XTX Markets claimed victory in the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity City Criterium as the City of London Nocturne made its long-awaited return.
A team of market traders swapped spreadsheets for the saddle as they clinched cycling victory on the streets of the City of London – with a little help from a three-time Olympic champion.
A quartet of riders from XTX Markets were the winners of the Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity City Criterium race, as the inaugural City of London Nocturne hit the City streets. The cycling event had been absent from the calendar since 2018 but made a jubilant comeback as a new two-day event for 2026.
The charity race saw 12 teams of four take part in a criterium race, before each team’s professional rider finished the final 10 laps. The XTX Markets team of Dan Goscomb, Richard Evans, Phil Dehond and Jake Longo were well-placed before three-time Olympic gold medallist Ed Clancy took them to victory. The race raised money for Great Ormond Street Hospital’s new children’s cancer centre while also raising the curtain on the return of Nocturne.
“It was fantastic, great fun,” said Goscomb. “Riding on closed roads like this is very rare, so it’s nice to be able to ride without traffic for once. I’d never raced in an event like this before, so it was a great experience. It’s not something that happens every day, so I’d definitely do it again.
“The company has been involved with Great Ormond Street for many years. We’ve done the velodrome event for about five years, and this is a different format, but the same idea.”
Riders took part in a 1km time trial to determine the starting order before each team cycled for an hour around the 1.3km city circuit, split however they chose between their four riders. Once the hour was up, the professional riders took the final 10 laps and Clancy steered them home to victory with the likes of fellow Olympic champions Victoria Pendleton and Emma Finucane watching on.
“The race itself was great fun,” said Clancy. “We were all laughing and joking before the start, but as soon as the flag dropped, it was completely different; everyone went flat out. It was the same with the pros at the end.
“We went full gas the whole time and ended up winning by only two seconds, so it was really tight. I just had to hang on and do what I could.
“This event has been away for a while, so it’s great to see it back. It’s been created with a lot of effort from organisers and support from the City of London. I hope it’s well received by both the public and the cycling community so it can continue.”
