The racing season opens in March with our feared Hardriders event,
posing a real test of a rider’s winter training efforts. Starting at
Wroxton, competitors head north west, descending the notorious Sunrising
Hill to Ettington where they then turn around and retrace the route to
HQ, climbing back up the hill which is 17% at it’s steepest. The winner
is presented with the Broughton Cup.
After a temporary lockdown move to a summer date in 2021, Hardriders
2023 will continue it’s early place in the racing calendar, being held on
Sunday 19th March with the first rider off at 0801. The race HQ will
once again be Wroxton Sports Club.
Banbury Star TT won by Fellows and De Pennington
David Fellows
David Fellows earned a dominant victory as fastest male at the Banbury Star Cyclists’ Club 23.5-mile time trial in Oxfordshire on Sunday morning, with Naomi De Pennington took a narrow win in the women’s event.
Solihull CC rider Fellows clocked 50-10 to finish more than two minutes ahead of runner-up Josh Newbould, with the DRAG2ZERO member well ahead of University of Bristol Cycling Club’s James Pittard, who clinched third in 56-36.
Success in Oxfordshire was a first victory for Fellows since winning the Sodbury Cycle Sport hill climb on September 17 last year, having won the Team Bikestop Tyrekey hill climb two weeks previously on September 4, while this event also marks his first time trial since winning the 24.8-mile Allen Valley Velo in July.
In the women’s event there was further success for DRAG2ZERO, with De Pennington coming home 13 seconds ahead of Team Boompods rider Sian Marsh who finished in 59-00 while Brother UK – Team OnForm’s Laura Pittard took the final podium place in 1:02.13.
Naomi De Pennington
This 23.5-mile event, run on the K4/23 course, starts in Wroxton by the White Horse Inn and proceeds northwest past Balscote and Shennington and continue towards Stratford, down Sunrising Hill until reaching the A429 junction just west of Ettington, where riders encircle the island and retrace along the A422 towards Wroxton and climb Sunrising Hill before finishing 800 yards short of the start.
* All reports are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission. This report by James Ayles.
