Renumbered following cancellation of previous day’s Bridgnorth CC Hilly 21.
Riders had to endue a sapping first leg in Round 4 of the Friction Hydraulics Series as a strong south-westerly wind did much damage in the Velotik RT 15. Starting on the Hodnet bypass and battering their way towards Stanton Upon Hine Heath, it was a case of digging in until the turn to Hazles Road, where things got considerably easier on a fast leg through Ellerdine Heath. Coping best with the battle was Mid Shropshire Wheelers’ Victor Chetta, who stopped the watch on 32 minutes 44 seconds, 15 seconds ahead of Simon Romei. Chetta has had some time away from the sport but clearly has muscle memory with a runner-up spot and win since his return regardless of them being not at his favoured long distances. He stated: “It was a bright sunny morning, but the brisk headwind for the first half of the course made progress feel worryingly slow. After the turn off the A53 it felt like the brakes had been released, I was able to muster more effort for this race, as I get used to the higher level of focus required for racing. Thank you to Velotik for a well run event”.
Romei took over the lead of the Friction Series by 45 points and stretched his lead marginally at the top of the Friction Veterans Series to 80 points with his 33:01 effort, and which also saw him take third Veteran’s spot in +6:55, 10 seconds behind Chetta in +7:05. The Paramount rider expressed satisfaction at his efforts on a tough morning: “I was really pleased to have taken the County runner up in the Velotik 15. It was a really testing 6.5 miles going out into a tough head wind, so had I to work hard to maintain good speed and power. Big thanks to the organisers and all the marshals, especially for the great cakes back at HQ”.
The final overall podium position went to a fast improving Wrekinsport rider Oli Freeman in only his sophomore year in the sport. Freeman recorded 35:45 in 2024 on the same course and in just as windy conditions, but here crossed the line in 33:17, a big course personal best. He commented: “I really enjoyed the Velotik event. I managed my effort well and everything came together nicely. I surprised myself with a two minute improvement since last year, thanks to the organisers and marshals”.
Despite Chetta and Romei’s efforts they had no answer for Deb Hutson-Lumb, who took the win in the Veterans competition with +8:46, and also took a strong win in the Females competition by over six minutes in 36:06. Hutson-Lumb has recently been seen using her road bike, but here gave her time trial bike an outing: “I haven’t ridden this course on a TT bike in April for a few years, so it was good to get round close to my course personal best. A stiff headwind made the first couple of sections tough. However, once I’d pothole- and club ride-dodged across the bottom of the triangle, the remaining five miles home were wind assisted – many thanks to Velotik for organising a great event”.
Road Bikes are clearly the future of the sport, and in the SCCA interpretation made more open by age and gender-related handicaps. However, Series leader Jonathan Goh didn’t need any assistance with his 35:54 good enough for 5th spot overall converting to 35:21 on handicap, a 57 second advantage over Paramount team mate William Preston. This victory opened up his lead over reigning Road Bike Champion Mark Fenn by a further 10 points, with Goh now holding a 50 point lead. Goh was however grateful for flatter terrain than the earlier events offered in spite of the tricky conditions: “It was a fun race, a nice contrast to the hilly events earlier in the season. For me, the biggest challenge was the headwind on the way out. Coach Thacker always says just get on the bike and enjoy it, so I stayed positive and kept my rhythm. I just about had enough in the tank to keep on top of my gear on the return section, and I like the cheeky final section off the A-road towards Wollerton – thanks to Toby and Velotik for organising a smooth event”.
SCCA:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Points |
| 1 | Victor | Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 00:32:44 | 60 |
| 2 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 00:33:01 | 55 |
| 3 | Oli | Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | TT | 00:33:17 | 50 |
| 4 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | 00:34:05 | 45 |
| 5 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 00:35:54 | 40 |
| 6 | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | TT | 00:36:06 | 35 |
| 7 | William | Preston | Paramount CRT | S | RB | 00:36:18 | 30 |
| 8 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | RB | 00:37:28 | 25 |
| 9 | James | Neale | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 00:37:55 | 20 |
| 10 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 00:38:54 | 15 |
| 11 | Alex | Paulukiewicz | North Shropshire Wheelers | S | TT | 00:39:05 | 10 |
| 12 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 00:39:13 | 5 |
| 13 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 00:39:26 | 5 |
| 14 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 00:40:02 | 5 |
| 15 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | 00:40:34 | 5 |
| 16 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | 00:41:10 | 5 |
| 17 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 00:41:59 | 5 |
| 18 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 00:42:08 | 5 |
| 19 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 00:42:41 | 5 |
| 20 | Geoff | Edgerton | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | 00:43:48 | 5 |
| 21 | Douglas | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 00:46:40 | 5 |
| . | Robert | Elliott | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | DNS | . |
| . | James | Elgar | Paramount CRT | V | RB | DNS | . |
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Vets +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | TT | +8:46 | 60 |
| 2 | Victor | Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +7:05 | 55 |
| 3 | Simon | Romei | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +6:55 | 50 |
| 4 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | +6:23 | 45 |
| 5 | John | Westhead | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +4:59 | 40 |
| 6 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +3:55 | 35 |
| 7 | Geoff | Edgerton | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +3:13 | 30 |
| 8 | Robert | Garbett | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | +2:32 | 25 |
| 9 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | RB | +2:28 | 20 |
| 10 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +2:15 | 15 |
| 11 | Philip | Gardner | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +2:05 | 10 |
| 12 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | +1:57 | 5 |
| 13 | James | Neale | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +1:42 | 5 |
| 14 | Les | Boughey | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | TT | +0:21 | 5 |
| 15 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | +0:03 | 5 |
| 16 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | TT | -1:14 | 5 |
| 17 | Douglas | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | -4:34 | 5 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time |
| 1 | Deb | Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | TT | 00:36:06 |
| 2 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 00:42:08 |
| 3 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 00:42:41 |
Road Bikes:
| RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Age Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 35:21 | 60 |
| 2 | William | Preston | Paramount CRT | S | RB | 36:18 | 55 |
| 3 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | RB | 36:48 | 50 |
| 4 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 37:01 | 45 |
| 5 | Emma | Brown | Paramount CRT | F | RB | 38:40 | 40 |
| 6 | Douglas | Brown | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 43:50 | 35 |
Top Club Award:
| Time | Club | Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 155 |
| 2 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 65 |
| 3 | Wrekinsport CC | 60 |
| 4 | Aerologic RT | 45 |
| 5 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 40 |
| =6 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 5 |
| =6 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 5 |
Cumulative Standings after four rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 220 |
| 2 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 175 |
| 3 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 135 |
| 4 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 120 |
| 5 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | V | 115 |
| 6 | Robert McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 95 |
| 7 | William Preston | Paramount CRT | S | 90 |
| 8 | Oli Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 85 |
| 9 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 80 |
| =10 | David Scott | Paramount CRT | S | 50 |
| =10 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 50 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Vets Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | 230 |
| 2 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | 150 |
| 3 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | 145 |
| 4 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 110 |
| 5 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | 105 |
| 6 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | 100 |
| 7 | Ian Laverie | Wrekinsport CC | 95 |
| 8 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | 70 |
| 9 | John Westhead | Paramount CRT | 65 |
| 10 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 60 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Road Bike Championship
| Road Bike Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 230 |
| 2 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 180 |
| 3 | William Preston | Paramount CRT | S | 165 |
| 4 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | 145 |
| 5 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | F | 100 |
| 6 | Billy Panter | Paramount CRT | S | 85 |
| 7 | Alvydas Janusauskas | Paramount CRT | V | 75 |
| 8 | David Scott | Paramount CRT | S | 60 |
| 9 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | FV | 55 |
| 10 | Benjamin Nickolls | Paramount CRT | V | 45 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Female Championship
| Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | 180 |
| 2 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | 155 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 100 |
| 4 | Gill Snelson | Paramount CRT | 95 |
| 5 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | 90 |
| 6 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 60 |
| =7 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | 55 |
| =7 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | 55 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 885 |
| 2 | Wrekinsport CC | 420 |
| 3 | Aerologic RT | 180 |
| 4 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 135 |
| =5 | Hafren CC | 45 |
| =5 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 45 |
| 7 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 40 |
| 8 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 10 |