Just as he had done in the Friction Hydraulics Series; reigning SB Sports Injuries Series Champions Tomos Hales recaptured the Series title at the death, to overhaul a long-time Series leader thanks to a clear win in the 15th and final Round, the SCCA’s 3rd Autumn 10. Held on Hales’ favourite local short distance course between Waters Upton and Hodnet, Hales took the SB Series title for a magnificent fifth year in a row in a superb time of 20 minutes 45 seconds to displace Chris Riley into the Silver medal position. The issues of the previous week were forgotten as Hales had tinkered with the setup of his new time trial bike to make it fit him perfectly, knocking 46 seconds off his Round 14 time.
Hales pushed Simon Romei, the rider who has beaten him by a single second, into the runner-up spot on the day by 35 seconds, showing the clear difference optimal set up makes. He stated: “I managed a few upgrades on the new bike, and on my favourite course in the County it worked well. I was happy to get into the 20’s, and it sets up next season very well. Well done to Chris, who has had a long and very tough season! It’s a great Series, takes you to all parts of the County, and has some of the best courses. Thanks to all that are involved and all the clubs that put on an event”.
This was only Romei’s third and final appearance in the 2026 SB Series, not only taking overall runner-up in 21:20, but taking the Veterans win on the day with +5:15. The Paramount rider enjoyed his afternoon out, making the most of un-seasonal balmy conditions for a last blast, commenting: “I was really pleased to have secured runner up and vets win in the final round, it was almost near-perfect conditions with the weather. I knew it was going to be a quick day on the out and back course, so went out super hard hoping for a bit of a tail wind on the return leg. Big shout out to Propel for organising a great race, along with all the timekeepers and marshals who did a fantastic job”.
Romei pushed Hafren CC’s Bryn Davies into third spot overall in 22:26, 27 seconds ahead of Mitchell Fletcher; and into runner-up spot in the Veterans competition with +4:31, 26 seconds ahead of team mate Mark Hill, with a strong end to his season. He stated: “I enjoyed the last race of the season, a lovely day and a great turnout – the perfect way to end the season! I was pleased with the result; I probably could have gone a bit harder but was out just to enjoy it for the final one. Thanks to everyone for a great season across all SCCA events, hope to catch up with everyone at the presentation before doing it all again next year”.
Riley was philosophical about the charge of Hales for the SB Series title, something he has had a tight grip on. Riley led the Series for 11 of its 15 rounds, only ever swapping with Hales, but after a very full season for the Paramount rider it appeared just a step too far as he finished 10th on the day in 23:44. He commented: “Beaten over the final twenty minutes of the SB Series into Silver medal position. But it’s an honour to even be on the podium with the County’s top rider. Well done Tomos, and an excellent set of results from Bronze medallist Mitchell Fletcher too. It’s been a brilliant SB Series this year, with good weather, and the friendly nature of these races making them so appealing. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed them all. Thank you to everyone who is involved in promoting and running these lovely events”.
Another Hafren CC member took the SB Female win, and the final medal in that competition on the strength of her ride as Jan Davies stopped the watch on 26:27, 18 seconds ahead of Evie Fletcher. That saw her leapfrog Helen Tudor by the minimum possible margin of two points to take Female Bronze at the last gasp. She commented: “The final time trial outing of the year for me, so I was very happy with my result. The Spring and Autumn events are always among my favourites of the year: they’re consistently well organised, have a brilliant atmosphere, and the turnout for the final three events has been fantastic. A huge thank you to all the marshals and timekeepers who give up their time to make these events happen; and, of course, the post-ride cake is always a definite highlight. I managed to sneak a Bronze medal this time, which was a great result in what was excellent competition. Congratulations to all the medal winners, and well done to everyone who took part and gave it their all. Thanks again to everyone involved in making the SCCA SB Series such a great set of events, I’m already looking forward to next season”.
Riley had long had the SB Veterans Championship sealed, winning it by Round 11, just the destinations of the Silver and Bronze were only settled at the close as John Westhead took the Silver for the second year in a row; and Richard Simpson the Bronze. Like Riley, Westhead was philosophical about the colour of the medal he won despite a 4-1 advantage in his straight head-to-heads with Simpson: “I was pleased to get Veterans Silver again in the SB Series, though had Richard ridden the Autumn 10’s, I would have had to settle for Bronze. I had a short run of form in the middle of summer, where a couple of wins kept me near enough to stay in contention, so I was particularly pleased with those”.
Simpson revealed the reason for his absence at the last four events in a season – a knee injury, and seemed happy to have won a medal at all: “Very pleased to have managed to hang onto Bronze in the SB Veterans competition, I’ve had a really enjoyable year’s racing but one that didn’t end quite as I’d planned. After holding Silver position into August, and then not being able to ride Round 12 due to a clash with the North Shropshire Wheelers Club Championship 10, I was not able to contest any of the Autumn events due to a bad knee injury I picked up at the beginning of September, I’m delighted with the final outcome, and there’s always next year to look forward to! Well done to John and Chris who have both had great seasons”.
In the SB Road Bike competition Allan Henderson won his second Autumn 10 event much to his surprise, finishing in an adjusted 25:22 in this handicap contest. A strong Silver medallist in Wrekinsport’s club Road Bike Series, he has belatedly stepped up to County level races with some aplomb: “Surprised again to win, but I just got my head down on the flattish out and back course, and was feeling pretty good and getting faster over the two previous rounds. These were the best conditions out of the final three rounds, and I knew I’d be in with a shout with no real wind to contend with. Really happy, and a nice finish to the season for me – thanks Propel CC for putting it on”.
With Simpson having already won SB Road Bike Gold the final two medals were grabbed by Aerologic’s George Coombes, and Wrekinsport’s Ashley Kirham, who tied on points, meaning count back rules had to be invoked to decide who won what. Coombes took the Silver, and explained that mechanical issues saw him take advantage of the format: “Due to a terminal issue with my time trial bike I had a go at a few road bike time trials this year to still support the Series. I felt very good at times, less so in others, but was very pleased to pick up a podium and a few wins along the way with my new team Aerologic – I’m looking forward to going again next year”. Kirkham has plugged away this season and simply added: “Glad to have something to show for a busy season – thanks to all the clubs and volunteers”.
In the SB Junior competition Paramount’s Taliesin Goh took the win in 27:08, which was enough to set up an unusual triple tie at the head of the standings, again split by SCCA count back rules. Goh helped himself to Bronze, with Ben Bramford-Hale taking Gold for the second year in a row, and Jude White taking Silver. Goh stated: “Thanks to the marshals, the courses were good and so was the cake. I wasn’t expecting to win a medal, so that’s a bonus”.
Neither Bramford-Hale or White were at the final round, but when told of winning Gold the Newport CC rider stated: “Really pleased to win the SB Junior Series for the second year in a row. It’s been another great season of racing, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the progress I’ve made over the year. Massive thanks again to everyone involved in putting on the events and supporting the riders”. White added: “After not doing many rounds due to clashes and other commitments, winning a medal was very unexpected. I am super happy to take the Silver in the SB Junior Series, thank you as always to the volunteers and marshals that give up their time to make these events happen. Maybe go for Gold next year”.
Full:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Points |
| 1 | Tomos | Hales | Aerologic RT | S | TT | 20:45 | 20 |
| 2 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 21:20 | 18 |
| 3 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | TT | 22:26 | 16 |
| 4 | Mitchell | Fletcher | Paramount CRT | S | TT | 22:53 | 14 |
| 5 | Mark | Spruce | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | TT | 23:19 | . |
| 6 | Rob | Kerr | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | TT | 23:23 | 12 |
| 7 | Mark | Hill | Hafren CC | V | TT | 23:27 | 10 |
| 8 | Josh | Hughes | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham CC | S | TT | 23:28 | . |
| 9 | Stuart | Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | TT | 23:43 | 8 |
| 10 | Chris | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 23:44 | 6 |
| 11 | Clive | West | Chester RC | V | TT | 23:48 | . |
| 12 | Karl | Lombardi | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | TT | 24:00 | 4 |
| 13 | Nathan | Whitehall | Congleton CC My Windsock | V | TT | 24:03 | . |
| 14 | Stan | Elmitt | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham CC | V | TT | 24:18 | . |
| 15 | Paul | Coupe | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 25:01 | 2 |
| 16 | Allan | Henderson | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 25:30 | 2 |
| 17 | Craig | Harding | Hafren CC | V | TT | 25:38 | 2 |
| 18 | Will | Kerry | Lancashire RC | S | RB | 25:42 | . |
| 19 | Jan | Davies | Hafren CC | FV | TT | 26:27 | 2 |
| 20 | Evie | Fletcher | Paramount CRT | F | TT | 26:45 | 2 |
| 21 | Chris | Dunn | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 26:56 | 2 |
| 22 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 27:01 | 2 |
| 23 | Taliesin | Goh | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | RB | 27:08 | 2 |
| 24 | Chris | Marrs | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 27:26 | 2 |
| 25 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 27:29 | 2 |
| 26 | Tanya | Samuels | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham CC | FV | TT | 28:46 | . |
| 27 | Robin | Shedden | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 30:18 | 2 |
| 28 | Matt | Muir | Propel CC | V | RB | 32:03 | 2 |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Vet Std | Vets Points |
| 1 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +5:15 | 20 |
| 2 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | TT | +4:31 | 18 |
| 3 | Mark | Hill | Hafren CC | V | TT | +4:05 | 16 |
| 4 | Mark | Spruce | Wolverhampton Wheelers CC | V | TT | +3:58 | . |
| 5 | Stuart | Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | TT | +3:57 | 14 |
| 6 | Clive | West | Chester RC | V | TT | +3:52 | . |
| 7 | Chris | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +3:48 | 12 |
| 8 | Stan | Elmitt | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham CC | V | TT | +3:38 | . |
| 9 | Rob | Kerr | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | TT | +3:03 | 10 |
| 10 | Nathan | Whitehall | Congleton CC My Windsock | V | TT | +3:00 | . |
| 11 | Paul | Coupe | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | +2:47 | 8 |
| 12 | Karl | Lombardi | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | TT | +2:46 | 6 |
| 13 | Jan | Davies | Hafren CC | FV | TT | +2:33 | 4 |
| 14 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | +2:21 | 2 |
| 15 | Craig | Harding | Hafren CC | V | TT | +1:32 | 2 |
| 16 | Chris | Marrs | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +1:18 | 2 |
| 17 | Tanya | Samuels | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham CC | FV | TT | +1:10 | . |
| 18 | Allan | Henderson | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | +0:42 | 2 |
| 19 | Chris | Dunn | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | -0:21 | 2 |
| 20 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | -0:49 | 2 |
| 21 | Robin | Shedden | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | -1:34 | 2 |
| 22 | Matt | Muir | Propel CC | V | RB | -5:23 | 2 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Jan | Davies | Hafren CC | FV | TT | 26:27 | 20 |
| 2 | Evie | Fletcher | Paramount CRT | F | TT | 26:45 | 18 |
| 3 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 27:01 | 16 |
| 4 | Tanya | Samuels | Fibrax Fenwicks Wrexham CC | FV | TT | 28:46 | . |
Road Bikes (on handicap):
| RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Allan | Henderson | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 25:22 | 20 |
| 2 | Will | Kerry | Lancashire RC | S | RB | 25:42 | . |
| 3 | Chris | Dunn | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 26:25 | 18 |
| 4 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 26:53 | 16 |
| 5 | Taliesin | Goh | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | RB | 27:08 | 14 |
| 6 | Matt | Muir | Propel CC | V | RB | 31:27 | 12 |
Juniors:
| Junior Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Taliesin | Goh | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | RB | 27:08 | 20 |
Final Cumulative Standings after fifteen rounds
Overall
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Tomos Hales | Aerologic RT | S | 210 |
| 2 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 192 |
| 3 | Mitchell Fletcher | Paramount CRT | S | 180 |
| 4 | Richard Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 98 |
| 5 | Hayley Wells | Aerologic RT | F | 86 |
| 6 | Mark Hill | Hafren CC | V | 66 |
| 7 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 58 |
| =8 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 52 |
| =8 | John Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | 52 |
| 10 | George Coombes | Aerologic RT | S | 50 |
| =11 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 32 |
| =11 | Ben Wood | Wrekinsport CC | V | 32 |
| =13 | Evie Fletcher | Paramount CRT | F | 30 |
| =13 | Jamie Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 30 |
| 15 | Adam Mumford | Wrekinsport CC | S | 28 |
| 16 | Les Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 26 |
| =17 | Dean Callister | Aerologic RT | S | 24 |
| =17 | Rob Kerr | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 24 |
| =19 | Matt Muir | Propel CC | V | 22 |
| =19 | Oli Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 22 |
Veterans:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 244 |
| 2 | John Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | 140 |
| 3 | Richard Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 124 |
| 4 | Mark Hill | Hafren CC | V | 102 |
| 5 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 60 |
| 6 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 56 |
| 7 | Paul Coupe | Wrekinsport CC | V | 46 |
| 8 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 44 |
| 9 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | FV | 42 |
| 10 | Ben Wood | Wrekinsport CC | V | 38 |
| 11 | Jamie Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 36 |
| =12 | Chris Halford | Wrekinsport CC | V | 32 |
| =12 | David Wilson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 32 |
| =14 | Kathryn Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | 30 |
| =14 | Stuart Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | 30 |
| =16 | Les Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 28 |
| =16 | Matt Muir | Propel CC | V | 28 |
| 18 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 26 |
| 19 | Rich Smith | Wrekinsport CC | V | 24 |
| =20 | Ian Lister | Bridgnorth CC | V | 20 |
| =20 | Rob Kennard | Aerologic RT | V | 20 |
Females:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Evie Fletcher | Paramount CRT | F | 168 |
| 2 | Hayley Wells | Aerologic RT | F | 126 |
| 3 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | FV | 112 |
| 4 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | 110 |
| 5 | Kathryn Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | 44 |
| 6 | Ellie Langley | North Shropshire Wheelers | F | 24 |
| 7 | Elaine Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | 22 |
| 8 | Rebecca Woodvine | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | F | 20 |
| =9 | Emma Horne | Wrekinsport CC | FV | 18 |
| =9 | Hayley Brain | Bridgnorth CC | F | 18 |
| =11 | Charlotte Hunt | Bridgnorth CC | FV | 16 |
| =11 | Helen Pritchard | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FV | 16 |
| =13 | Alison Fryer-Jones | Paramount CRT | FV | 14 |
| =13 | Georgia Lloyd | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FJ | 14 |
Road Bikes:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Richard Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 160 |
| 2 | George Coombes | Aerologic RT | S | 90 |
| 3 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 90 |
| 4 | Matt Muir | Propel CC | V | 80 |
| 5 | Allan Henderson | Wrekinsport CC | V | 76 |
| 6 | Chris Dunn | Wrekinsport CC | V | 62 |
| 7 | Rich Smith | Wrekinsport CC | V | 42 |
| 8 | Colin Wells | Paramount CRT | V | 30 |
| =9 | James Neale | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 24 |
| =9 | Tim Mayo | Propel CC | V | 24 |
| =11 | Adam Riley | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | 20 |
| =11 | Ben Bramford-Hale | Newport Shropshire CC | J | 20 |
| =11 | Ian Lister | Bridgnorth CC | V | 20 |
| =11 | Rebecca Woodvine | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | F | 20 |
| =15 | Chris Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 18 |
| =15 | Franco Della Mura | Wrekinsport CC | V | 18 |
| =15 | Les Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 18 |
| =15 | Sean Morris | Ludlow CC | V | 18 |
| =15 | Stuart Proctor | Dave Scott Coaching | V | 18 |
| =15 | Tom Herbert | Bridgnorth CC | S | 18 |
- George Coombes wins Silver on first count back rule
Juniors:
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Ben Bramford-Hale | Newport Shropshire CC | J | 20 |
| 2 | Jude White | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 20 |
| 3 | Taliesin Goh | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 20 |
| 4 | Tom Lloyd | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 18 |
| 5 | Georgia Lloyd | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | FJ | 16 |
| 6 | Iwan Bennett-Wilson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 14 |
| 7 | Alexander Richardson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 12 |
- Medal positions split on third count back rule