Weekend Round-up, Feb 17-18

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Alice Lethbridge.

It may be early in the season, but that didn’t stop three course records falling as unseasonally mild temperatures greeted riders in the five time trials staged across the country last weekend.

Event organiser Alice Lethbridge and JLT Condor pro Ed Bradbury both set new course records in the Kingston Wheelers 13.6-mile hardriders time trial in Surrey.

Lethbridge broke her own two-year-old record with a time of 34.18, an improvement of 23 seconds. And Bradbury clocked 29.18 to beat John Dewey’s old mark by 49 seconds.

“I was really surprised to break the record again as I’ve done over 130 miles of training in the last few days,” said Lethbridge. “But the warm weather really helped.”

And 25-year-old Bradbury added: “It was a really quick morning – this event is normally run in cold conditions, whereas this was the first time I’ve worn shorts in about three months.”

Bradbury’s time was 55 seconds quicker than runner-up Liam Maybank (Twickenham CC), while Pat Wright (Paceline RT) - the winner of last week’s Southdown Bikes 34km time trial - was 1-34 behind Bradbury’s pace in third.

33-year-old Lethbridge’s time of 34.18 was around four and a half minutes quicker than the next best female, Helen Gravatt (London Women’s Racing CC).

Matt Langworthy.

In Devon, City Cycle Couriers staged a 10-mile event on the fast S4/10 course at Buckfastleigh – and records fell there too.

21-year-old Matt Langworthy (Saint Piran) clocked 18.54 to break the course record by eight seconds and set what is believed to be the first sub 19-minute time in the South West.

Slight drizzle caused some concern, but the lack of much wind made for good going as Langworthy – who was third in last season’s National 10 – won the event by 46 seconds with Harrison Wood (Mid-Devon CC) second and Louis Priddle (Mid-Devon CC) third.

Another Mid-Devon CC rider, Jenny Corser was fastest female with 23.56.

“I’m really pleased with the course record,” said Langworthy, from Newton Abbott. “It was foggy but it cleared up and a few riders were quite quick. I thought an 18 was doable on this course but not at this time of year. I just felt decent when I got out there and it went well.”

Chris McNamara and Simone Dailey were fastest male and female riders respectively in the VC St Raphael 16.5-mile time trial in Hampshire on Sunday morning.

McNamara, who last won this event in 2016, covered the course near Southwick in 38.08 to take the win by just nine seconds from joint runners-up Matt Downie (Primera TeamJobs) and Gary Chambers (NOPINZ) who both clocked 38.17.

Chris McNamara.

Meanwhile, triathlete Simone Dailey led a one-two for a3crg in the women’s event, her time of 44.27 giving her the win by 1-29 from team-mate Sarah Matthews, while Fareham Wheelers’ Kirsty McSeveney was third, more than two minutes slower than 29-year-old Dailey.

Kate Mactear and Dan Martin were fastest male and female riders as Frome and District Wheelers staged the John Galway Memorial 10-mile time trial in Somerset on Sunday.

Kate Mactear.

Mactear, the 24-year-old from Bristol who is the reigning European Under-25 Triathlon Champion, clocked 24.58 to win the women’s event by 40 seconds from Joanna Knight (Bristol South CC) with Jen Lemen (VC St Raphael) third, another nine seconds off the pace.

And Dan Martin, the 19-year-old from Canterbury who is a student at the University of Bath, clocked 20.45 to win the men’s event by 17 seconds from defending champion Rob Pears (Bath CC), while five seconds slower was VC St Raphael’s Andrew Kirkby in third spot overall.

And in Leicestershire Peter Nicholls and Alex Clay were victorious at the Coalville Wheelers 10-mile time trial on Saturday, staged on the Breedon circuit near Griffydam.

Peter Nicholls.

Nicholls, the 40-year-old who lives nearby in Coalville, clocked 21.04 to take the win by 16 seconds from Team Bottrill’s James Bentley, while his colleague at Team Bottrill Daniel Barnett was third, another minute off the pace.

The fastest female was Deal Tri Club rider Alex Clay, the 22-year-old who is also a member of Loughborough Students CC and was riding her first open time trial.

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

* See the individual event listings for more detailed reports on these and other time trials.