Your nominations are in and our expert panel have conferred, and now we can reveal the shortlisted riders for our inaugural Newcomer of the Year award, brought to you by Lezyne.
Your opinion counts, so vote now!
The winner will be revealed at an exclusive ceremony – with Lezyne and acclaimed local brewer Wiper and True – at Cycling Plus Towers in November and in the January 2024 edition of the magazine.
So, let us know who you think should win by voting before 13 October 2023!
Vote for your Newcomer of the Year
Want to vote for the Rider of the Year award? There’s a separate page for that.
THE SHORTLIST
Here are the five Newcomer of the Year contenders…
Illi Gardner
In 2022, Illi Gardner was the UK’s national hill climb champion. She followed this in 2023 by winning the first edition of the Championnats d’Europe des Grimpeurs, which took place in Switzerland on the legendary 12,780 metre climb from Airolo to the 2,091m-high Gotthard Pass.
Monica Greenwood
Monica Greenwood has thrown herself into racing after coaching other riders at the highest level for years. As an older rider, Monica has made an impact in 2023 domestically and in Europe with DAS-Handsling team.
Winning the Sheffield GP and having top 10 finishes consistently in the National Series Monica's form has been impressive this year.
Finlay Hawker
The Fred Whitton Challenge’s course record was shattered by 17-year-old Finlay Hawker (Zappi Junior Racing Team) in May.
He completed the legendary 112-mile/180km Lake District route in an astonishing 5 hours, 26 minutes and 3 seconds.
Niamh Murphy
Junior rider Niamh Murphy (Liv Cycling Club - Halo Films) has had a great 2023, racing domestically as well as in France and Belgium, sucking up lots of experiences, with plenty of the highs and the lows along the way.
Niamh is a superb cyclocross rider as well as road rider and certainly one to watch out for in the future.
Imogen Wolff
Imogen Wolff is the UK’s 2023 women’s National Cyclocross Champion in the junior category, while the 17-year-old also finished in the top 30 at the World Cyclocross Championships.
