North East Road Race Series - Round 2 Report
Last Saturday, NE1 Performance hosted the second round of the North East Road Race Series, with a strong field of 59 riders rolling out from Kirkley Café to tackle five demanding laps of the Whalton Circuit in Northumberland.
The race was won by Louis Herring, who claimed his second victory of the series after producing a superb ride to bridge across to a seven-man breakaway that had escaped within the opening kilometre.
Herring launched his chase alongside Zack Gregory, Daniel Smith and Oscar Saxton, with the quartet working relentlessly to reel in a one-minute deficit to the leaders. The persistence paid off as they finally made contact with just 5km remaining, setting up a thrilling finale. Herring proved to have the strongest finish, sprinting to victory ahead of NE1 Performance coach James Jobber, while teammate Isaac Oliver rounded out the podium in third.
Photography courtesy of Lee Cuthbertson
The Early Break
The breakaway establishes its lead
As soon as the flag dropped, Mark Hansom launched the opening attack. The peloton was initially content to let him go, but within the
first 5km, he was joined by James Jobber,
Isaac Oliver, Ewan Whiting, Elliott Holt and Lewis Wake. The break quickly settled into a smooth rhythm and established a small but significant advantage as they headed towards Whalton. Sensing the move had the potential
to stick, Sean Dodsworth bridged across solo, becoming the seventh and final rider to make the front group.
The breakaway group continued to work together and for the next 80km, maintained a lead of around one minute over the peloton. Behind, the chasing riders launched attack after attack in an attempt to close the gap. At one stage, a four-man chase reduced the deficit to just 30 seconds, but despite their efforts they were unable to make contact. It wasn't until the closing stages of the race that another decisive move finally emerged.
The Late Attack
As the race entered its final lap, a four-man chase group formed and began to rapidly close on the tiring leaders. The junction was finally made with just 5km remaining, setting up a tense final lap. From that point, attacks came thick and fast as riders looked to avoid leaving the outcome to a sprint, but every move was quickly shut down.
In the end, an 11-rider group charged towards the finish, where Louis Herring timed his sprint to perfection. Holding off a late surge from James Jobber on the line, Herring sealed an impressive second victory of the North East Road Race Series, with Isaac Oliver completing the podium in third.
A Thank You From NE1
This was our first time at hosting a road race, and we received an incredible amount of support throughout every stage of the process. Muckle CC and Wansbeck Wheelers generously shared their knowledge, helped promote the event, and were always on hand to answer our questions.
On race day, club members, coaching clients, family and friends all volunteered their time to help deliver a safe, well-organised event, with fantastic support lining the roadside throughout the day. Our series sponsors also stepped forward with some fantastic prizes, helping to attract a strong and competitive field.
The final round of the series takes place on the 29th August 2026. Click to enter via the link below:
https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/events/details/334356/North-East-Road-Race-Series-Round-3-
