Junior ace Patrick Casey (Team Lifting Gear Products) starts as pre-race favourite for the Circuit of Ingleborough hilly on Saturday, one of many early-season events taking place up and down the country this weekend.

But the 17-year-old talent will have to fight off a challenge from last year’s event winner Richard Bideau of the promoting club, who will use his experience to try to defend his title against Casey who was third in the event in 2021 when only a juvenile.

According to national ranking system Spindata Fibrax Wrexham RC rider Ben Goodfellow will be a rider to watch too, as well as Richard Nesfield (Giant Kendal Sidas).

Of the women who have entered the pick looks to be Espoir Gwyneth Parry (Stolen Goat RT), while North Lancashire RC veterans Jan Scotchford and Sue Cheetham are closely matched.

Elsewhere on Saturday it’s the Gillingham and District Wheelers 18.4-mile event near Bruton in Somerset, where in-form Robert Francis (Pronto Bikes) is looking to build on his strong start to the season having won the Severn RC 12.2-miler last month as well as placing second in the Chippenham and District Wheelers 14 and Bath CC 24.

Oliver Bridgewood (Bath CC) and Tony Chapman (Frome and Dist Wh) are also ones to watch, while of the women Corinne Clark (Swindon Wheelers) will be looking build on her win in the Severn Road Club event last month.

She placed third in the Chippenham and District Wheelers 14 a few weeks ago, and one of the women who proved faster on that occasion, Josie Harcourt (Avid Sport) is due to ride this Saturday.

Other Saturday events include the University of Bath CC three-up 22 in Gloucestershire, as well as the Southern Counties CU 10-mile event with their 25-mile event taking place the following day.

Sunday features the Banbury Star CC hardriders 23.5-mile event near Wroxton in Oxfordshire, with a quality field in both the women’s and men’s events.

Top riders among the women include Laura Pittard (Brother UK-Team OnForm), Naomi de Pennington (Drag2zero) and Sian Marsh (Team Boompods who are all expected to be within less than a minute of each other according to Spindata.

And of the men David Fellows (Solihull CC) and David Mead (Lutterworth Cycle Centre) are expected to compete for the win, as well as James Pittard (Univ of Bristol CC) and Josh Newbould (Drag2zero).

Darlington CC are holding a 1.3-kilometre hill-climb on Brusselton Pale in Shildon on Sunday, with Nick Munro (RAF CA) due to do battle with Tom Harcourt (Team Bikestop Tyrekey) and Marcel Shubert (Darlington CC), while Ferryhill Wheelers’ junior Sophie Heighton is the lone female in the field.

Other Sunday events include the Maldon and District CC hilly 22-miler in Essex, and the Tavistock Wheelers sporting 25 in Devon.

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