Two young cyclists from Bermuda, Oliver Hayward and Jacob Wright, competed against some of the strongest riders on the British domestic circuit in the CiCLE Classic road race in Leicestershire last weekend.

The 105km race followed a highly technical route through a number of scenic Leicestershire villages, featuring stretches on private land, multiple climbs and challenging gravel sections that tested riders on their bike-handling ability, fitness and endurance.

As one of the major fixtures on the British Cycling calendar, the event attracted a large and highly competitive field, with several crashes occurring across the course.

Of the 177 riders who started, only 57 completed the race, underlining the severity of the challenge.

Wright produced an impressive performance to finish 48th, having spent much of the race holding on strongly in the third group on the road. He crossed the line in a time of 2hr 39min. William Coles won the race in 2:33:42.

Hayward was unfortunately caught behind a number of crashes and retired from the race at around the 70km mark.

Wright was delighted to be among those crossing the line in his maiden competition in the UK.

“This was a very tough test, being my first UK road race,” Wright said.

“From the start it was full gas, battling for position through the corners and gravel and off-road sections, with many crashes all around.

“I’m super happy that I was able to finish within a strong group, managing top 50 from the 117 starters. A lot of lessons were learnt from this race and I’m excited for future races to come.”

Hayward, who is competing at the Europe Triathlon Junior Cup Quarteira in Portugal this weekend, highlighted the toughness of competing in UK races.

“Racing in the UK is no joke,” the 17-year-old said.

“From the start it felt like I was in a professional race, with team cars following our every move.

“Regardless of unfortunately not making the time cut, it was an eye-opening experience of what high-level cycling is like, giving me a lot of confidence going into racing at the Europe Triathlon Junior Cup Quarteira.

“I hope to use some of the cycling skills I learnt from the race to put me in good stead going onto the run in Quarteira.”