British Cycling has confirmed the routes for the 2026 Lloyds National Road Championships, with Ceredigion again hosting the time trial, circuit race and road race from Thursday, 25th June to Sunday, 28th June.
The Welsh county hosted the championships in 2025 and will now stage the event for a second consecutive year, with 10 national champion’s jerseys available across three days of racing. Lampeter will host the time trials on Thursday, Aberystwyth will stage the circuit races on Friday evening, and the road races will again finish on the seafront in Aberystwyth on Sunday.
Photo Credit: SWPix.comCeredigion returns after successful 2025 championships
Ceredigion’s return as host follows a 2025 edition that produced a strong set of national champions, including Zoe Backstedt, Ethan Hayter, Callum Thornley, Cameron Mason, Kate Richardson, Matthew Brennan, Mille Couzens and Samuel Watson.
The 2026 championships will keep several familiar elements from last year, particularly around Aberystwyth, but there is also a new time-trial course based around Lampeter. That should give the event a slightly different shape while keeping the atmosphere and geography that worked well in 2025.
The circuit and road race championships will once again start and finish in Aberystwyth, making the town the centrepiece of the weekend. The road races will use a similar wider route around the area before moving onto finishing circuits based around the promenade.
New Lampeter time trial course opens the championships
The 2026 championships begin with the time trials in Lampeter on Thursday, 25th June. The new course starts close to the University of Wales, Lampeter campus and uses a circuit through the surrounding green fields and rolling roads.
Riders will head out of Lampeter towards Llanfair Clydogau, pass the village hall, then return towards Lampeter via Cellan and the outskirts of Cwmann before finishing after crossing Afon Teifi.
The course reaches a maximum gradient of 4.9 per cent, so it should reward riders who can hold rhythm across rolling terrain rather than those suited only to a flat, pure-power test. That could make pacing more important, particularly for the elite men, who face the longest distance.
The elite women, under-23 women and under-23 men will complete two laps for a total distance of 25.6km. The elite men will complete three laps for a total distance of 38.4km.
Photo Credit: SWPix.comAberystwyth circuit race keeps seafront setting
The circuit championships will take place in Aberystwyth on Friday, 26th June, using the same 1.6km circuit as in 2025. The evening format should again give the championships one of their most spectator-friendly events, with the course built around the seafront and town centre streets.
The race will run anticlockwise, starting on the seafront and passing the Bandstand on each lap. Riders will turn left into Pier Street, continue along Portland Street, head into Queens Road and then rejoin Victoria Terrace before passing through the line.
British Cycling describes the course as full of technical twists and turns, which should make positioning and repeated accelerations central to the race. On a short urban circuit, the rhythm is constantly broken, and that can make the event as much about handling and race craft as sprint speed.
Both the elite women’s and open championships will be decided over 50 minutes of racing and five laps of the 1.6km circuit.
Photo Credit: SWPix.comRoad races return to Aberystwyth seafront
The road races will conclude the championships on Sunday, 28th June, with routes again centred on Aberystwyth. After a processional start on the seafront, the races will head out of town towards Llanfarian and as far as Trawsgoed on a 23.4km anticlockwise loop before returning towards Aberystwyth via Y Gors.
The women’s race will complete three laps of that outer loop, while the men’s race will complete five laps before both races move onto the finishing circuit.
The final circuit is 12.4km and uses the seafront start and finish as its central point. It runs along almost the full length of the promenade, past the old college and castle grounds, before moving into a technical section through the old harbour and out over Trefechan bridge.
The decisive feature is likely to be the climb through Southgate, which reaches a maximum gradient of 8.7 per cent and will be tackled on each lap of the finishing circuit. The narrow technical descent from Moriah back to the main A44 will then test handling before the final kilometres back into town.
The women’s road race will finish after 128km, while the men’s race will cover 187km.
British Cycling expects another strong edition
Jonathan Day, Director of Events for British Cycling Ventures, said the success of the 2025 championships made a return to Ceredigion an obvious option.
Following the huge success of the 2025 Championships we couldn’t resist the opportunity to return to the stunning Ceredigion region for the 2026 Lloyds National Road Championships. We know from 2025 how great a host location this is, and I am sure it will once again produce some brilliant racing, contested by the best British talent the sport has to offer, fitting of a National Championships.
Jonathan Day
Day also pointed to the setting and the racing challenge as key strengths of the route.
The locations for each of the championships are stunning, taking in the beautiful Welsh scenery and providing a great test for the riders as they aim to win the prestigious national champions jersey. We are looking forward to delivering these championships, and seeing the crowds line the roadside in support.
Jonathan Day
2026 Lloyds National Road Championships schedule
- Thursday, 25th June: Lloyds National Time-Trial Championships, Lampeter
- Friday, 26th June: Lloyds National Circuit Championships, Aberystwyth
- Sunday, 28th June: Lloyds National Road Racing Championships, Aberystwyth
2026 Lloyds National Road Championships route details
- Time trial: Lampeter circuit, 25.6km for elite women, under-23 women and under-23 men, 38.4km for elite men
- Time trial maximum gradient: 4.9 per cent
- Circuit race: 1.6km Aberystwyth town centre circuit
- Circuit race format: 50 minutes of racing and five laps for elite women and open championships
- Road race outer loop: 23.4km anticlockwise loop from Aberystwyth towards Trawsgoed
- Road race finishing circuit: 12.4km circuit based around Aberystwyth seafront
- Road race maximum gradient: 8.7 per cent through Southgate
- Women’s road race distance: 128km
- Men’s road race distance: 187km
Main photo credit: SWPix.com
