TIME trialling’s big guns are coming out for the National Closed Circuit Championships at Thruxton circuit in Hampshire on Sunday.

With multiple national titles already secured in 2022, Chris Fennell (Team Independent Pedaler-Nopinz) and Kate Allan (Team Bottrill) will be aiming to add one more cap to their collection with victory in the 11.7-mile championship event staged by Antelope RT.

Defending his National Closed Circuit Championship from 12 months earlier, Fennell has won it twice before and has been in the top two at the event for the last five years.

Meanwhile, Kate Allan will be hoping to improve from ninth spot in last year’s Thruxton event, and having won this year’s National 10 and National 50 few would bet against her tasting victory once again.

Challengers to Fennell include Josh Teasdale (XSpeed United Continental) who is a previous winner of the event and is returning from riding in Belgium.

And national ranking system Spindata also reckons we should watch out for Michael Gill (Saint Piran), Thomas Day (Elevate Home Solutions Soenens) and Ollie Hucks (Saint Piran).

Challengers to Kate Allan include Fennell’s team-mates at Independent Pedaler-Nopinz Jennifer George and Alex Clay – who was joint second in last year’s National Closed Circuit Championship.

Dame Sarah Storey (Storey Racing) is also one to watch, as well as her team-mate Lucy Gadd and Jessica Rhodes-Jones (AeroCoach).

With large fields of riders and great facilities, the event this year includes the first RTTC National Para-Cycling Championships as well as heritage, tandems and four-up prizes too.

Elsewhere the hill-climbing season continues apace with the big hitters of that discipline also out in force this weekend as they continue to prepare for the National Championships at the end of the month.

Reigning men’s national champion Tom Bell (High North Performance) goes head to head with former national champion Andrew Feather (HuntBikeWheels.com) at the Rutland CC climb of Mam Nick near Edale in Derbyshire on Saturday.

And similarly, defending women’s national champion Bithja Jones (Pankhurst Cycles) faces stiff competition from top talent Illi Gardner (Wahoo Endurance Zone) at the University of Bristol CC climb of Belmont Hill on Saturday.

Feather than goes on to ride the Bolsover and District CC event on Sunday on the 1475-metre climb of Carr Lane near Palterton, while Bithja Jones moves on to Sunday’s Bec CC and Catford CC climbs on White Lane at Titsey and Yorks Hill near Goathurst Common respectively.

Gardner meanwhile has chosen to ride the Welsh Championships on the iconic Tumble near Abergavenny, where Rebecca Richardson (Brother UK) is hoping to defend her title.

Elsewhere Mary Wilkinson (Team Boompods) is favourite for the women’s prize at the Cestria CC climb of Peth Bank near Lanchester on Saturday, while Brighton Mitre CC are holding two climbs on Saturday – Bostal Road in the morning and Church Lane, Sompting, in the afternoon.

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