News & Features

Let us hope the weekend weather does not interupt a busy time trialling couple of days that sees many of our 2015 National Championship medal winners in action.

The popular East Surrey Hardriders event, with some £2,390 in prizes, sees Mel Wesley (SSL RT) heading the women's entry. Wesley burst on the National scene last year taking second place in both the National `10` and Closed Circuit Championship and third in the National `25`.

Heading the men's field is Rob Sharland (Paceline RT), second in 2015 to Chris McNamara, with John Dewey (Team Bottrill), Connall Yates and Peter Tadros (In Gear Quickvit Trainsharp RT) Liam Maybank (Twckenham CC), Peter Wright and Ben Elliott (Paceline RT) among the opposition. Thanks to road works the usual 29.9-mile event has been cut to 27.75 miles.

The 99-strong field for the Pendle Forest CC Hilly `27` has the promoting club's Richard Brideau looking to improve on his third place last year with Adam Hartley (PH-MAS Cycling), fifth last time, and Mark Haydock (North Lancs RC), seventh, looking to move up the result board as well. Women include Vanessa Whitfield (The Racing Chance Foundation. Course record to beat is 1-00-52, set by Tejvan Pettinger last year.

RTTC Classic Time Trial Espoirs Champion Chris Fennell (Thanet CC) rides the PMR@ Toachim House `25` at Lenham, Kent, where Keith Lea (Paceline RT) is the man to beat after his win last week in the VTTA (Kent) `10`.

Frodsham Wheelers 22-mile event includes Darren White (Fibrax Wrexham RC), Daniel Stevens (Liverpool Century), Chris Standidge (TORQ Performance) and Steve Matthews (Team Elite-Peter Bethall Electrical) while Jill Wilkinson (Chester RC) is the leading woman. The 2-Up version has attracted eight teams.

Junior Circuit Champion Matt Langworthy teams up with Andrew Perkins to represent the Mid Devon CC in the Port Talbot Wheelers 2-Up `25`.

Moving on to the 10-mile promotions, James Boyman (Neon Velo) defends in the Farnborough & Camberley CC event at Bentley wher he comes up against Chris McNamara (Nuun-Sigma Sport-London), Simon Berogna (VC St Raphael) and Samuel Henning (HMT Academy with JLT Condor), the 2015 GHS `10` Champion. Multi-National Championship team medal winner Tina Reid is among the women entered.

Manchester & District TTA `10` includes Nicholas Cooper (Rossendale RC), who took the Junior title in the RTTC Classic TT Series, Xavier Disley (Aero Coach) and Adam Robinson (Vision Racing). Matt Slater and Liam Bard (Revo Racing) ride the CS Dynamo `10` where Crystal Spearman (Nopinz), woman's Bronze medal winner in the National `12`, is among the women.

Ben Anstie (73 Degrees Bicycles) tries to follow up last week's success in the Chippenham & District Wheelers event in the Gillingham & District Wheelers `10` at Bruton, Somerset, where Tony Chapman (Frome & District Wheelers), Michael Young (VC Walcot) and Matt Burden (Severn RC) are also in the running. Women include Jo Knight and Hannah Ricketts (Bristol South CC) and Jenny Lee (Yeovil CC).

Jon Surtees (SSLL RT) and Daniel Barnett (Team Bottrill) head for Ranby for the VTTA (N.Midlands) `10`.