilities, such as a handicap race or a time trial. Race entry: \u00a320-30<\/p>\n No prior experience or training is needed to start racing as a Fourth Cat; however, a person must first buy a race licence from British Cycling (\u00a340 a year for adults; \u00a320 for 16-18s; free for U16s) on top of the obligatory \u00a352 annual BC membership. Non-members can buy a day licence for \u00a310, but cannot accrue points.<\/p>\n British Cycling is currently working to overhaul this system, which has been criticised as confusing and off-putting for beginners. A new five-level ‘competition framework<\/a>‘ is expected to be in place by 2029: Discover (fun, entry-level events), Engage (grassroots and club events), Challenge (regular competition for developing riders), Advance (akin to National B level for experienced riders), Elite (\u2018the pinnacle of domestic cycling\u2019, such as the National Series and the National Championships).<\/p>\n Among Scholey and his club-mates, there is frustration that \u201cthe south gets it better\u201d, both in terms of the number of races and entrants. \u201cIn some of my youth races, there was me and four others,\u201d the Yorkshireman says. \u201cIn one local crit, it was just me and two others.\u201d<\/p>\n Location, then, might be the main reason why Herne Hill Velodrome<\/a> is bucking the trend. Like its Welsh counterpart in Maindy, the South London track, nestled among houses near Brixton, is experiencing surging demand. \u201cThere is a huge amount of people around,\u201d says Thea Smith, the velodrome\u2019s development manager. \u201cEven though we still feel that we struggle to reach many people, there are thousands of people coming through the door.\u201d<\/p>\n Smith joined Herne Hill in 2020, brought in specifically to help break down barriers to entry. Each year, up to 3,000 children learn to ride bikes on the outdoor track. \u201cThe natural progression is that some then trickle through to racing,\u201d Smith says. When they do, costs are kept as low as possible, with race entry priced at \u00a312.50. It\u2019s cheap, fun, and attracts competitors from all over the country. An outdoor velodrome doesn\u2019t face the same obstacles as road race organisers, Smith acknowledges. \u201cYou hear all these horror stories of drivers ignoring rolling road closures,\u201d she says. \u201cI find that absolutely terrifying. I probably wouldn\u2019t want to go and organise a road race at this point, because the culture war against cyclists is just so strong.\u201d<\/p>\n Still kicking<\/p>\n As part of my research for this feature, I surveyed Cycling Weekly\u2019s social media followers, asking about racing habits. Of those who responded, two thirds said they had never competed in a race, and 83% said they would not consider starting. Their reasons were varied: some cited financial barriers (\u201cI can\u2019t afford super-bikes\u201d), others said they were too old or too slow, while fears for safety, like those Smith outlines, of crashing and getting injured, were a recurring theme. It\u2019s a bleak outlook, but surely something can be done to tempt more people onto start lines?<\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Alamy)<\/p>\n Fotheringham points to the success of his local handicap league \u2013 a racing format he believes should be copied in every region across the country. In these events, riders are seeded by ability, and start in waves, with the first to cross the finish line the winner. Since a new organiser took over the West Midlands league last year, participation has risen 25%, from around 40 to 50 people a night. \u201cThat\u2019s a big increase,\u201d Fotheringham says. \u201cWe have guys up to 70 years old riding. They start in the front group, and sometimes the handicap gives them enough of a margin that they stay away to the finish and contest the win. Everyone\u2019s happy.\u201d<\/p>\n Over in South Wales, the lack of racing opportunity has spurred Maindy Flyers into action. Instead of grumbling, club chair Richards has put \u201cblood, sweat and tears\u201d into reviving a monthly crit series at the Llandow motorsport circuit, laying on events for all age groups, from under-eights to adults. He worried at first that the club may end up losing \u201ca couple of thousand\u201d pounds on the series, but he’s since secured sponsorship from Uprise Bikes. \u201cI hope it\u2019s the start of something new for South Wales,\u201d Richards says, adding that he hopes the arrival of a Tour stage in Cardiff next July<\/a> will provide a further boost.<\/p>\n These examples might seem small-scale, but they\u2019re proof that success stories exist, and efforts are being made to keep Britain\u2019s racing scene kicking. \u201cIf you don\u2019t nurture it, it will just die,\u201d says Fotheringham, a phrase that\u2019s as much a call to arms as it is a sign of the scene\u2019s parlous health. It\u2019s why the hard work of passionate individuals has never been so vital.<\/p>\n Scholey, Lancaster University\u2019s 20-year-old road captain, is one such fighter. Months after being forced to cancel his autumn crit series, he\u2019s already looking ahead to the next one. \u201cHopefully I\u2019ll be in the job again next year,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019ll get it planned over summer and start pushing early.\u201d As the voice tells Kevin Costner in the 1989 film Field of Dreams: \u201cif you build it, they will come.\u201d British cyclists can only hope the same proves true for grassroots racing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n (Image credit: Getty Images)<\/p>\n According to figures from British Cycling, participation in road racing is falling, but not drastically: the number of people competing has dropped around 4% in the last four years, to just below 4,000 in 2025 (3,269 men, 704 women). With fewer events \u2013 23 road races were cancelled last year across all levels \u2013 these racers are now competing less often, and have to travel further to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t sit here and say everything\u2019s rosy and competition is the highest it\u2019s ever been. It\u2019s not,\u201d says Amy Gardner, British Cycling\u2019s sport and participation director, who oversees everything from grassroots racing up to the Olympic pathway<\/a>. \u201cSince Covid, we\u2019re on average 25% down across participation \u2013 that\u2019s not specific to road, that\u2019s in general.\u201d<\/p>\n While British Cycling is responsible for the system in which races are held, a lot of the issues faced by entrants exist on a wider, societal level, such as the cost of living crisis. Gardner also points to other \u201cexternal challenges\u201d, such as: \u201clegislation about cycle racing on the highways, the introduction of 20mph zones, and higher costs to [implement] road closures\u201d.<\/p>\n What, then, is British Cycling doing to ease the pressures? \u201cWe\u2019re implementing club initiatives, we\u2019re looking at increasing grants, and we\u2019ve brought in a sustainability fund [for] grassroots events,\u201d Gardner says. Pressed for the amount the governing body is investing in grassroots racing, she says she doesn\u2019t have the figures, but highlights the more than \u00a3180,000 a year spent on the National Road and Circuit Series, the elite tier of racing. What is her message to those worried about the scene? \u201cJust believe that we\u2019re trying our very best to get more people into competition.\u201d<\/p>\n This feature first appeared in Cycling Weekly magazine on 26 March 2026. 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