News & Features

GS Metro rider Carl Donaldson marked his return to competitive riding with a course record performance in his own club’s 18-mile time trial in Northumberland on Sunday.

The 37-year-old – who was part of the winning team in last year’s National 12-hour championship who also set a new competition record – suffered a pulmonary embolism 11 weeks ago.

He was back in training three weeks ago, and chose this event as his comeback as it is an unofficial memorial event to his former GS Metro team-mate Andy Mallen.

“The medication I’m taking means that I need to avoid crashing at all costs, so the rain wasn’t welcome,” said Donaldson. “I took my time on the corners and just concentrated on keeping smooth and steady whilst keeping something back in the tank for the slog home in the wind and rain.”

He clocked a new course record time of 37-30, while fastest female was Team Swift’s Gemma Frost with 43-44.

Elsewhere, Simon Beldon (Team Bottrill/Vanguard) clinched his maiden national title with glory in the VTTA 25 National Championships in Nottinghamshire, while team-mate Karen Ledger continued her fine form to win the women’s event.

Beldon, 49 and from Leeds, clocked 49-53 along the out and back A46 course for a plus of 17.34, while Ledger covered the course in 55-50 to set a standard of +16.33.

Chris Fennell (The Independent Pedaler) continued his imperious form as Debbie Percival topped the women’s category at the West Kent Road Club 25-mile event in Kent on Sunday.

Fennell beat his brother with a time of 50-19, while Percival (Kent Velo Girls/Boys) clocked 1-06-23 to win by almost two and a half minutes.

Host club rider Ant Gritton took victory in the Sotonia CC Sporting 14.5 while Faye Faber (Bike Jockey CC) took a surprise win in the women’s event near Nomansland in Hampshire on Saturday.

Gritton, who finished seventh in the second round of the Knight Composite Classic Series, took victory on this occasion finishing in 35 minutes and 19 seconds.

Faber provided an upset in the women’s event by beating strong favourite Hayley Simmonds (Team WNT Pro Cycling) by 31 seconds.

The 35-year-old clocked a winning time of 39 minutes and 57 seconds faster than Simmonds, who is battling back to fitness from having surgery, finishing in 40.28.

In Suffolk, Stuart Fairweather and Rebecca Johnson took victories in the men and women’s categories in the Stowmarket and District 10-mile time trial on Sunday morning.

In Berkshire Matthew Buckley (Andover Wheelers) was pushed all the way as he took a 15-second victory in the Reading 10 while Melanie Sneddon (TORQ Performance) was an emphatic winner in the women’s event.

And Colin Ward and Lisa Davis were fastest male and female riders respectively at the Sussex CA 30-Mile Championship near Ashington on Sunday morning.

* 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.