News & Features

It’s an important weekend for riders chasing qualifying times for the British Best All-Rounder competition, with the last 12-hour event and last 100-mile event of the season taking place.

Meanwhile, hill-climb season continues to gather pace with gravity-defying events across the country.

Saturday sees the Burton and District CA stage a 100-mile event near Etwall and heading over the border towards Uttoxeter and Stoke in Staffordshire.

More than 100 riders are down to tackle the event, with notable names on the startsheet including Darren Yarwood (Vive le Velo), Neil Lauder (Arctic Aircon) and Tim McEvoy (Giant Helston) as well as Michelle Lee (PDQ Cycle Coaching) and Crystal Spearman (Born to Bike).

The event is the final 100-mile long qualifying event for the British Best All-Rounder, while on Sunday the Kent Cycling Association host the final 12-hour event which sees several riders aiming to get a strong performance under their belt for the BBAR.

Former National 10-Mile Championship silver medallist Mel Wasley (Epsom CC) will tackle her first 12-hour event, after failing to finish the National 12-hour Championship last month, while others likely to be in the mix include Neil Lauder (Arctic Aircon).

A qualifying event for the women’s BBAR, the Port Talbot Wheelers 25 near Rhigos in South Wales has attracted a massive field of riders with some of the fastest females in the country down to take part in Sunday’s event.

Drag2zero riders Alice Lethbridge and Vicky Gill are down to ride, as well as National 24-Hour Champion Christina Murray (Army Cycling) and Stephanie Post (Team Bottrill).

In the men’s event a full field of 120 riders is down to take part, with Chris Boddy (AeroCoach) the last man off, while other names to watch include Jonathan Gates (RAF CA), Alex Royle (Manchester BC), Felix Wilkinson (Giant CC-Halo Films) and Sam Wadsley (Primera-TeamJobs).

In hill-climbs, reigning national champion Andrew Feather (ChampionSystem UK) rides two events on both days, with both being defences of events he won 12 months ago.

On Saturday he is the last man off in the Dursley RC climb of Lampern Hill near Uley, while on Sunday he tackles the Somerset Road Club event on the mile-long Cockercombe Road near Plainsfield.

Other hill-climb action on Saturday sees VC Cumbria hold an event on Whinlatter, a 1.7-mile climb near Braithwaite, while on Sunday it’s the North Tyneside Riders climb of Winter’s Gibbet, the Border City Wheelers 5.3-mile climb of Hartside near Melmerby, and the East Lancashire Road Club two-stage.

Full startsheets from these and other events are available on the CTT website. Remember to keep checking back to the CTT website over the weekend for reports and results.

* All reports are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission.