News & Features

George Evans and Hayley Simmonds were fastest male and female riders respectively as the Buxton CC staged the opening round of the Knight Composites Classic Time Trial Series on Good Friday.

Simmonds, the 29-year-old Team WNT Pro Cycling rider from Cambridge, sliced 51 seconds from the old course record held by Katie Archibald, clocking 59.11 as she continues her preparations for the Commonwealth Games where she will ride for England.

And in the men’s race George Evans (Team Bottrill-Vanguard), 20 and from Wrexham, clocked 1-22-16 for the men’s three lap course, coming within three seconds of Stuart Dangerfield’s 2003 course record.

“I’m really happy with my ride,” said Simmonds. “I came up here yesterday and did my normal pre-race recce, which really helped.”

And Evans added: “The first climb from the start really kicks up, but it does ease off a bit on the way to the top. But by the top of the climb I had run out of gears and was really grinding across.”

Elsewhere, Pfeiffer Georgi set a new junior girls competition record at the Merthyr CC 25-mile time trial in South Wales on Easter Sunday, while Stuart Travis was the fastest overall.

The 17-year-old covered the R25.3h course near Rhigos in 53.51 to slice 50 seconds from Cerys Gilfillan’s previous best set in 1997. It gave Georgi second place on the day in the women’s competition, with Vicky Gill (Drag2Zero) clocking 53.43.

In the men’s competition, Stuart Travis (Team Bottrill-Vanguard) was fastest with an impressive 46.41, winning on the day by 1-24 – but missing out on a personal best by nine seconds having gone faster on the nearby R25/3r course last July.

Cavan Walker clocked 49-27 and led Cycle Team OnForm to a new junior boys competition record, being joined by William Manfield-Yorke and Ieuan Woods for a combined 2-35-14, breaking the 17-year-old record by almost four minutes.

In Cornwall Tim McEvoy won the St Austell Wheelers 25 on Easter Sunday, the Camel Valley CC rider clocking 52.04, while fastest female was Stacey Ginieres (Penzance Wheelers) with 1-03-57.

Espoir Sam Wadsley (Primera TeamJobs) was fastest in the CC Weymouth 10 near Oakdale in Dorset on Sunday, covering the P415 course in 20-48 to win by 1-12 from Poole Wheelers’ veteran Steven Pink, while first female was Christine Rowley (NOPINZ) with 25-17.

In Lincolnshire, Joe Perkins (Univ of Nottingham CC) clocked 20-49 to win the Sleaford Wheelers charity 10-mile event, with Sarah King (Bianchi Dama) being first woman with 24-22.

Ben Healy (Zappi’s RT) and Emma Serjeant (Hafren CC) were quickest male and female at the Wrekinsport CC hilly time trial near Worfield in Shropshire on Easter Saturday.

The event was run on a shortened course due to roadworks, with Healy winning in 36-48 while Serjeant clocked 47-32.

With the V718 out of action while protests over the Highways England attempts to ban all cyclists are ongoing, City Road Club Hull moved their Good Friday 10 to the nearby V714 at Gilberdyke.

Simon Beldon (Team Bottrill) set a new course record time of 20-10, while another Team Bottrill rider, Karen Ledger, took the women’s prize with 23.56.

And in Cheshire Phil Williams and Jill Wilkinson were fastest male and female riders respectively as Birkenhead North End CC staged a 22-mile time trial in Cheshire on Good Friday.

Merseyside-based Williams, riding for Liverpool Phoenix CC, won the event with a time of 43-44 in his first race of the new year and finished 38 seconds ahead of prolific road pro Ian Bibby (JLT Condor) in second.

Two times National 12-hour champion, Jill Wilkinson (Chester Road Club) was the quickest female with a time of 55-20. She finished a full five minutes ahead of the next female and finished 31st out of 72 starters.

* 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.