National Championships road races

23-25 June | Redcar and Cleveland

-  Vern Pitt

Despite being in the midst of one of the most successful road seasons of her career to date, Elinor Barker isn't expecting to be a marked woman on the streets of Redcar and Cleveland at this year's National Championship road race.

The Welshwoman returned to racing late last year after giving birth to her son Nico and has been a consistent presence at the front of races at the highest level in 2023, racking up a top-10 finish at Ghent-Wevelgem and a top-20 at Flechè Wallonne.

Barker said: "I think I'm in a nice position where maybe I have a chance at a result, but I'm not going in as a favourite or with any external pressure." She pointed to Pfeiffer Georgi (DSM) and Anna Henderson (Jumbo-Visma) as the big favourites that everyone will be watching, before adding: "The course suits girls like Claire Steels and Anna Shackley well."

Asked about the route, she said: "I'll ride the course this week, I've looked at it online and heard a lot about how tough it is. I expect it's going to become a selection pretty early on with so many climbs. It's a big distance with a lot of elevation, so I think it's going to be a long and hard day."

The highlight of the course is the climb of Saltburn Bank just before the finish, which has pitches of up to 22%. The women will ride the 18.8km lap, which also features a selection of long drags and punchy climbs, seven times for a total elevation of 2,826m. The men will tackle it 10 times, gaining over 4,000m of elevation in the process.