North East Crit League - NECL

Calling North East Crit League'rs.....

This is the first call for marshalling support I'll be posting in the coming weeks.

The Tour of the Reservoir organisers are still short of marshals for this Sunday. They still urgently need about 5 or 6 Red Flag Marshals for the end of both Women and Open races this Sunday.

If you can do either the Women’s race finish between 11:22 and 11:54 or the Open race finish between 16:38 and 17:15, get in touch via [email protected].

We have some excellent historic races in the North East right now and if we want them to continue, we need support from the North East cycling community.

Thanks in advance. Graham.

Keep your eyes peeled folks. Such a shame for Adam Brooks and the team who do such an awesome job of making cycling accessible.

Congratulations to all the NECL riders who tackled the Northern Road Race champs on a scorching day in North Yorkshire.

Well done to Mark Hansom for taking the North East crown with 10th overall.

Great to see some familiar names in the mix - must be the NECL racing keeping everyone sharp!!

Entry for Summer Series Round 2 on the 14th June is already open for entry - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/335516/North-East-Crit-League-Summer-Series---Round-2

PS - still searching for the female results so if anyone finds them ping me and I'll share.

Jack Hartley left it late at Scorton.

After missing the decisive moves, the Moonglu SpatzWear rider bridged across in the closing kilometres, then outsprinted the regrouped front bunch to win the Northern Champs outright and reclaim the Yorkshire title.

https://thebritishcontinental.co.uk/2026/05/31/2026-north-west-yorkshire-north-east-regional-road-race-championships-report-and-results/

After consultation with experienced commissaires, from the next round at Hetton, NECL will be adopting the following 'Lapped Rider' procedure:

“Lapped riders may be withdrawn from the race at the discretion of the commissaires, typically in the closing stages (e.g. final 5 minutes).
Where possible, lapped riders will be given one final lap to contest minor placings. This will be indicated by a ‘Lapped Riders – Last Lap’ board and a whistle.
Riders will then be withdrawn at the next passage of the finish line.”

This will be documented in the Race Manual and included in the pre-race Rider Briefing.

So, if you are a lapped rider, please pay attention to any instructions from the commissaires near the end of the race.

If you are lapped and withdrawn from the race, you will be given a finish position so please reduce speed and safely move to the outside of the circuit.

Thanks. Graham.

PS - Entry for NECL Summer Series R2 @ Hetton Country Park is open for online entry - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/335516/North-East-Crit-League-Summer-Series---Round-2

Results for NECL Summer Series R1 have been submitted to BC, are now showing on the results portal & points should be allocated accordingly.

I have submitted the Women's race as a single event because we had over 10 entries, so acheived full points.

BC don't usually reclassify races after the event so I've used up one of my nine lives.....

I intend to update future events to be a Women's Cat 2/3/4, but for that to work, I need 10 women to the start line for full points..... (10, 8, 7, etc).

The next event is Hetton on the 14th June so can you all promote like crazy to get more women involved?

Also, I need a strong contingent of marshalls to cover the various paths & tracks around Hetton. It's the best circuit around and we don't get many opportunities to race on it so let's make it safe for everyone so we are welcome back next year.

If you can spare 1 hour to pull on a hi-viz you will be rewarded with a close up view of the racing action.

Thanks, Graham.

Morning All,

I'm sure most of us have seen the social media feeds of various events around the country being cancelled due to lack of numbers. There have been lots of comments from competitors suggesting that 'allowing entry on-the-day would help'.

I have also had a few questions about why North East Crit League doesn't offer 'entry-on-the-day'.

Here is why 'entry-on-the-day' simply does not work for organisers and I hope this basic table of event costs helps. **Please note - these basic costs are for a closed circuit event. Road race costs are way more than this**

The costs associated with putting on events is increasing and many suppliers need to be paid in advance to confirm the booking, sometimes weeks in advance and with the majority of entries coming in the last week, even on the closing date, organisers are left to take a punt whether there will be enough entries to cover costs.

As can be seen below, most of the expenditure occurs BEFORE the event and in most cases far enough in advance that the entry fees haven't yet been processed and paid out by British Cycling.

In fact, due to weekly processing, the entry fees received in the week before closing date, won't be processed and transferred to the organiser until after the event......

In summary, entering early, ideally 2 weeks before the closing date, gives the organiser confidence that they will have enough income to cover the costs, pay suppliers, medics, commissaires, etc without having to dip into their own pocket.

Just to put things into real terms, at last Sunday's NECL Summer Series R1, I arrived at the circuit at 09:00 to set up and after packing up, I left the circuit around 17:00. There was an overall surplus of less than £13.......

Thanks. Graham.

Photos from NECL Summer Series Round 1 are now sorted, tweaked and ready on Purple Pedal Photography FB.

Huge thank you to Tina @ Purple Pedal Photography for spending 3 hours in the baking sun to get these stonking images.

The photos are free for personal use, please credit Purple Pedal Photography. For commercial use, please contact Tina directly.

- Race 1 - Open Cat 3/4 - https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=61588431440567&set=a.122113331187281048

- Race 2 - Combined Womens 4th Cat + E123 - https://www.facebook.com/media/set?vanity=61588431440567&set=a.122113338855281048

- Race 3 - Open E123 - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=61588431440567&set=a.122113350555281048

Thanks, Graham.

What. A. Weekend.

So, so tired but still buzzing from what the NE cycling community acheived over the weekend.

North East Road Race Series Round 1 brought racing back to the fast Whalton circuit with a superbly organised and supported event on Saturday.

And finally, in superb weather, the NECL Summer Series Round 1 got underway on Sunday, with 3 fast and competitive races.

Over the weekend 114 riders took to the start line including 34 women. Over 20 riders took part in both events and I hope they are enjoying a realaxing Bank Holiday with a chilled glass of chocolate milk.

Entry for Round 2 of both series' is already live on British Cycling Events:

- NECL Summer Series Round 2, 14th June @ Hetton Country Park - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/335516/North-East-Crit-League-Summer-Series---Round-2

- NERRS Round 2, 11th July @ Matfen - https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/334823/North-East-Road-Race-Series-Round-2

None of this would be possible without the support of Commissaires, Marshalls, back room staff, riders and parents. If you can donate 1 hour of your time and pull on a hi-viz it really does ensure these events can run smoothly and safely. Volunteering is SO rewarding. Please reach out to the organisers if you can help in any way.

Thanks. Graham.

Events British Cycling

Huge thank you to the riders, commissaires & marshalls who made NECL Summer Series Round 1 a success.

We were treated to 3 spectacular races with full points in all races. I'm so pleased we got 10 women to the start line and I hope it's the start of a Super Summer of racing.

This weekend has really proved we have a dedicated core of riders, supporters & volunteers capable of pulling off National standard events on the road and circuit.

Congratulations to anyone who acheived a licence category upgrade this weekend - Gordon Mitchell Zack Stobbs - Cyclist

I'll get the NECL results uploaded tomorrow or Tuesday evening at the latest.

Next round of the Summer Series is at Hetton Country Park on the 14th June. Enter here - North East Crit League Summer Series - Round 2 Events - British Cycling https://share.google/yzCVJhdLTynfJGCEK

Thanks, Graham.

Events British Cycling

Good luck to everyone taking part in Round 1 of the North East Road Race Series today. If you are one of the dedicated, hard as nails, riders also racing NECL Summer Series Round 1 tomorrow, there will be a small gift in your race envelope tomorrow......

Good luck to the future NECL riders who are racing any of the Youth races this weekend.

I'm on Soigneur duty in the Otley Race Team gazebo and feed zone so I'll be giving you all a cheer.

Look out for the Summer Series branding on the sides of the van......

Graham.