Tomos Hales took a solid win to recapture The Gordon Davies Trophy in a medal-filled evening at The Ride Fast Coaching Shropshire Championship 10 presented by Oswestry Paragon CC, Round 14 of the Friction Hydraulics Series – as Chris Riley sealed the Friction Veterans Series and Hayley Wells extended her lead at the head of the Overall Series. Hales, the 2024 Champion, stopped the watch on 20 minutes 27 seconds on the Four Crosses – Welshpool course to take Gold on a red hot evening, taking the win from Oswestry Paragon’s David Griffiths by 35 seconds.
Hales coped best with the sting in the tail of this course, with a climb to the finish line that can surprise the uninitiated. He stated: “Another warm night gave the opportunity for a quick time, although I thought I would be slightly quicker on the longer outward leg. You always need a good finish on this course with the drag to the line. It was great to take the win and the 10 Championship; thanks to Helen Tudor and Oswestry Paragon for hosting”. Oswestry were meant to have the 2025 10 mile Championship, which traditionally rotates around SCCA member clubs promoting Opens at that distance, but two traffic-affected evenings stymied that, so it was natural to finally see the event run on the proposed course.
Wells almost inevitably won Female Gold as she continues a glittering season in a time of 22:37 to retain The Gordon Davies Female Trophy despite unusually struggling a little on the way out, as she explained: “Another warm evening of racing, but with a tail wind it looked to be a quick night. Sadly I struggled to settle into a rhythm on the out leg. On the return I found another gear, but not enough to reach my target time. I was still chuffed to have picked up the Shropshire win; and as always a great atmosphere back at HQ”!
Wells extended her lead at the head of the Friction Hydraulics Series to 50 points after Chris Riley, laying in second place had a quiet night by his standards, almost certainly due to this being his third race in three days. However despite not winning a Championship medal he sealed the Friction Veterans Series with the 40 points he scored having been almost mathematically there after Round 13. This has been a long-term target for Riley, who was delighted to finally realise his goal, as he explained: “Five years of trying and I can finally finish on the top spot in this wonderful and prestigious race Series. We are so lucky to have these events and season long competitions here in Shropshire. I have had my fair share of luck this year, and a cracking battle with Stuart Proctor, whose performances on a Road Bike have been eye watering. Many thanks for all the hard work by the SCCA and all the event organisers and volunteers. 2026 has been a great season, and there’s still lots more County events to come”.
Proctor has indeed been on fire since returning this season after an extended period away from the sport and went home with a brace of medals after winning Road Bike Gold and The Shropshire Road Bike 10 Mile Championship Trophy with an adjusted 21:55; and backing that up with Veteran’s Bronze in +4:09. That Road Bike performance lifted him into the lead of the Friction Road Bike Series, usurping Andrew Dawson by a narrow five points. He had to battle for the prizes on offer however as the heat took it’s toll: “Yet another ‘now’ typically roasting British summer’s evening greeted us at race HQ, ready for another venture into the hair dryer environment of the A483! Whilst the outward leg felt fast and fun, it was definitely a case of the dryer setting being turned up to max on the return leg. The wind coming around the Buttington roundabout was felt immediately, and resulted in a minor battle of attrition all the way to the finish line, which couldn’t come soon enough! Excellent encouragement from the marshals and a number of keen spectators on the road too certainly helped; thanks as ever to everyone for stepping up and making it all happen“.
This was Griffiths’ first appearance of the season in the Friction Series, and he went home with the overall Silver medal after crossing the line in 21:02, 26 seconds ahead of Jonathan Whittaker. A busy doctor, Griffiths conveniently didn’t have far to travel and was pleased that his partner Ella Hamilton picked up Female Silver in 25:25: “I was very pleased with the time trial, taking place conveniently next to my place of work at Four Crosses Medical Centre. This was my first race on the time trial bike this year, so I was happy with second. Tough conditions with the heat, but I availed of a colleague’s tights filled with ice which worked well! I was also pleased that my partner Ella came second, making it a ‘his and hers’ top two steps of the podium, with excellent rides from Tomos and Hayley taking the win”.
Jonathan Whittaker had some great motivation to get a move on as he had Hales as his minute man to focus his attention, which was all about not getting caught. He just failed to do that although by the narrowest of margins as Hales made a late catch to cross the line just one second ahead on the road as Whittaker registered 21:28 to take overall Bronze. He was, however, happy with his effort, stating: “Having raced the 25 Championship and having a bad race with my power meter disconnecting on the start line I was keen to rectify my performance. It was another hot evening and with the wind conditions; and my plan became trying to bank as much speed as possible on the out leg and try to minimise losses on the return leg – all while being chased by Tomos Hales as my minute man which added a bit more motivation! Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough to hold him off, but I’m happy to have come away with third place at a County Championship event”.
Whittaker-Hales wasn’t the only tight battle of the evening as there was a close call for Team honours, with the Paramount CRT trio of Rob McGregor, Mitchell Fletcher and Joh Goh taking Gold in a combined 1:07:44, just 59 seconds ahead of Dave Scott Coaching and 68 seconds in front of Oswestry Paragon. McGregor was 5th overall in 21:57, his fastest 10 of the year, and was pleased with the team effort, commenting: “It was great to ride the D10/8 course again as it can be fast in the right conditions. A headwind return isn’t my favourite way to finish, but I paced it well to go under 22 minutes for the first time this year. I’m really happy to win the Team Gold with Jon and Mitchell, they both did superb rides in the hot and humid conditions; thanks to Oswestry Paragon and Helen for running the event and providing excellent cake”.
Fletcher was stepping into unknown territory, but posted a solid 22:37 and did his homework pre-event, which is always an advantage: “For my first SCCA Championship event, I feel the event went very well. It was a new course for me, but tips from my fellow Paramount team mates helped me pace correctly and set the best time I could. The first half to the turn point was crucial for me, putting down as much power as I could, putting seconds in the bank knowing my return up the hills would be tougher as it’s not my strong point. Thankfully I managed to keep the momentum going on the return, ultimately setting a 10 mile personal best. For me that’s a big result, and a clear reflection of improvement throughout the season, which coupled with Team Gold really topped off a lovely evening. I look forward to more SCCA Championship races in the future, and hopefully bring some more silverware home”.
Goh also went home with a brace of medals after taking the runner-up spot in the Road Bike 10 Championship with an adjusted 22:43, 26 seconds ahead of Richard Simpson. Organiser Helen Tudor had thoughtfully provided ice at the start to help overheating riders, although the leafy cover alongside the A483 also seems to have helped, as Goh commented: “The shade on the course and the ice from Helen meant it wasn’t too hot. I felt like I paced it sensibly and was happy with my time; it was nice to contribute to the team prize. Kudos to Stuart Proctor on the road bike win – he’s going really well! Hopefully I’ll be able to give this course another go in the future”.
Race Organiser Tudor also got in amongst the medals, taking Female Bronze with 27:22, 1:17 ahead of the welcome return of Jenny York in her first Open for a few years. Tudor was pleased with her race, stating: “Another hot night, although not as bad as the Championship 25. I’ve been struggling this year, but finally making small steps in the right direction. Hayley is having a fantastic season; and good to see a personal best for my team mate Ella. It’s never easy to ride and organise, but thanks to everyone from Oswestry Paragon who helped out”.
Simpson meanwhile has been on a voyage of discovery in 2026, experiencing the rich course selection available locally. Thankfully he was able to put some knowledge of the Championship 25 course which comes the opposite way and uses the same stretch of the A483 to good use, as going in blind is sometimes sub-optimal. Like Riley, he had raced the previous evening, and this appears to have affected his performance: “Yet another course I hadn’t ridden before, but I wasn’t going into it completely blind this time having ridden it as incorporated into the Championship 25 route. I felt really good on the evening, conditions were great and, whilst I’m delighted to have done enough to secure Road Bike Bronze I was a little disappointed with my time and felt I should have been able to do better. Maybe I still had some of the previous evening’s North Shropshire Wheelers 25 in my legs, who knows? Congratulations to Stuart and Jon for fabulous Road Bike rides to take Gold and Silver though. I loved the event, such a great atmosphere, so thanks to all at Oswestry Paragon”.
Proctor isn’t the only rider on the comeback trail with Hafren CC’s Bryn Davies coming back to form and capturing Veterans Gold ahead of John Westhead. Davies recorded a fine +4:25 to take Gold and capture The Veteran’s 10 Mile Trophy on roads he knows well, commenting: “A good night’s racing; I was pleased with the result. I’ve not raced a lot this season, happy with the time considering. It was a good well organised event, thanks to all involved”.
Westhead meanwhile was delighted with only his second medal in any competition thanks to his +4:12, just pushing Proctor out by three seconds – and it’s been a long wait for this one, and he revealed: “I was very pleased with my Veterans Silver medal as I’ve only previously won a Bronze medal in a County championship race, and that was a schoolboy event in 1973! I can’t afford to wait that long for the next one”!
There was the welcome sight of two Juniors in competition, with Jon Goh’s up and coming son Taliesin taking Gold and The Alan Roberts Junior Trophy with a fine 26:44 in a new personal best time for the 14 year old. He stated: “It was a fun and simple race, the marshals were really helpful and I got a new 10 mile personal best”.
Taking Junior Silver was another young rider with a promising future ahead of her as Flo Parkinson recorded 31:18 as she made her debut in the Friction Hydraulics Series. This has been a target event for the 13 year old, as she explained: “I have been focussing on the 10 mile distance over the last few months leading up to the County Championships, and gaining confidence with each trial, learning how hard to push on the undulating gradients to maintain a good average speed overall. The course was stunning, set against the backdrop of Rodney’s Pillar, and whilst it was a super hot evening, the course was fast, and with just enough breeze to keep cool to put in a good time. I am thrilled to take the Silver medal and will wear it with pride until next year”!
SCCA:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Points |
| 1 | Tomos | Hales | Aerologic RT | S | TT | 20:27 | 60 |
| 2 | David | Griffiths | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | TT | 21:02 | 55 |
| 3 | Jonathan | Whittaker | SCCA Private Member | S | TT | 21:28 | 50 |
| 4 | Jack | Young | Dave Scott Coaching | S | TT | 21:39 | 45 |
| 5 | Robert | McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | TT | 21:57 | 40 |
| 6 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | TT | 22:32 | 35 |
| =7 | Hayley | Wells | Aerologic RT | F | TT | 22:37 | 30 |
| =7 | Mitchell | Fletcher | Paramount CRT | S | TT | 22:37 | 30 |
| 9 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 23:10 | 20 |
| =10 | Stuart | Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | RB | 23:31 | 15 |
| =10 | Rob | Kerr | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | TT | 23:31 | 15 |
| 12 | Peter | Fletcher | Dave Scott Coaching | V | TT | 23:33 | 5 |
| 13 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 23:55 | 5 |
| 14 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 24:13 | 5 |
| 15 | Adam | Riley | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | RB | 24:19 | 5 |
| 16 | Robert | Garbett | SCCA Private Member | V | TT | 24:41 | 5 |
| 17 | Richard | Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | RB | 24:53 | 5 |
| 18 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 25:06 | 5 |
| 19 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 25:22 | 5 |
| 20 | Ella | Hamilton | Oswestry Paragon CC | F | TT | 25:25 | 5 |
| 21 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 26:01 | 5 |
| 22 | Taliesin | Goh | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | RB | 26:44 | 5 |
| =23 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 27:22 | 5 |
| =23 | Colin | Wells | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 27:22 | 5 |
| 25 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 28:24 | 5 |
| 26 | Mark | Parkinson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | RB | 28:34 | 5 |
| 27 | Jenny | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 28:39 | 5 |
| 28 | Florence | Parkinson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FJ | RB | 31:18 | 5 |
| . | Dylan | Walton | Hafren CC | S | TT | DNS | . |
| . | Phil | Guy | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | DNS | . |
| . | Paul | Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | RB | DNS | . |
| . | Evie | Fletcher | Paramount CRT | F | TT | DNS | . |
Team Gold:
Paramount CRT (Rob McGregor / Mitchell Fletcher / Jon Goh) 1:07:44
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | TT | +4:25 | 60 |
| 2 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +4:12 | 55 |
| 3 | Stuart | Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | RB | +4:09 | 50 |
| 4 | Robert | Garbett | SCCA Private Member | V | TT | +3:43 | 45 |
| 5 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +3:37 | 40 |
| 6 | Peter | Fletcher | Dave Scott Coaching | V | TT | +3:30 | 35 |
| 7 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +3:21 | 30 |
| 8 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +3:19 | 25 |
| 9 | Jenny | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | +3:07 | 20 |
| =10 | Rob | Kerr | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | TT | +2:55 | 15 |
| =10 | Richard | Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | RB | +2:55 | 15 |
| 12 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +2:34 | 5 |
| 13 | Adam | Riley | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | RB | +2:32 | 5 |
| 14 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +2:13 | 5 |
| 15 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | +2:00 | 5 |
| 16 | Colin | Wells | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +1:33 | 5 |
| 17 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | -1:49 | 5 |
| 18 | Mark | Parkinson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | RB | -1:54 | 5 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Hayley | Wells | Aerologic RT | F | TT | 22:37 | 60 |
| 2 | Ella | Hamilton | Oswestry Paragon CC | F | TT | 25:25 | 55 |
| 3 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 27:22 | 50 |
| 4 | Jenny | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 28:39 | 45 |
| 5 | Florence | Parkinson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FJ | RB | 31:18 | 40 |
| . | Evie | Fletcher | Paramount CRT | F | TT | DNS | . |
Road Bikes (on handicap):
| RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Stuart | Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | RB | 21:55 | 60 |
| 2 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 22:43 | 55 |
| 3 | Richard | Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | RB | 23:09 | 50 |
| 4 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 23:30 | 45 |
| 5 | Adam | Riley | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | RB | 23:32 | 40 |
| 6 | Taliesin | Goh | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | RB | 26:44 | 35 |
| 7 | Mark | Parkinson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | RB | 27:58 | 30 |
| 8 | Florence | Parkinson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FJ | RB | 28:21 | 25 |
Juniors:
| Junior Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Taliesin | Goh | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | RB | 26:44 | 60 |
| 2 | Florence | Parkinson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FJ | RB | 31:18 | 55 |
Top Club Award:
| Pos’n | Club | Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 270 |
| =2 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 215 |
| =2 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 215 |
| 4 | Dave Scott Coaching | 140 |
| 5 | Aerologic RT | 120 |
| 6 | Hafren CC | 60 |
| 7 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 55 |
| 8 | Wrekinsport CC | 5 |
Cumulative Standing after fourteen rounds
Overall
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Aerologic RT | F | 530 |
| 2 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 480 |
| 3 | Tomos Hales | Aerologic RT | S | 475 |
| 4 | Robert McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 445 |
| 5 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 250 |
| =6 | Oli Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 230 |
| =6 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 230 |
| 8 | Stuart Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | 225 |
| 9 | Paul Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | 205 |
| =10 | Kirk Vickers | Holohan Coaching Race Team | S | 180 |
| =10 | Phil Collins | Aerologic RT | V | 180 |
Veterans
| Vets Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | 700 |
| 2 | Stuart Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | 485 |
| 3 | John Westhead | Paramount CRT | 370 |
| 4 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | 310 |
| 4 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | 310 |
| 6 | Paul Duncan | Paramount CRT | 295 |
| 6 | Philip Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 295 |
| 8 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | 270 |
| 9 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 215 |
| 10 | Phil Collins | Aerologic RT | 190 |
Females
| Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Aerologic RT | 750 |
| 2 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | 325 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 310 |
| 4 | Kathryn Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | 270 |
| 5 | Elaine Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | 225 |
| 6 | Gill Snelson | Paramount CRT | 140 |
| 7 | Evie Fletcher | Paramount CRT | 130 |
| 8 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | 100 |
| 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 | Stuart Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | 530 |
| 2 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | 525 |
| 3 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 485 |
| 4 | Paul Duncan | Paramount CRT | V | 350 |
| 5 | Richard Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 245 |
| 6 | David Scott | Dave Scott Coaching | S | 155 |
| 7 | William Preston | Paramount CRT | S | 125 |
| 8 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | FV | 105 |
| =9 | George Coombes | Aerologic RT | S | 100 |
| =9 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 100 |
| =9 | Matthew Price | Wrekinsport CC | V | 100 |
Juniors
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Taliesin Goh | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 120 |
| 2 | Florence Parkinson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 55 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 4770 |
| 2 | Aerologic RT | 1955 |
| 3 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 1455 |
| 4 | Dave Scott Coaching | 1075 |
| 5 | Wrekinsport CC | 710 |
| 6 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 655 |
| 7 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 535 |
| 8 | Hafren CC | 410 |
| 9 | Holohan Coaching Race Team | 275 |
| 10 | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | 230 |
| 11 | Ludlow CC | 195 |
| 12 | Market Drayton Cycling Club | 60 |
| 13 | Propel Cycling Club | 30 |
| 14 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 20 |