Lewis Askey’s latest road success has once again highlighted just how far the British rider has progressed – and how much of his racing style can be traced back to cyclocross.
Askey recently took a major victory at the Tour of Britain, winning the opening stage in Lincoln with a powerful attack on the steep cobbled climb of Michaelgate. It was the kind of finish that suited him perfectly: explosive, technical and difficult to control.
Those same qualities were developed years earlier in cyclocross.
Before becoming established as a top-level road professional, Askey raced regularly in the discipline and continued to return to it even as his road career developed. His most recent recorded cyclocross appearance came at the British National Championships in January 2024, where he finished third in the elite men’s race.
During that winter he also raced in Belgium, taking on events at Baal, Koksijde and Gullegem against riders who specialise in cyclocross throughout the winter.
His background in the sport helps explain why Askey looks so comfortable in difficult one-day races. Cyclocross demands repeated accelerations, aggressive positioning, fast reactions and confident bike handling – exactly the qualities needed in the Classics and on rough, technical road courses.
Askey has shown those strengths repeatedly during the 2026 road season.
Alongside his Tour of Britain stage victory, he finished second in the British National Road Race Championships, was 13th at Paris-Roubaix and produced another strong ride at the Tour of Flanders. He also completed the Tour de France, adding further experience at the highest level of the sport.
His performances increasingly suggest that Askey is developing into one of Britain’s most capable Classics-style riders.
That makes his cyclocross history particularly interesting. Unlike riders who left the discipline completely after their junior years, Askey continued racing well into his professional road career and was still competitive enough to finish on the podium at the British Championships.
Whether he returns to cyclocross again remains uncertain. His road calendar is now demanding enough that a serious winter campaign may be difficult to fit in.
But the influence of the discipline is still easy to see.
When Askey attacks on cobbles, fights for position on narrow roads or handles difficult conditions better than many of his rivals, some of those instincts were learned long before his biggest road victories.
His career is another strong example of how cyclocross continues to play an important role in developing British riders – even when their biggest successes eventually come on the road.
Photo ©Graffika Photography
