R5 SB Sports Injuries Series: Mid Shropshire Wheelers Road Bike 5

The introduction of a fast and furious Road Bike five mile event into the SB Sports Injuries Series saw young riders to the fore in Round 5, the Mid Shropshire Wheelers 5. Held on a straight out course between Westbury and Shoot Hill, the brevity of the event meant there was no hiding place, and riders had to be out of the blocks immediately. With the Road Bike class the growing area of time trialling, the inclusion of a dedicated event into a County-level Series was an initiative for 2026, and proved popular among competitors.

Given the nature of the format times for the top three riders were tight, with Mid Shropshire Wheeler’s 15 year-old Jude White pushing out more experienced heads thanks to having ridden the course twice previously in 2026. That knowledge helped secure the youngster a three second win over Paramount’s Mitchell Fletcher after stopping the watch on 12 minutes 24 seconds. White also took the Junior win, heading straight to the top of the standings as a result. He was surprised by his victory however, stating: “I always love the Cruckton 5’s by Mid Shropshire Wheelers. I felt strong on the night, but didn’t think I would take the fastest time of the night, so I was super happy. Thank you to all involved in running the Series until next year”.

For Fletcher this was a completely new experience, more usually racing on a dedicated time trial bike. He pushed out Paramount team mate Chris Riley by the same three second margin to cross the line in 12:27 and enjoyed the novel format, stating: “I had never raced a five mile road bike only time trial before, so it was something new for me. The organisation was great, and it was amazing to see so many young riders on the line. It was a lovely evening and great conditions. It was very refreshing to put an effort in over 5 miles, and on a road bike it provided a new challenge. I think we should encourage more of this format, and I will definitely be on the start line at more”!

Riley didn’t go home empty-handed however as his third place 12:30 converted to +1:53 on Veterans Standard which saw him take the win from Richard Simpson on +1:41, who finished 4^th overall in 12:50. Riley headed to the joint lead at the Overall SB Series standings tying with Fletcher, as well as stretching his SB Veterans lead to 32 points over Simpson. Riley was extremely complementary about the format, but realistic about his chances of holding onto the overall Series lead, commenting: “If Carlsberg did five mile races in Shropshire they wouldn’t be as good as this Mid Shropshire Wheelers event. A good turnout, refreshments and a great atmosphere; thanks everyone”. When told he had headed to the top of the overall SB Series Standings Riley was modest about that achievement, stating: “It’s a bit like being that Italian who you never heard of being out in the breakaway and coming up on the screen as ‘leader on the road’. Then he gets dropped on the last climb and loses eight minutes. It’s cool all the same”.

Given every bike was a Road Bike some of the specialists were in for a shock, as Mid Shropshire Wheelers’ 19 year-old Rebecca Woodvine not only took the win in the SB Female Series, but in the SB Road Bike Series too. Woodvine registered a fabulous 12:56 actual time, which was good enough for 5^th spot overall, and saw her beat Paramount’s Evie Fletcher by exactly a minute. When the Road Bike handicapping system was applied however she was surprised to take the win in an adjusted 11:43, 5 seconds ahead of Riley, who, with tongue very firmly placed in cheek muttered: “Fast kids should be banned”! Woodvine has been a regular at 5 mile club events, and stated: “I’ve loved incorporating the 5 mile time trials into my training over the last few weeks, and seeing the progression in my times has been a bonus too. With calmer conditions than the last few weeks, I knew it was going to be a quick night. I started hard from the gun, making the most of the light crosswind, and ramped up the effort all the way to the finish, with much better pacing than previous rides. I was really happy to take the win and am excited for the next few months of road and criterium racing”.

Full

Veterans

Road Bikes (on handicap)

Females

Juniors

Cumulative Standings after five rounds

Overall

Veterans

Road Bike

Females

Juniors