The longest event on the County calendar had an additional challenge built in as competitors suffered on the hottest day of the year to date as the morning warmed up considerably as the event progressed. The Anfield 100 is the oldest time trial event in the world, running since 1889, always using Shropshire roads. The event incorporated the Ride Fast Coaching Shropshire Championship 100, and used a new version of the course including five laps of Hodnet – Shawbury – Crudgington; so inaugural course records were on the cards.
Won overall by TriCentralUK professional triathlete Ben Akin in 3 hours 35 minutes and 7 seconds to set the inaugural benchmark; like many others comments were focussed on the difficultly of getting through the latter stages of the race: “I was really pleased to take the win, in all honesty it was unexpected, I’ve raced this event a few times in the past and the standard has always been really high so it’s genuinely an honour to have my name added to the list of winners. My plan initially was to go out a little harder and then back off slightly as the temperature climbed, but as I went through halfway I realised I was on track for something fast and threw caution to the wind. For the last 60 minutes it felt like my head was in an oven inside the aero helmet, but I just about held it together”.
Taking the Jack Parker 100 mile Trophy for the first time, Paramount CRT’s Simon Romei just outpaced Wrekinsport’s Oli Freeman by 15 seconds in 4:01:11, an incredibly close battle over such a short distance. Romei wasn’t finished there either on a productive morning as he also won the Veteran’s 100 Mile Trophy for the first time too with +46:35, squeezing out current holder and team mate Chris Riley by 53 seconds; and led Paramount to victory in the Team competition with support from Rob McGregor and Riley in a combined 12:21:23 – beating a second Paramount trio in the process in an unheard of 1-2 for any club in a Team Championship, showing the strength on offer as the club added a huge 505 points to their Top Club Award tally.
Romei was delighted with his efforts, but showed how drinking plenty in an ultra-distance event is critical: “Absolutely chuffed to bits to have secured the Anfield 100 County win along with the Team win. It was an extremely brutal day with temperatures touching 31ºC in the final hour. The course was great with some really good fast sections, I’d hoped for a sub four-hour race, but with the intense heat I could feel the cramp looming with about 1½ laps to go. A big shout out to all the marshals who also had the temperatures to deal with: without these guys these races wouldn’t happen, so big kudos to you all also. It was an excellent race with first class organisers”.
In a season where she has been breaking course records routinely it was hardly a surprise that Hayley Wells both retained the Female 100 mile Trophy, but that she set the benchmark Female record too with a fabulous 4:08:31 to take fourth County spot, and finish just 2:30 outside the overall medals. Wells took the win in an incredible 43:26, but suffered in the final third of the race. Many riders go through a bad patch around two-thirds distance they come through, but the added feeling of trying to race inside a furnace again showed the need to keep hydrated even more so than usual: “100 miles is never easy — especially in scorching conditions. The first 55 miles I felt strong: my pacing was on target, my rhythm was good, and everything was flowing well. But from 60 miles onwards it felt like someone flicked a switch and turned the heat up massively. Unfortunately, my body started to suffer. A lack of fluids and nutrition caught up with me, and the final two laps became a real physical and mental battle. I’ve never been so happy to see a finish line! I was absolutely delighted to take the female win at this event. Huge thanks to all the volunteers for enduring the heat and making the race possible; and a cracking ride from Ben too; kudos”!
Like Wells, Freeman suffered in the heat, but his 4:01:26 put his among the medals for the first time as he captured overall Silver with a huge personal best, carving 12:52 off his 2025 effort. He stated: “It was a tough day out there, things really heated up! It was a race of two halves: the first 50 miles felt great, the second was a different story… I was really happy with a 13 minute personal best over last year; and to take the SCCA Silver. Thanks to the organisers, time keepers & marshals for putting on a great event; and well done to Simon for the SCCA win”.
McGregor was another rider with his eyes on a sub-four hour ride, but hit the wall of muscle cramp through dehydration. He was pleased to hang on for County Bronze and to take Team Gold thanks to his 4:06:01 ride however: “I’d set out to do a sub-four hour ride and I was on target after 50 miles, but at around 70 miles I started to cramp. I pushed on, but wasn’t able to maintain the required pace. Even so, it was a 100 mile personal best for me, and a hard but enjoyable race. I’m really happy to come away with the County Bronze, and it was great to win the Team prize with Chris and Simon. It was nice doing a time trial in good weather for a change, but it was over 30ºC in the last hour which really took its toll. I was glad Mum and Dad were waiting at the finish with some water. There was a great atmosphere in the village hall afterwards, with everyone having their own story to tell. It was a fantastic event by the WCTTCA with loads of sandwiches and cakes afterwards”.
As well as taking Team Gold, Riley also captured Veterans Silver with +45:42 ahead of another Paramount rider, Paul Duncan with +28:55 , as the club took all the medals in the Veterans category. Riley reflected on the last time he won Team Gold in 2022, with Romei also in that team; as well as gave thanks to helper Phil Guy, who was gainfully employed dousing many riders with water in the heat of the morning: “Team Gold with Rob and Simon is brilliant. It’s where we started together five years ago and wow, are they so much quicker now. Well done guys, and thanks to the Anfield organising team for a great morning of racing. Special thanks go out to magic sponge man Phil Guy; a good race and a good atmosphere”. Whilst other riders struggled with getting fluid on board Riley almost inconceivably did most of the race with no drink at all, as he explained: ”Unfortunately my drinks bladder burst just before I left home. I taped it up, but by 10 miles in it had drained out through my skin suit. An element of sticky saddle discomfort I can’t describe. I was very thirsty too, and had to stop on lap four for some of Phil’s sponge treatment. An exciting day all round”.
Wells’ nearest challenge came from Paramount’s Evie Fletcher, in her first ever 100 mile race. Fletcher is no stranger to distance however as she was using the event as great preparation for the 112 mile bike leg sandwiched in the middle of an Ironman triathlon, and was over the moon to gain a medal in the process thanks to stopping the watch on 4:51:57: “My first time doing a 100 mile time trial in preparation for Ironman Hamburg, and I can honestly say I thoroughly enjoyed it! I’m not sure I enjoyed the early start quite as much, but the course was great and I loved just tootling along. To top it all off, getting Silver place amongst the Shropshire women absolutely made my day. Special thanks to the Phil with the water cool down; the heat was creeping up”!
Like Riley and Fletcher, North Shropshire Wheelers’ Kathryn Rossiter was grateful for club mate Guy liberally soaking her to help get through the race. She took the final Female medal in 5:20:57: “The heat wave was a bit of a shock to the system; nothing in my training had prepared me for that, not even a cycling camp in Spain. I was very grateful to have Phil Guy as our support, and the cold sponges from him on laps three; four and five were game changers”.
As well as taking Veterans Bronze, Paul Duncan went rather better than he dared dream as he took Road Bike Gold in a handicapped 4:12:19 after his actual 4:17:51 for sixth overall was adjusted; pushing Paramount team mate Andrew Dawson out by 12:32. One of the crucial considerations for the distance is to always take a drink when offered, and if a bottle hand up is missed to stop, as a rider will loose more time through dehydration, a lesson Duncan had clearly learnt: “I was really pleased with taking the Road Bike Gold. I was hoping for top three, which I thought was possible, but to come away with the win and even mixing it with some of the top time trial bike times was phenomenal. A fumbled feed stop lost me around a minute, but was essential in the late morning heat. The temperature at the finish line would have made another hard lap without liquids unsustainable. A fantastic day made better with tough competitors, friends, team mates and excellent organisers and volunteers”.
Dawson moved into the joint lead of the Friction Road Bike Series on the strength of his adjusted 4:24:51 thanks to adding 75 points to his tally in this bonus points round. Like many, access to fluids was as important as that medal, with the Paramount rider another to record a personal best at the distance: “Firstly, thanks to the organisers and all the marshals who braved the heat and gave some great encouragement to all the riders. Also massive thanks to the Paramount crew at the finish line for the very welcome water. Conditions seemed perfect at the start, with cool temperatures and no wind. I managed to hold quite a good consistent pace. However by lap five the temperature had ramped up and I began to suffer in the heat. I was really thankful to see the finish line! I was pleased to record a personal best over the distance, and was thrilled to get the Silver medal”.
There’s no doubt Wrekinsport’s Matt Price is a mile eater, but it’s usually at a much steadier pace in audax and sportive rides. Here he had his first attempt at the distance in time trial format, and was delighted to win a medal at the first attempt with a handicapped 4:40:06: “Surprised and more than happy to take the Bronze medal. It was my first 100 mile time trial, so Idid not fully know what to expect. I was lucky in being second rider off at 6:02am, so managed to avoid most of the heat, it only really being an issue for the final lap of the circuit. I definitely appreciate all the officials and marshals who supported the event in those conditions. I made sure I fuelled well and just kept at it, luckily I’ve got a decent aerobic engine thanks to my audax background that benefited me in the event”.
SCCA:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Points |
| 1 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 4:01:11 | 80 |
| 2 | Oli | Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | TT | 4:01:26 | 75 |
| 3 | Robert | McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | TT | 4:06:01 | 70 |
| 4 | Hayley | Wells | Aerologic RT | F | TT | 4:08:31 | 65 |
| 5 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 4:14:11 | 60 |
| 6 | Paul | Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 4:17:51 | 55 |
| 7 | Mitchell | Fletcher | Paramount CRT | S | TT | 4:36:41 | 50 |
| 8 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 4:41:40 | 45 |
| 9 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 4:48:52 | 40 |
| 10 | Pete | Jervis | Hafren CC | S | TT | 4:50:18 | 35 |
| 11 | Evie | Fletcher | Paramount CRT | F | TT | 4:51:57 | 30 |
| 12 | Matthew | Price | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 4:52:39 | 25 |
| 13 | Jamie | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 4:59:42 | 20 |
| 14 | Kathryn | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 5:20:57 | 15 |
| 15 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 5:24:55 | 15 |
| 16 | Rich | Smith | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 5:28:12 | 15 |
| . | Geoff | Edgerton | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | DNS | . |
| . | Alex | Paulukiewicz | North Shropshire Wheelers | S | TT | DNS | . |
| . | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | DNS | . |
| . | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | DNS | . |
Team:
Paramount CRT (Simon Romei/Rob McGregor/Chris Riley) 12:21:23
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Hayley | Wells | Aerologic RT | F | TT | 4:08:31 | 80 |
| 2 | Evie | Fletcher | Paramount CRT | F | TT | 4:51:57 | 75 |
| 3 | Kathryn | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 5:20:57 | 70 |
| 4 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 5:24:55 | 65 |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +46:35 | 80 |
| 2 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +45:42 | 75 |
| 3 | Paul | Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +28:55 | 70 |
| 4 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +18:13 | 65 |
| 5 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +16:23 | 60 |
| 6 | Jamie | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +5:33 | 55 |
| 7 | Kathryn | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | +2:04 | 50 |
| 8 | Matthew | Price | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | +1:08 | 45 |
| 9 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | -5:19 | 40 |
| 10 | Rich | Smith | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | -26:37 | 35 |
Road Bikes:
| RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Paul | Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 4:12:19 | 80 |
| 2 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 4:24:51 | 75 |
| 3 | Matthew | Price | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 4:40:06 | 70 |
| 4 | Rich | Smith | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 5:07:51 | 65 |
Top Club Award:
| Time | Club | Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 505 |
| 2 | Wrekinsport CC | 210 |
| 3 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 125 |
| 4 | Aerologic RT | 80 |
| =5 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 65 |
| =5 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 65 |
| 7 | Hafren CC | 35 |
Cumulative Standing after ten rounds
Overall
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 385 |
| 2 | Hayley Wells | Aerologic RT | F | 375 |
| 3 | Robert McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 260 |
| 4 | Tomos Hales | Aerologic RT | S | 230 |
| =5 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 180 |
| =5 | Kirk Vickers | Holohan Coaching Race Team | S | 180 |
| 7 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 165 |
| 8 | Stuart Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | 155 |
| 9 | Paul Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | 135 |
| 10 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 130 |
Veterans
| Vets Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | 570 |
| 2 | Stuart Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | 325 |
| 3 | John Westhead | Paramount CRT | 265 |
| 4 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | 225 |
| 5 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | 215 |
| 6 | Philip Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 205 |
| =7 | Paul Duncan | Paramount CRT | 200 |
| =7 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | 200 |
| 9 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | 180 |
| 10 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 155 |
Females
| Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Aerologic RT | 500 |
| 2 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | 325 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 210 |
| 4 | Kathryn Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | 205 |
| 5 | Evie Fletcher | Paramount CRT | 130 |
| 6 | Elaine Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | 110 |
| 7 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | 100 |
| 8 | Gill Snelson | Paramount CRT | 95 |
| 9 | Rebecca Pugh | Paramount CRT | 85 |
| 10 | Sophie Edge | Dave Scott Coaching | 60 |
Road Bikes
| Road Bike Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| =1 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | 350 |
| =1 | Stuart Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | 350 |
| 3 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 320 |
| 4 | Paul Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | 230 |
| 5 | David Scott | Dave Scott Coaching | S | 155 |
| 6 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | FV | 105 |
| 7 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 100 |
| =8 | Karl Moseley | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | V | 85 |
| =8 | Max Baker | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 85 |
| =8 | Richard Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 85 |
Juniors
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Taliesin Goh | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 60 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 3510 |
| 2 | Aerologic RT | 1160 |
| 3 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 885 |
| 4 | Dave Scott Coaching | 815 |
| 5 | Wrekinsport CC | 510 |
| 6 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 375 |
| 7 | Holohan Coaching Race Team | 275 |
| 8 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 270 |
| 9 | Hafren CC | 240 |
| 10 | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | 230 |
| 11 | Ludlow CC | 165 |
| 12 | Market Drayton Cycling Club | 60 |
| 13 | Propel Cycling Club | 30 |
| 14 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 20 |
