News & Features

As the build-up to the opening round of the Sigma Sports Classic Series continues, riders across the country turned in some great performances in time trials last weekend.

In Essex, 2018 winners Paul Hart and Elizabeth Marvelly were again fastest male and female riders respectively at the Hainault Roads Club hilly 50km time trial on Sunday.

Southend Wheelers’ Hart, the former National 50 competition record holder, clocked 1-05-26 for the course near Navestock Side to win overall, while in-form Marvelly (LIV AWOL) was fastest female with 1-22-35.

Over in Oxfordshire, Suzy Patience and Jack O’Neill powered to victory in the Banbury Star CC 23 on Sunday.

Patience (Banbury Star CC) covered the K4/23 course near Wroxton in 1-03-07 to win the women’s award by just 24 seconds, while course record holder O’Neill (Team Jewson-MI Racing) was fastest overall in 53-19.

In Lancashire, Richard Bideau (Pendle Forest CC) proved fastest in North Lancs RC’s hilly 30 on Sunday in 1-07-31, the 48-year-old winning by almost two minutes, while the pick of the females was Charlotte Boothman (ABC Centreville) who clocked 1-26-14 for the course near Whalley.

North of the border, Aileen Clyde took the women’s victory as GTR-Return to Life dominated the men’s prizes with Chris Smart taking the win in Velo Club Vitesse’s 13.6 time trial on Sunday.

Clyde (RT23) covered the WW12/01 course in 37-59, while Smart set a blistering pace and was home in 29-14.

In Shropshire, Charlotte Chapman (Nova Raiders) and Matt Garthwaite (Holohan Coaching RT) were fastest female and male riders respectively at the Wrekinsport CC hilly 18 on Saturday.

Newport-based Garthwaite covered the course near Worfield in 40-06 to win by more than two minutes from Jonny Morris (FishFace Cycles), while Chapman (Nova Raiders) was the pick of the women with a time of 49-26.

In Derbyshire, Francesca Hall and Andy Nichols were victorious in the Matlock CC 25 on Saturday.

Nichols (B38/Cycles in Motion) clocked 1-00-33 for the AH/2 course at Rowsley, while Hall stopped the clock on 1-13-31, despite going off course.

Alex Royle (Manchester BC) and Emily Martin (Weaver Valley CC) were fastest male and female riders at the University of Manchester CC 10-mile time trial near Monks Heath in Cheshire.

Royle clocked 20-56 to win by 15 seconds from Matt Nowell (Saint Piran), while Martin’s time of 24-22 gave her the women’s win by more than a minute.

In Hampshire Angela Carpenter (a3crg) and Chris Holmes (Twickenham CC) were the winners at Farnborough and Camberley CC’s 10 at Bentley on Saturday.

And across at Rake, Kirsty McSeveney (a3crg) and Gary Chambers (NOPINZ) finished top woman and man respectively in the a3crg 10.

In Gloucestershire on Sunday, there was yet another win for in-form Megan Dickerson (Bristol South CC) in the Chippenham and District Wheelers 22, her fourth of the season so far. Meanwhile, Felix Wilkinson (Velo Club Montpellier) was fastest male rider.

* 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.