PREVIEW: February 17-18

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Severn Road Club are holding their early-season time trial on a revised course, with a 12.5-mile circuit in Gloucestershire being used for Sunday’s event due to roadworks.

The U17 course is currently unavailable due to roadworks on the Berkeley Loop, resulting in a revised course solely using the A38 being used with the same start and finish points.

Scratch rider Jake Sargent (Team Bottrill) is tipped by Spindata to start his winning tally for 2024 after taking 13 victories last season.

Spindata predicts that Sargent will finish in 24-15 on the shortened course with team-mate Robert Francis predicted to be his nearest challenger.

Veteran Karl Norris (360VRT) and Matthew Cox (FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Race Team) are predicted to be amongst the other challengers.

The road bike category also includes a competitive field with Andrew Metherell (Velo Club Bristol) and Nick Giles (Pocomotion Road Club) amongst the challengers.

Josie Harcourt (FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Race Team) won two events last season and opens her season in the women’s road bike category.

The two-up team time trial has attracted team from University of Bath CC, Pocomotion Road Club, The Ark Cycles and Cycle Stars.

VC St Raphael’s 16.5-mile time trial in Hampshire uses a course between Southwick, Boar Hunt and Portsdown, and has attracted a good field with the majority being on road bikes.

Matthew Buckley has moved back to Andover Wheelers and heads a strong field of road bikers with others to watch for including Thomas Willan (Elevate RT) and Ashley Newman (Primera-TeamJobs).

Brothers Chris and Simon McNamara are riding time trial bikes and are off last and third-last, with the promoting club’s own Nigel Pratt sandwiched in between. Chris has won this event many times in the past.

Rachel Waite (Andover Wheelers) is the lone female entry in Sunday’s event, while the team category will be fought out between a3crg, VC St Raphael, Poole Wheelers and Portsmouth North End CC.

The annual Gil Jessop Memorial 14-mile event has been postponed after flooding on the course, and will be rearranged to a later date – potentially April 28.

The Kingston Wheelers event had attracted a stellar field with road bikes dominating and was being held for the 30th time, but riders will have to wait a couple more weeks to see how they fare.

Starting and finishing outside Ripley near Woking, the sporting course has something for all abilities of riders.

Using both rural and main roads riders complete two laps of a 6.7-mile course which is described as having ‘ups and downs, fast and slow sections, junctions and tight bends’.

* All reports are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission.