The Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix – Sunday 18th August 2024

The Ryedale Grand Prix Cycles races first appeared on the Cycling Calendar in 2005, with that very first edition being the National Road Race Championships, a feat repeated in 2008 and 2012, with all other years the event being a key round of British Cycling’s Lloyds Bank National Road Race Series.

From day one, the event has been promoted by British Cycling’s Yorkshire Region led by its Chair and now National President Bob Howden OBE. For the National Championships in  2012, the event venue moved from Duncombe Park, Helmsley to its home today at Ampleforth Abbey. Here it features two courses that with each lap take in the magnificent Abbey grounds, enabling an enhanced spectator experience. The courses are variations of the same theme, with a long and a short version that each head out on grippy roads through the Howardian Hills, helping with each edition to reinforce the event’s reputation for being amongst the very toughest of bike races in Britain.

Once again, the event is styled the Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix, to recognise the significant sponsorship contribution of Wakefield based Grass Concrete Limited, owners of the Grasscrete environmental paving system, who have supported the event since the journey began.

Race day starts at 9.15am with the Women’s Grand Prix, taking in 2 laps of the 25.8km large circuit, followed by 3 laps of the 16.9km small circuit with a scheduled finish time of around 1230 for the 101km. Next up is the 162km Open Grand Prix starting at 2.00pm with 3 laps of the large circuit and 5 small laps of the small circuit on the rider’s menu and with an expected finishing time of round about 6.30pm.

With up to 140 riders taking to the roads for each event, together with a convoy of race cars, traffic management is a key element of race day. As Bob Howden is keen to point out, “the event is very much about Ryedale and we aim for it to be to the benefit of communities and the local economy. The last thing we want therefore, is for the passage of the race to be a hinderance to local people”. To minimise impact the event operates under a Section 16A Temporary Traffic Order, designed to hold traffic only for the immediate passage of the race, in a well worked partnership between North Yorkshire Police, British Cycling’s Motorcycle Escort Group, Community Traffic Management and marshalling volunteers.

As Bob Howden continues “The event is a great bike race, but more than that it offers opportunities to promote cycling for all on some great roads. It has also over the years been the keystone in Yorkshire for our development of talent, with many of the World’s best riders having taken to the Ryedale roads as part of their own personal journey. Talent development also extends to volunteers and officials with the event being used to train and hone the skills of people working on the event and operating under the ‘Team Yorkshire’ volunteer banner. That we can do all of this in such a splendid setting is a source of pride for all involved”.

The event is a great attraction for spectators, particularly in the Ampleforth Abbey grounds, with a wonderful view of riders climbing their way through the closing kilometres to the finish. Entry is free with plenty of parking and food vending stalls available throughout the day.

 

Weekend Race Schedule

The Ryedale Grasscrete Women’s Grand Prix

 Sunday 18th August 09:30 Start

Women’s Grand Prix Mileage Chart
	Mileage / km	Location	Time
Lap 1 large circuit		Start / Neutralised	0915
1.2 / 1.9		White Swan Ampleforth	0920
1.7 / 2.7	0.0 / 0.0	KILOMETRE ZERO at 60mph sign	0923
	2.7 / 4.4	Yearsley Moor	0930
	5.0 / 8.0	Oulston	0937
	6.4 / 10.3	Crayke Lane Crossroads	0941
	9.1 / 14.7	Yearsley Crossroads	0948
	10.2 / 16.4	Black Hill	0951
	12.9 / 20.7	Fairfax Arms Gilling	0958
Lap 2 large circuit	14.9 / 24.9	Start lap	1006
	16.1 / 25.9	White Swan Ampleforth	1009
	19.3 / 31.2	Yearsley Moor	1018
	22.2 / 34.7	Oulston	1025
	23.0 / 37.0	Crayke Lane Crossroads	1027
	25.7 / 41.4	Yearsley Crossroads	1036
	26.8 / 43.1	Black Hill	1039
	29.5 / 47.4	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1046
Lap 3 small circuit	31.5 / 50.7	Start lap	1054
	32.7 / 52.6	White Swan Ampleforth	1047
	35.9 / 57.9	Yearsley Crossroads	1108
	37.3 / 60.1	Black Hill	1111
	40.1 / 64.7	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1118
Lap 4 small circuit	42.0 / 67.6	Start lap	1126
	43.2 / 69.5	White Swan Ampleforth	1129
	46.4 / 74.8	Yearsley Crossroads	1139
	47.8 / 77.0	Black Hill	1142
	50.6 / 81.6	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1149
Lap 5 small circuit	52.5 / 84.5	Start lap	1157
	53.7 / 86.4	White Swan Ampleforth	1200
	56.9 / 91.7	Yearsley Crossroads	1210
	58.3 / 93.9	Black Hill	1213
	61.1 / 98.5	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1220
	63.0 / 101.4	FINISH	1227

 

The Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix

Sunday 18th August – 14:00 Start

Open Grand Prix Mileage Chart
	Mileage / Km	Location	Time
Lap 1 large circuit		Start / Neutralised	1400
1.2 / 1.9		White Swan Ampleforth	1405
1.7 / 2.7	0 / 0	KILOMETRE ZERO at 60mph sign	1408
	2.7 / 4.4	Yearsley Moor	1414
	5.0 / 8.0	Oulston	1420
	6.4 / 10.3	Crayke Lane Crossroads	1423
	9.1 / 14.7	Yearsley Crossroads	1430
	10.2 / 16.4	Black Hill	1432
	12.9 / 20.7	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1439
Lap 2 large circuit	14.9 / 24.0	Start lap	1445
	16.1 / 25.9	White Swan Ampleforth	1448
	19.3 / 33.1	Yearsley Moor	1455
	22.2 / 34.7	Oulston	1502
	23.0 / 37.0	Crayke Lane Crossroads	1505
	25.7 / 41.4	Yearsley Crossroads	1512
	26.8 / 43.1	Black Hill	1514
	29.5 / 47.4	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1521
Lap 3 large circuit	31.5 / 50.7	Start lap	1527
	32.7 / 53.4	White Swan Ampleforth	1530
	35.9 / 57.9	Yearsley Moor	1538
	38.8 / 61.4	Oulston	1544
	39.6 / 63.7	Crayke Lane Crossroads	1547
	42.3 / 68.1	Yearsley Crossroads	1554
	43.4 / 69.8	Black Hill	1556
	46.1 / 74.1	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1603
Lap 4 small circuit	48.1 / 77.4	Start lap	1609
	49.3 / 79.4	White Swan Ampleforth	1612
	52.9 / 85.2	Yearsley Crossroads	1621
	53.9 / 86.8	Black Hill	1623
	56.7 / 91.2	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1630
Lap 5 small circuit	58.6 / 94.3	Start lap	1636
	59.8 / 96.2	White Swan Ampleforth	1639
	63.0 / 101.5	Yearsley Crossroads	1648
	64.4 / 103.7	Black Hill	1651
	67.2 / 108.3	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1657
Lap 6 small circuit	69.1 / 111.2	Start lap	1703
	70.3 / 113.1	White Swan Ampleforth	1708
	73.5 / 118.4	Yearsley Crossroads	1715
	74.9 / 120.6	Black Hill	1718
	77.7 / 125.2	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1725
Lap 7 small circuit	79.6 / 128.1	Start lap	1731
	80.8 / 130.1	White Swan Ampleforth	1734
	84.0 / 135.3	Yearsley Crossroads	1743
	85.4 / 137.4	Black Hill	1745
	88.2 / 142.1	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1752
Lap 8 small circuit	90.1 / 145.0	Start lap	1758
	91.3 / 146.9	White Swan Ampleforth	1801
	94.5 / 152.2	Yearsley Crossroads	1810
	95.9 / 154.4	Black Hill	1813
	98.7 / 159.0	Fairfax Arms Gilling	1819
	100.6 / 161.9	FINISH	1825

 

 

Ampleforth Abbey
Ampleforth
York

Post Code for arrival YO62 4EN