News & Features

Late summer sunshine helped create ideal conditions for time trialling at many events across the country last weekend, when the next generation of talented time trailers took centre stage at the National Youth Championships.

Promoted by Race Rapid at the Mallory Park circuit in Leicestershire, the best young talent from across the country converged on the venue for the ten-mile test.

Matthew Cole (Team Bottrill) was fastest, clocking 20-23, while the pick of the girls was Amy Loftus (East Bradford CC) whose covered the distance in 24-11.

Team winners were Team Bottrill, with Cole being joined by Lucas Jowett and Oliver Peace in the victorious trio.

While the best young time triallists were doing their thing in Leicestershire, the Veterans TTA 25-Mile Championship was taking place on Sunday.

Prolific winner Angela Carpenter (a3crg) took the women’s prize, while Richard Oakes (Team Ohten Aveas) was men’s winner on the course between Market Drayton and Telford in Shropshire.

On Saturday the Burton and District CA 100-mile event near Etwall was bathed in sunshine, and very nearly saw a competition record fall in the women’s event.

Frances Owen (Fibrax Wrexham) clocked 3-42-10 to take the win, just eight seconds short of beating Alice Lethbridge’s 2018 record. She was fastest by around eight minutes, while Tom Hutchinson (Team Bottrill) clocked 3-14-50 to finish 1-13 shy of Marcin Bialoblocki’s men’s competition record.

Also over 100 miles, the Tyneside Vagabonds event in Northumberland was won by Marcel Schubert (Darlington CC) in 3-48-08, just over two minutes ahead of Robbie Mitchell (Auchencrow Thistle CC). Quickest of the women was Jen McMahon (Sub Rosa) in 4-47-45.

In Cheshire Lucy Rogers led a one-two for Congleton CC in the Manchester and District TTA 50-mile event, while Alistair Ribbands (Manchester Wheelers) was overall winner.

In-form Ribbands – who went on to win a hill-climb in Derbyshire the following day – clocked 1-47-40 to win by 2-34, while Rogers’ time of 2-05-34 was five minutes quicker than team-mate Lesley Norbury.

Over shorter 10 mile courses, there were also some great performances.

In Wiltshire Jake Sargent (FTL Fulfil the Potential Racing) was victorious in the Tetbury Velos event near Cricklade.

He was one of three riders to go under the 19-minute mark, taking the win in 18-14 which was 28 seconds better than Felix Wilkinson (Tetbury Velos) in second, while Sargent’s team-mate at FTP Arthur Franklin was third.

Charlotte Berry (Pro Noctis Redchilli Bikes) clocked 20-41 to beat Megan Dickerson (Skoda DSI) by just two seconds in the women’s category.

In hill-climbing Reigning National Hill-Climb Champion Bithja Jones returned to the scene of her title win last year to slice another chunk of time off her course record, while Darren Kidson was fastest overall at the Reading CC climb of Streatley Hill in Berkshire.

41-year-old Jones clocked 2-41.2 to win by over a minute, while Kidson clocked 2-27.3 in the men’s category.

Morgan Curle (Rogue Racing) enjoyed a double winning weekend with victories in the Dursley RC climb on Saturday as well as the Somerset Road Club event on Sunday.

Illi Gardner (CAMS Basso) was top female at the Dursley climb of Lampern Hill, while Lucy Driver (Bridgwater CC) was fastest woman in the Somerset RC climb of Cockercombe.

Gardner went on to win the Worcester Classic Women’s Road Race in Worcestershire the following day.

In Derbyshire, the Ilkeston CC climb of Holly Lane in Matlock was won by Tom Bell (High North Performance, while top female was Zoe Langham (Beeston CC).

And near Barnard Castle, John Russell (Team Bikestop Tyrekey) won his own club’s 1.7-kilometre climb of Billy Lane, while Mary Wilkinson (Yorkshire Road Club) was fastest female and an impressive fourth overall.

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