2018 WECC RIDERS IN OPEN TIME TRIALS
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
||
Neil Crowther |
1:01:38 |
21 |
+5:25 |
Riders |
+/- |
|
Pos |
Time |
|
Pos |
||
Dominic Maxwell & Paul Townsley |
+ 9:17 |
4 |
43:16 |
11 |
||||
Trevor Leeding & Allan Orman |
+ 8:33 |
5 |
45:10 |
14 |
||||
Nik Allen & John McGrath |
+ 8:03 |
6 |
39:23 |
2 |
||||
Simon Steeles & Rick Hughes |
+ 3:00 |
15 |
44:26 |
12 |
Well done to our pairs for placing so highly, and also to Nik & John for recording the second fastest time on scratch.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
|
Neil Crowther |
DNS |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
|||
Nik Allen |
4:59.3 |
7 |
+ 0:16.7 |
4 |
+ 0:16.7 |
4 |
||||||
John McGrath |
5:04.8 |
8 |
+ 0:30.2 |
2 |
+ 0:18.2 |
3 |
||||||
Trevor Leeding |
6:01.5 |
15 |
- 0:33.5 |
9 |
- 0:41.5 |
10 |
||||||
Rick Hughes |
6:16.5 |
17 |
- 0:40.5 |
11 |
- 0:52.5 |
11 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
55:04 |
5 |
+12:22 |
6 |
||||
John McGrath |
57:45 |
12 |
+11:20 |
10 |
||||
Neil Crowther |
58:49 |
16 |
+8:14 |
19 |
||||
Trevor Leeding |
59:06 |
17 |
+9:20 |
15 |
||||
Rick Hughes |
1:02:20 |
26 |
+6:45 |
25 |
||||
Paul Townsley |
1:06:47 |
33 |
+6:50 |
24 |
||||
Colin Barton |
DNS |
The times for our first five riders plus that of Nathan Gale (1:06:45 in the supplementary 'non-Open ride produced a winning aggregate time of 5:59:49 as we finished ahead of second placed Hampshire Road Club (6:02:13). Southdown Velo had only 5 qualifying riders, and Bognor Regis managed just 3.
Gary Chambers (Nopinz) broke Michael Hutchinson's course record with a remarkable 49:38.
Rider |
Time |
|
Colin Barton |
n/a |
|
Neil Crowther |
n/a |
|
Mike O'Gorman |
n/a |
Event promoters report:
“Had to cancel the event. A broken down vehicle on the return leg north of the Ham Barn roundabout got hit by a passing van. Police in attendance, lane coned off, vehicles not recovered in time to enable the event to be run.”
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nolan Heather |
21:35 |
71 |
+4:34 |
72 |
||||
Colin Barton |
22:15 |
89 |
+5:05 |
59 |
||||
Neil Crowther |
DNS |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nolan Heather |
1:02:13 |
16 |
+4:13 |
|
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nolan Heather |
22:41 |
19 |
+3:28 |
20 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
|
Neil Crowther |
DQ |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
||
Neil Crowther |
24:36 |
10 |
+1:47 |
I had no idea what to expect for my first TT for four weeks and had never ridden the SCA Sporting course - though I knew it was slow and lumpy. Nothing prepared me for the awfulness of the road surfaces - it made Ashhurst look smooth - and I made sure to set off steady whilst hanging on for grim life for the most part. On a blustery day I ended up with a pleasing 24.36 which placed me 10th overall and I was surprised my power hasn't dipped for a lack of racing. Sunday's SDV 25 was cancelled though so only one race this weekend.
Hoping to get on some fast courses with good conditions for last few weeks of the season and see if I can nudge a late season PB.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nolan Heather |
57:44 |
26 |
+8:42 |
|
||||
Colin Barton |
1:00:05 |
38 |
+9:29 |
|
||||
Neil Crowther |
DNS |
Windy and wet at times ☔️☔️😮😨 Poor mechanics as rear wheel rubbing on rear brake 😡😡😡😡what a 🛎 end. That will learn me messing with it 🙄
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
|
Nik Allen |
DNS |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
52:23 |
69 |
+15:03 |
|
Huge congratulationss to our very own Nik Allen at the National 25 this morning. You know the quality of the field when everyone went under the hour and a 52:23 only gets you 69th position.
Superb ride Sir; proper mixing it with the elites today.
Awake before dawn, off to my first national event, safe to say a i had a few 🦋🦋 in my stomach.
The fog as I started to drive and didn’t look too promising at all. Roads were clear though and arrived with plenty of preparation time. Signed in, numbers collected and kit on.
Warm up went well and felt good after ‘heavy legs’ all week from that brutal SCA 30 last weekend.
Started well with the wind assistance and made good time to the turn, was suprised by wind strength at the turn though and realised it was going to be a hard return leg. Went well though, each ramp sapping a little more strength and happy to make top of course for turn home. Last 3 miles I lumbered into top gear and held it as long as possible, last 1/4 mile took its toll and i was very pleased to cross the line finally.
Placing 69th from 108 finishers in a time of 52.23 was a pleasing result for 1st attempt, bring on next year.
Great pleasure to represent the club in this national event and hope I get some more opportunities to do so.
GO WECC.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
||
Nolan Heather |
22:14 |
18 |
+3:55 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Neil Crowther |
21:51 |
47 |
+4:32 |
39 |
||||
Colin Barton |
22:34 |
57 |
+4:46 |
35 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
|||
Nik Allen |
1:08:03 |
3 |
+10:54 |
6 |
+13:20 |
3 |
||||||
Gavin Ash |
1:10:02 |
7 |
|
|
|
|
||||||
Neil Crowther |
1:13:36 |
12 |
+4:12 |
16 |
+7:18 |
15 |
||||||
Trevor Leeding |
1:14:31 |
13 |
+7:22 |
10 |
+8:05 |
12 |
||||||
Martin Booker |
1:14:39 |
14 |
+6:03 |
14 |
+7:27 |
14 |
||||||
Nolan Heather |
DNS |
Given the adverse weather Nik did extremely well to beat his last seasons time by almost a minute and a half (a PB), finishing a superb 3rd on scratch. Gavin's first effort at a 30 produced a fine 1:10:02 and seventh place.
Neil, Trevor and Martin clustered together on the results list, all with very good times in the circumstances.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
20:07 |
20 |
+6:25 |
18 |
Long hot journey down to event but great conditions were possible if weather report was accurate.
Sure enough a light SW wind was present for a race around the P881R course.
A uber strong field was present as usual with PB’s on the agenda.
With a downhill start i set off to hold a little back for the uphill return, a little too much it turned out as i couldn’t regain the deficit.
Finished very strong but the early pacing had left too much to do.
A good ride but not the PB improvement i was hoping for.
Never mind there's always tomorrow.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Trevor Leeding |
1:56:27 |
5 |
+24:27 |
6 |
||||
Martin Booker |
2:01:37 |
15 |
+18:23 |
15 |
Martin was chuffed with a course PB.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Neil Crowther |
21:20 |
43 |
+5:03 |
|
||||
Colin Barton |
21:31 |
47 |
+5:49 |
|
Colin recorded a massive PB (his first 21:xx), and Neil gained his second PB in a week.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nolan Heather |
22:38 |
15 |
+3:31 |
8 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Martin Booker |
59:10 |
18 |
+8:52 |
|
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Gavin Ash |
52:45 |
4 |
||||||
Nolan Heather |
57:10 |
24 |
+9:16 |
24 |
||||
Neil Crowther |
DNS |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Gavin Ash |
20:55 |
17 |
||||||
Neil Crowther |
22:22 |
39 |
+4:01 |
31 |
Terrible ride, no power data or cadence and helmet slipping down my face. Hated every minute.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Spencer Kirkham |
58:42 |
13 |
+9:32 |
|
||||
Trevor Leeding |
59:19 |
17 |
+9:07 |
|
||||
Martin Booker |
1:00:14 |
19 |
+7:48 |
|
||||
Rick Hughes |
1:02:16 |
13 |
+6:49 |
|
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nolan Heather |
22:07 |
11 |
+4:02 |
16 |
||||
Gavin Ash |
DNS |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Neil Crowther |
57:45 |
|
+9:18 |
|
'Playing the field', I went to try a new course H25/17 (for me) up in Oxford. As my parents live close by it wasn't too much effort to get there. Its an out and back 25 course and it was a breezy morning. The first half was wind assisted and I kept something back for the return. Everything was going to plan until the last 4 miles, which was a steady incline, a headwind and an emptying tank. That knocked the time and speed but 57.45 was ok as I seemed to hit every pot hole on the course (losing my water bottle after 10 miles). It was also a PB for power on a 25 which I was happy with.
I managed to finish within 12 minutes of Hamish Bond who finished with a very modest 45.50 (or something similar) just the 5 minutes ahead of the second paced rider!! There were a lot of times between 53 and 59 minutes and I finished towards the back of that bunch.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|||
Gavin Ash |
1:56:27 |
9 |
|
|
|
|||||
John McGrath |
2:00:12 |
15 |
+18:26 |
6 |
+21:37 |
|||||
Trevor Leeding |
2:05:50 |
21 |
+10:31 |
19 |
+15:04 |
|||||
Karen McGrath |
2:23:00 |
35 |
+6:03 |
24 |
+11:18 |
|||||
Ian Cheesman |
DNF |
Trevor was less happy with his effort, finishing a bit down on recent seasons. Another newbie 50er was Karen and she did really well.
WECC picked up the second place in the team competition, behind South Downs Bikes, and Gavin added to his wine haul by winning the raffle too.
Which brings us to the bad news. Turning left at Cowfold Ian Cheesman lost control and broke his collarbone. A sad end to what was a stellar season. Clearly in shock one of the first things that he said as he lay in agony was "I was going really well".
That rather changes things in the race towards the club's Championship Points Competition and the club's Veterans' Championship Points Competition. It's become much more open.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Neil Crowther |
33:04 |
22 |
+6:43 |
29 |
Head and heart far from enthused that day but got in the car after work and drove to Greatham. After sorting out deflated tyre (thanks Matt Peel) I realised my Garmin was at home as I was getting ready. I was lost! On a scorching evening a little will power got me over the start line. Having no idea how hard or fast I was going I seemed to be doing ok into the headwind stretch, got to the end and was looking forward to the fast last 4 wind assisted miles. Never been so thirsty in my life; even with a water bottle on board, and have to admit to feeling a little ill as I crossed the finish line. I had 33.30 in my mind as a good ride so was very pleasantly surprised to see 33.04 next to my name in HQ. That was good enough for 22nd in the end which I was very happy with considering the caliber of riders at these events.
Sadly my entry for the for the following weeks 25 was rejected so my dreams of a sub 55 (something I feel well capable of on that course) are probably dashed this season after suffering from cramps in my last attempt. Hoping to get lucky with entries later in the season on fast courses. But the form is good for now.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
|||||
Ian Cheesman |
(1:52:59) |
54 |
ride nullified |
|||||
Neil Crowther |
(1:56:09) |
67 |
ride nullified |
|||||
Martin Booker |
(1:58:02) |
73 |
ride nullified |
4 MONTHS AFTER THE EVENT THE CTT DECREED THAT IT HAD BEEN A SHORT COURSE (49.8 miles) AND SO ALL TIMES ARE NULLIFIED
THIS AFFECTS THE VETS BAR, THE FASTEST 50, AND THE CLUB TEAM RECORD
Cheesy took club honours with a 1.52.59 knocking nearly 5 minutes from his 2017 PB and thought his Garmin might be broken at the finish! Neil took a splendid second place and posted a 1.56.09 which is a great ride and very impressive to go sub 2 hours for his first ever 50 and Martin was very pleased as he was aiming to go under 2 hours and achieved this by a good margin with a 1.58.02.
The combined time for Ian, Neil and Martin is 5.47.10. This eclipsed the 1992 club team 50 mile time trial record which was 5.53.32 (set by Paul Toppin / Richard Shipton / Jeremy Wootton) but was subsequently negated by the CTT ruling.
Another really good showing by WECC in an open event with a class field.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Spencer Kirkham |
58:54 |
6 |
+9:08 |
5 |
||||
Rick Hughes |
1:02:51 |
13 |
+6:14 |
9 |
||||
Jeff Blunsdon |
DNS |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
21:19 |
4 |
+5:08 |
6 |
||||
Nolan Heather |
23:07 |
17 |
+3:02 |
17 |
||||
Ian Newbold |
24:54 |
26 |
+1:29 |
24 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Ian Cheesman |
54:24 |
32 |
+13:26 |
24 |
||||
Spencer Kirkham |
54:56 |
37 |
+13:06 |
26 |
||||
Neil Crowther |
56:35 |
47 |
+10:28 |
41 |
||||
Rick Hughes |
58:03 |
57 |
+11:02 |
38 |
||||
Nik Allen |
DNS |
The story of the season continues, with WECC riders showing that we, as a club, are able to hold our own. So Cheesy, Neil Crowther, Rick Hughes and Spencer Kirkham entered the arena to battle for what they were hoping would be fast times. All had good rides, despite Neil cramping at about 15 miles when he had to hop off the bike and stretch his legs out. He considered packing but showed great spirit and remounted to finish stating that he thought he'd lost 30 to 45 seconds as a result. Over tea, cake and hopes that our Garmins weren't lying, we dared to look at the results board and found the following:
Cheesy - 54.24 (A lifetime PB by nearly a minute for the distance) - 32nd overall
Spencer Kirham - 54.56 (A lifetime PB by over two minutes) - 37th overall
Neil Crowther - 56.35 (A good ride given the circumstances) - 47th overall
Rick Hughes - 58.03 (Just 8 seconds slower than his lifetime PB) - 57th overall
Nik Allen - DNS(A) - A massive shame as he probably would have posted a sub 51 minute ride.
The standout ride has to be Spencer's as any PB by that margin is an amazing achievement and to cap it all WECC won the third team prize behind Fareham Wheelers and a3crg with Cheesy, Spencer and Neil posting a combined 2.45.55.
Pat Wright was the overall winner with a 48.36.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Ian Cheesman |
57:29 |
30 |
+10:21 |
26 |
||||
Martin Booker |
58:04 |
36 |
+9:46 |
31 |
Cheesy took club honours with a 57.29 placing 30th overall with Martin recording a 58.04 taking 36th place. Both were a little disappointed but given the conditions and the fact that Cheesy had a shocker on the morning event last year with a 59.40. That's a 2 minute improvement but also 2 minutes slower than his PB. Martin commented that he seemed to be getting slower on this "fast" course but as he was reminded any "fast" course is only fast if the conditions are good.
The winner was James Rix with a 48.42 who beat 2nd place Gary Chambers by a minute. Reflecting on the results, to be less than 9 and 10 minutes behind the super-fast set should be seen as a good result!!
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
|||
Neil Crowther |
36:17 |
15 |
+2:37 |
30 |
+3:30 |
15 |
||||||
Ian Cheesman |
36:40 |
18 |
+3:23 |
24 |
+3:34 |
18 |
||||||
Rick Hughes |
38:44 |
27 |
+3:07 |
28 |
+2:14 |
27 |
||||||
Karen McGrath |
41:23 |
26 |
+3:19 |
26 |
+3:01 |
36 |
||||||
Allan Orman |
41:39 |
38 |
+5:45 |
12 |
+2:49 |
25 |
WECC fielded five riders in the event with a 30 year age range! Neil Crowther took Club honours and is the 2018 15 Mile Champion with a 36.17, closely followed by Cheesy with a 36.40. Rick Hughes followed in third with a 38.44, Karen McGrath fourth with a 41.23 and Allan Orman fifth with a 41.39. Not sure how Neil felt as he had to rush off but Cheesy was reasonably pleased to secure another 2nd placing in club events whilst 20 seconds slower than his PB. Rick (aka Walter Mitty!) was reasonably happy with his ride but did mention that he stopped to don his Superman outfit to sort out a 30 vehicle RTC (If only his thighs were as big as his imagination!!). Karen equalled her PB so given the conditions a great ride and Allan, still racing in his mid-70's, is an inspiration to us all and secured the Age category Vets prize for the over 70's.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
31:26 |
9 |
+8:28 |
12 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
51:48 |
11 |
+15:27 |
8 |
||||
Trevor Leeding |
56:13 |
46 |
+12:13 |
35 |
||||
Neil Crowther |
56:41 |
53 |
+10:22 |
48 |
||||
Spencer Kirkham |
56:46 |
55 |
+11:16 |
42 |
||||
Martin Booker |
57:44 |
59 |
+10:06 |
49 |
||||
Mike O'Gorman |
DNS |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
20:12 |
19 |
+6:15 |
14 |
To offer some perspective this was the second fastest 10 of all time by a WECC rider and only 16 seconds off the record that he set just last week.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Martin Booker |
56:48 |
41 |
+11:02 |
34 |
||||
Spencer Kirkham |
57:35 |
49 |
+10:27 |
38 |
||||
Rick Hughes |
58:56 |
61 |
+10:09 |
41 |
||||
Mike O'Gorman |
1:01:07 |
73 |
+11:13 |
32 |
||||
Trevor Leeding |
DNS |
|||||||
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Ian Cheesman |
2:02:14 |
20 |
+17:20 |
|
Cheesy finished with a 2.02.14 which is over a two minute improvement on his previous PB for this course of 2.04.32 and he placed 20th overall with Mark Smith taking honours with a 1.48 something.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
19:56 |
12 |
+6:31 |
8 |
||||
Mike O'Gorman |
22:30 |
54 |
+5:53 |
19 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nolan Heather |
22:36 |
15 |
+3:33 |
18 |
||||
Paul Townsley |
DNS |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Mike O'Gorman |
23:55 |
25 |
+4:28 |
10 |
||||
Colin Barton |
DNS |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Colin Barton |
22:29 |
44 |
+4:51 |
41 |
||||
Mike O'Gorman |
22:48 |
49 |
+5:35 |
11 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
John McGrath |
59:17 |
9 |
+9:35 |
5 |
||||
Nolan Heather |
59:53 |
12 |
+6:33 |
15 |
||||
Martin Booker |
1:00:51 |
16 |
+6:59 |
12 |
||||
Spencer Kirkham |
1:01:06 |
17 |
+6:56 |
13 |
||||
Huw Williams |
1:01:54 |
18 |
+5:56 |
16 |
||||
Karen McGrath |
1:06:46 |
25 |
+8:07 |
10 |
||||
Rome Bhamra |
1:15:42 |
29 |
-7:28 |
27 |
||||
Trevor Leeding |
DNF |
|||||||
Rick Hughes |
DNS |
|||||||
Paul Townsley |
DNS |
Nolan Heather put in a good ride to beat the hour mark on this notoriously difficult course. There was less good news for Trevor Leeding as his aero-bars broke in the opening miles.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Mike O'Gorman |
22:38 |
51 |
+5:45 |
15 |
Despite the weekend's disappointments I had already entered this so I decided to give it a go and see what happened. Although not back to my best form by any means I was hugely relieved to put in a ride with reasonable speed and reasonable power (certainly much better than the weekend's SCA events). My time was a bit short of my 22:15 average for that course last season but it does offer some encouragement.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|||
Nik Allen |
55:29 |
11 |
+9:49 |
19 |
+11:46 |
|||||
Neil Crowther |
58:26 |
27 |
+6:24 |
35 |
+8:37 |
|||||
Ian Cheesman |
59:23 |
31 |
+7:22 |
30 |
+8:27 |
|||||
Jeff Blunsdon |
1:00:01 |
37 |
+5:17 |
39 |
+7:14 |
|||||
Trevor Leeding |
1:00:08 |
39 |
+8:06 |
26 |
+8:18 |
|||||
Martin Booker |
1:00:31 |
41 |
+6:14 |
36 |
+7:19 |
|||||
John McGrath |
1:00:50 |
43 |
+8:25 |
25 |
+8:02 |
|||||
Mike O'Gorman |
1:05:00 |
59 |
+10:37 |
15 |
+7:20 |
|||||
Karen McGrath |
1:06:55 |
67 |
+7:36 |
28 |
+7:58 |
|||||
Rick Hughes |
DNF |
|||||||||
Nolan Heather |
DNS |
Today was the SCA 25 Mile TT Championship on the lumpy G25/93 course and WECC had 11 riders entered to compete. Weather was again favourable and slightly warmer than it had been for the 10 Mile event yesterday, albeit there was a fair southerly breeze that would make the last section tough. As with yesterday a strong field of entrants were in attendance.
It’s fair to say that it was a mixed bag for Worthing riders. It is genuinely sad to see Mike struggling with his form having been consistently securing landmarks and amazing rides for the last four seasons. His mojo appears to have booked a package deal to an unknown destination at the moment and we all hope that he discovers what the issue is very soon and returns stronger than ever after a short sabbatical from racing.
Nolan was a DNS, but having chatted to him on Thursday this is likely to be work related. Rick ended up being a DNF due to being held up for three miles behind two vintage buses that were struggling to overtake the multitude of triathletes, of mixed ability and motivation, who were sharing the course today.
John paid the price and learnt a valuable lesson in why it’s not a good idea to switch trusted equipment the day before a race and as a result was much slower than he would have been had he stuck with the Cervelo. To quote Trevor “ He chose unwisely”!
Martin put in a very respectable performance given that he has been producing copious amounts of mucus over the previous week due to Manflu. Trevor, having continued past the invisible finish line at last week’s Charlotteville 50 decided to bring the universe back into balance by easing off about 100 yards before the finish line today as he saw a crowd and decided to bask in the love from the spectators. Annoyingly,he would have been under the hour had he pushed on to the line!!
Cheesy, Nik, Jeff, Karen and Neil all posted course PB’s by varying amounts and additionally, Karen and Jeff secured distance PB’s as well. Karen by nearly a minute and Jeff by 3 minutes which makes his ride the standout performance of the morning and just missing out on a sub hour ride by 2 seconds. Nik placed 11th overall which is another amazing performance as he’s got a cold coming and shows how strong a rider he is and is yet to reach his full potential so we must all be vigilant and ensure that he doesn’t get pinched by a rival club!!
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|||
Nik Allen |
21:42 |
15 |
+4:25 |
20 |
+4:45 |
|||||
Neil Crowther |
21:57 |
20 |
+3:59 |
25 |
+4:26 |
|||||
John McGrath |
22:32 |
27 |
+5:10 |
12 |
+4:32 |
|||||
Ian Cheesman |
22:54 |
30 |
+3:48 |
29 |
+3:47 |
|||||
Rick Hughes |
24:14 |
46 |
+3:40 |
30 |
+2:55 |
|||||
Mike O'Gorman |
24:24 |
49 |
+5:51 |
7 |
+3:59 |
|||||
Karen McGrath |
25:44 |
63 |
+4:04 |
24 |
+3:42 |
This morning saw seven riders from Worthing Excelsior compete in the SCA 10 Mile TT race. It's fair to say that it was a strong field of talent from across the county and the improving conditions and a strange orange thing in the sky definitely helped. That said, it was still a fresh 8 degrees and a fair breeze on the course meant cold fingers and legs but hopefully a sign of warmer conditions to come. The race was won by Chris McNamara posting a 19.41 (he was the only rider to go under 20 minutes).
The Post race analysis and discussions led to Nik being disappointed as his form would suggest that he, in his own words, should have been faster but shows that he can have a "bad day" by his very high standards. Neil stating that he had been lucky with traffic (but that's a pendulum for us all throughout a season), Cheesy happy with a course PB and achieving sub 23 minutes whilst keeping John "honest". Mike seems to be struggling this season and posted another slower than expected time but Cheesy helpfully pointed out "He wasn't getting any younger". A comment that was met with a wry smile that almost disguised the look in his eyes that indicated that Mike wanted to cause Cheesy some physical harm!!
Again a good showing by WECC riders with Karen being 5th fastest woman in a strong field of women riders. Hopefully a good warm up for the SCA 25 Mile race tomorrow with, I believe ten WECC entrants, representing the club.
Mike's run of four successive Vets wins came to a end. On post-ride reflection he noted that although (as in the case this season) he was slower than last season his 2017 Vets winning figure of +6:21 would not even have gotten him a top three finish this time around.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Trevor Leeding |
2:02:09 |
55 |
+18:45 |
|
||||
Martin Booker |
2:03:35 |
60 |
+15:59 |
|
||||
Ian Cheesman |
2:03:38 |
61 |
+15:56 |
|
||||
Mike O'Gorman |
DNS |
The annual Charlotteville 50 Mile TT on the Bentley course took place today with three WECC riders in action, sadly Mike was a DNS(A). As we have seen this can be a quick course and opportunities to secure PB's are usually available. Sadly, today the temperature was 8 degrees but felt like about 3 or 4 degrees in the north westerly wind which meant a headwind for over half of the course was going to make PB's a very challenging prospect.
Over a cup of tea and a croissant Martin, Trevor and Cheesy all agreed that they were broken and it had been a brutal ride. Martin got baulked to a complete stop at one roundabout and Cheesy's draft box lid flapped open early on and with his car keys in it he had to stop to secure it and stick the keys down his skinsuit. Trevor, meanwhile, opted to do an additional half a mile due to the event management forgetting to put the finish board out!! Whilst initially disappointed with their times compared to previous outings it should be noted that out of the 103 riders only 45 of them posted sub 2 hour times.
Given the conditions these were very respectable rides from all and again represented the club with honour, albeit all three were in disbelief at the winning time of 1.39.08 by Kieron Davies (over 30 mph average speed!!)
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
51:42 |
20 |
+15:33 |
24 |
Following on from his fine form of a week ago he has now added the 25 to his list of club records. His time of 51:42 was 59 seconds quicker than that of Jeremy Wootton set back in 2011.
A top 20 finish in a field of this depth and quality (effectively a national event) is quite superb.
Car loaded and double checked. I set off to the ‘fast course’ E2/25 TT in Newmarket with a positive vibe after last weeks 25 TT PB.
The 2.5 hr drive gave me loads of time to think about the ride and possibly strategies. Not what i needed!!!! The edge was taken off my confidence with the constant drizzle and a NE wind (for whole of return leg) blowing.
Number on, warm up done and at the start line with 7 (yes 7) minutes to spare. Plenty of time to start your Garmin, ready for the off you’d think. Oh no, not me...... My last 30 sec pep talk; its a damn long way to drive for a poor ride.
I set off at a good pace and felt strong. Repeatedly reminding myself to relax for the return leg into the wind. At the turn I was pumped and set about smashing into the wind. It was all or nothing now and the clock was on my side. Into the last 2 miles, my legs burning and avoiding looking at the time. I gave it everything and headed to the line with a final burst up the slip road to the flag. Reality soon hit me that i’d smashed my PB again and nearly turned the wrong way to flout with disqualification.
The journey was definitely worth it after all, phew.... Great event, well signposted and a dream of a road surface. Highly recommended to anybody chasing a new PB.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
|
Surrey/Sussex |
||
Paul Townsley |
25:54 |
20 |
+2:58 |
7 |
3 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Neil Crowther |
1:00:59 |
9 |
+5:52 |
8 |
That disappointment was rather mitigated by a super ride that gained him ninth place on scratch.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
53:03 |
14 |
+14:12 |
14 |
||||
Trevor Leeding |
56:59 |
45 |
+11:27 |
37 |
||||
Martin Booker |
57:58 |
50 |
+9:52 |
47 |
||||
Rick Hughes |
59:47 |
61 |
+9:18 |
48 |
||||
Mike O'Gorman |
1:00:35 |
63 |
+11:45 |
35 |
Pride of place goes to Nik (again). His time beat his previous PB (56:11) by over three minutes and is the fastest by a WECC rider since Jeremy Wootton set the club record time of 52:41 in 2011.
Great to see Trevor back in such excellent form after last season's health problems. Fortunately Martin Booker managed to get the timekeepers to correct their recording error (funny how any error is always the wrong way from the rider's perspective) and he was but a single second short of his PB. Rick was delighted with a substantial improvement from last week as he went under the hour for the first time since 2016.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Neil Crowther |
1:00:11 |
17 |
+6:40 |
14 |
||||
Ian Cheesman |
1:00:22 |
18 |
+7:28 |
12 |
||||
Nolan Heather |
1:01:05 |
21 |
+5:21 |
22 |
||||
Martin Booker |
1:01:39 |
24 |
+6:11 |
16 |
||||
Spencer Kirkham |
1:02:13 |
27 |
+5:49 |
18 |
||||
Trevor Leeding |
1:02:20 |
28 |
+6:06 |
17 |
||||
Rick Hughes |
1:05:03 |
37 |
+4:02 |
26 |
||||
Paul Townsley |
1:07:52 |
42 |
+5:45 |
19 |
Neil Crowther took the club honours today with a 1.00.11, closely followed by Cheesy and Nolan Heather in third place.
Riders |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Martin Booker & Ian Cheesman |
1:07:54 |
3 |
+13:58 |
1 |
||||
Trevor Leeding & Ian Leeding
(Norwood Paragon) |
1:09:39 |
8 |
+13:17 |
|
||||
Dom Maxwell & Neil Crowther |
1:10:38 |
9 |
+9:52 |
2 |
||||
Jeff Blunsdon & Rick Hughes |
DNF |
|||||||
John McGrath & Karen McGrath |
DNS |
Our representatives were: In the Road bike corner - Dom Maxwell and Neil Crowther, in the novice corner - Rick Hughes and Jeff Blunsden, in the blue corner - Cheesy and Martin Booker and in the mixed corner - Trevor Leeding and Ian Leeding.
Conditions on the road were pretty bad with some interesting cornering techniques but I think all stayed upright but this, along with a mechanical meant that Rick and Jeff DNF. Thankfully Jeff stayed at HQ to clap everybody back as well as undo their helmet straps and skin suit zips due to the riders having frozen fingers!
Dom and Neil rode very well on their road bikes and posted a good time and as ever, The Leeding boys put on a great show of close wheel racing despite a last minute wheel replacement for Trevor just before the start.Martin and Cheesy were pushing so hard for the line that their handlebars and shoulders clashed which caused an "exciting" moment but having chatted afterwards we decided that we had sufficient momentum to have crossed he finish line, even if it would have been on our backsides!
So Worthing gave a good account of itself with the following times:
Martin/Cheesy - 1.07.54 ( Placing 4th but due to rules about "club" awards promoted to 3rd fastest team on scratch), best presented pair and Fastest Vet on Standard.
Trevor/Ian - 1.09.39 placing 8th (great plus on standard time but omitted from ranking as "multi-club team".
Dom/Neil - 1.10.38 placing 9th and taking Second fastest team on standard
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Mike O'Gorman |
59:43 |
126 |
+12:37 |
65 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nik Allen |
21:36 |
6 |
+4:51 |
2 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Nolan Heather |
27:34 |
12 |
-1:25 |
11 |
||||
Mike O'Gorman |
27:42 |
13 |
+0:41 |
6 |
Nolan Heather did well on a road bike and beat his time of last season by almost a minute. Mike O'Gorman produced a typically poor ride in cold conditions and was two minutes down on his previous rides on this course. Mike did win his age group (wine and Easter egg) and Nolan was pleased to gain the same for winning the raffle.
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Neil Crowther |
1:47:45 |
19 |
+5:30 |
17 |
||||
Ian Cheesman |
1:48:13 |
22 |
+6:46 |
14 |
Only two riders from WECC were committed (stupid) enough to take the start line today in Neil Crowther, a debutante at this event, and Ian "Cheesy" Cheesman who was hoping to PB having ridden this course last year. It was as gritty and tough as expected and Neil took the club honours with a very respectable time of 1.47.45 placing 20th whilst Cheesy posted a 1.48.13 placing 23rd and achieving his target PB by 1 minute and 20 seconds.
Riders |
Time |
|
Pos |
|
Trevor Leeding & Ian Leeding
(Norwood Paragon) |
49:46 |
12 |
||
Paul Townsley & Spencer Kirkham |
51:38 |
16 |
Rider |
Time |
|
Pos |
+/- |
|
Pos |
||
Neil Crowther |
1:01:08 |
37 |
-4:53 |
|
||||
Rick Hughes |
1:05:08 |
50 |
-7:12 |
|