Triple Olympic champion Ed Clancy has expressed hope that the return of major City Criterium racing with the inaugural City of London Nocturne can inspire a new boom in domestic British cycling. Clancy, who won three consecutive Olympic team pursuit titles between 2008 and 2016, took part in the Pro-Am Great Ormond Street Hospital City Criterium, clinching victory for the XTX Markets team.
The professionals then took to the streets on Saturday evening, with Matt Bostock taking victory in the men’s race. Clancy hopes the event has laid the foundations for more in the future. “This event has been away for a while, so it’s great to see this new event created,” he said. “It’s been created with a lot of effort from organisers and support from the City of London. I hope it’s well received by both the public and the cycling community so it can continue.”
Clancy, now retired and working as an active travel commissioner in South Yorkshire, emphasised the importance of such events for domestic road racing. “Events like this are incredibly important for domestic road racing. It’s not just about the elite races, things like the family ride are just as important. It’s about getting people involved at every level, and that’s really good to see,” he added.
Reflecting on the race, Clancy said: “The race itself was great fun. We were all laughing and joking before the start, but as soon as the flag dropped, it was completely different; everyone went flat out. We went full gas the whole time and ended up winning by only two seconds, so it was really tight.”
