A new course and the only remaining bonus point round of the 2024 SB Sports Injuries Series saw Tomos Hales take sole lead following Round 10 – and set an inaugural course record in Wrekinsport CC’s 25. Rescheduled following road works that saw both applied for courses belatedly out of action on the original date; that delay gave opportunity for a trial run on a newly designed course starting and finishing at Hopton Chapel and taking in two laps of The Tiddly circuit on what turned out to be a glorious evening. 26 points were available for the win due to the extra distance, designed to stretch riders stepping up from club level events – although experience told as Tomos Hales set the inaugural record on 54 minutes 24 seconds to beat Army Cycling’s Jonathan Whittaker by 1:06.
Hales had held the joint lead of the Series with Jonathan Mills-Keeling, but moved into the sole lead on the strength of this ride – albeit by a narrow two point advantage. Hales stated: “I enjoyed the new 25 Mile Wrekinsport course. Making use of the top section of the A53 made for a quick start. I do enjoy lapped courses as you can get a good gauge for where you are; thanks to Wrekinsport for hosting and rearranging the fixture”.
Mills-Keeling took third overall in 56:10 after a fast start where he equalled Hales on 7:53 on the first pass of the finish line after 3.6 miles – which he suffered for later. He still holds a fabulous lead in the Veteran’s Series after finishing runner-up on the night to Deb Hutson-Lumb, stretching that advantage to a commanding 84 points after finishing in +11:58 to Riley’s+10:54. Mills-Keeling commented: “I started fast and paid for it on the second lap. It was a perfect evening of racing, nice to do a new course, well done to all”. But there was no stopping Hutson-Lumb who put in a dominant Veteran’s performance of +13:12 – but ended as runner-up in the SB Female Series behind Hayley Wells after finishing in 1:02:18 for 7th spot Overall.
Wells set the inaugural Female record of 59:54, helped perhaps in a last gasp for the finish line, racing Alvydas Janusauskas side by side over the final few hundred metres. She stated: ”It was a very warm evening, and great to try out a new course. Not as quick as expected, but I enjoyed incorporating more of the A53! Looking forward to tackling it again; cheers to Wrekinsport for organising”.
A bruised and battered Ashley Kirkham was determined to defend his SB Road Bike Series lead despite significant cuts and bruises from a racing incident the day before, and took full advantage of being the sole rider in that category to extend his lead to 34 points with an adjusted 1:12:45. He commented: “After crashing out of a race early on the day before I had fresh legs and pushed hard despite some sore limbs. I really enjoyed the new course; hopefully it becomes a regular fixture in the calendar – thanks to all the volunteers”.
Full:
| Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | 3.6 miles | 14.3 miles | 25 miles | Points |
| 1 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 7:53 | 31:02 | 54:24 | 26 |
| 2 | Jonathan Whittaker | Army Cycling | S | 8:00 | 31:24 | 55:30 | . |
| 3 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 7:53 | 32:08 | 56:10 | 24 |
| 4 | Alvydas Janusauskas | Paramount CRT | S | 8:23 | 33:00 | 57:53 | 22 |
| 5 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 8:22 | 33:22 | 58:22 | 20 |
| 6 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 8:42 | 34:24 | 59:54 | 18 |
| 7 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 9:09 | 35:35 | 1:02:18 | 16 |
| 8 | Rob Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | 9:15 | 37:30 | 1:06:13 | 14 |
| 9 | Chris Dunn | Unattached | V | 9:25 | 37:23 | 1:06:33 | . |
| 10 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 10:05 | 39:21 | 1:08:57 | 12 |
| 11 | Vince Evans | Wrekinsport CC | V | 10:05 | 40:31 | 1:11:01 | 10 |
| 12 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 10:34 | 42:09 | 1:13:46 | 8 |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | +13:12 | 26 |
| 2 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | +11:58 | 24 |
| 3 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | +10:54 | 22 |
| 4 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | +5:13 | 20 |
| 5 | Rob Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | +5:10 | 18 |
| 6 | Vince Evans | Wrekinsport CC | V | +1:12 | 16 |
| 7 | Chris Dunn | Unattached | V | +0:28 | . |
| 8 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | -6:45 | 14 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | 3.6 miles | 14.3 miles | 25 miles | Female Points |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 8:42 | 34:24 | 59:54 | 26 |
| 2 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 9:09 | 35:35 | 1:02:18 | 24 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 10:05 | 39:21 | 1:08:57 | 22 |
Road Bikes:
| RB Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 1:12:45 | 26 |
Cumulative Standings after ten rounds
Overall
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 160 |
| 2 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 158 |
| 3 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 76 |
| 4 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 74 |
| 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 | 182 |
| 2 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 98 |
| 3 | Mark Hill | Hafren CC | V | 60 |
| 4 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 56 |
| 5 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 54 |
| 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 | 146 |
| 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 | 80 |
| 2 | Matt Muir | Propel CC | V | 46 |
| 3 | Mark Fenn | SCCA 1st Claim Member | V | 40 |
| 4 | Peter Everett | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 34 |
| =5 | Adam Riley | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 20 |
| =5 | Dan Watts | SCCA Private Member | S | 20 |
| =5 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 20 |
| =5 | Mick Case | Hafren CC | V | 20 |
| =5 | Steve Minton | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 20 |
| =10 | Alun Roberts | Hafren CC | V | 18 |
| =10 | Ben Bramford-Hale | Newport Shropshire CC | J | 18 |
| =10 | Jack Young | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 18 |
| =10 | Richard Simpson | Market Drayton CC | V | 18 |
| =10 | Stacey Morgan | Ludlow Brewery RT | V | 18 |
| =10 | Tim Mayo | Propel CC | S | 18 |
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 |