Lincoln Grand Prix: Everything you need to know

The centrepiece of the Lincoln Grand Prix is the cobbled climb of Michaelgate, which takes riders into the uphill area of the city

Thousands of cycling enthusiasts will head to Lincolnshire at the weekend for one of the oldest events in the UK racing calendar.

The Lincoln Grand Prix men's race has been running continuously since 1956 and has welcomed some of the best professional riders, including Sir Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish and Dame Sarah Storey.

About 800 amateur riders will take part in a sportive event on Saturday and a hill climb competition will also be held in Lincoln later that evening.

Organiser Gary Coltman says the event will create a "theatre of sporting drama" for spectators and is the "perfect platform" for the riders.

World champion and multiple Tour de France stage winner Mark Cavendish is among the big names to have appeared in Lincoln

The women's and men's Grand Prix race is part of British Cycling's National Road Series and takes place on Sunday 12 May featuring 300 riders.

The 13km (8 mile) circuit starts and finishes in Castle Square with the women's race covering eight laps and the men taking it on 13 times.

If you want to watch, then the steep, cobbled climb of Michaelgate is probably the place to be. The hill is only 200m long but the gradient is up to 20% in places so you'll be able to see the riders fight it out as they head towards the cathedral.

The women's race will start at 09:00 BST and finish around 11:45, while the men's race will start at 13:00 and is due to finish at around 16:45 BST.

The Lincoln Grand Prix route for the male and female professional races

The weekend has been dubbed a "celebration of cycling" by the organisers and hundreds of amateurs will take on an event known as a sportive on Saturday.

Participants can chose a variety of distances from the "short" 42-mile route up to the 101-mile long ride, which takes them out of Lincoln, out over the Wolds towards Horncastle and back.

The finale of the event follows the pedal strokes of the pros with a trip up Michaelgate to cross the finish line in Castle Square.

The organisers will also hold a special challenge on Saturday evening for those wanting to test themselves on the biggest climb.

Road closures

There are no road closures expected on Saturday, but there will be some on Sunday for the women's and men's races.

The full closures are:

• Bailgate

• Castle Hill

• Drury Lane between Wordsworth Street and Castle Square

• Exchequergate

• Hungate

• Michaelgate

• Motherby Lane

• The Avenue

• Wordsworth Street

• Yarborough Road from Long Lees Road to Burton Road

And there is a one-way system in place on:

• A57 from Burton Waters to Long Leys Road

• Fen Lane from Burton Village to A57

• Long Leys Road in the direction of the city

• Main Street, Burton from the B1398 to Fen Lane

The organisers have also said parking restrictions will be in force around the route and vehicles parked where they "present a danger to the competitors" will be removed.

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