News & Features

Already the Welsh Champion over 10 and 100 miles, Chris Gibbard added the 50-mile title to his mantlepiece, while Claire Hann was fastest female in the event near Abergavenny on Sunday.

Rehabbing an injury from running, 38-year-old triathlete Hann (Bristol and District Tri) clocked 1-55-50 to win by almost eight minutes, while Gibbard (Bynea CC) covered the R50/1b course in a personal best time of 1-40-09.

Elsewhere, Chris Smart (GTR Return to Life) and Fiona Prew (Stone Wheelers) secured both the Emergency Services 10-Mile and 25-Mile Championship titles with wins on Saturday and Sunday in Northumberland.

In Cambridgeshire Chris Fennell clocked the fourth fastest 25-mile time ever in the East Anglian VTTA event at Cambourne, winning in an impressive time of 44-10 to take victory by 1-50 from Matthew Smith (Drag2zero). Equally impressive was the time of 52-25 set by 16-year-old Isabel Sharp (Drag2zero) which was a new junior girls’ competition record.

The event also featured a cracking performance on the mixed tandem by Rachael Elliott and Ian Greenstreet (Newbury Velo) of 47-39.

In hill climbing, Rebecca Richardson (Brother UK) secured two wins in one day in South Yorkshire, taking victory in both stages of the Lifting Gear Products-Cycles in Motion events on Pea Royd Lane near Stocksbridge and Mill Lee Road in Low Bradfield.

And while she took the combined overall win too, organiser Andy Nichols could only win the first event, with his team-mate Kieran Smith taking the win in stage two.

A contender for the National Hill-Climb Championships in a few weeks time, Mary Wilkinson (Yorkshire Road Club) was also victorious in two events over the weekend with wins at the Halifax Imperial Wheelers climb of Stocks Lane on Saturday as well as the Withington Wheelers climb of Peaslows Hill.

Tom Bell (High North Performance) was fastest male on Stocks Lane, while former national champion Adam Kenway (Brother UK) won on Peaslows Hill.

As well as Team Lifting Gear Products, Mid-Devon CC also put on two hill-climbs, with Matt Tupman (Okehampton CC) and Illi Gardner (CAMS Racing) winning on Haytor while Josh Coyne (BPM Coaching) and Rosie Wayland (FTP Fulfil the Potential Racing) won at Widdecombe.

Over in Kent, Joshua Aiken (Orwell Velo) and 17-year-old Jasmine Cornelius (Lee Valley YCC) won the Wigmore CC event on Hollingbourne Hill, a 1,350-yard climb with an average gradient of one in eight.

In North Yorkshire Hannah Farran (Team Boompods) and Nick Munro (RAF CA) took victory on Clay Bank in the Cleveland Wheelers hill-climb on Sunday.

The tough 0.88-mile climb near Ingleby Greenhow was won by Munro in 3-20 while the women’s prize went to Farran in a time of 4-15, which was 39 seconds better than the second-placed female.

The Lakes Road Club promoted The Struggle on Kirkstone Edge, Cumbria, on Sunday, where Ed Laverack (Backpedal) and Joanna Blackburn (Team Bottrill) were fastest male and female riders respectively.

And on Walbury Hill, victory in the Newbury Velo hill-climb went to Cormac Nisbet (High Wycombe CC) in 4-18.1, while fastest female was reigning national champion Bithja Jones (Pankhurst Cycles) in 4-42.5 for sixth overall.

Muckle CC rider Matthew Smith took the win overall in the Allen Valley Velo climb of Allendale in Northumberland, while quickest female was Sarah Wilkinson (Blaydon CC).

On Old Winchester Hill, Matthew Gilmour (VC Venta) won his own club’s climb of 1.6 miles, while quickest woman was Emily Slavin (Avid Sport).

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