A brand new event on a brand new course gave yet another early season lumpy challenge to competitors in Round 3 of the Friction Hydraulics Series – with an added ingredient for good measure of 45mph winds from the tail end of Storm Kathleen. Based two laps on the Eaton Constantine Road Race circuit with a significant sting in the tail, Paramount CRT’s 20 mile hilly proved to be problematic for first-time organiser Chris Riley. Firstly a planned road closure on race day was delayed after significant negotiation with the contractor; then Riley had to get up at 6am to remove storm debris off the course. Thankfully the ‘road closed’ signs meant absolutely no traffic on the climb between Eaton Constantine and Woodgreen, and a huge area of standing water could be navigated safely using the wrong side of the road. This seemed to galvanise Riley who took a rare win in the Friction Veterans Series in +4:21, 31 seconds ahead of Jonathan Mills-Keeling, Veteran’s winner of Round 2. Mills-Keeling saw off a strong challenge from Bryn Davies, exactly a minute behind Riley, but this was enough for the Hafren CC rider to move into the Veteran’s Series lead with a solid 45 point lead.
Riley has a preference for lumpy courses and home advantage on training roads close to home seems to have played into his hands. He stated: “That’s as close as l am likely to get to Jonathan and Bryn this year so I’m chuffed with that. It was certainly an exciting day with the windy weather. Hilly time trials are just the best”. Mills-Keeling added: “Enjoyed the New Paramount course raced it many times in road races, could not find any rhythm nor could I really get into it but still a welcome change, Great ride and organisation from Chris, and an amazing time from Tomos Hales”
Mills-Keeling was referring to the overall winner, and it was indeed an unbelievable effort from Hales who finished a huge 2:50 ahead of his nearest challenger in 46:51. Hales looked on a mission as he flew up the climb leaving Rushton, visibly faster than everyone else, taking full advantage of the roaring tailwind. The signs are already there that this is going to be a vintage season for the Wrekinsport rider, who had great backup from Female winner Hayley Wells who took a Top 10 spot. He stated: “I was happy to take the win on the new Paramount hilly time trail. The testing course suited me, with the climb through Eaton Constantine and the rolling kickers past Wroxeter. The early rain reduced the wind; however it did pick up on the second lap! Thanks for Paramount for getting out and sweeping the muddy lanes, and for the marshals that were out in the elements. Great event; and good for Wrekinsport to take the Open and Women’s win”.
Hales’ saw off a strong challenge from Paramount’s Mason Durant who took the County runner-up spot in 49:41 ahead of Mid Shropshire Wheelers’ Devon Round in 50:05. Durant led his team to a large 165 point haul in the Top Club Award, sending them clear at the head of the standings by 80 points. He commented: “The race went really good, a great course. The work put in to clear the roads was really great. A really testing course, definitely one I’m looking to ride again. Thankfully the course is quite sheltered and I did better than I thought”. Round added: “A fun, sporting course, a nice mix of flat main road efforts and tricky undulations. I was happy with pacing considering the conditions and looking forward to racing it again”. At the head of the Friction Series, Davies had double cause for celebration as he moved into a slim five point lead; with Round moving up to third spot just 10 points off the pace.
Hales wasn’t the only Wrekinsport rider on top form as Hayley Wells gained a dominant female win in 52:20 for 9th spot overall in her first appearance of the 2024 Friction Series. This performance moved her into the joint lead of the Female championship, and she certainly enjoyed the variety the course had to offer – even if the sting in the tail of finishing atop Leighton Bank made the end of the pain seem tantalisingly hard to arrive. She stated: “What a brilliant course! A mix of everything to really test riders, with a cheeky hill at the end which finished the legs off – I look forward to riding this one again. Many thanks for a brilliantly organised event Paramount; the club cupcakes were a great touch”!
The new Road Bike championship seems to be made for the more testing circuits, with a rider who hasn’t raced for a long time surprising himself by taking the win. Paramount’s Jon Goh stopped the watch in an adjusted 50:41 in this handicapped event, designed to level the playing field both by age and gender. Goh saw off a strong challenge from Aerologic hill climb specialist Scott Palmer in 51:09 on a course that would suit his strengths. Goh seemed to consider himself there simply to make up the numbers judging by his post-race comments, but actually surprised himself with his fitness: “The main thing was not falling off! I took it easy on turns, and enjoyed the more technical course. It was definitely a day for riders with more confidence and bike handling skills. It was good knowing the lanes and having home advantage, I feel like the comeback kid”! Meanwhile third placed Mark Fenn did enough to move himself up to the head of the standings with a fine 35 point advantage after finishing in 56:01.
SCCA:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Time | Points |
| 1 | Tomos | Hales | Wrekinsport CC | 46:51 | 60 |
| 2 | Mason | Durant | Paramount CRT | 49:41 | 55 |
| 3 | Devon | Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 50:05 | 50 |
| 4 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | 50:16 | 45 |
| 5 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | 50:34 | 40 |
| 6 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | 50:37 | 35 |
| 7 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | 51:12 | 30 |
| 8 | Scott | Palmer | Aerologic RT | 51:26 | 25 |
| 9 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | 52:20 | 20 |
| 10 | Robbie | Disney | Aerologic RT | 52:37 | 15 |
| 11 | Alvydas | Janusauskas | Paramount CRT | 52:41 | 10 |
| 12 | Robert | McGregor | Paramount CRT | 53:31 | 5 |
| 13 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | 54:20 | 5 |
| 14 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | 56:49 | 5 |
| 15 | Sam | Davey | Paramount CRT | 58:07 | 5 |
| 16 | Ian | Townsend | Paramount CRT | 58:36 | 5 |
| 17 | Colin | Wells | Paramount CRT | 1:00:40 | 5 |
| 18 | Denis | Brodovich | Paramount CRT | 1:01:41 | 5 |
| 19 | David | Cannell | Paramount CRT | 1:02:24 | 5 |
| 20 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | 1:04:03 | 5 |
| 21 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | 1:06:47 | 5 |
| . | Paul | Duncan | Paramount CRT | DNF | . |
| . | Paul | Horton | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | DNS-A | . |
| . | Billy | Panter | Paramount CRT | DNS-A | . |
| . | Dean | Callister | Aerologic RT | DNS | . |
| . | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | DNS | . |
| . | Rob | Kennard | Aerologic RT | DNS | . |
| . | Mark | Pritchard | Aerologic RT | DNS | . |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | +4:21 | 60 |
| 2 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | +3:50 | 55 |
| 3 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | +3:21 | 50 |
| 4 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | +1:56 | 45 |
| 5 | Scott | Palmer | Aerologic RT | +1:28 | 40 |
| 6 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | +0:38 | 35 |
| 7 | Colin | Wells | Paramount CRT | -3:08 | 30 |
| 8 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | -3:24 | 25 |
| 9 | Ian | Townsend | Paramount CRT | -4:05 | 20 |
| 10 | David | Cannell | Paramount CRT | -5:12 | 15 |
| 11 | Denis | Brodovich | Paramount CRT | -8:59 | 10 |
| 12 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | -10:38 | 5 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | 52:20 | 60 |
| 2 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | 1:06:47 | 55 |
| . | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | DNS | . |
Road Bikes:
| RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | 50:41 | 60 |
| 2 | Scott | Palmer | Aerologic RT | 51:09 | 55 |
| 3 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | 56:01 | 50 |
| 4 | Ian | Townsend | Paramount CRT | 56:42 | 45 |
| 5 | David | Cannell | Paramount CRT | 57:49 | 40 |
| 6 | Sam | Davey | Paramount CRT | 58:07 | 35 |
| 7 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | 1:00:30 | 30 |
| 8 | Denis | Brodovich | Paramount CRT | 1:01:36 | 25 |
| 9 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | 1:03:15 | 20 |
| . | Paul | Duncan | Paramount CRT | . | . |
| . | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | Wrekinsport CC | . | . |
| . | Billy | Panter | Paramount CRT | . | . |
Top Club Award:
| Pos’n | Club | Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 165 |
| 2 | Aerologic RT | 85 |
| 2 | Wrekinsport CC | 85 |
| 4 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 50 |
| 5 | Hafren CC | 40 |
| 6 | Ludlow CC | 5 |
Cumulative Standings after three rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 120 |
| 2 | Paul Horton | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | S | 115 |
| 3 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 110 |
| =4 | Matthew Garthwaite | Newport (Shropshire) CC | S | 105 |
| =4 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 105 |
| 6 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 85 |
| 7 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 80 |
| 8 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 65 |
| =9 | Dean Callister | Aerologic RT | S | 60 |
| =9 | Oli Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 60 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Vets Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 160 |
| 2 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | 115 |
| =3 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | 110 |
| =3 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | 110 |
| 5 | Ian Connolly | Ludlow CC | 105 |
| 6 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | 65 |
| =7 | Geoff Edgerton | North Shropshire Wheelers | 45 |
| =7 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | 45 |
| =7 | Paul Bailey | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | 45 |
| =10 | David Drew | North Shropshire Wheelers | 40 |
| =10 | Scott Palmer | Aerologic RT | 40 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Road Bike Championship
| Road Bike Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 100 |
| 2 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 65 |
| =3 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 60 |
| =3 | Matthew Garthwaite | Newport (Shropshire) CC | S | 60 |
| =5 | Paul Bailey | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | V | 55 |
| =5 | Scott Palmer | Aerologic RT | V | 55 |
| 7 | Ian Townsend | Paramount CRT | V | 45 |
| 8 | David Cannell | Paramount CRT | V | 40 |
| 9 | Sam Davey | Paramount CRT | S | 35 |
| 10 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | F | 30 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Female Championship
| Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| =1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | 60 |
| =1 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 60 |
| 3 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | 55 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Ben Southgate | Wrekinsport CC | 60 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 310 |
| 2 | Wrekinsport CC | 230 |
| 3 | Aerologic RT | 185 |
| 4 | Bridgnorth Cycling Club | 135 |
| 5 | Hafren CC | 125 |
| 6 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 120 |
| 7 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 110 |
| 8 | Ludlow CC | 20 |
| 9 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 15 |
| 10 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 5 |