Isle of Man Cycling has announced a packed calendar of no fewer than 31 events over the next four months.

Added to that is likely to be several rounds of the RL360 Youth Circuit League events that will surely raise the tally up to at least the 40-mark.

The revised fixture list basically sees the regular schedule moved on three months.

Normally, the month of July would see the domestic road calendar approaching its final stages. This year the season will commence on Thursday (July 2) with the new-look Bikestyle handicap series on a 1.7-mile closed circuit round Jurby airfield.

Manx Viking Wheelers have taken over the organisation from SAS Events, and it will remain to be seen if racing on the ’enclosed’ confines of the former RAF drome will prove as popular as the public roads in the same area.

For sure, it will be tough on the exposed runways and perimeter roads, but it should at least be a lot safer without the worries of sharing the same piece of Tarmac with motor vehicles, tractors and suchlike.

Six rounds are planned - July 2, July 9, July 23, July 30, August 6 and August 13, with August 20 a reserve date.

There will be two handicap races each night (sport and elite), with relegations and promotions weekly. Initially it will be over a slightly shorter distance than the road ones - so it will be intense to say the least.

Get entered for the series at: https://www.riderhq.com/â?¦/49jb5â?¦/f/bikestyle-handicap-series

It is £80 for senior riders for the series, £60 for juniors, £40 youths. Minimum age 14 on the day of the race.

Entries close this Sunday, June 28.

More events than ever will take place away from public roads, somewhere in the region of 60 per cent in total.

Dot Tilbury has not confirmed dates for the RL360 Youth Circuit series at the NSC yet, but this is likely to run a similar format to usual over the remainder of the summer - but slightly fewer rounds than normal.

Canada Life is again sponsoring the 10-mile time trial series on open public roads, once more centred on Jurby Road between Ramsey and Ballamoar straight.

Round one is on Wednesday, July 29, followed by further rounds on August 5 and 12. There will then be a five-week break to Sunday, September 20 for the 10-mile champs, with a final two rounds on Sunday, September 27 and Sunday, October 18.

So, six rounds spread over two-and-a-half months.

Add to those the Manx Road Club ’25’ on August 2 and the 25-mile champs on August 16 for the Penrice Trophy, organised by MVW.

The traditional road races will begin with Ellan Vannin CC’s Roy Killey event on Sunday, August 9, followed by Wheelers’ Tour of the Middle on September 6 and the road race championships on Sunday, October 11 in the form of the Nick Corkill road race, probably over the Bride course.

JOHN WATTERSON

Isle of Man cyclists Lizzie Holden and Amelia Sharpe performed impressively in last week’s Skoda V-Women’s Tour virtual race.

Amelia, riding for Team Breeze, finished an excellent third place in the opening stage which featured a 38.4km fast-paced route, with under 20 of the 52 starters in the leading bunch sprint at the end.

Sharpe was narrowly pipped on the line by winner Dani Christmas (Lotto Soudal) and runner-up Lilli Gardner (CAMS-Tifosi), while fellow Manxie Lizzie Holden, representing Bizkaia Durango, was just behind in ninth spot.

The following day it was Holden’s turn to produce a magnificent performance to take third place in the hilly second stage of the tour. The Manxwoman got into the main break and put in a great effort to bring back a couple of escapees before grabbing the sprint for the final place on the podium.

Breakaway partners Leah Dixon and Lauren Stephens of the American Team TBCO Silicon Valley Bank were first and second respectively.

Unfortunately, Sharpe’s system hit a glitch early on in the race, causing her virtual rider to stop dead. By the time it got going again, she was 750m behind and out of contention.

The Manx duo were both well to the fore in the early stages of Friday’s final round, but again the technical gremlins set in and they both lost ground to the fast moving bunch.

But the excellent third places the Manx duo scored on stages one and two gained a great deal of publicity for themselves and was good preparation for the road season when it finally gets underway.