Just six seconds separated Gold from Silver in a hotly contested Shropshire Championship 25 presented by North Shropshire Wheelers, the 16th and final round of the Friction Hydraulics Series. Twice cancelled due to unexpected traffic lights on the Berriew course; the Championship was instead transferred to the popular D25/23T Tern Hill – Shawbirch course, and saw many great performances on a fine morning – as well as settling three final outstanding medals in the Friction Hydraulics Series. Taking the win and retaining The Freeston Trophy was Aerologic’s Dean Callister with a fabulous effort of 52 minutes 34 seconds to edge out Wrekinsport’s Tomos Hales, who crossed the line in 52:40.
Callister led Aerologic to Team Gold too with great back-up from Mark Pritchard and Jonathan Mills-Keeling posting a combined 2:43:10 to push Paramount out by 1:20. He was not feeling at his best however thanks to taking up a cycling discipline new to him, as he explained: “Really pleased to of retained my title and take Gold. I didn’t think I was going to as my legs were not feeling good after starting cyclo-cross; but I pushed as hard as I could despite some traffic hold ups also. Great rides by the whole team to take Team Gold also; thanks for all involved in the event”.
Callister wasn’t the only rider to encounter traffic, but thankfully that didn’t affect Pritchard sufficiently to stymie his winning ride. He stated: “Happy with the Team prize, I had a descent ride and hit a 25 mile power personal best. I got a little held up towards the Hodnet island on the return, but managed to push a bit after – thanks to the organisers for a great event with plenty of riders”. Mills-Keeling added: “Delighted to take the Team 25 Gold, a real team effort – well done to Mark and Dean; and thanks to everyone for putting on all the Series”.
Later starters among the 94-strong entry seemed to get the worse of increasing traffic building up due to terrific weather as the morning unwound, with Hales also caught up at times. However Callister has won all three straight head-to-heads in the Friction Series this year so Hales had no complaints, even if he was left agonising a little by the closest winning margin of the three, all over the 25 mile distance, with Round 6’s margin of 1:04 and Round 13’s of 21 seconds seeing Hales getting closer each time. He commented: “A great turn out for the last Friction time trial of the year. This however did put me in a busy period of traffic which I think most the later starts got. I really felt good in the last five miles and pushed hard, but it wasn’t enough for Gold or the win. Well done to Dean for Gold; and thanks North Shropshire Wheelers for hosting a very well run event. Good to be back on that 25 Mile course after a year’s absence”.
Simon Romei not only had interest in 25 Championship medals too, but also a vital head-to-head against Paramount club mate Chris Riley to sort out who took Overall Friction Series Bronze too. Romei had a 20 point advantage going into the final round, and secured his third medal of the day to join 25 Bronze and Veterans 25 Silver with 53:08 on actual, pushing out Jonathan Whittaker by 31 seconds; and registering +14:00 on Veterans Standard to put an end to Riley’s challenge. He stated: “I was super happy to have secured Overall Bronze in the Friction Hydraulics Series. It was near perfect conditions for the Championship 25, so I left everything out on the course to come away with a personal best along with picking up Silver in the Veterans category, pipping my team mate Chris! Big thanks to North Shropshire Wheelers for organising a great race, along with all the timekeepers who also did a great job. It’s been a good season, I’ve enjoyed racing along with picking up some good trophies along the way, even with my ‘off’ during a 25. With bit of time out to recover my aim was to come back stronger. Thanks again to all the marshals and club organisers for doing a first class job, without you these races wouldn’t happen; it’s a great community to be a part of”.
Riley didn’t go home empty-handed as he took 25 Veterans Bronze with +12:45, beating Hafren CC’s Bryn Davies by 1:04. He clearly enjoyed his morning’s racing and the big race season climax: “The NSW 25 was a banging race on which to end the Friction Hydraulics Series; a big crowd and a great atmosphere. I was very pleased to be among the medal winners; and having 13 Paramount riders on the results board was a rapturous end to our 2025 Top Club campaign. Huge thanks to North Shropshire Wheelers and all the event organiser clubs; and of course the wonderful SCCA”. Riley was referring to what became a virtual lap of honour as Paramount had wrapped up the Top Club Award an event early, and ended with an incredible winning margin of 920 points in a solid defence of the title they first won in 2024.
Despite Romei versus Riley being high on the day’s agenda they had no answer to Deb Hutson-Lumb who retained The Veteran’s 25 Mile Trophy for the third year running with a large winning margin of 1:38 after posting a superb Veterans plus of +15:38 to take the Gold medal. Even with that large margin however she revealed she could have gone better if not for the dreaded spectre of over-extending herself a week earlier: “It was good to be back on the D25/23T. It was quite a conservative effort on my part, not wanting to repeat the previous week’s blow up ride in Wales. I was pleased therefore to skip under the hour and also take the Veterans Trophy. A great morning and thanks to all involved”.
Hutson-Lumb posted a fabulous actual 59:52 to capture Female Silver, but even she had no answer for a rider in imperial form during 2025 – Hayley Wells, who retained The Brian and Gill Morrison Trophy and took Gold in 57:28. Wells has won all 12 of the Friction Series rounds she has entered and is richly deserving of the win, with Wrekinsport team mates joking she’ll need to hire a van to take all her trophies home with her after the presentation ceremony. Wells’ quest to win was made easier with a course she rates highly: “Tern Hill to Shawbirch is one my more favourable 25 mile courses in Shropshire, knowing the roads so well. A still, warm morning made for near perfect race conditions. The ‘out’ leg was the toughest, with a hard slog on the final two kilometres to Shawbirch island; but a welcome tail wind on the return made for a speedy second half. I managed to save some in the tank for the final three kilometres, having a strong finish. A brilliant field of riders for the Shropshire 25 Championship; I was delighted to take the win; a great way to end the Friction Hydraulics Series. It was a close battle at the front between Dean and Tomos; many thanks to North Shropshire Wheelers for a very well organised event”.
Female Bronze went to Paramount’s Thea Osmund-Smith thanks to a superb personal best effort of 1:02:36. There is little more pleasing as a time triallist than heading downhill with a tailwind and on for a personal best by some margin, and Osmund-Smith certainly felt that ‘buzz’: “I wanted to end the season on a high and was super pleased to come away with a big personal best and third place in a strong female field. The course, which was a new one for me, was great, and I executed the race plan perfectly, going out harder in the headwind and sailing home – the last few miles of downhill were an absolute delight! Well done to Hayley on the win, and the organisers and the marshals for managing such a huge number of participants – massive kudos to my team, Paramount CRT, for a great showing in the last big event of the season; and for some stellar personal bests”.
In the 25 Road Bike Championship it was another Paramount rider, Jon Goh, riding a lap of honour. Already having sealed the overall Friction Series Road Bike Championship, Goh retained Shropshire Road Bike 25 Mile Championship Trophy thanks to a fabulous actual time of 59:02 which converted to 58:05 on handicap. Goh appeared rejuvenated after a short break and ready for action, as he explained: “After a romantic getaway on the beautiful Welsh coast with my wife I was charged and ready to give this final event a proper blast. It was really exciting that the final event of the Series was the Shropshire 25 mile Championship, and there was a real buzz. There was a headwind on the way out and a tailwind on the return leg – just how I like it. I was close to my road bike personal best so I was happy with my time. Thank you to the excellent Coach Thacker for all the support this year. Thank you also to all the organisers and volunteers for putting on great events all year”.
The rider in the Silver medal surprised himself with a great performance to finish in an adjusted 59:28 as Richard Simpson took to his first ever 25 mile time trial like a duck to water. Newly signed to North Shropshire Wheelers and in his first appearance in the Friction Series, Simpson commented: “Delighted and very surprised to have won the Road Bike Silver medal riding amongst such a large field. A great course and really good conditions for my first 25; and I was very pleased with my performance even though I wasn’t quite giving it the full beans as I was unsure how to pace it. Still, a target to beat next year”!
Simpson pushed out another Paramount rider getting amongst the medals as Will Preston took 25 Road Bike Bronze in an adjusted 1:00:14. He was delighted with his performance on a course new to him, stating: “Really happy to take home the Bronze, matching my result from last year. This was actually the first time I’ve raced this course and I really liked it – especially the tail wind on the way back! It’s been a great season of time trials; thank you to everyone who has put in the time and effort to organise these races, I’m already looking forward to more next year”!
That left two Overall medals in play, with a further Paramount rider, Emma Brown, taking the Overall Road Bike Bronze at the last gasp. Brown scored 40 points on the day; enough to overhaul Mark Fenn to take the final medal position on that podium to add to her already won Female Silver sealed in round 15. She stated: “I’m very happy again with my results from the final Friction Hydraulics Series race and the overall Bronze medal for Road Bike to join the Silver medal for the Females! It was a fabulous final race and a great turn out, with so many amazing riders and marshals! Thank you to the organisers; and I can’t wait to race next season”! Meanwhile Jess Bufton captured The Shropshire Junior Championship Shield and Friction Junior Series Gold.
SCCA:
Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Points |
1 | Dean | Callister | Aerologic RT | S | TT | 52:34 | 60 |
2 | Tomos | Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | TT | 52:40 | 55 |
3 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 53:08 | 50 |
4 | Jonathan | Whittaker | SCCA Private Member | S | TT | 53:39 | 45 |
5 | Mark | Pritchard | Aerologic RT | S | TT | 54:03 | 40 |
6 | Robert | McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | TT | 54:39 | 35 |
7 | Daniel | Watts | SCCA Private Member | S | TT | 55:00 | 30 |
8 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | TT | 56:21 | 25 |
9 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | 56:33 | 20 |
10 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 56:43 | 15 |
11 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | TT | 57:28 | 10 |
12 | James | Neale | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 57:38 | 5 |
13 | Adam | Mumford | Wrekinsport CC | S | TT | 57:47 | 5 |
14 | Mark | Hill | Hafren CC | V | TT | 58:49 | 5 |
15 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 59:02 | 5 |
16 | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | TT | 59:52 | 5 |
17 | William | Preston | Paramount CRT | S | RB | 1:00:14 | 5 |
18 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | TT | 1:1:09 | 5 |
19 | Alex | Paulukiewicz | North Shropshire Wheelers | S | TT | 1:02:14 | 5 |
20 | Thea | Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | F | TT | 1:02:36 | 5 |
21 | Rob | Kerr | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | TT | 1:02:37 | 5 |
22 | Richard | Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | RB | 1:03:36 | 5 |
23 | Alvydas | Janusauskas | Paramount CRT | S | RB | 1:03:59 | 5 |
24 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 1:04:48 | 5 |
25 | Jamie | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 1:05:01 | 5 |
26 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 1:05:13 | 5 |
27 | Jan | Davies | Hafren CC | FV | TT | 1:05:55 | 5 |
28 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | 1:07:04 | 5 |
29 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | TT | 1:07:07 | 5 |
30 | Colin | Wells | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 1:09:27 | 5 |
31 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 1:09:35 | 5 |
32 | Kathryn | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 1:09:52 | 5 |
33 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:10:45 | 5 |
34 | Hugh | Ashworth | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:10:59 | 5 |
35 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 1:11:18 | 5 |
36 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 1:11:40 | 5 |
37 | Nick | Hickman | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:12:43 | 5 |
38 | David | Wilson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 1:14:43 | 5 |
39 | Terry | Price | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 1:14:56 | 5 |
40 | Doug | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:15:52 | 5 |
41 | Robert | Elliott | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 1:18:54 | 5 |
42 | Elaine | Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 1:20:22 | 5 |
. | George | Coombes | Newport (Shropshire) CC | S | TT | DNF | . |
. | David | Griffiths | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | TT | DNS | . |
. | Mason | Durant | Paramount CRT | S | TT | DNS | . |
. | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | DNS | . |
. | Benjamin | Nickolls | Paramount CRT | V | RB | DNS | . |
25 mile Team Gold:
Aerologic RT (Dean Callister/Mark Pritchard/Jonathan Mills-Keeling) 2:43:10
Veterans:
Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
1 | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | TT | +15:38 | 60 |
2 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +14:00 | 55 |
3 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +12:45 | 50 |
4 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | TT | +11:41 | 45 |
5 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | +11:29 | 40 |
6 | Mark | Hill | Hafren CC | V | TT | +10:39 | 35 |
7 | David | Wilson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +9:31 | 30 |
8 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +9:07 | 25 |
9 | James | Neale | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +8:58 | 20 |
10 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | TT | +8:00 | 15 |
11 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +7:55 | 10 |
12 | Jan | Davies | Hafren CC | FV | TT | +7:25 | 5 |
13 | Richard | Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | RB | +6:32 | 5 |
14 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | +6:26 | 5 |
15 | Jamie | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +5:28 | 5 |
16 | Kathryn | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | +4:53 | 5 |
17 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | +4:34 | 5 |
18 | Rob | Kerr | Oswestry Paragon CC | V | TT | +4:09 | 5 |
19 | Colin | Wells | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +3:31 | 5 |
20 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | +1:30 | 5 |
21 | Hugh | Ashworth | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +1:05 | 5 |
22 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | TT | +0:13 | 5 |
23 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | -0:25 | 5 |
24 | Robert | Elliott | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | -1:36 | 5 |
25 | Nick | Hickman | Paramount CRT | V | RB | -2:55 | 5 |
26 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | -4:10 | 5 |
27 | Doug | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | -4:37 | 5 |
28 | Elaine | Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | -6:41 | 5 |
29 | Terry | Price | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | -6:54 | 5 |
Females:
Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Female Points |
1 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | TT | 57:28 | 60 |
2 | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | TT | 59:52 | 55 |
3 | Thea | Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | F | TT | 1:02:36 | 50 |
4 | Jan | Davies | Hafren CC | FV | TT | 1:05:55 | 45 |
5 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 1:09:35 | 40 |
6 | Kathryn | Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 1:09:52 | 35 |
7 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:10:45 | 30 |
8 | Elaine | Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | FV | TT | 1:20:22 | 25 |
Road Bikes:
RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
1 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 58:05 | 60 |
2 | Richard | Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | RB | 59:28 | 55 |
3 | William | Preston | Paramount CRT | S | RB | 1:00:14 | 50 |
4 | Alvydas | Janusauskas | Paramount CRT | S | RB | 1:03:59 | 45 |
5 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 1:04:06 | 40 |
6 | Hugh | Ashworth | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:04:55 | 35 |
7 | Nick | Hickman | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:08:55 | 30 |
8 | Doug | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 1:10:37 | 25 |
Top Club Award:
Pos’n | Club | Points |
1 | Paramount CRT | 150 |
2 | Aerologic RT | 120 |
3 | Wrekinsport CC | 85 |
4 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 45 |
5 | Hafren CC | 40 |
6 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 10 |
=7 | Ludlow CC | 5 |
=7 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 5 |
Final Cumulative Standings after sixteen rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
1 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 730 |
2 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 625 |
3 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 545 |
4 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 490 |
5 | Robert McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 485 |
6 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 355 |
7 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 345 |
8 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 290 |
9 | Dean Callister | Aerologic RT | S | 240 |
10 | Mark Pritchard | Aerologic RT | S | 175 |
=11 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 160 |
=11 | Oli Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 160 |
13 | Jonathan Whittaker | SCCA Private Member | S | 140 |
14 | Adam Mumford | Wrekinsport CC | S | 135 |
=15 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | 130 |
=15 | Phil Collins | Wrekinsport CC | V | 130 |
=17 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 115 |
=17 | William Preston | Paramount CRT | S | 115 |
=19 | Alex Paulukiewicz | North Shropshire Wheelers | S | 105 |
=19 | David Scott | Paramount CRT | S | 105 |
=19 | Ian Laverie | Wrekinsport CC | V | 105 |
=19 | Paul Edwards | Wrekinsport CC | V | 105 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
Vets Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
1 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | 695 |
2 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | 640 |
3 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | 565 |
4 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | 425 |
=5 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 390 |
=5 | John Westhead | Paramount CRT | 390 |
7 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 310 |
8 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | 270 |
9 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | 265 |
10 | Robert Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | 240 |
11 | Ian Laverie | Wrekinsport CC | 225 |
12 | Clive Middleton | Wrekinsport CC | 170 |
13 | Paul Edwards | Wrekinsport CC | 160 |
14 | Tim Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 150 |
=15 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 145 |
=15 | Mark Hill | Hafren CC | 145 |
=15 | Phil Collins | Wrekinsport CC | 145 |
18 | Les Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | 125 |
19 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 110 |
20 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | 100 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Female Championship
Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | 750 |
2 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | 590 |
3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 535 |
4 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 295 |
5 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | 275 |
6 | Gill Snelson | Paramount CRT | 210 |
7 | Kathryn Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | 205 |
8 | Elaine Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | 160 |
9 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | 150 |
10 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | 145 |
11 | Rebecca Pugh | Paramount CRT | 105 |
12 | Evie Fryer-Jones | Paramount CRT | 90 |
13 | Jayne Powell | Paramount CRT | 70 |
14 | Ella Hamilton | Oswestry Paragon CC | 55 |
=15 | Alison Fryer-Jones | Paramount CRT | 45 |
=15 | Emma Richards | Paramount CRT | 45 |
=15 | Jess Bufton | Hafren CC | 45 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Road Bike Championship
Road Bike Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
1 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 745 |
2 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | 650 |
3 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | F | 505 |
4 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 480 |
5 | William Preston | Paramount CRT | S | 385 |
6 | David Cannell | Paramount CRT | V | 220 |
7 | Doug Brown | Paramount CRT | V | 200 |
8 | David Scott | Paramount CRT | S | 140 |
9 | Alvydas Janusauskas | Paramount CRT | V | 120 |
9 | Billy Panter | Paramount CRT | S | 120 |
11 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | FV | 110 |
12 | Rebecca Pugh | Paramount CRT | F | 100 |
13 | Nick Hickman | Paramount CRT | V | 95 |
14 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 85 |
14 | Gregg Tayler | Paramount CRT | S | 85 |
14 | Peter Rickard | Paramount CRT | V | 85 |
17 | Hugh Ashworth | Paramount CRT | V | 80 |
17 | Peter Jukes | Wrekinsport CC | V | 80 |
19 | Lee Proctor | Paramount CRT | V | 65 |
20 | Evie Fryer-Jones | Paramount CRT | F | 55 |
20 | Richard Simpson | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 55 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship
Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
1 | Jess Bufton | Hafren CC | 60 |
Top Club Award
Position | Club | Total Points |
1 | Paramount CRT | 2955 |
2 | Wrekinsport CC | 2035 |
3 | Aerologic RT | 1130 |
4 | Hafren CC | 415 |
5 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 365 |
=6 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 180 |
=6 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 180 |
8 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 145 |
9 | Ludlow CC | 60 |