A late start penalty robbed Victor Chetta of the win in both the Overall and Veterans event in Round 3 of The Friction Hydraulics Series, The West Cheshire Time Trial Cycling Association and Shropshire Cycling Clubs Association joint promotion over 30 miles. Whilst this old standard distance is an uncommonly seen one, the start point and distance from HQ is used for many races, so all the more baffling how Chetta managed to miss his start slot by 40 seconds and have to wait frustrated for a vacant slot to get going. That standing around seems to have proved vital as muscles cool, with Chetta missing the win in an adjusted 1 hour 4 minutes and 47 seconds – just 7 seconds behind winner Henri Bedford.
Starting at Waters Upton the riders trace north to the Market Drayton/Gingerbread Man roundabout; before turning south for a long slog south to Shawbirch roundabout and a final turn to finish just before Crudgington crossroads. Chetta was not pleased with his mistake, which also cost him the Veteran’s win to Tim Beardmore by 19 seconds with an adjusted +15:23: “In my first late start since 2016 I managed to give away the County win by incurring a substantial 40 second time penalty, it’s not a mistake I’m planning on repeating and am focusing on the next race”. It wasn’t all bad news though as Cheeta took over the lead of the Overall Friction Series and managed to hang onto the lead in the Friction Veterans Series despite Beardmore narrowing the gap to just five points, the minimum possible.
After several miserable days the morning sunshine was a welcome respite to the riders with Bedford taking full advantage to gain an unexpected win and haul himself up to fourth spot in the Overall championship as well as adding an uncontested 60 points to his Junior Series points tally. The 17 year-old seems to be getting ever faster and stopped the watch on 1:04:40, commenting on the rarely seen distance: “I really enjoyed doing the 30, not a normal distance to race over but it was a nice course and the weather stayed good. Perfectly organised and well marshalled, thanks to all involved”.
That distance is one that many riders try to ride the same as a 25 and then hope to hang on, and it can catch out the unwary, with the drag up to Shawbirch roundabout at 27 miles capable of making legs not used to racing that extra five miles turn to jelly – and with a headwind added to the mix that made for an uncomfortable experience for some. Beardmore is coming back after a winter injury but despite that he managed to take third spot Overall in 1:05:54 and took the Veterans win with +15:42, 19 seconds ahead of Chetta after that penalty application. Beardmore’s comments prove how tricky this distance can be to pace: “I’m not exactly sure on my current form, and as it turned out I went out too hard. With a headwind on the Epsley to Shawbirch leg, a strong negative split was needed and it’s fair to say I had nothing left after 20 miles. 30 miles can be a real tricky distance to pace, but I’m still pleased with my time – thanks to race organisers, marshals, and timekeepers”.
In the Women’s race Emma Serjeant was getting her first experience at the distance and took a clear win of over 5½ minutes from Marie Llewellyn on 1:23:13 with Jenny York a further five seconds back. The Hafren CC rider crossed the line in a fantastic 1:17:36 and was another unsure how to pace that extra five miles: “My first time on the 30 course. I planned on pacing it like a 25 but went off like it was a 10! I was so pleased to see the Shawbirch island and found a burst of energy to the finish. Thank you to all the marshals on the roundabouts making the navigation nice and clear”.
SCCA:
Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Points |
1 | Henri | Bedford | Revolutions Racing | J | 1:04:40 | 60 |
2 | Victor | Chetta * | SCCA Private Member | V | 1:04:47 | 55 |
3 | Tim | Beardmore | Nova Raiders | V | 1:05:54 | 50 |
4 | Andrew | Lacon | Nova Raiders | S | 1:09:50 | 45 |
5 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | 1:10:18 | 40 |
6 | Graeme | Donnell | Nova Raiders | V | 1:11:04 | 35 |
7 | Richard | Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:12:15 | 30 |
8 | Rob | Jackson | Wrekinsport CC | V | 1:13:10 | 25 |
9 | Allan | Henderson | Wrekinsport CC | S | 1:15:52 | 20 |
10 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:16:13 | 15 |
11 | Emma | Serjeant | Hafren CC | WV | 1:17:36 | 10 |
12 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | 1:17:44 | 5 |
13 | Gino | Trasatti | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:18:53 | 5 |
14 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | 1:20:34 | 5 |
15 | Dave | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:22:28 | 5 |
16 | Mark | Stocks | Newport Shropshire CC | V | 1:23:06 | 5 |
17 | Marie | Llewellyn | Nova Raiders | W | 1:23:12 | 5 |
18 | Jenny | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | WV | 1:23:18 | 5 |
19 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:24:18 | 5 |
20 | Lauren | Turley | Nova Raiders | W | 1:28:26 | 5 |
21 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | 1:29:45 | 5 |
22 | Dave | Mellor | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 1:32:38 | 5 |
* Including 40 seconds late start penalty
Veterans:
Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
1 | Tim | Beardmore | Nova Raiders | V | +15:42 | 60 |
2 | Victor | Chetta * | SCCA Private Member | V | +15:23 | 55 |
3 | Graeme | Donnell | Nova Raiders | V | +12:14 | 50 |
4 | Gino | Trasatti | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | +11:24 | 45 |
5 | Jenny | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | WV | +11:13 | 40 |
6 | Bryn | Davies | Hafren CC | V | +10:48 | 35 |
7 | Rob | Jackson | Wrekinsport CC | V | +10:27 | 30 |
8 | Richard | Collins | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +10:09 | 25 |
9 | Emma | Serjeant | Hafren CC | WV | +9:37 | 20 |
10 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +6:28 | 15 |
11 | Dave | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | +5:07 | 10 |
12 | Ian | Connolly | Ludlow CC | V | +4:40 | 5 |
13 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | +0:29 | 5 |
14 | Mark | Stocks | Newport Shropshire CC | V | +0:12 | 5 |
15 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | +0:03 | 5 |
16 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | -0:01 | 5 |
17 | Dave | Mellor | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | -7:37 | 5 |
* Including 40 seconds late start penalty
Women’s:
1 | Emma | Serjeant | Hafren CC | WV | 1:17:36 | 60 |
2 | Marie | Llewellyn | Nova Raiders | W | 1:23:12 | 55 |
3 | Jenny | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | WV | 1:23:18 | 50 |
4 | Lauren | Turley | Nova Raiders | W | 1:28:26 | 45 |
5 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | WV | 1:29:45 | 40 |
Juniors:
Junior Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Time | Junior Points |
1 | Henri | Bedford | Revolutions Racing | J | 1:04:40 | 60 |
Top Club Award:
Pos’n | Club | Points |
1 | Nova Raiders | 140 |
2 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 60 |
3 | Hafren CC | 55 |
3 | Revolutions Racing | 55 |
5 | Wrekinsport CC | 45 |
6 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 10 |
7 | Ludlow CC | 5 |
7 | Newport Shropshire CC | 5 |
7 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 5 |
Cumulative standing after three rounds:
Overall:
Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
1 | Victor Chetta | SCCA Private Member | V | 160 |
2 | Tim Beardmore | Nova Raiders | V | 130 |
3 | Kirk Vickers | Holohan Coaching RT | S | 120 |
4 | Henri Bedford | Revolutions Racing | J | 115 |
5 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 70 |
6 | Andrew Lacon | Nova Raiders | S | 65 |
7 | Adam Baker | SCCA Private Member | S | 60 |
7 | George Mills-Keeling | Bridgnorth CC | S | 60 |
9 | Kieran Morris | Oswestry Paragon CC | S | 55 |
10 | Dean Callister | Nova Raiders | S | 45 |
10 | Graeme Donnell | Nova Raiders | V | 45 |
10 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 45 |
Veterans:
Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
1 | Victor Chetta | SCCA Private Member | 185 |
2 | Tim Beardmore | Nova Raiders | 180 |
3 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 90 |
3 | Graeme Donnell | Nova Raiders | 90 |
5 | Emma Serjeant | Hafren CC | 70 |
6 | Leonie Keeling | Oswestry Paragon CC | 65 |
7 | Chris Halford | Wrekinsport CC | 60 |
7 | Rob Jackson | Wrekinsport CC | 60 |
9 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Bridgnorth CC | 50 |
10 | Gino Trasatti | North Shropshire Wheelers | 45 |
10 | Jason Walkley | SCCA Private Member | 45 |
10 | Oliver Rodwell | Wrekinsport CC | 45 |
Women’s:
Women’s Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
1 | Alison Dockney | Market Drayton CC | 130 |
2 | Emma Serjeant | Hafren CC | 125 |
2 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 125 |
4 | Leonie Keeling | Oswestry Paragon CC | 115 |
5 | Marie Llewellyn | Nova Raiders | 110 |
6 | Lauren Turley | Nova Raiders | 90 |
7 | Clare Cotterill | Wrekinsport CC | 50 |
7 | Jenny Newton | Nova Raiders | 50 |
7 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 50 |
Juniors:
Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
1 | Henri Bedford | Revolutions Racing | 130 |
Top Club Award:
Position | Club | Total Points |
1 | Nova Raiders | 335 |
2 | Wrekinsport CC | 225 |
3 | Hafren CC | 125 |
4 | Holohan Coaching RT | 120 |
5 | Revolutions Racing | 115 |
6 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 95 |
7 | Bridgnorth CC | 85 |
8 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 75 |
9 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 30 |
10 | Market Drayton CC | 20 |
11 | Ludlow CC | 10 |
12 | Newport Shropshire CC | 5 |