New course record for Steve Cummings by 3:01.
Nova Raiders Battlefield 25
The course record was shattered to smithereens as cycling royalty graced Nova Raiders’ Battlefield 25 – and provided an object lesson in how to tackle a tough course. Tour de France stage winner Steve Cummings beat the nearest challenge by over 5½ minutes and lowered the course record by 3 minutes 1 second with a peerless effort of 50 minutes 11 seconds on the rolling Press – Battlefield course.
The Dimension Data professional, here riding for his amateur club Birkenhead North End CC enjoyed his morning out and would surely have beaten the magical 50 minute/30mph mark on a better day, happily joining in and chatting to well-wishers post-race. He commented: “The event was well organised and a pleasure to be part of. I’m grateful to everyone who contributed to a great time trial. My race went fairly well. It is a tough course that demands high power and the ability to ride above and below threshold as the road is quite up and down. I started perhaps a little bit ambitiously. At my current fitness levels I was unable to maintain the pace I set off with, however despite what felt like a fast start I managed the effort well and took a breather when I thought the speed was high enough to do so. I’m quite happy, but looking to improve my fitness over the next few months“.
This was a rare chance for local riders to test themselves against a professional, and Bryn Davies came out best of the bunch to win Round 5 of the Friction Hydraulics Series and extend both his Overall and Veteran’s Series leads with County wins in both. Davies stopped the watch on 56:24, seeing off a strong challenge from Victor Chetta by 17 seconds on actual. Reigning Series Champion Davies is setting out a solid defence of his title with his +10:41 Veteran Standard also taking the maximum 60 points on offer seeing the Hafren CC rider stretch his lead in this Championship to 45 points. He stated: “I was pleased with the result on one of my favourite courses, a good testing lumpy route. Great organisation by Nova Raiders and fantastic marshalling as always, thanks to all involved in putting the event on“.
Davies isn’t the only rider who enjoys the challenge of this course with some big pulls to contend with and dips where pure power comes to the fore. as Chetta recorded a fine 56:41 to consolidate his Overall runner-up spot in the Championship, though revealed he struggled to get going in the chilly conditions: “I do always enjoy the rolling course, though I was struck how different the conditions were compared to the 20º sunshine we had for the same event last year. I started the event not fully in a racing mood, so decided the best way to approach it was to use it as a training session“.
That steady start cost Chetta in the Veterans as his +9:33 Standard was just two seconds behind Nova Raiders’ Dean Dovey, with that close finish seeing the pair tying on 200 points each for runner-up spot in the Veteran’s Series – though Dovey nearly didn’t take his start as he explained: “I had a bad day with hay fever so I was not sure if I would be racing. Thankfully I was OK in the morning. I went quite hard out and reached the turn a bit too quick and suffered on the way back – the last 3 miles was eternal! I thought I’d completely blown any chance of a Veteran’s place so was ecstatic at second. Well done Bryn and all other category winners. A big shout to all the volunteers for giving up their bank holiday weekend, it’s appreciated“.
Dovey’s comments show how this course can trip up unwary riders, catching out those who aren’t familiar with how to judge their effort – though for Ian Nisbett his race plan went right out of the window when he realised just who his minute man was. Nisbett was one of five County riders beating the hour, with his 58:28 capturing third place: “I planned to use my minute man as a carrot and then settle into a steady pace – however this went out of the window when I discovered it was Steve Cummings! I couldn’t even see him let alone catch him. My ride to the turn was fine, but I expected some wind assistance on the return leg which never materialised, so I seemed to bog down a bit and never really got going until the final drag to the line“.
Davies wasn’t the only rider consolidating his table-topping status with birthday girl Charlotte Chapman stretching her Women’s Series lead with a narrow victory over Nova Raiders team mate Deb Hutson-Lumb of 1:06. Chapman set a fine pace of 1:04:11, though she revealed she hadn’t had the best preparation for racing: “I can’t think of a better way to spend my birthday, though I’m not sure the beers the night before helped towards the win though! It was great to be shown how it’s really done by Steve Cummings. My club mates put on an all round superb event if you ask me, it was good to see some new faces involved“.
Taking the Junior win Kieran Morris was another rider stretching out his advantage at the top of the table as he beat off a challenge from Evolve’s George Coombes with a fine 1:00:40 ride – though unlike Dovey experience allowed him to judge his effort a bit more precisely. He explained: “A great rolling course. It was tough out to the island with the wind but I got going on the way back. The last time I rode this course I blew completely in the last three miles. This time I had too much left in the tank. Well done all riders, and thank you to Nova Raiders for putting on a great event“.
Whilst the leaders of the individual Championships remained static that wasn’t the case in the Top Club Award, with Nova Raiders returning to the head of the standings in a strong defence by the reigning champions.
Result
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series – Round 5
| Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 0:56:24 | 60 |
| 2 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 0:56:41 | 55 |
| 3 | Ian Nisbett | Hafren CC | V | 0:58:28 | 50 |
| 4 | Dean Dovey | Nova Raiders | V | 0:59:16 | 45 |
| 5 | Ed Middleton | Nova Raiders | S | 0:59:44 | 40 |
| 6 | Dean Callister | Nova Raiders | S | 1:00:10 | 35 |
| 7 | Kieran Morris | SCCA Private Member | J | 1:00:40 | 30 |
| 8 | Andrew Rose | Nova Raiders | V | 1:01:34 | 25 |
| 9 | Andrew Lacon | Nova Raiders | S | 1:01:48 | 20 |
| 10 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 1:02:14 | 15 |
| 11 | Gareth Brookes | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:02:26 | 10 |
| 12 | William Baugh | Ludlow CC | V | 1:02:59 | 5 |
| 13 | Ian Pollard | SCCA Private Member | V | 1:03:20 | 5 |
| 14 | Mark Griffiths | Wrekinsport CC | V | 1:03:40 | 5 |
| 15 | James Neale | North Shropshire Wheelers | S | 1:03:46 | 5 |
| 16 | Adam Mumford | Wrekinsport CC | S | 1:03:49 | 5 |
| 17 | Nicholas Long | Nova Raiders | S | 1:04:07 | 5 |
| 18 | Charlotte Chapman | Nova Raiders | W | 1:04:11 | 5 |
| 19 | Allan Henderson | Wrekinsport CC | S | 1:04:29 | 5 |
| 20 | Andy Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:04:36 | 5 |
| 21 | Simon Evans | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:04:40 | 5 |
| 22 | Graeme Donnell | Nova Raiders | V | 1:05:09 | 5 |
| 23 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Nova Raiders | WV | 1:05:17 | 5 |
| 24 | Tim Rex | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:05:21 | 5 |
| 25 | Richard Smith | Wrekinsport CC | V | 1:06:15 | 5 |
| 26 | Ian Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | 1:06:44 | 5 |
| 27 | Richard Cordova | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:07:15 | 5 |
| 28 | Steve Chapman | Nova Raiders | V | 1:07:15 | 5 |
| 29 | Simon Brown | Ludlow Brewery Race Team | V | 1:08:13 | 5 |
| 30 | Dave York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:08:43 | 5 |
| 31 | George Coombes | Evolve | J | 1:08:59 | 5 |
| 32 | Richard Howes | Wrekinsport CC | V | 1:09:06 | 5 |
| 33 | Les Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:12:33 | 5 |
| 34 | Mark Stocks | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | 1:14:23 | 5 |
| 35 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | 1:15:52 | 5 |
| Richard Kay | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | DNF | ||
| Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | WV | DNS | ||
| Linda Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | WV | DNS | ||
| Phil Guy | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | DNS | ||
| Jenny Newton | Nova Raiders | WV | DNS | ||
| Damian Jay | Propel Cycling Club | V | DNS | ||
| Robert Elliott | Wrekinsport CC | V | DNS |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship – Round 5
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | +10:41 | 60 |
| 2 | Dean Dovey | Nova Raiders | V | +9:35 | 55 |
| 3 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +9:33 | 50 |
| 4 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Nova Raiders | WV | +9:27 | 45 |
| 5 | Ian Nisbett | Hafren CC | V | +8:38 | 40 |
| 6 | Andrew Rose | Nova Raiders | V | +6:41 | 35 |
| 7 | Ian Pollard | SCCA Private Member | V | +6:10 | 30 |
| 8 | Gareth Brookes | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | +5:39 | 25 |
| 9 | William Baugh | Ludlow CC | V | +5:15 | 20 |
| 10 | Mark Griffiths | Wrekinsport CC | V | +5:11 | 15 |
| 11 | Simon Evans | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +3:40 | 10 |
| 12 | Andy Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +3:39 | 5 |
| 13 | Graeme Donnell | Nova Raiders | V | +3:29 | 5 |
| 14 | Dave York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +2:41 | 5 |
| 15 | Steve Chapman | Nova Raiders | V | +2:29 | 5 |
| 16 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | +2:01 | 5 |
| 17 | Tim Rex | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | +1:55 | 5 |
| 18 | Richard Howes | Wrekinsport CC | V | +1:25 | 5 |
| 19 | Ian Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | +1:19 | 5 |
| 20 | Richard Smith | Wrekinsport CC | V | +1:11 | 5 |
| 21 | Richard Cordova | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | +1:00 | 5 |
| 22 | Simon Brown | Ludlow Brewery Race Team | V | -0:22 | 5 |
| 23 | Les Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | -3:17 | 5 |
| 24 | Mark Stocks | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | -5:45 | 5 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Women’s Championship – Round 5
| Women’s Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Women’s Points |
| 1 | Charlotte Chapman | Nova Raiders | W | 1:04:11 | 60 |
| 2 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Nova Raiders | WV | 1:05:17 | 55 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | 1:15:52 | 50 |
| Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | WV | DNS | ||
| Linda Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | WV | DNS | ||
| Jenny Newton | Nova Raiders | WV | DNS |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship – Round 5
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Kieran Morris | SCCA Private Member | J | 1:00:40 | 60 |
| 2 | George Coombes | Evolve | J | 1:08:59 | 55 |
Top Club Award – Round 5
| Time | Club | Points |
| 1 | Nova Raiders | 190 |
| 2 | Hafren CC | 110 |
| 3 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 70 |
| 4 | Wrekinsport CC | 40 |
| 5 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 30 |
| 6 | Ludlow CC | 10 |
| =7 | Evolve | 5 |
| =7 | Ludlow Brewery Race Team | 5 |
| =7 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 5 |
| =7 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 5 |
Cumulative Standings after five rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 260 |
| 2 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 210 |
| 3 | Ian Nisbett | Hafren CC | V | 200 |
| 4 | Dean Dovey | Nova Raiders | V | 155 |
| 5 | Dean Callister | Nova Raiders | S | 90 |
| =6 | James Griffiths | Clee Cycles | V | 80 |
| =6 | Stephen Minton | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 80 |
| 8 | Ed Middleton | Nova Raiders | S | 75 |
| 9 | Kieran Morris | SCCA Private Member | J | 65 |
| =10 | Dan Watts | SCCA Private Member | S | 60 |
| =10 | Kirk Vickers | Holohan Coaching RT | S | 60 |
| =10 | Matt Garthwaite | Holohan Coaching RT | S | 60 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 245 |
| =2 | Dean Dovey | Nova Raiders | 200 |
| =2 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 200 |
| 4 | Ian Nisbett | Hafren CC | 195 |
| 5 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Nova Raiders | 155 |
| 6 | Stephen Minton | Ludlow Brewery RT | 90 |
| 7 | Ian Pollard | SCCA Private Member | 85 |
| 8 | James Griffiths | Clee Cycles | 80 |
| =9 | Gino Trasatti | North Shropshire Wheelers | 60 |
| =9 | Tim Beardmore | Nova Raiders | 60 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Women’s Championship
| Women’s Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Charlotte Chapman | Nova Raiders | 240 |
| 2 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Nova Raiders | 165 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 130 |
| 4 | Emma Serjeant | Hafren CC | 105 |
| 5 | Jane Chapman | Nova Raiders | 80 |
| =6 | Jenny Newton | Nova Raiders | 50 |
| =6 | Natalie Brooks | Paramount CRT | 50 |
| =8 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 45 |
| =8 | Milly Deer | North Shropshire Wheelers | 45 |
| 10 | Linda Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | 35 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Kieran Morris | SCCA Private Member | 180 |
| 2 | George Coombes | Evolve | 55 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Nova Raiders | 535 |
| 2 | Hafren CC | 470 |
| 3 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 275 |
| 4 | Wrekinsport CC | 195 |
| 5 | Ludlow Brewery RT | 175 |
| =6 | Holohan Coaching RT | 160 |
| =6 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 160 |
| =8 | Clee Cycles | 80 |
| =8 | Ludlow CC | 80 |
| 10 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 40 |
| 11 | Paramount CRT | 30 |
| 12 | Newport Shropshire CC | 25 |
| =13 | Evolve | 5 |
| =13 | Revolutions Racing | 5 |
- Round 6 of the Friction Hydraulics Series takes place on Sunday, 12th May and it’s the first Championship event of the season as Mid Shropshire Wheelers present the SB Sports Injuries Shropshire Championship 50 over four laps of the Prees – Tilstock circuit.
