News & Features

Kelly Murphy and Dean Robson boosted their hopes of overall victory with wins in round four of the Knight Composites Classic TT Series in Scotland on Sunday morning.

Covering the same 17.8-mile Circuit of Loch Leven in the Highlands, Murphy and Robson both made the most of their long trip north to take part in one of the most scenic time trials in Britain, promoted by GTR-Return to Life.

Murphy (C2 Racing) covered the course in 44-08 to take the win ahead of Victoria Smith (AeroCoach). Although she leads the series, this victory was her first so far with a fourth, third and second in the previous three rounds.

And for Robson, the win was his first national series victory in around 15 years of trying. He clocked 40-33 to win ahead of series leader Rob Walker (Cambridge University CC).

In Cambridgeshire, Southend Wheelers’ Paul Hart broke the national competition record on his way to victory in the Eastern Counties CA 50, while Lauren Kirchel (Chelmer CC) was fastest woman.

Hart, 38 and from Essex, clocked 1-34-37 to slice just six seconds from Matt Bottrill’s old record set in 2014. It was good enough to give him an impressive victory on the day of more than four and a half minutes, with veteran Julian Elliot (Finsbury Park CC) taking second and Dave Green (CC Breckland) just behind in third spot.

And in Norfolk, Oliver Stockwell (Welwyn Wheelers) set a provisional new juvenile competition record in the VC Norwich 25, while Matthew Senter (Team Velovelocity) and Denise Hurren (Sole Bay Cycle Sport) took the men’s and women’s victories.

Stockwell, 15 and from Hertfordshire, set a blistering time of 48 minutes and 46 seconds to break the previous record set in 2009 of 50.22 (subject to confirmation).

A week after competition records were broken on the A465 dual carriageway towards Neath, windy conditions slowed times at the Sportzmad 25 in South Wales where Keith Ainsworth (Sheffrec CC) and Alice Lethbridge (Drag2Zero) took victories.

Lethbridge had set a personal best of 50-10 the weekend before on the same course, but blustery conditions on both the outward and homeward leg saw her clock 51.39 for victory on this occasion.

And veteran rider Ainsworth thrived in the windy conditions setting a winning time of 49.08 to win the men’s event by nine seconds.

In Northumberland, Adam Wild and Fiona Burnie were fastest male and female riders as Tyneside Vagabonds staged the 63rd running of their annual classic mountain time trial.

With the event shortened by around six miles, Wild (GS Metro) clocked 1-35-12 to win by more than five minutes from Andrew Duggan in second, the Physiohaus Health and Performance rider who is an ultra triathlete.

In-form Fiona Burnie secured another win for GS Metro, the 33-year-old winning the women’s event with a time of 1-54-36 which was around ten minutes quicker than the next best lady.

In Kent, Neil Lauder (PMR @ Toachim House) set a new course record time of 20-13 in the Southborough and District Wheelers 10 near Tenterden on Saturday.

The 35-year-old took the win by 1-30 from Andrew Meilak (VeloRefined Aerosmiths), while Debbie Percival (Kent Velo) was fastest female with a time of 26-29.

Also in Kent, Chris Fennell (The Independent Pedaler) and Charmaine Pullen (Folkestone Velo Club) took the men’s and women’s victories by clear margins in the Sydenham Wheelers 25 near Harrietsham on Sunday.

And in Gloucestershire, course record holder Matt Burden (73Degrees CC/WestSide Coaching) and Meg Dickerson (Univ of Bristol CC) took advantage of fast conditions to take victories in the Bristol South CC 10.

Burden, who holds the U7b record of 19-54, went slower on this occasion but his 20.28 was still enough for victory. And Dickerson smashed her personal best to clinch victory by almost two and a half minutes in the women’s event.

* 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.