2015 has been a vintage year for British cyclists, with a raft of trophies and medals to show for some incredible, heartstopping rides. It's this display of talent and prowess that British Cycling seeks to celebrate with the Ride of the Year Award.
The Ride of the Year Award has been been running annually since 2011, and this year's shortlist is not short on momentous achievements. The World Championship-winning ride from Lizzie Armitstead, or para-cycling team Steve Bate and Adam Duggleby who collected their first gold medal after beating super time-trial rivals by over 10 seconds, are both prime examples.
"The Ride of the Year is an opportunity to reflect and celebrate the achievements of the Great Britain Cycling Team over the past 12 months," a British Cycling spokesperson told BikeRadar. "These are sporting performances and moments which have inspired many in their cycling." she added.
This year, the general public will cast the deciding votes, selecting one winner from a shortlist of 14 cyclists to take the accolade. "With so many fantastic moments to choose from, we wanted to open the award up the wider cycling community and allow them to decide who receives the award," British Cycling said of its decision to run the voting in this way.
The shortlist was drawn up by an expert panel, including Great Britain Cycling Team technical director Shane Sutton, British Cycling cycle sport and membership director Jonny Clay, Sky Sports cycling journalist Orla Chennaoui and British Cycling president Bob Howden.
The winner will receive the cycle industry's Golden Jubilee Trophy, which will be presented at the annual British Cycling Gala Dinner.
You'll need to be quick though – voting is only open for a few more days. You have until 1pm on Monday the 21 December to place your vote, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday 22 December at 11am.
Lizzie Armitstead
Armitstead is overcome with emotion as she becomes World Champion
- Discipline: Road
- Nominated ride: World Championships in Richmond, Virginia
Armitstead reclaimed the rainbow jersey in a heart-stopping sprint finish at the World Championships in Richmond, Virginia in September 2015. This makes the Yorkshire cyclist the fourth British woman to win a road race world championship.
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Dame Sarah Storey
- Discipline: Para-cycling road
- Nominated ride: Para-cycling Road World Championships
With 22 world titles to her name, Dame Sarah Storey is without a doubt one of the greatest British cyclists of all time. The multiple Paralympian took another significant victory at the Para-cycling Road World Champs.
Rachel Atherton
- Discipline: Mountain bike
- Nominated ride: World Championships 2015
Rachel Atherton is one of the winningest British athletes ever in any sport, let along cycling. In the world of mountain biking, she's a multiple national and world champion, who dominated the 2015 UCI Downhill World Cup scene. Atherton has also championed mountain biking, bringing it more into mainstream awareness and encouraging more women into the sport by organising events such as the Red Bull Foxhunt and supporting junior race categories.
She's been nominated for the race run that won her a second World Champion title in 2015.
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Laurie Greenland
- Discipline: Mountain bike
- Nominated ride: UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Championships
New junior world champion Laurie took the gold medal he was tantalisingly close to the previous year when he won in September in Andorra. The Bristol local has been enjoying a great season, riding with new teammates Brook McDonald, Greg Williamson and George Brannigan, and the mentorship of the experienced riders combined with a lot of skill and determination paid off.
Liam Phillips
- Discipline: BMX
- Nominated ride: UCI BMX Supercross World Cup
Liam Phillips took up BMX aged five and went on to win 10 consecutive British titles. He has represented Great Britain in both the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games. A rider of many talents, Phillips has also raced track. In 2013 he won the UCI BMX World Championships, and he is nominated here for his winning run at the UCI BMX Supercross World Cup.
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Nikki Harris
- Discipline: Cyclocross
- Nominated ride: UEC European Cyclocross Championships
Nikki Harris has a selection of titles to her name, and has competed internationally in various events including the Commonwealth Games and the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Classics. This year, she fought hard to take bronze – a great achievement after crashing in the first lap – and took the podium for the fourth consecutive year. Could this performance take her one step closer to her dream of inclusion in the 2016 Olympic road squad?
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Vicky Brown
- Discipline: Cycle Speedway
- Nominated ride: Cycle Speedway World Championships
Hailing from Sheffield, Vicky Brown was crowned world champion of one of the grittiest and most thrilling sports within cycling. Cycle speedway sees riders race a dirt track on steel bikes with no gears or brakes, and is seeing something of a resurgence in recent years.
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Bethany Shriever
- Discipline: BMX
- Nominated ride: UEC BMX European Cup
Aged a mere 16 years old, Bethany Shriever took her second European Cup title this year, and is widely regarded as one of the most noteworthy up and coming young cyclists.
Gabriel Cullaigh
- Discipline: Road
- Nominated ride: Course de la Paix stage one
Cullaigh took the UCI Under-23 Nations Cup win in the Czech Republic this year, a good sign for this rider and his Olympic ambitions.
Tom Pidcock
- Discipline: Cyclocross
- Nominated ride: UEC European Cyclocross Championships
He may be only 16, and competing in his first overseas cyclocross race, but that didn't stop Tom Pidcock achieving an impressive top-10 finish. Pidcock is part of the British Cycling Junior Academy.
Laura Trott
- Discipline: Track
- Nominated ride: UCI Track Cycling World Cup Cali
Laura Trott OBE herself requires little introduction. The European, World and Olympic Champion is shortlisted for her performance in the six-discipline omnium, where she added the world title to her European one.
Mark Stewart
- Discipline: Track
- Nominated ride: UCI Track Cycling World Cup Cambridge
Olympic Academy Member Mark Stewart took his first senior gold medal at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup in Cambridge, New Zealand.
Steve Bate & Adam Duggleby
- Discipline: Para-cycling road
- Nominated ride: UCI Para-cycling Road World Cup
Stoker Steve Bate and pilot Adam Duggleby took their first gold medal in time trial in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The performance was exceptionally strong, giving the pair a 10-second lead over the second-places competitors.
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