The entry list features two strong foreign teams from Australia and Ireland but they will be up against the best of British competition over the usual 8 mile circuit and 11 climbs of the now famous Michaelgate climb which can be guaranteed to sort out who are the main contenders as the laps progress.

Lincoln welcomes Commonwealth Games Gold Medallists Rob Hayles and Chris Newton back to the event. Chris won the race six years ago in 2000, whilst Rob had bad luck last year when he was forced to retire with mechanical problems. Other previous winners in the 128 strong field are Malcolm Elliott (1983) and Kevin Dawson (1996). Russell and Dean Downing, first and second last year, are missing on continental soil, but watch out for Malcolm who has vowed to win the event again 23 years after his first victory!

The Grand Prix is a counting event in the season long British Cycling Premier Calendar and the current top 3 riders in the competition Kristian House, Matthew Stephens and Ben Greenwood are on the start list together with most of the 53 riders already in the points table.

Picking a race winner is not easy and it will probably take quite a few of the 11 laps before a possible victor shows his form, so be prepared for a great cat and mouse chase around the circuit before the final dash to the line after the 11th climb of Michaelgate.

Back in Lincoln for the third year running is Cycling.TV who will again be recording the Grand Prix for showing both on Eurosport the following weekend and on their web site www.cycling.tv Last years 52 minute Eurosport film was excellent and this year all the Premier Calendar series events are being featured.

Events like this are not possible without the support of Councils, Police and Sponsors who together with a small army of race officials, stewards, medics and mechanics make the wheels go round smoothly. My thanks go to each of these for the part they play to make the Lincoln Grand Prix – Britain’s favourite one day classic.

THE 51st LINCOLN GRAND PRIX – START LIST

1. Peter McDonald Team FRF Couriers Australia
2. Joshua Marden Team FRF Couriers Australia
3. Peter Herzig Team FRF Couriers Australia
4. Joe McDonnell Team FRF Couriers Australia
5. Cody Stevenson Team FRF Couriers Australia
6. Tony Mann Team FRF Couriers Australia
7. Brendan Brooks Team FRF Couriers Australia
8. Philip Finnegan Team Murphy & Gunn Ireland
9. Morgan Fox Team Murphy & Gunn Ireland
10. Paul Healion Team Murphy & Gunn Ireland
11. Conor Murphy Team Murphy & Gunn Ireland
12. Andrew Roche Team Murphy & Gunn Ireland
13. Erik Van Lakerveld LWV Swift Holland
14. Gary Hand Scotland Livingstone
15. Daniel Alexander Ace Racing Team Eastwood
16. Duncan Urquhart Agisko –Dart Farnborough
17. Kevin Dawson Agisko –Dart Doncaster
18. Graham Briggs Agisko –Dart Doncaster
19. James Williamson Agisko –Dart Shavington
20. Clayton Barrows Agisko –Dart Laramie, USA
21. Neil Coleman Agisko –Dart Corsham
22. Eric Ransom Agisko –Dart USA
23. Rob Enslin (reserve) Agisko –Dart South Africa
24. Alex Hagman (reserve) Agisko –Dart USA
25. Daniel Davies Agisko-Viner Derby
26. Sean Brennan Agisko-Viner Luton
27. Gyles Wingate Agisko-Viner Bognor Regis
28. Bryan Pool AndersonS Racing Carlisle
29. Andrew Stuart Ashfield Road Club Nottingham
30. Rob English AW Cycles Bracknell
31. Matthew Melville AW Cycles Reading
32. Sean Polson Velo Club Azzurri North Shields
33. Wayne Webster Beauvale Cycling Club Nottingham
34. Alistair Stoddart Bouwelse Wielervrienden Bexley
35. Andy Hayton Cherry Valley Racing Team Scunthorpe
36. Gareth Williams Cherry Valley Racing Team Bishop Norton
37. Julian Gromett Cottingham Coureurs Grimsby
38. Andy Collis De Rosa Racing Team Rugeley
39. Matthew Bottrill De Rosa Racing Team Coalville
40. Julian Ramsbottom De Rosa Racing Team Scunthorpe
41. Paul Wilkes De Rosa Racing Team Mountsorrell
42. Adam Weaver Doncaster Wheelers Rotherham
43. Gavin Evans East Midlands Alfreton
44. Ross Muir Evans Cycles Richmond
45. Justin Hoy Evans Cycles Andover
46. Geoff Lulham Evans Cycles Walton on Thames
47. Alex Atkins Evans Cycles Banstead
48. Ian Holt Evans Cycles Richmond
49. Nicholas Dawes FCCC East St Aldershot
50. Ashley Brown Featherstone Road Club Selby
51. Neil Jones Gateway Racing Team Abergavenny
52. Steven Marrows GB Fire Brigade Grimsby
53. Mark McKay Glendene Cycling Club Northampton
54. Ben Hallam Glendene Cycling Club Cambridge
55. Matt Talbot Glendene Cycling Club Streatham
56. Lewis Atkins Glendene Cycling Club West Drayton
57. Chris Bartlett Glendene Cycling Club Ipswich
58. Gareth Jones Team Fuji UK Caernarfon
59. Thomas Gardner Heroncyclesport Brentwood
60. Dean Shannon Heroncyclesport Southend on Sea
61. Paul Oldham Hope Factory Racing Colne
62. Chris Belsham JE James Racing Team Manchester
63. Dave Coulson JE James Racing Team Sheffield
64. Christopher Daddy JE James Racing Team Hull
65. Gareth Hewitt JE James Racing Team Sheffield
66. Matthew Higgins JE James Racing Team Walsall
67. Mark Wordsworth JE James Racing Team Doncaster
68. Pete Williams Kinesis UK York
69. Rob Hayles Team KLR Hayfield
70. Gary Adamson Kuota/Biemme Holmeswood
71. Steven Kenny Kuota/Biemme Whitley Bay
72. Richard Sykes-Popham Llandovery Cycling Club Llanfynydd
73. James Stewart Le Coq Sportif Ormskirk
74. Chris Hurd Velo Club Lincoln Lincoln
75. Martin Ford Team Lloyds TSB Newcastle, Staffs
76. Graeme Stone Team Lloyds TSB Newcastle, Staffs
77. Chris Debens Team Lloyds TSB Stone
78. Chris Spence Team Lloyds TSB Jersey
79. Tom Hemmant London Dynamo Twickenham
80. Warrick Spence London Dynamo East Dulwich
81. Geoffrey Beetham Magura Loughborough
82. Jon Mozley Merlin Development Squad Borrowash
83. Richard Cartland Team MK Birmingham
84. Roy Chamberlain Team MK Newport Pagnell
85. Tom Crouch Team MK High Wycombe
86. Karl Freeman Team MK Thame
87. Martin Smith Team MK Milton Keynes
88. Mark Dziobon MK Cycles Bolton
89. Julian Sharples MK Cycles Bury
90. Neil Swithenbank MK Cycles Littleborough
91. Greg Roche Nippo KFS Macclesfield
92. Matthew Charity Velo Club Nottingham Nottingham
93. Craig Butland Plowman Craven RT South Africa
94. Wesley Cole Plowman Craven RT Ruislip
95. Malcolm Elliott Plowman Craven RT Sheffield
96. Tony Gibb Plowman Craven RT Ruislip
97. Adam Norris Plowman Craven RT Romford
98. Tom Smith Plowman Craven RT Cardiff
99. James Taylor Plowman Craven RT Bristol
100. Ben Pochee Rapha Condor London
101. Ben Price Rapha Condor Doddington, Cambs
102. Richard Wilkinson Rapha Condor Lincoln
103. Robin Sharman Recycling.co.uk Manchester
104. Ben Greenwood Recycling.co.uk Carnforth
105. Kristian House Recycling.co.uk Elsham, Kent
106. Evan Oliphant Recycling.co.uk Wick
107. Dale Appleby Recycling.co.uk Pontycllin
108. Robert Partridge Recycling.co.uk Wrexham
109. Chris Newton Recycling.co.uk Oldham
110. Henry Furniss Ride Beyond Chiddingfold
111. Shawn Blakey Ride Beyond London
112. Richard Lambert Rossington Wheelers Doncaster
113. Jamie Burgan Rutland Cycling Club Sheffield
114. Ian Wilkinson ScienceinSport.com Burnley
115. Tim Lawson ScienceinSport.com Blackburn
116. Phil Dixon ScienceinSport.com Sutton in Ashfield
117. Jack Woodward ScienceinSport.com Edinburgh
118. Stuart McManus ScienceinSport.com Manchester
119. Mike Harrison Sigmasport Racing Team Holmes Chapel
120. Matthew Stephens Sigmasport Racing Team Crewe
121. Charles Tennick Stealth Racing Team Rotherham
122. Damian Harris Stilton Racing Team Sherburn in Elmet
123. Josh James Stilton Racing Team Canada
124. James Sampson Stilton Racing Team Huddersfield
125. Lee Cairns Team Swift Goole
126. Stephen Ward Team Swift Driffield
127. Alastair Kay York Cycleworks York
128. Stephan Wolfer Zenith Cycling Club Germany
129. Mike Moss Cottingham Coureurs Hessle

PRIZE LIST

Winner: £600 plus The Roy Alan Hart Memorial Shield
2nd – £450
3rd – £360
4th – £255
5th – £210
6th – £180
7th – £150
8th – £120
9th – £105
10th – £90
11th – £75
12th – £60
13th – £60
14th – £60
15th – £45
16th – £45
17th – £45
18th – £30
19th – £30
20th – £30

Total – £3,000

The J. B. Harvey Memorial Road Race Trophy & £50 will be awarded to the highest placed East Midlands Division rider