News & Features

The blue ribband of time trialling, the National 25-Mile Championships takes place in Devon this weekend, with a mouth-watering line-up of top talent set to compete in the event sponsored by Merlin Cycles and organised by Exeter Wheelers and Tavistock Wheelers.

The course near Cullompton will be tackled early in the morning on both Saturday and Sunday, with women and juniors going first while the men’s competition takes place on Sunday.

In-form Emily Meakin – the AWOL O’Shea Worx rider who won the fourth round of the Merlin Cycles Classic Series in May – is expected to challenge for the win according to national ranking system Spindata, while Jennifer George (The Independent Pedaler) will be right up there too.

And don’t write off Team Bottrill’s Kate Allan, who beat all the men too on her way to victory in the High Wycombe CC 25 in May and was seventh overall in Cambridge CC’s Viking 50 last weekend, where she beat most of the men too.

The junior event sees last year’s winner Jacob Bush (Team Bottrill) return to defend his title.

The winner for the last two years, John Archibald (WattShop) will be looking to make it a hat-trick of victories in the men’s event, but he will once again be pushed all the way by 2019 winner Chris Fennell (The Independent Pedaler).

And also in with a shout are Jake Sargent (FTP Race Team), as well as Team Bottrill’s Phil Williams and Ollie Peckover (Ribble Weldtite Pro Cycling).

Elsewhere riders looking for a good 100-mile time towards the British Best All-Rounder  (BBAR) competition are heading to Wales for the West Wales Cyclists’ League 100-mile event near Llandovery on Sunday.

It looks set to be a two-horse race between Philip Tucker of Bynea CC and Anthony Jones (VMCC powered by Y Beic), but with such a distance to cover you can’t rule out a surprise result by some others including Pat Wright (Paceline RT) and Ben Jones (Cycle Specific).

There are a raft of 50-mile time trials on Sunday too, which are also counting events towards the BBAR.

The West Cheshire TTCA event takes place at Prees in Shropshire, while the Wessex Road Club host a 50-miler near Lytchett Minster in Dorset and Uckfield in Sussex sees the East Sussex CA 50.

Other events to watch out for are the Burton & District CA 25 on the popular Etwall course in Derbyshire, where Richard Bideau (Pendle Forest CC) is expected to have stiff competition for the win from Team Bottrill duo Neal Parkin and Mathew Roberts.

In the women’s category it looks close between evergreen veteran Jackie Field (CC Ashwell) and Emily Martin (Weaver Valley CC), as well as Team Boompods’ Keri Parton.

Also on Sunday it’s the North Tyneside Riders 27-mile circuit around the beautiful Northumberland National Park starting at Rothbury and heading round through Hepple and Elsdon before heading back up near Fontburn Reservoir and back.

Lewis Wake (Team Kirkley Cycles) is fastest of paper, but Muckle CC pair Andrew Duggan and Matty Smith shouldn’t be far behind. Blaydon CC’s Sarah Wilkinson is expected to be fastest female according to Spindata.

In East Yorkshire the promoting club’s own Adam Duggleby (Chapeau! Vive le Velo) is expected to win their 10-mile event near Market Weighton, with team-mates Darren Yarwood, Andrew Miller and Neil Cleminshaw also expected to push for a podium place.

The road bike category is proving popular at the Manchester Wheelers hilly 20.5 near Warslow in Staffordshire, where it looks likely to be a close battle between Alastair Ribbands (Congleton CC), David Parkin (Chorley CC) as well as the promoting club’s Gavin McCloskey-Lambert).

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