We use cookies on this website to personalize your experience and track site usage. To learn more, please visit our cookies policy.
Jake Sargent and Naomi de Pennington produced outstanding performances in Monmouthshire on Sunday to take the RTTC National 12-Hour Championship titles, with both riders setting new competition records in a memorable day of endurance racing.
Sargent made it three consecutive National 12-hour titles with a remarkable 333.54 miles, while de Pennington matched that achievement by taking her third consecutive title with a record-breaking 291.14 miles.
The Welsh 12-hour is a stalwart of the long-distance calendar, and the demanding R12/16 is a course that rewards riders who have taken the time to study it. The opening section heads towards Abergavenny before turning for Monmouth and Usk, returning towards Abergavenny before heading north towards Hereford. The Hereford leg provides a decidedly lumpy section before riders settle into the 26-mile mid-day circuit between Abergavenny, Raglan and Mitchel Troy, followed by the 15-mile finishing circuit.
This year the event, run by Virtual Cycling Club on behalf of the Welsh Cycling Association, hosted the RTTC National 12-Hour Championship. Cycling Time Trials extends its thanks to Simon Kinsey and his team of helpers for delivering the event, with excellent signing – particularly on the dual carriageways – and a strong complement of marshals and timekeepers throughout the course.
After several weeks of hot weather, conditions were also a welcome change. A cooler, cloudy morning gave way to only slowly rising temperatures during the afternoon, providing considerably more pleasant conditions than the biblical rainstorms which affected the closing stages of last year's championship.
Sargent arrived in Wales as defending champion, having taken the title in both 2024 and 2025. This time, however, he produced a ride on another level.
Covering 333.54 miles, Sargent added almost eight miles to the previous competition record of 325.55 miles, setting a new benchmark for future National 12-hour riders.
His performance was characterised by remarkable consistency. On the 26-mile mid-day circuit, Sargent turned lap after lap with almost metronomic regularity, recording long 54s and short 55s for each circuit as he maintained his relentless pace.
Behind him, Casper Von Folsach of WattShop produced one of the rides of the day, covering an impressive 303.72 miles on a road bike to take second place overall.
Christopher Gibbard of FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Race Team completed the open podium with 302.59 miles, while Matthew Uttley was fourth on 302.11. Henrik Persson followed in fifth with 295.94 miles, with Shaun Jarvis sixth on 292.58 and Lee Williams seventh on 291.49.
Hadyn James completed the leading eight with 290.30 miles.
The quality of the leading performances was illustrated by the number of riders pushing towards the 300-mile mark, with Sargent's record ride standing out even among an exceptionally strong field.
As if one competition record was not enough, the women's championship produced another outstanding performance.
Naomi de Pennington of DRAG2ZERO covered 291.14 miles to take the National title and establish a new women's competition record.
It was a third consecutive National 12-hour title for de Pennington, matching Sargent's achievement of winning the championship every year since 2024.
The previous women's competition record of 290.07 miles had stood since Alice Lethbridge's 2018 ride. De Pennington's performance therefore moved the benchmark beyond 291 miles after eight years.
Her victory also adds another National championship to an impressive season, following her victory in the RTTC National 100 in July.
De Pennington finished eighth overall, demonstrating just how strong her performance was across the entire field.
Roxy Woodfield of Passion Fit took the silver medal with 275.02 miles, while Kimberley Barfoot-Brace of Eat Plants Not Pigs CC was just over a mile further back, taking bronze with 273.97.
Woodfield's distinctive club kit also made her particularly easy to identify out on the course – there was certainly no doubt about who was approaching.
Joanna Cebrat was fourth with 257.06 miles, with junior rider Helen Stevenson of Magspeed Racing completing the leading five with an impressive 224.89 miles.
At 18, Stevenson was the youngest finisher in the championship, but showed considerable endurance and determination to complete the full 12 hours and cover 224.89 miles.
Taking on a National 12-hour championship is a considerable challenge for any rider. Doing so as a junior makes Stevenson's achievement particularly worthy of recognition and provides an encouraging example of younger riders taking on the longest distances in time trialling.
At the other end of the age range, Robert Jones of Cardiff 100 Miles RCC, aged 74, was the oldest finisher. Jones covered 224.77 miles, achieving a long-standing age-group record which he had specifically set his sights on.
There were older riders entered for the championship, but Jones was the oldest rider to complete the full 12 hours.
Anyone who completes a 12-hour should rightly bask in that achievement, and this year's championship provided a particularly good reminder of the breadth of riders taking part.
There were many riders competing in their first-ever 12-hour, while remarkably one competitor was taking part in her first-ever time trial.
Lizzie Jenkins of Rapha Cycling Club completed her debut time trial by covering an impressive 214.80 miles over the 12 hours.
Starting your time trialling career with a National 12-hour championship is certainly one way to make an entrance into the sport.
It is also one of the great attractions of the National 12. At one end of the field, riders were chasing competition records and distances beyond 300 miles. At the other, riders were simply taking on one of the toughest challenges available in domestic time trialling for the first time.
They all shared the same course, the same 12 hours and the same battle against fatigue.
The strength in depth of the FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Race Team was also rewarded with the team championship.
Christopher Gibbard, Henrik Persson and Lee Williams combined for 890.02 miles to take the team prize.
Their individual performances – 302.59, 295.94 and 291.49 miles respectively – demonstrate just how strong the team performance was, with all three riders finishing inside the top seven overall.
The team had also entered a fourth rider, ensuring that they had cover should one of the three selected riders fail to complete the event – a sensible precaution in a discipline where simply getting through 12 hours can never be taken for granted.
For Sargent, the result marks a remarkable three consecutive National 12-hour titles and establishes a new competition record of 333.54 miles – a formidable target for future champions.
For de Pennington, the victory brings an equally impressive three consecutive titles, together with a new women's competition record of 291.14 miles.
But the story of the National 12 is about more than the two champions.
Von Folsach's remarkable road-bike ride, FTP's team success, Stevenson's achievement as a junior, Jones's age-group record, Corbett's tricycle ride and Jenkins completing her first-ever time trial all contributed to a championship which demonstrated the remarkable breadth of endurance time trialling.
And while the thanks from the podium at the end of a 12-hour event never seem quite enough, the achievement of the riders is only possible because of the commitment of the people supporting them.
It takes dedication to spend an entire day supporting friends and clubmates through an endurance event, and a real commitment to the sport to volunteer for whatever duty an organiser requires.
Cycling Time Trials therefore congratulates all the champions, medallists, record breakers and finishers, and extends its thanks to Simon Kinsey, the Virtual Cycling Club organising team, officials, marshals, timekeepers and volunteers who delivered another successful National 12-hour championship.
Open
Jake Sargent – Team Bottrill Nopinz – 333.54 miles
Casper Von Folsach – WattShop – 303.72
Christopher Gibbard – FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Race Team – 302.59
Matthew Uttley – Team Bottrill Nopinz – 302.11
Henrik Persson – FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Race Team – 295.94
Shaun Jarvis – AS Test Team – 292.58
Lee Williams – FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Race Team – 291.49
Hadyn James – BPC Race Team – 290.30
Female
Naomi de Pennington – DRAG2ZERO – 291.14 miles
Roxy Woodfield – Passion Fit – 275.02
Kimberley Barfoot-Brace – Eat Plants Not Pigs CC – 273.97
Joanna Cebrat – 360cycling – 257.06
Helen Stevenson – Magspeed Racing – 224.89
Team
FTP (Fulfil The Potential) Race Team – Christopher Gibbard, Henrik Persson & Lee Williams – 890.02 miles
Results provisional at the time of writing.