The wettest month since 1836 in some parts of the country; and certainly the wettest September since 1918 according to the Met Office meant torrential rain seemed almost obligatory to affect the tail end of the cycling season as Shropshire Cycling Clubs Association ran their second Autumn 10 using The Tiddly Triangle. The penultimate Round 14 of the SB Sports Injuries Series at least didn’t suffer the windy conditions of the previous week, although as the race was in progress the weather turned, ensuring all ended up with a drenching.
The Top three were split by just three seconds in a tight contest for honours, with the solitary second splitting the winner from the runner-up decisive in the medals as Jonathan Mills-Keeling could no longer potentially catch Tomos Hales after Hales’ Wrekinsport team mate Adam Mumford took the win in 22 minutes 53 seconds, depriving Mills-Keeling of a vital two points to stay in the hunt for Gold and take the contest down to the wire. Mumford was delighted with his win, but had particular praise for the helpers who bore the brunt of conditions: “I got around with normal rain, but the properly heavy rain started as I crossed the finish. I paced it reasonably well, other than going a bit hard up to the Hodnet roundabout. Big thanks to all the marshals for standing out there and enduring the conditions with us, we really are blessed to have so many fantastic people volunteering their time in all weathers”.
Mills-Keeling took Overall Silver to add to his SB Veterans Gold – and the miserable weather seems to have been decisive for a rider who has expressed a dislike for sopping wet conditions in previous races: “A tough race on Tiddly made worse with traffic and wet roads. Well done to Adam for taking the win.”
The female race turned out to be an intriguing one with rising Junior Carys Blowers not only taking the Female win with a solid 22:56 – she also finished third Overall, and just four seconds from victory. This outstanding performance pushed out Deb Hutson-Lumb, who was a strong 4th Overall in 23:34 and Veterans winner with +6:17 in a superb day for Females in spite of the downpour. Blowers was happy with her performance, stating: “I really enjoyed racing on this course and was pleased with my time”; whilst Hutson-Lumb counted herself fortunate that an early start meant she missed the worst of it, commenting: “More favourable conditions to start with than the previous week, with a tail wind on the second leg making the lumps and drags feel easy. I just got past the finish before the rain started. Pleased to take a good chunk off my Autumn 1 time; thanks to all especially those out on the course caught by the torrential rain”.
Mills-Keeling wasn’t the only rider to capture a medal on the day as Helen Tudor took Female Silver with 26:22, leaving eight medals to be settled in the final round. Tudor stated: “My final SCCA time trial of the year. I rode it much better than Autumn 1; the thunderstorm at the end was an unpleasant addition. Thanks to Ellerdine Village Hall and SB Sports Injuries for supporting us; and well done to Hayley and Deb for producing some strong rides this season”.
Andrew Coombes made an immediate impact in the SB Road Bike Series on his first appearance, taking the win ahead of Series winner Ashley Kirkham with an adjusted 26:51. Coombes’ thoughts however were more for the helpers stuck out in the foul weather rather than his victory: “I have to give heart felt thanks to the organisers and particularly the marshals out on the course. Without their dedication and enthusiasm these events would not take place. I can only hope that none of the marshals were washed away”!
Full:
| Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
| 1 | Adam Mumford | Wrekinsport CC | S | 22:53 | 20 |
| 2 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 22:54 | 18 |
| 3 | Carys Blowers | Liv Halo CC | WJ | 22:56 | . |
| 4 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 23:34 | 16 |
| 5 | Ian Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | 24:39 | 14 |
| 6 | Allan Henderson | Wrekinsport CC | V | 25:14 | 12 |
| 7 | Simon Price | Ruthin Cycling Club / Clwb Seiclo Rhuthun | V | 25:55 | . |
| 8 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 26:22 | 10 |
| 9 | Dave Drew | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 26:31 | 8 |
| 10 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 27:59 | 6 |
| 11 | Andrew Coombes | SCCA 1st Claim | V | 28:14 | 4 |
| 12 | Jan Kardasz | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham Cycling Club | V | 28:48 | . |
| 13 | Tanya Samuels | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham Cycling Club | FV | 29:48 | . |
| 14 | Bob Elliott | Wrekinsport CC | V | 31:59 | 2 |
| 15 | Matt Muir | Propel CC | V | 32:59 | 2 |
| 16 | Stan Elmitt | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham Cycling Club | V | DNF | . |
| . | Richard Nickless | SCCA 1st Claim | V | DNS | . |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | +6:17 | 20 |
| 2 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | +4:03 | 18 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | +2:58 | 16 |
| 4 | Dave Drew | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | +2:56 | 14 |
| 5 | Ian Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | +2:38 | 12 |
| 6 | Simon Price | Ruthin Cycling Club / Clwb Seiclo Rhuthun | V | +2:18 | . |
| 7 | Allan Henderson | Wrekinsport CC | V | +0:56 | 10 |
| 8 | Tanya Samuels | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham Cycling Club | FV | +0:03 | . |
| 9 | Jan Kardasz | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham Cycling Club | V | -0:16 | . |
| 10 | Andrew Coombes | SCCA 1st Claim | V | -0:43 | 8 |
| 11 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | -1:28 | 6 |
| 12 | Bob Elliott | Wrekinsport CC | V | -1:40 | 4 |
| 13 | Matt Muir | Propel CC | V | -6:23 | 2 |
Females:
| Females Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Carys Blowers | Liv Halo CC | WJ | 22:56 | . |
| 2 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 23:34 | 20 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 26:22 | 18 |
| 4 | Tanya Samuels | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham Cycling Club | FV | 29:48 | . |
Road Bikes:
| Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Andrew Coombes | SCCA 1st Claim | V | 26:51 | 20 |
| 2 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 27:36 | 18 |
| 3 | Matt Muir | Propel CC | V | 32:31 | 16 |
Juniors:
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Carys Blowers | Liv Halo CC | WJ | 22:56 | . |
Cumulative Standings after fourteen rounds
Overall
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 220 |
| 2 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 212 |
| =3 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 108 |
| =3 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 108 |
| 5 | Dean Callister | Aerologic RT | S | 60 |
| 6 | Mark Hill | Hafren CC | V | 46 |
| 7 | Oil Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 44 |
| 8 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 40 |
| =9 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 38 |
| =9 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 38 |
Veterans:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 238 |
| 2 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 136 |
| 3 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 82 |
| 4 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 80 |
| 5 | Mark Hill | Hafren CC | V | 76 |
| 6 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 74 |
| 7 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | FV | 54 |
| 8 | Ian Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | 44 |
| 9 | Rob Kennard | Aerologic RT | V | 44 |
| 10 | Rob Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | 42 |
Females:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 206 |
| 2 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 126 |
| 3 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | FV | 88 |
| 4 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 80 |
| 5 | Jess Bufton | Hafren CC | FJ | 26 |
| 6 | Karen Proctor | Hafren CC | FV | 16 |
| 7 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | F | 14 |
Road Bikes:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 122 |
| 2 | Matt Muir | Propel CC | V | 78 |
| 3 | Mark Fenn | SCCA 1st Claim Member | V | 60 |
| 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 | Andrew Coombes | SCCA 1st Claim | 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 | Jess Bufton | Hafren CC | FJ | 40 |
| 3 | Ben Bramford-Hale | Newport Shropshire CC | J | 20 |