Bermuda’s Conor White produced a resilient performance for Jakroo Handsling Racing as the 2026 National Road Series kicked off with a brutal 100-mile test at the East Cleveland Classic.
Starting and finishing in the picturesque but punishing Saltburn-by-the-Sea, the race was a war of attrition over North Yorkshire’s double-digit gradients. Lucas Jowett of MyPad Racing secured the victory, emerging from an early breakaway to cross the line in 3:47:45 after a relentless battle through the coastal winds.
White, fresh from recent Pan American track success, found himself in the thick of a splintered peloton as the race climbed the iconic Saltburn Bank for the final time. The Bermudian stayed within striking distance of a chasing group that had fractured under the pressure of over 2,000 meters of elevation gain.
White crossed the line in 31st place with a time of 3:54:11, finishing 6:26 behind Jowett. It was a day of mixed fortunes for his Jakroo Handsling teammates; while Alex Franks secured a podium spot in third, Rowan Baker was forced to finish on a spare bike after a mechanical disaster, rolling in just ahead of White in 21st.
The result marks a solid start to the domestic season for White, who is using the British National A circuit to build the “anaerobic capacity and raw grit” required for his major target this summer: the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. With the first leg of the National Series complete, focus now shifts to the continental calendar.
