Men’s National 25 mile time trial championship

Posted on by Admin
Men’s National 25 mile time trial championship on Norfolk course B25/4 on Sunday morning 7 August – Bruce Williams
A gap of just 3 seconds separated Ryan Perry (Langdale Lightweights RT) from second placed Richard Bussell (Aerocoach – the same team as women’s champion, Hayley Simmonds) when the top male riders came to Norfolk to do battle in the men’s National Time Trial Championship held on the A11 Snettertonn / Mulbarton course on Sunday morning.  Promoted this year by Don Saunders and the East District CA, the 25 mile time trial championship is the blue ribbon event of the tt season and it certainly attracted  a stellar field as virtually all of the top time triallists in the country were there along with a good number of spectators and helpers.
As in the women’s event in Cambridgeshire on Saturday, defending champion Perry retained his title, but only when coming from behind in the last 10 miles to win by the narrowest of margins.  Like Hayley Simmonds, army captain Perry, 29, has now won the ‘25’, ‘50’ and ‘100’ mile championships this season, with just the ‘10’ to come in 10 days time.  With professional riders Alex Dowsett (Movistar UCI) and James Gullen (Pedal Heaven) both said to be entering the ‘10, it will not be easy for Perry to get the clean sweep, but will certainly make for a great race and spectacle for large numbers of spectators.
With an 8am start for the first rider, conditions were pleasantly warm on Sunday morning if rather humid, but a defining factor in the race was the strong wind estimated at 20-25 mph early on, but increasing steadily as the morning progressed.  With the big names seeded and placed at two minute intervals at the end of the field – Perry being last man off at number 160 at 1040 am – it was still a a level playing field for the top contenders, but decisive nonetheless.  The powerful wind helped riders on the north east leg of 13 miles up to the top turn at Browick Road / Mulbarton (where I was marshalling) but the 12 mile return leg was, to say the least, extremely tough.  Nothing like a powerful head wind to sort the men out from the boys.
Bussell, the winner of the National 10 and Hill climb championship last season, was said by some observers to be 20 seconds up on his rival at the turn and still ahead with 6 miles to go, but Perry turned it on in the last miles into the teeth of the wind to win by the tightest of margins, generously acknowledging at the Snetterton hq that Bussell would have been a worthy winner. Perry first came to prominence last season when he was a surprise winner of the ‘25’ when beating multi champion Matt Bottrill (who is now focussing on his coaching business at which he is doing very well) by 20 seconds. Receiving the trophy at the Snetterton hq, in an entertaining short acceptance speech he said that he was surprised but flattered to win and thanked his army superiors, and Langdale as sponsors, for their considerable help in developing his cycling career.  Plenty of help and training time no doubt, but with some result. 
The top placed riders and their clubs or teams are shown here below :-
1 Ryan Perry Langdale Lightweights R T 00:46:31
2 Richard Bussell AeroCoach 00:46:34
3 Kieron Davies DRAG2ZERO 00:47:47
4 Matt Clinton Mike Vaughan Cycles 00:47:56
5 Adam Duggleby Secret-training CC 00:48:06
6 Christopher Fennell Thanet RC 00:48:29
7 Colin Ward Essex Roads CC 00:48:37
8 Stephen Irwin North Lancs RC 00:48:40
9 John Dewey Team Bottrill 00:48:42
10 Ashley Cox CC Luton 00:48:48
Many of the top riders put on a 58 tooth chain-ring to take advantage of the fast outward leg where they were no doubt touching 40 mph in places, before getting down into the best aerodynamic position possible for the long stretch home.  Matt Clinton in 4th place (same as with the other championship distances this season) used a 55 tooth ring and felt that he had missed out.
Despite the strong winds, the times of the top two riders beat the 25 championship record time of Michael Hutchinson (47.01) set in 2012.  Team Bottrill (John Dewey, Matthew Smith and Jonathan Parker also took the championship team record with an aggregate time of 2.26.41.
Colin Ward of Essex Roads CC came 7th with a mid 48 minute ride and, as an interesting comparison, he did a 47 minute ride on the E2 in April when coming second to Alex Dowsett when he broke National Competition record with a 44.29 ride in an ECCA event.  Professional star and time trial specialist, Alex would have been winning this event had he entered, but probably by only just over a minute, the E2 course being faster than this one.
Charlie Nurse flew the flag for the North Norfolk Wheelers recording a time of 52.39.  I timed Charlie at just under 25 minutes at the 13.1 mile turn meaning he did the 12 mile return leg in about 27.5 minutes.  Just back from a holiday cruise on Friday evening, this was all things considered a strong effort by Charlie.  Looking at the times of his rivals, who he was beating or very close to a few weeks before, I estimate that he was about 90 seconds off the time that he would have done on his pre-vacation form.  That is not a lot after two weeks off the bike and I am sure that he will regain top form in no time.
I said above that it was a windy, tough day and indeed it was.  Like other competitors and officials, I am left contemplating with wonder how it is that amateur stars like Perry and Bussell can achieve times of 46 minutes and what you have to do to get that good?  If I discover the secret (and no doubt to the delight of the readers) I might promptly retire, hopefully on the healthy proceeds.

Women’s National 25 mile time trial championship

Posted on by Admin
Women’s National 25 mile time trial championship on the N1/25c course on Saturday 6 August – Bruce Williams
Eighty one of this country’s top women time triallists descended upon the Sawtry, Cambridgeshire course on Saturday afternoon to compete in the National 25 mile tt championship (promoted by the South East Midlands DC) the blue ribbon event of time trialling, with the field including a sprinkling of professional riders alongside the top amateurs.
Two weeks after breaking her own National Competition Record for the ‘25’ with a time of 49 minutes and 28 seconds (49.28 – an average speed of over 30mph) the field was headed by Hayley Simmonds (AeroCoach) the defending champion of last year and already the National Champion this year over the 50 and 100 mile distances, as well as the British Cycling (BC) tt champion, where she beat BC Olympic hopefuls on a Teesside course a few weeks ago.  Other top amateur stars included Angela Hibbs of Fusion RT (a sponsored club but not a pro team) and ex tri-athlete Anna Turvey of the superbly named Tyneside Vagabonds CC, both of whom have recorded very rapid times of around 50 to 51 minutes this season, with both aiming to run Hayley close and perhaps sneak the win.
The leading professional riders came from the Podium Ambition Pro Cycling Team headed by Claire Rose and the ever popular Sarah Storey, DBE, a multi para-olympic champion.  Other major competitors included Julia Shaw (Drag2Zero) a multi tt champion of the last 10 years and still a top performer at the age 52, Bronwen Ewing (Rye & Dist CC) and Clarice Chung and Mel Wasley both of SSLL Racing, another sponsored amateur club with top riders that has appeared on the time trial scene this season.
Apart from the high standard of competition, for me at least there were two remarkable things about the day; firstly the weather and secondly the nature of the course.  With a start time for the women after 2pm (the junior event preceeding this one) it was stinking hot so a day when all riders needed to be well hydrated before the start and take on liquid during the event – not something a lot of them would normally do for a ‘25’.  With the HQ at Sawtry, Cambs, the course itself is based on the old A1 running from a few miles north of Huntingdon at the southern end and turning a few miles before Peterborough at the top end, with two laps (that is two legs heading North and two heading back South) to make up the distance. 
Whilst I did not check the whole course, I am reliably informed that the riders had to negotiate a total of 17 roundabouts and, in addition to heat exposure, there was traffic congestion to contend with on a few of them.  Finally, this road runs precisely parallel to the modern A1M so the riders and spectators (and there were a lot of them) had to withstand the thunderous droning noise of heavy traffic blasting along the motorway a few yards to the side and below.  The race is therefore run against a backdrop of a truly appalling din!  Whilst the event was well organised, this is not exactly a scenic route or a place for a picnic – not difficult to get to but I doubt that I will go back to this course any time soon.
Despite the conditions, Hayley Simmonds retained her 25 mile title recording a remarkable time of 54.57, albeit this being more than 5 minutes slower than her recent competition record.  The top placings are :-
1. Hayley Simmonds (AeroCoach) 54.57
2. Anna Turvey (Tyneside Vagabonds CC) 56.31
3. Claire Rose (Podium Ambition) 57.03
Angela Hibbs was about 10-15 seconds down on Anna Turvey on my watch with 3 miles to go but apparently punctured, whilst Julia Shaw was not well and did not start.  Dame Sarah Storey recorded a time of 58.14 for 5th place (Podium Ambition Pro Team taking 3rd, 4th and 5th places) with Bronwen  Ewing and Mel Wasley 7th and 8th respectively.  A low total of just 10 riders got under the hour, a testimony to the nature of the course and temperature.
Norfolk riders included Jennifer Smart (VC Norwich) and Sally Withey (Team Swift) who recorded times of 1.05.48 and 1.09.28 for 39th and 51st places respectively.  Most riders found themselves 4 or 5 minutes down on times that they have achieved this season, but that was the course and the day.
28 year old Hayley Simmonds has recently completed a PhD at Cambridge University and is seeking a pro team to compete in the top UCI events next season – she is a full time cyclist since completing her studies and was briefly with pro team United Health Care this season.  At the finish, she commented that her time on the day was ‘slow’ in view of the number of roundabouts and the ‘dead road surface’, but was pleased with her performance overall.  Perhaps she is motivated by her non-selection for the Olympic time trial, losing out on selection to Emma Pooley despite beating the experienced BC pro star by a minute in the BC time trial championship a few weeks ago.  She has expressed the view that generally riders within BC training programmes and working with BC coaches are selected for Team GB duty, but is still hoping for a call up to the World Championships in Qatar later this year.  I am informed that she is also a top class road racing cyclist – you have to be if you want to be a professional rider – but confirms that her preferred and best discipline is time trialling.  I wondered for a second, therefore, if Hayley and I had one or two things in common, but had to dismiss the notion.  We don’t.
In sum up, some fine rides and intense competition, but what a day and what a course.  I said that the women’s championship was well organised, which it was, but subsequently I have heard that their are some doubts about the earlier junior event results owing to uncertainty over what distance some riders actually covered.  No jokes from me on this – it can happen to any of us on the day.  It has probably been sorted already.
National 25-mile time trial championships 2016
National 25-mile time trial championships 2016
National 25-mile time trial championships 2016
National 25-mile time trial championships 2016

Club Run to Food Lovers, Aylsham. 3 August 2016. Leader, John Dimasio

Posted on by John S

Sunshine and a fresh breeze greeted the 11 riders who met at PC to follow John D to Alysham.  These included Dylan, who was visiting from Coventry.

With the wind on our backs, it was Sustead, Thorpe Market and Trunch before turning south to head for North Walsham.  It was then Skeyton Beck before heading into the wind for the approach to Aylsham.

Being a warm, sunny day, dining outside at Food Lovers was a treat.  Maggie and CJ joined us at the cafe – CJ sporting his new bike.  Even the puncture gods were in a good mood – Kevin punctured but was able to deal with is as we waited for our food.  Great timing.

The group split after lunch to wend their various ways home.  For the group returning to PC, it was basically straightforward, taking in Ingworth and Gresham.

A lovely day out on the bikes and a novel route to take us to lunch – many thanks, John.

13 out.  38 miles PC to PC. 1 puncture.

10m TT results 03/08/16

Posted on by Admin
03/08/2016 10m TT B10/5
Name Time Club Handicap time Notes
AIDEN BOND 21.31 NNW 20.41
DAN WATTS 21.42
KARL READ 22.28 NNW 21.34
MIKE PADFIELD 22.51 NNW 21.04
JOHN MORGAN 23.27 NNW 20.50 CPB
JOHN HAYWARD 23.39 NNW 21.07
HENRY WOODLEY 24.11 NNW 21.44
BUNN 25.34 CPB
LOUISE MARSDEN 25.35 VC Norwich 21.23
WALL 25.56 PB
BOB CARTER 26.35 VC Norwich 20.52 PB
MARK HARMAN 26.56 TriHarman
ROBSON 27.25 TriHarman 20.51 PB
TESSA MORGAN 29.08 TriHarman PB
SARAH JAY 29.09 TriHarman 20.52 PB
BECKY COOPER 30.30 TriHarman
EMMA CATTERMULL 30.38 TriHarman PB
SHELLEY BURTON 32.59 TriHarman

Eastern District Cycling Association 100 mile time trial championship – 17 July 2016

Posted on by Admin
Eastern District Cycling Association 100 mile time trial championship – 17 July 2016 – course b100/4 – Bruce Williams
Eighty time triallists duly turned up to compete in the EDCA ‘100’ two Sundays ago, held on the B100/4 course on the A11, which holds the prospect of fast times given helpful weather conditions.  I also turned up to carry out marshalling duty on behalf of the NNW as required, making it to the Morley village hall hq before 6 am with the first rider off at 6.06 am – no wonder road cyclists think that testers are a strange lot.  At least I went out on the day in what Mike P referred to as my ‘vintage’ car, so I had some sort of excuse.
The course was slightly revised last year, with the start now at the Spooner Row junction before heading south west to turn at Snetterton – a turn consisting of 4 or 5 roundabouts – in order to retrace north east on the A11 to make the top end turn, as usual, at the Browick road / Mulbarton junction (where I marshal).  In simple terms, it is like a 25 mile course x 4 to make up the full distance (and all on dual carriageway) thus I have the onerous task of ticking off the riders four times at the top turn, and noting the approx times of the leading riders, in order to ensure that all have covered the requisite route and distance.  You need training and strong psychology for work like this but, sadly for the EDCA, they have to make do with me.  Mind you, some of the other marshals really need checking out.
Contenders in the men’s event included Mark Turnbull of TORQ Performance and Ian Hollbrook of Stone Wheelers, both travelling some distance to compete in this event as part of their BAR attempts for the season, with EDCA top performer, Daniel Bloy (Team Velovelocity) also going for the win.  Other senior EDCA riders included Dave Green of TVV, with several more notable TVV riders present including Ben Keeley, Andrew Leggett and 2nd claim NNW club member, Laurence Wright.  Not much doubt where the team prize would end up with such a group.  Laurence was doing his 2nd ‘100’ of the season having produced a ride of 3 hours 48 minutes (3.48) in the ECCA ‘100’ on the Newmarket A11 course a few weeks earlier. 
Daniel Bloy was doing his 2nd ‘100’ in 7 days, having competed in the National ‘100’ mile championship in Stockton on Tees the previous Sunday.  These men and women are fit and strong, but I could not help but wonder what effect this would have on his performance with another tough event coming so quickly.  I do not recall riders doing two hundreds on successive weekends in my day, but times have changed and Daniel has made clear that he is in training for his first 12 hour, and so first tilt at a top BAR placing, this year.  Although he has ridden this event a few times in recent seasons, Charlie Nurse of the NNW was not present this year, focussing his training and attention on performance in the shorter distance events.
Contenders in the women’s event included Dr Katja Rietdorf of Born to Bike and Jill Wilkinson (wife of 12 hour competition record-holder, Andy Wilkinson – I believe that Jill also has the 3rd or 4th highest women’s 12 hour mileage behind the late Beryl Burton OBE) of the Chester Road club.
Early morning conditions looked ideal with mild to warm temperatures and low wind speeds.  I was thinking of fast times and lots of pb’s.  However, temperatures rapidly increased to 25-28 Dec C combining with high humidity and the wind got up significantly making for a tough north westerly leg up to Browick road and a fast return in the Snetterton direction. All in all, a tough day for a ‘100’.
In the circumstances, the winning time of Mark Turnbull at 3.36.59 (average speed of 27.65mph) was remarkable, with Daniel Bloy second with 3.38.11 and 52 year old vet, Dave Green, third in 3.40.42.  Daniel has been about 5 minutes faster on this course a year or two ago when weather conditions were more favourable, but the event the previous week may also have been a factor.  Doing his first EDCA ‘100’ for a few seasons, Laurence produced a solid 3.53.02 (a personal best for him on this course) to finish in 12th place, commenting that he was struggling badly the last 20 miles, not having the regular racing in his legs of some of his rivals and contemporaries.  Several of the TVV men are evenly matched with Ben Keeley producing a very fine 3.50 and Andrew Leggett edging out Laurence by seconds having trailed him with 15 miles to go.
Katja Rietdorf, a university lecturer originally from Berlin, won the women’s event with a fine 4.09.55 (an average speed of 24mph and 32nd overall) ahead of Jill Wilkinson with 4.12.23.  John Golder, 63, of Chelmer CC (he promotes a number of very popular ECCA events on the E2) finished in a time of 4.08.24, commenting rather bravely on the TT Forum that he ‘didn’t get chicked’ !  Katja, aged 45, responded that she would hunt him down, or words to that effect.  Ah well, John, look on the bright side – there are no penalty shoot outs in time trials.  For the avoidance of doubt (and please do not write in to our editor) I would not have had the courage to use John’s wording, but I sadly confess that I admire the man who does.
Third placed woman was Mary Bower, Chelmer CC, with 4.17.54, about 5 minutes slower than her time of the previous year, because of the heat and windy conditions this time around, whilst Jennifer Smart of VC Norwich was well pleased with her time of 4.24.57 in her first ever ‘100’.
Katja is the current National 12 hour champion, a winner this season of team championships in both the ‘100’ and ‘50’ distances and is contender for a high finish in this year’s women’s BAR.  The British Best All Rounder is based on times and aggregate average speed, for women over the ‘25’, ‘50’ and ‘100’ mile distances (for men it is the ‘50’, ‘100’ and the 12 hour events).  Despite its name, it is presumably open to non British Nationals as I note that Jasmijn Muller, resident of the UK for some years, was the women’s BAR champion in 2014, despite being a Dutch National !  This much I know to be true because she told me – after I had attempted to speak to her in my not very good German a couple of years ago ! 
For the avoidance of doubt, I am no expert in CTT rules and nor am I complaining !  Please do not write into the editor.
This coming weekend features the National ‘25’ mile time trial championships for women on Saturday and men, on the A11 course in Norfolk, on Sunday.  These two 25 mile championships are regarded as the blue riband event of the time trialling season so to have the men’s event back in Norfolk promoted locally is a bit of a coup for the EDCA.