Another first use course in a season of having to get inventive thanks to road works saw some great times recorded in the least seen of the ‘standard’ distances in Round 7 of the Friction Hydraulics Series, The West Cheshire TTCA and Shropshire CCA 30. Held between Battlefield and Prees, many riders attempt to keep 25 mile pace and hang on, but it can catch out the unwary, and particularly with the rolling terrain involved along the A49. Taking a solid County win in 1 hour 5 minutes 15 seconds, Aerologic’s Dean Callister suffered somewhat with the ups and downs and with the rare if relatively light northerly wind which is always a distraction on a finishing leg, but beat Tomos Hales by 41 seconds. Callister seemed relieved to cling on for the win and enjoyed the new course, stating: “Pleased to take the win, I liked the course for a 30. I didn’t have great legs on the day but still managed a decent time – thanks to all involved”.
Hales tends to like the more challenging circuits and with Battlefield called into use much more often in 2024 is beginning to get a taste for it. His 1:05:56 elevated the Wrekinsport rider to within five points of Friction Series leader Simon Romei, who took third spot on the day in 1:06:54. Hales commented: “I do like the Battlefield course so didn’t mind the extra five miles added for the new 30 Mile time trial, especially as you get to start with the downhill section on to the Prees roundabout. Overall I was happy with my performance and had a very good return leg. Well done to Dean for the County win, and tanks to WCTTCA and SCCA for organising, and all the marshals that helped out”.
Although he had his lead halved in the Friction Series Romei had other cause to celebrate as he took over the lead in the Friction Veterans Series from Bryn Davies with a fine +13:48, 45 seconds ahead of Paramount team mate Chris Riley in a great day for the club as they extended their Top Club Award lead to an impressive 390 points thanks to five riders in the Top 10. Romei stated: “I was really pleased to take the County third position and Veteran’s win on the new 30 mile course. It was a testing return leg having to deal with the headwind, along with the finish being slight over the crest of the Press hill. I have to say a big thank you to all the marshals for allocating their time to make these races happen, it’s always great to see you all on course”.
Hayley Wells took another fine win a week after an impressive 50 on the same roads to extend her Female Series lead to 75 points. Wells seems to be getting to know and appreciate the challenges the road throws up, with familiarity helping to know just where to put in the hardest efforts. She commented: “Really pleased with my performance and to take the win, I’m starting to find a little love for the Battlefield course! Light winds were blowing in a less favourable direction, so it felt a little slower than the previous week, but at least the sun was shining – a big thanks to marshals and organisers”.
SCCA:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | Dean | Callister | Aerologic RT | S | 01:05:15 | 60 |
| 2 | Tomos | Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 01:05:56 | 55 |
| 3 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 01:06:54 | 50 |
| 4 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 01:10:01 | 45 |
| 5 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 01:10:30 | 40 |
| 6 | Alvydas | Janusauskas | Paramount CRT | S | 01:11:49 | 35 |
| 7 | Robert | McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 01:12:49 | 30 |
| 8 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 01:14:42 | 25 |
| 9 | George | Coombes | Newport (Shropshire) CC | S | 01:17:06 | 20 |
| 10 | Colin | Wells | Paramount CRT | V | 01:24:50 | 15 |
| 11 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | 01:26:23 | 10 |
| 12 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 01:27:10 | 5 |
| 13 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 01:28:22 | 5 |
| 14 | Terry | Price | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 01:42:16 | 5 |
| . | Victor | Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | DNS-A | . |
| . | Paul | Horton | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | S | DNS | . |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | +13:48 | 60 |
| 2 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | +13:03 | 55 |
| 3 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | +11:15 | 50 |
| 4 | Colin | Wells | Paramount CRT | V | +2:44 | 45 |
| 5 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | +0:58 | 40 |
| 6 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | -0:22 | 35 |
| 7 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | -1:38 | 30 |
| 8 | Terry | Price | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | -20:48 | 25 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 01:14:42 | 60 |
| 2 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 01:28:22 | 55 |
Top Club Award:
| Pos’n | Club | Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 175 |
| 2 | Aerologic RT | 100 |
| 3 | Wrekinsport CC | 90 |
| 4 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 20 |
| 5 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 10 |
| 6 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 5 |
Cumulative Standings after seven rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 280 |
| 2 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 275 |
| 3 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 220 |
| 4 | Paul Horton | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | S | 200 |
| 5 | Dean Callister | Aerologic RT | S | 180 |
| 6 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 160 |
| =7 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 155 |
| =7 | Matthew Garthwaite | Newport (Shropshire) CC | S | 155 |
| =9 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 125 |
| =9 | Robert McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 125 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Vets Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | 360 |
| 2 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 325 |
| =3 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | 220 |
| =3 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | 220 |
| 5 | Colin Wells | Paramount CRT | 195 |
| 6 | Ian Connolly | Ludlow CC | 165 |
| 7 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | 155 |
| 8 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 130 |
| 9 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | 100 |
| 10 | David Drew | North Shropshire Wheelers | 95 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Female Championship
| Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | 310 |
| 2 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 235 |
| =3 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | 55 |
| =3 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | 55 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Road Bike Championship
| Road Bike Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 215 |
| 2 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 105 |
| =3 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 60 |
| =3 | Matthew Garthwaite | Newport (Shropshire) CC | S | 60 |
| =3 | Thomas Herbert | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | S | 60 |
| =6 | Chris Childs | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | S | 55 |
| =6 | Paul Bailey | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | V | 55 |
| =6 | Scott Palmer | Aerologic RT | V | 55 |
| 9 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 50 |
| 10 | Ian Townsend | Paramount CRT | V | 45 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Ben Southgate | Wrekinsport CC | 120 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 935 |
| 2 | Wrekinsport CC | 545 |
| 3 | Aerologic RT | 440 |
| 4 | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | 285 |
| 5 | Hafren CC | 255 |
| 6 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 195 |
| 7 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 160 |
| 8 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 135 |
| 9 | Ludlow CC | 65 |
| 10 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 50 |