It was a dead heat for first place in Round 12 of the SB Sports Injuries Series as Bridgnorth CC promoted their 10 on the tricky Boningale – Shifnal course, which attracted 19 riders, including the welcome sight of a number of Wolverhampton club riders due to the proximity. Ostensibly a straight ‘out and back’ course, that description belies the clamber to Shifnal directly into the prevailing wind – not that that stopped Tomos Hales and Tom Herbert from posting strong times. The pair finished level pegging on 22 minutes 35 seconds, with Herbert’s ride all the more incredible as he was on a road bike. The Bridgnorth CC rider has set some very impressive times on his limited appearances in 2024, with this his first in the SB Series, and this was no exception as he naturally took Road Bike honours – but by a great margin of 1:47 on the age and gender adjusted standings.
Hales extended his SB Series lead to 24 points thanks to this effort, sapping his strength on the dragging ‘out’ leg, and knew he had been in a race, stating: “The Bridgnorth 10 started off with a tough headwind up to the island which I never really felt the advantage of on the return. It was a tough night with the conditions. Well done to Tom Herbert for the joint win on a roadie, and thanks to Tim Beardmore as always for organising a great event”.
Herbert echoed Hales’ sentiments about how tough it was and had a good indication of what was needed to get close as Hales was finishing as Herbert was getting up to speed and in the early stages of his race: “I wasn’t sure how it was going to pan out as the wind was pretty fierce on the run out to Shifnal, but in the end I think we pulled it back in the tail on the way in. I hadn’t guessed far wrong with Tomos Hales’ time as we were first and last man so he was just about to finish as I was getting up to speed. I didn’t expect to be as quick so thought nothing of it and tried to focus on power. In the end I think we both wished we’d found an extra second or two! But Tomos is a class rider, so to share to top spot with him was a privilege”.
Two medals were settled on the night, with Hayley Wells taking SB Women’s Gold after riding unchallenged as the sole female. Wells needed to secure just six points to seal the title and she did that comfortably – not that she would ever be content just to roll around. Instead she finished 7th overall in 25:09 despite by her own admission struggling in the tough conditions: “I felt a bit flat on the night along with zapping windy conditions. A fabulous result at the top with Tom and Tomos taking the joint win! I was delighted to have taken the Women’s SB Series win; the races have been a great addition to my summer training, keeping it fun and varied -many thanks to all the clubs, great fun and awesome atmosphere”.
The night’s other medal went to 2023’s Veteran’s winner Chris Riley – although this year he was content to settle for Veteran’s Silver. Riley finished 3rd overall in 23:45, and top of the pile in the Veterans with +3:39. His post-race comments show the challenge this course metes out: “The Boningale course kicks like a mule in those last few miles, but I was more than happy to get inside 24 minutes. Some great rides from the fast men; thanks Bridgnorth CC. John Mills-Keeling let me steal it last year, so it’s great to see him back on top spot in 2024. Veteran’s runner up over an excellent Series of varied and interesting races is brilliant; a good year for me indeed – thanks to all the race organisers and the fantastic SCCA”.
Full:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | Tomos | Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 22:35 | 20 |
| 1 | Tom | Herbert | Bridgnorth CC | S | 22:35 | 20 |
| 3 | Chris | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 23:45 | 16 |
| 4 | Mark | Spruce | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | 24:22 | . |
| 5 | Mick | Dobson | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | 24:47 | . |
| 6 | Andrew | Tomlinson | Wolverhampton Racing CC | V | 25:06 | . |
| 7 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 25:09 | 14 |
| 8 | Dave | Allen | Bridgnorth CC | V | 25:53 | 12 |
| 9 | Ollie | Campbell | Bridgnorth CC | V | 26:08 | 10 |
| 10 | Steve | White | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | 26:52 | . |
| 11 | Paul | Mulready | Bridgnorth CC | V | 27:04 | 8 |
| 12 | Ben | Upton | Bridgnorth CC | V | 28:56 | 6 |
| 13 | Rhys | Everall | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | J | 29:01 | . |
| 14 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 29:11 | 4 |
| 15 | Dave | Clarkson | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | 29:29 | . |
| 16 | Ceri | Evans | Stafford RC | V | 29:32 | . |
| 17 | Josh | Hill | Bridgnorth CC | S | 29:39 | 2 |
| 18 | Martin | Davis | Unattached | V | 29:46 | . |
| 19 | Dave | Rowley | Bridgnorth CC | V | 32:23 | 2 |
| . | Paddy | Allaway | Bridgnorth CC | V | DNS | . |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Chris | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 03:39 | 20 |
| 2 | Mick | Dobson | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | 03:00 | . |
| 3 | Mark | Spruce | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | 02:48 | . |
| 4 | Andrew | Tomlinson | Wolverhampton Racing CC | V | 02:04 | . |
| 5 | Dave | Allen | Bridgnorth CC | V | 01:46 | 18 |
| 6 | Ollie | Campbell | Bridgnorth CC | V | 00:08 | 16 |
| 7 | Steve | White | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | -00:01 | . |
| 8 | Paul | Mulready | Bridgnorth CC | V | -00:01 | 14 |
| 9 | Martin | Davis | Unattached | V | -01:14 | . |
| 10 | Dave | Clarkson | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | -01:50 | . |
| 11 | Ben | Upton | Bridgnorth CC | V | -02:05 | 12 |
| 12 | Ceri | Evans | Stafford RC | V | -02:15 | . |
| 13 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | -02:40 | 10 |
| 14 | Dave | Rowley | Bridgnorth CC | V | -02:44 | 8 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 25:09 | 20 |
Road Bikes:
| RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Tom | Herbert | Bridgnorth CC | S | 22:35 | 20 |
| 2 | Dave | Allen | Bridgnorth CC | V | 24:22 | 18 |
| 3 | Ollie | Campbell | Bridgnorth CC | V | 26:00 | 16 |
| 4 | Steve | White | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | 26:09 | . |
| 5 | Dave | Clarkson | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | 27:58 | . |
| 6 | Ben | Upton | Bridgnorth CC | V | 28:13 | 14 |
| 7 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 28:48 | 12 |
| 8 | Dave | Rowley | Bridgnorth CC | V | 28:52 | 10 |
| 9 | Josh | Hill | Bridgnorth CC | S | 29:39 | 8 |
Juniors:
| Junior Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Rhys | Everall | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | J | 29:01 | . |
Cumulative Standings after twelve rounds
Overall
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 200 |
| 2 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 176 |
| 3 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 108 |
| 4 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 96 |
| 5 | Dean Callister | Aerologic RT | S | 60 |
| 6 | Oil Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 44 |
| 7 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 38 |
| 8 | Alvydas Janusauskas | Paramount CRT | S | 36 |
| 8 | Mark Hill | Hafren CC | V | 36 |
| 10 | Mark Pritchard | Aerologic RT | S | 32 |
Veterans:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 202 |
| 2 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 136 |
| 3 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 66 |
| 4 | Mark Hill | Hafren CC | V | 60 |
| 5 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 56 |
| 6 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | FV | 48 |
| 7 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 42 |
| 7 | Rob Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | 42 |
| 9 | Scott Palmer | Aerologic RT | V | 34 |
| 10 | Richard Nickless | Paramount CRT | V | 32 |
| 10 | Rob Kennard | Aerologic RT | V | 32 |
Females:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 186 |
| 2 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 92 |
| 3 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | FV | 74 |
| 4 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 42 |
| 5 | Karen Proctor | Hafren CC | FV | 16 |
| 6 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | F | 14 |
| 6 | Jess Bufton | Hafren CC | FJ | 14 |
Road Bikes:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 104 |
| 2 | Matt Muir | Propel CC | V | 46 |
| 3 | Mark Fenn | SCCA 1st Claim Member | V | 40 |
| 4 | Steve Minton | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 38 |
| 5 | Peter Everett | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 34 |
| 6 | Anthony Corbutt | Ludlow CC | V | 32 |
| 7 | Adam Riley | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 20 |
| 7 | Dan Watts | SCCA Private Member | S | 20 |
| 7 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 20 |
| 7 | Jack Wilson | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 20 |
| 7 | Mick Case | Hafren CC | V | 20 |
| 7 | Tom Herbert | Bridgnorth CC | S | 20 |
Juniors:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Ben Southgate | Wrekinsport CC | J | 60 |
| 2 | Ben Bramford-Hale | Newport Shropshire CC | J | 20 |
| 2 | Jess Bufton | Hafren CC | FJ | 20 |