Guildford High Street’s summer cycle races

Karen Neville

The streets of Guildford will be alive with the sounds of cyclists in the Town Centre Races next month. Will Readhead from Charlotteville Cycling Club tells us more

Guildford’s historic cobbled High Street will once again host an action-packed evening of cycle racing on Wednesday, 9th July.   

These Town Centre Races have been a long-standing feature of summers in the Surrey town, and this year’s event is predicted to be bigger and better than ever. 

The races were conceived as a way of celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Charlotteville Cycling Club in 1983, but permission wasn’t granted in time, and so the first race was held a year later on 11th July 1984. The Guildford cycle races have run almost annually ever since, becoming part of British Cycling’s National Circuit Series in 2023, and from this year, part of the new Rapha Super League. Now sponsored by Canyon, the Guildford races attract some of the best riders and teams from across the UK. 

But the racing isn’t reserved for the elite and, since its inception, Guildford’s Town Centre Races has strived to be a fun, family-friendly event with the focus on atmosphere, entertainment and a great evening out – in fact in its first year, the programme included a display of vintage cycles, and a race for newspaper boys and girls from the Surrey Advertiser! This inclusive approach has developed over time so that today the event includes races for everyone from Under 8s to local amateur cyclists (although they must hold a 3rd Category racing license). 

This year, racing starts at around 5.45pm with the boys and girls under 8s races, who will compete over two laps of the course, and culminates with the Women’s Grand Prix race at 7.30pm and the Open Grand Prix at around 8.30pm, both of which will last for just under an hour. 

All races start and finish outside Holy Trinity Church at the top of the High Street, with each lap comprising an initial sprint along the Upper High Street, before navigating a hairpin turn, returning back towards the start, and then turning right to descend on North Street, before a difficult left turn onto Market Street and a stiff climb up the cobbles of the High Street to get back to the start. 

The circuit is fast and technical and offers one of the few opportunities in the UK for riders to race a town centre criterium with some cobblestones thrown in to add to the excitement.  

It’s free for spectators, and roads are closed to traffic from early afternoon, so head down early, bring friends and family and perhaps have dinner or drinks in one of the many cafes, bars and restaurants whilst enjoying an exciting summer evening of racing in the historic town centre. 

For more information, visit guildfordcrit.co.uk. Local businesses interested in sponsorship opportunities should contact Austin Bell at austin@bellandspoke.com