News & Features

It was a weekend for course records to tumble, not least in Staffordshire where John Archibald smashed the old mark on his way to victory in round three of the Sigma Sports Classic Series on Good Friday.

The 28-year-old Ribble Pro Cycling rider clocked 1-17-09 for the 33-mile course near Longnor, where Buxton CC promoted their hilly time trial. That gave him the win by more than 4-32 from round one winner Adam Wild (GS Metro).

Joscelin Lowden (The Independent Pedaler) won the women’s 22-mile event with 1-00-24 to beat Sarah Storey (Storey Racing) by 57 seconds.

Elsewhere, Hayley Simmonds obliterated the course record in both of Brighton Mitre CC’s hilly events, a ten-mile time trial on Easter Saturday and a 25-mile event on Easter Monday.

On Saturday the AeroCoach rider clocked 23-15 to slice 2-56 off the 17-year-old record and place fifth overall while Kevin Tye (VeloRefined) was fastest overall.

And then on Monday she clocked 1-02-06 for the 25-mile event to take a huge 9-42 off the 19-year-old record. Overall winner Simon McNamara (South Downs Bikes) also broke the men’s course record by 51 seconds.

Madelaine Lee-Smith and Liam Maybank were crowned women’s and men’s winners respectively at the Crawley Wheelers sporting 41.6-mile time trial in West Sussex on Good Friday, with both breaking course records on a glorious sunny morning.

46-year-old Surrey resident Maybank clocked 1-31-38 for the course near Handcross, which gave him the win by just 35 seconds from Pat Wright (Paceline RT). Lee-Smith clocked 1-53-58, the Oxted CC rider being almost five minutes ahead of the next best female rider in Essex Roads CC veteran Gill Cater.

Kate Giddings and Joseph Dobson came out on top on the undulating Cheshire hills in the Birkenhead North End CC hilly 22 on Good Friday.

28-year-old Dobson from New Mills spearheaded a Manchester Bicycle Club 1-2 with a time of 44-57 while Alex Royle had to settle for a narrow second with 45-04. And Giddings clocked 54-11, the Liverpool Century RC rider beating Keri Parton (Pro Vision) into second.

In Cornwall, Anna Cullen and Tom Nancarrow were the winners at Penzance Wheelers’ 10-mile event near St Keverne. On Sunday.

Cullen (Tri Logic Cornwall) clocked 45-03 to win by more than a minute over the next best woman, while Nancarrow (NOPINZ) covered the S37/10 course in 21-20.

In Scotland Natalie Stevenson claimed her maiden victory as Douglas Watson and team GTR – Return to Life had a fine performance in the Loudoun RC 17.8-mile time trial on Saturday.

Watson (GTR – Return to Life) beat team-mate Chris Smart by 1-11 with a time of 37-49 to take his fourth consecutive victory of the season. Stevenson (Eat Plants not Pigs CC) clocked 49-24 to win by three minutes.

And in Dorset Matt Burden (73 Degrees Bicycles) clocked 20-41 to win overall, while Lizzy Stocker (IRIS Race Team) was fastest female with 25-20.

Fiona Sharp and Joe Laverick produced dominant displays on the roads of East Yorkshire to triumph in the City RC Hull 10-mile time trial on Good Friday.

18-year-old Laverick (Cyclism) clocked 19-29 and was the only rider to go under 20 minutes, while Sharp clocked 23-34 to win by 1-42.

* 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.