It was almost a case of as you were on Sunday when Michael Hutchinson and Julia Shaw both successfully defended their national 10-mile championship titles and Joe Perrett moved up from his 2008 bronze medal winning position to gold in the Junior title race.
It was In Gear-Quickvit RT Hutchinson’s seventh gold at the distance while Utag-Yamaha’s Shaw celebrated her third successive win in the RTTC championship.
Hutchinson’s 19-34 put him 30 seconds clear of Olympic Academy rider Andrew Tennant (Halfords Bikehut), the former Junior World Pursuit Champion while come-back rider Stuart Dangerfield (Shorter Rochford RT) showed he has lost little of his sparkle to take the bronze medal 40 seconds down on Hutchinson.
Backed by Charles McCulloch, 20-47, and Mark Holton, 20-55, Dangerfield led Shorter Rochford RT to the team gold.
Shaw’s winning 21-49 gave her a 50 second advantage over silver medal winner Lynn Hamel (Team NCA), improving on her eighth place last year.
Sarah Storey (VC St Raphael), recovering from a successful week at the Paralympic World Cup track meeting at Manchester, claimed third place with 22-50, beating last year’s bronze medal winner Emma Trott (Welwyn Wheelers) by two seconds.
With Lesley Walkling in eighth,Danuta Tinn 12th and Sally Ledger 42nd a3crg took the team honours with a combined time of 1-13-09.
Joe Perrett’s 20-47 gave him 47 seconds in hand over runner-up Conor Dunne (Hemel Hempstead CC) while Perrett’s Glendene CC team mate Tom Yeatman finished with 21-47 to take the bronze medal winning third place.
Tom’s 15 year-old brother Rob provided the final counter to provide Glendene CC with a second successive team win in the championship.
On what must qualify as the best day of the year so far the Newbury RC promotion was a faultless example of organisation on behalf of London West District Council of Cycling Time Trials. Masses of marshals and signs all around the H10/3A course at Wickham, Berkshire, made for a safe ride on a course that offered a challenging battle ground.
The juniors kicked off the action with Perrett last away. A time check at just a shade under 5.5 miles showed he had the lead with 11-05, 33 seconds up on his nearest challenger, Dunne who was already fast approaching the finishing line to clock a final 21-34.
A further 14 seconds gain on Dunne on the return leg gave Perrett the game with his 20-47.
Best of the girls was 14 year-old Sara Gent (In Gear Development Squad), 29-25. Asked what she was aiming for in the furure her reply was short and to the point “the 2016 Olympics.”
Looking at his performance, Perrett said “It was crucial to really go for it in the opening miles, the first two miles were crucial to gain as much time as possible on my rivals.” Something he obviously did.
More a roadman than full time time triallist Perrett has had regular trips abroad this season racing in Belgium where he had a sixth place overall in a stage race at Easter. “I’ve another trip coming up soon, a stage race in Germany with the GB team,” he said. More immediately “ I’ve got the `25` championship coming up,” he added.
Conor Dunne was “pleased” with his performance. The six foot seven, 17 year-old said “I psyched myself up all week for this.”
Dunne admits to “having always ridden a bike, but last year was my first season racing.” Like Perrett he has been a regular visitor to Belgium. “I’ve been going with teams taken over by John Barclay, racing in Flanders and getting in the first 20. Its been good experience,” Dunne said.
The women followed the juniors and it was triathlete Jennifer Hewitt (Sigma Sport RT) first inside 24 minutes. Riding her second `10` Hewitt finished with 23-56 and headed the leader board until Sarah Storey returned a 22-50 to claim an eventual third place.
Storey’s time held off the challenge of Lynne Taylor (Walsall RC), 22-55, who had been 14 seconds up on Storey at the turn.
Lynn Hamel was first to edge out Storey, she was nine seconds up on her at the turn and added another two seconds to her lead to run out with 22-39.
There were half a dozen left out on the road none were able to shift Hamel until Shaw rode in, the winner.
At the end of last season Shaw was uncertain if she would race this year. A move to the New Forest saw her meet up with new training friends and then followed a holiday in April to Majorca for 10 days where she began to gain form.
Her riding colleagues had taken part in the Race Across America they had got a sponsor, Utag-Yamaha plus their winnings from the American adventure and so a team was got together helped by Madison and Shaw was hooked. “I’m pleased the team has been doing so well,” she said.
“I rode a few open events and felt I was going well, guided by my coach Jamie Pringle. A couple of 21 minute `10s` on windy weekends showed I was a lot fitter and my power output was improving,” Shaw said.
As Sunday showed she had power to spare.
Silver medallist Lynn Hamel, the women’s Best All Rounder in 2008, felt she should have tried harder, but it was pointed out “that second is pretty good” by her supporters and she eventually agreed. “I shouldn’t have lost nearly one minute on Julia,” Hamel said.
Sarah Storey, who won two gold medals at the Paralympic World Cup, thought she could have done better if she had not been concentrating so much on the track for the last couple of months.
“I would have been quicker with less track work, I’ll leave it alone and work on getting my position (on her time trial bike) right,” Storey said.
A short break for lunch and it was time for the men
to take the stage. It was the un-seeded Adrian Lansley (North Hampshire RC) who ruled for a couple of hours, his 20-27 holding off the best efforts of a little short of 100 riders to unseat him.
It took Andrew Tennant to first shift him from top spot with his 20-04. Then Dangerfield clocked 20-14; Matt Bottrill (De Rosa RT) 20-20 and finally Hutchinson 19-34.
Finally Lansley settled for an unexpected fifth place
At the turn point Tennant was 10 seconds up on Hutchinson who by the finish had recouped that deficit and gained a further 20 seconds after a 40mph return leg.
“When I learned I was eight seconds down
after four miles I knew I had a tough fight on my hands,” Hutchinson said.
“I didn’t know who I was down on, but I rode as hard as I could, I don’t think I could have done anymore.”
“I’ll take a couple of days off and then get back to it again training for the `25` and think about doing the `50` and we (In Gear Quickvit RT) are looking at the team time trial championship.
It was a change of scenery for Tennant, he is most at home on the road and is currently in third place overall in the Premier Calendar Series.
“I’ve ridden two `10s` this season to qualify for today, my PB is a 19-30,” he said. He came close to wining the Tour of Brittany this year. “I’m looking forward to the European Under-23 championships, the Tour of Britain and the Worlds’,” Tennant said.
“Give me a couple of months and I’ll be alright,” Stuart Dangerfield said as he reflected on his performance.
Champion in 2001, 2003 and 2004 Dangerfield has spent the last couple of years in Australia. “Work dried up and with it a regular income and there was no way I could afford to stay,” Dangerfield said.
“I have ridden four or five events since I came back but I still haven’t got the legs I had. I have not done the kind of training needed for a championship. I have got to think about what I want to do, do I want to put in the kind of effort training that I used to?,” Dangerfield said.
“I certainly have not done enough to make the kind of effort needed for a `10` championship, you have to go with a bang from the off,”
“I might find the `25` suits me more, we shall see.”
Welcome back Stuart, we can’t wait for that `25`and a battle royal.