News & Features

VETERAN riders will have their first medal opportunity this weekend when they compete in the Veterans Time Trials Association (VTTA) 15-mile national championships.

Promoted by Newbury Velo, the event will see 150 solos and five tandems compete on the out-and-back A4 course between Newbury and Hungerford.

Prizes will be awarded to veterans on standard, but a host of seniors will also be looking for quick early season times.

Along with individual medals there will also be prizes for veteran group team of three, club team of three and tandem on standard.

James Fawcett (…a3crg) will start last veteran, with a personal best of 19-24 over 10 miles and 50-37 for a 25, but he will face tough competition with the standard system bound to throw up surprises.

Looking for the fastest time of the day will be last man Chris Boddy (AeroCoach) and first-time out Stephen Bradbury (Saint Piran) but both senior riders won’t qualify for the medals.

VTTA National 10 Champion last season Angela Carpenter (…a3crg) will be tough to beat in the women’s competition but will again face stiff competition from Melanie Sneddon (TORQ Performance), Sally Turner (TrainSharp) and long distance specialist Lisa Davies (Drag2Zero) amongst others.

Meanwhile, senior rider Jennifer George (The Independent Pedaler – Nopinz) will be last woman away looking for a quick time away from the battle for medals.

In the tandem competition all eyes will once again be on the Newbury Velo pairing of Ian Greenstreet and Rachael Elliott who won last year’s 15-mile VTTA National Championships in a time of 29-53.

The pairing are now unbeaten in over two years in open events on their tandem.

The weekend of events begins with the Beacon Wheelers charity event on the Lowther Circuit near Penrith on Saturday morning.

George Evans (Team Bottrill) will start last man looking for a win which has eluded him since June 2018 after finishing second in the Wrekinsport 10 last season.

Tom Rigby (Croston Velo) is also in a similar position starting a minute ahead of Evans taking second in the VTTA 10 last year while veteran Ben Harrison (Crimson Orientation Marketing RT) could also challenge.

In the women’s event Henrietta Colborne (Biehler Krush Pro Cycling) will start last after winning the Velo Club Cumbria hill climb last term.

The hotly contested Blaydon CC 2-up will see 75 pairings compete over 19 miles on a loop around the North East which starts and finishes in Stannington.

National 100-mile and 12-hour Champion Adam Wild will be joined by GS Metro team-mate Carl Donaldson for his first outing of the season.

Blaydon CC are well represented with a host of teams entered and the Vector Racing pair of Lewis Timmins and Graham Crammond could take some stopping.

Experienced riders Joanna Rea and Venda Louise Pollock (Blaydon CC) will be the last riders combining in a youthful women’s field.

Adam Duggleby (Chapeau! Vive Le Velo) gets his season underway at the Bramley Wheelers CC 10 near Tadcaster.

With two wins to his name last season the 36-year-old, from Leeds, will be looking to open his tally on local roads on Saturday.

After recording eight top-four finishes without a win last season Philip Graves (VC York) will look to challenge Duggleby along with John Brearley (Squadra RT) and under-23 rider George Wood (Cycling Sheffield).

Paracyclist Ben Watson (Para-T) could provide competition with his personal best being 20-41.

The women’s race could also be a close contest with veterans Madeline Moore (Torq Performance) and Helen Goldthorpe (Otley CC) amongst those listed to start although they could be challenged by junior Maddie Leech (PH-MAS Cycling).

After battling out for victory last weekend over 10 miles Oliver Peckover (UpShift Nutrition Race Team), Richard Oakes (Team Ohten Aveas) and Alexander Royle (Manchester Bicycle Club) will battle again over 25 miles on Saturday.

Peckover won the Velo Club Long Eaton 10 last weekend in 19-40 beating Oakes by 32 seconds and Royle a further 11 seconds back.

They will meet again on the same Derbyshire roads in the B.D.C.A 25 between Derby and Uttoxeter with former triathlete Travis Bramley (Nopinz Motip Race Team) looking to upset proceedings.

Veteran Janet Fairclough is the last woman starter and will face Frances Owen (Fibrax Wrexham RC) amongst others for victory.

The VTTA 15 (Welland Trophy Time Trial) sees riders descend on the Worcestershire course near Upton-upon-Severn.

Ben Healy (Team HUUB) will be taking on his first open time trial since winning the Wyre Forest 10 in 2019 – clocking 19-41 on that occasion.

With a separate veteran on standard award a solid entry will be headed by Paul Welsby (Drag2Zero) as last rider away.

Nicola Juniper (Team Echelon) gets her season underway in a quality women’s field including Kinga Ingram (Storey Racing), Gabriella Homer (Rupelcleaning Champion-Lubricants) and Jessica Rhodes-Jones (AeroCoach) amongst others.

Meanwhile, in the …A3crg Sporting 15k in Hampshire will see Caitlin Peters (Liv AWOL) and Becca Drake (BellaVelo CC) battle it out in their first appearances of the season in the time trial category.

Peters holds the course record of 25 minutes dead for the course and will be looking to improve her time if conditions are good.

Sam Clarke (TBW23 Stuart Hall Cycling P/B Trainsharp) holds the men’s course record of 22-15 and will start as scratch rider.

Veteran Christopher McNamara (Nuun-Sigma Sport-London RT) got his season off to a winning start in the Crawley Wheelers Sporting 41.6 last weekend – winning by over two minutes – and will be hard to beat.

The road bike event will see Red Walters (Sotonia CC) start as scratch man while the women’s race sees Louisa Cooper (Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers) take on veteran Ciana Foulkes (Petersfield Triathlon Club).

David Janes (Swift Performance Coaching) gets his season underway starting as last man out of a 124-rider field in the FTP Racing 10 on Saturday afternoon.

The 39-year-old, from Wiltshire, clocked a 19-19 on his way to victory in the same event, held in August last year.

National Youth Champion from last season Joshua Tarling (Flanders Color Galloo Team) gets his season underway and if he can match a personal best of 18-55 could provide tough opposition.

Max Stedman (HuntBikeWheels.com) could also challenge after a third place in the Mid-Devon CC sporting 23 last weekend.

The women’s event is headed by Megan Dickerson (Skoda DSI Cycling Academy) who will be tough to beat on her first outing of the season.

Veteran rider Jo Buckland (Fulfil The Potential Racing) could be the one to challenge Dickerson for honours.

In the road bike category Ben Skinner (Rule 5) starts as scratch rider in the road bike category while Ellie Mackman (The Ark Cycles) is last woman away.

A field of 120 riders are heading to Cambridgeshire for the East Anglian VTTA 10 out and back along the A11.

Nick Partridge (VC Baracchi) and Tim Hood (Team Bottrill) are amongst those looking for victory in the men’s field.

Katja Rietdorf (Born to Bike – Bridgtown Cycles) will get her season underway in the women’s race while Lisa Hurrell (Maldon & District CC) and last woman away Vida Sutova (Redbridge CC) are amongst her challengers.

After taking her opening win of the time trial season last weekend Abi Smith (Team Breeze) will be hoping for top spot again in Sunday’s Vive Le Velo 10 in Yorkshire.

In last weekend’s Manchester Bicycle Club 10 Smith took victory by 21 seconds over Maddie Leech (PH-MAS Cycling) and the pair will again go head-to-head at Market Weighton.

Adam Duggleby (Chapeau! Vive Le Velo) will be hoping for a weekend double and goes off as last man in the men’s event.

Meanwhile. junior National 25-mile Championships bronze medallist Joshua Giddings is getting his season underway in the Yorkshire event.

After recording an opening weekend double Steve Lampier (Saint Piran) will be looking to add Sunday’s Giant Helston 10 to his tally.

Team-mates Ruth Glover, Emily Sturges and Kate Doran (www.Giant-Helston.co.uk) will compete against each other in the women’s event.

Para-cyclist Will Bjergfelt (AeroCoach) gets his season underway in the VC Bristol 10 on Sunday in another field packed with challengers.

Arthur Franklin (Fulfil The Potential Racing) starts as scratch rider while Megan Dickerson (Skoda DSI Cycling Academy) will look for a weekend double in the women’s event.

In the road bike event Robert Borek (Bristol South Cycling Club) starts as last man while Amelia Mitchell (University of Bath Cycling Club) is the last woman away.

Experienced rider Conrad Moss (Primera-Teamjobs) gets his season underway at Sunday’s City Cycle Couriers RT 10.

Moss won two events last season but will have to see off a host of challengers including scratch man Robert Willcocks (Royal Air Force Cycling Association) who has a personal best of 18-52 over 10 miles.

Also amongst the field is Josh Coyne (BPM Coaching) and George Kimber (Spirit Tifosi RT).

Catherine Hilton (Sid Valley CC) will be looking to go one better than her second in the Northover VT 10 last weekend in the women’s race.

Veteran Mark Cox (ZeroBC Race Team) returns to action for the first open time trial since 2018 to start as scratch man in the Icknield RC 18.6.

Under-23 riders Timothy Torrie (TBW23 Stuart Hall Cycling P/B Trainsharp) and Harry Kirby (Will Houghton Racing Team) are amongst the other hopefuls.

A competitive women’s field will be headed by final woman away Samantha Fawcett (Pro-Noctis – Redchilli Bikes – Heidi Kjeldsen).

Meanwhile, the Tricycle Association 25 takes place on the out and back route between Diss and Thetford.

Ian and Lauren Pike (both Lincoln Wheelers) starts as last man and woman respectively.

The Diss & District CC 2-up takes place on the same B25/17 course with veteran riders Iain Robertson and Dan Blackburn (Epic Orange Race Team) the final team starting while Stephanie Hoyle and Jo Fisk (Godric CC) go in the women’s event.

Alongside the tricycle and 2-up category there are also separate events in the eroica style bike and medium gear 72” categories.

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