Westpoint Criterium Races
The Westpoint Criterium Races are a series of closed circuit races run by the Exeter Wheelers Cycling Club and Exeter University CC. They are held on Thursday evenings between April and August, and are based at the Westpoint Arena (Clyst St Mary) close to Exeter and junction 30 of the M5. The races offer opportunities for youth, women, and men in categories 1/2/3/4. All race dates and entry requirements are announced on the British Cycling website.
The next event in the series is on Thursday 1st June, where there will be a 4th cat only, a 3/4 and an E123 race. Full details can be found on this British Cycling web page.
We are also awaiting confirmation that our proposed Wespoint race on the evening of Thursday 20th of July can go ahead. Further details to follow in due course.
Tom Hawkins Spring Classic
Our annual early season highlight in the South West is the long established Tom Hawkins road race open to 2/3/4th cat riders. It consists of 9 full laps representing 110 km of racing in spring each year and will be listed on the British Cycling website with more details and a link to register.
The course takes in a mix of technical Devon lanes, fast downhills and a long climb out of Somerset on the A38. The race normally sees a bit of everything: small breaks, groups up and down the roads and even bunch sprints. The technical sections in the closing kilometers, and a small kick before the finish, ensures no race is decided until the last 50 meters.
Tour of Witheridge Moor (ToWM)
The ToWM combines a women’s E/1/2/3/4 with a men’s 3/4 race towards the end of the racing season, both doing two laps of a 43km course running concurrently from the Devon village of Witheridge over good quality sinuous but wide roads. The event will be listed on the British Cycling website with more details and a link to register. The Strava link to the full route is www.strava.com/routes/3659324.
Traveling east it is generally downhill with one short climb up to Withleigh followed by a long decent to Tiverton where the race turns sharp left to Rackenford. Here the route rolls its way, climbing gently until it turns left at Batworthy Cross for a flat trek, probably into a headwind, to Gidley Cross. Another left turn and the race returns to Witheridge on wide twisty roads. Get away here and you might get enough time to hold of chasers on the brief thrash up the hill to the finish in Witheridge.
A substantial prize list will be provided along with neutral service vehicles, a broom wagon, and the usual spread of tea and cakes at the finish.