The longest event on the SCCA calendar saw riders battle through the teeth of a 23mph headwind down the A53, wearing riders down and making things take on the characteristics of a war of attrition – with Tomos Hales retaining The Jack Parker 100 Mile Trophy in Round 8 of The Friction Hydraulics Series: The Anfield BC 100 incorporating the SCCA Championship 100 and the VTTA National 100 Championship. This prestigious event is the oldest cycling time trial in the world, running since 1889, and always using Shropshire roads. Won overall by Alexander Royle of Manchester Bicycle Club in 3 hours 43 minutes and 6 seconds at the head of 84 starters; and with a first-ever sub-4 hour ride in this event by a female, Naomi de Pennington of Drag2Zero in 03:58:58; this was the first 100 in Shropshire since 2023 due to long-term road works, where despite considerable effort being made to design, risk assess and measure an alternative course things were agonisingly stymied at the death due to lack of a close and suitable HQ free on the limited remaining available dates.
Of the strong Shropshire contingent, Hales stormed around the Hodnet – Shawbury – Shawbirch based course in 3 hours 49 minutes 7 seconds, 15:22 ahead of Silver medallist Jonathan Mills-Keeling in an emphatic County victory which saw him move to just five points off Mills-Keeling’s Series lead, the narrowest margin possible. As well as that individual Gold Hales also made it a brace with support from Hayley Wells and Oli Freeman to take Team Gold in a combined 12:11:06 – a Wrekinsport club record and over half an hour ahead of chasers. Hales explained: “It was good to get the 100 mile time trial back after not getting to ride it last year. There’s something special about riding the Anfield 100 with its long history. I improved a lot since the last time I raced this distance so knew if I could fuel right I could get a big personal best – I didn’t expect to be under the 3:50 mark but was. It was great to win the 100 Mile Jack Parker Trophy and be part of a Wrekinsport Gold medal team where my team mates Hayley and Oli did amazing times. Thanks to all that organise as is a big event to run, very much a team effort”.
Wells did an incredible effort of 4:07:41 to take Female Championship Gold, the club record and be part of the Gold medal winning team, just missing out on Overall Bronze by 15 seconds to Paramount’s Chris Riley. With great support from Oli Freeman in 4:14:18 in only his second season and first encounter with the distance, which is as much about survival as pure speed; Wells was elated to score big in only her second attempt at the distance: “I was absolutely delighted to pick up County Gold along with the Team Gold! With this being my second century I had more of an idea what I was letting myself in for. The plan was to settle in to a sensible pace on the first lap and then see how I felt. The first two laps I felt amazing, but by the third lap the wind had started to pick up between Hodnet and Shawbury, making it feel a lot tougher. By the time I was half way through the last lap I knew the end was in sight and I gave everything I had left in the tank. Super chuffed to pick up a huge personal best; and a special thank you to all the volunteers, marshals and organisers for allowing this historic event to keep going”.
For Freeman it was a big step into the unknown which he coped with well, taking his first County medal, as he explained: “It was my first 100 mile time trial event, my furthest race distance before being a solitary 25 mile in Chester last June! I really enjoyed the event and was very pleased with my personal time, despite fading towards the end as I was into unknown territory. It was also great to be part of the team victory alongside Tomos and Hayley, both of whom had superb rides. Huge thanks to the Anfield organisers and marshals, especially the Wrekinsport marshals for their excellent encouragement”.
Both the overall Silver and Bronze medallists Mills-Keeling and Chris Riley were affected by an increasingly strengthening wind that sapped the energy just at the time when it was needed most. The 100 distance can be all about delaying the wearing down effect of the elements whilst keeping the body from screaming to stop by proper feeding, but once a tipping point is reached it can become character building; as Mills-Keeling explained: “A race of two halves: the first half was fine and I was up on my personal best until 45 miles; but I hit the long headwind section for the third time and just couldn’t lift the pace. I was very happy with Silver overall and Veterans Silver too. Many thanks everyone for make the Anfield 100 happen, a true classic event”. That Veteran’s Silver was thanks to a +46:41 age-related Standard, but that system saw Riley leapfrog Mills-Keeling to take Veterans Gold with +50:48 to accompany his Overall Bronze thanks to his 4:07:27 effort. His comments echoed Mills-Keeling’s opinion: “The rising westerly did just that during the race. I was embarrassed to be riding so slowly on the road to Shawbury over the closing miles, but it was brilliant to be doing the 100 again and be a part of such an iconic event. Huge thanks to the organisers and the riders who had come from far and wide”.
Freeman wasn’t the only rider inexperienced at the distance getting amongst the medal haul as new Paramount member Aidy Key helped himself to Veterans Bronze. A former member of Total Tri Training, Key has raced mid-distance time trials for his former club but is more familiar triathlon. He commented: “I’m fairly new to time trialling and Paramount, who have been very welcoming as a club. I was pleased with how the race went, great conditions, the rain held off although the wind did pick up. Organisation and marshals were excellent, would recommend giving it a go”.
Also trying his first 100 was Shropshire Hill Climb Champion Dave Scott – and you could hardly find a greater contrast in distances. Scott is used to the rigours of road racing however, and here put that experience to good use by taking Road Bike Gold despite the step up in distance, registering a fine 4:15:34 to see off Series leader Jon Goh, who crossed the line in an actual 4:27:07 converting to 4:22:32 to help himself to Silver. Scott wasn’t quite sure what to expect, and so came to the race without preconceptions as he explained: “It was my first ever 100 time trial so I went in with no expectations. It was tough going on the stretch down to Shawbury as the headwind built up throughout the morning; but I managed to pace my effort pretty well, and although I faded a little in the last 15 minutes but the turn into the tailwind helped push me to the finish strongly”!
Goh has experience at the distance, but it came from some time ago. Two secrets of coping are never to think how far there is left to go and only concentrate the next turning point, and to be grateful for any distraction to take the mind off the pain. Mulling over it can be counter-productive, as Goh found out: “Do you ever feel like you’ve bitten off more than you can chew? As this was the longest bike ride of any description that I’ve done in over three years I was daunted by the idea of racing. There was a lot of suffering: it was a ragged ride from me, but I got across the finish line. I was really pleased for my team mates who showed so much grit – many thanks to the organisers for keeping this prestigious event going”.
Even longer away from the distance was Bronze medallist and reigning Road Bike Champion Mark Fenn, who stopped the watch on an actual 4:30:07 which converted to 4:24:35 on handicap, keeping Paramount’s Lee Proctor out of the medal positions by 38 seconds. Fenn commented: “My last 100 mile time trial was 10 years ago, so it was good to race over this distance again. A challenging day, but I thought favourable, with great organisation and support – thank you to all involved”.
That left the final word to Female Silver medallist Helen Tudor, who ended her morning on 5:17:18 and summed up the feel of many competitors: “Probably one of the toughest 100’s I’ve ridden, especially doing laps. The wind direction made the leg from Espley to Shawbury hard going. Well done to Hayley for taking second female in a quality field, and thanks to Peter Catherall for his determination in keeping this classic event going, and to all the marshals who gave up their Bank Holiday to help out”.
SCCA:
| Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Points |
| 1 | Tomos | Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | TT | 03:49:07 | 80 |
| 2 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | 04:04:29 | 75 |
| 3 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 04:07:27 | 70 |
| 4 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | TT | 04:07:41 | 65 |
| 5 | Oli | Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | TT | 04:14:18 | 60 |
| 6 | David | Scott | Paramount CRT | S | RB | 04:15:34 | 55 |
| 7 | Aidy | Key | Paramount CRT | V | TT | 04:18:46 | 50 |
| 8 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 04:27:07 | 45 |
| 9 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | RB | 04:30:07 | 40 |
| 10 | Lee | Proctor | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 04:42:14 | 35 |
| 11 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | 04:55:37 | 30 |
| 12 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 04:56:08 | 25 |
| 13 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | TT | 05:04:53 | 20 |
| 14 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 05:17:18 | 15 |
| 15 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 05:51:54 | 15 |
| . | George | Coombes | Newport (Shropshire) CC | S | TT | DNS | . |
| . | Robert | McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | TT | DNS | . |
Team Gold:
Wrekinsport CC (Tomos Hales/Hayley Wells/Oli Freeman) 12:11:06
Veterans:
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Christopher | Riley | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +50:48 | 80 |
| 2 | Jonathan | Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | TT | +46:41 | 75 |
| 3 | Aidy | Key | Paramount CRT | V | TT | +31:12 | 70 |
| 4 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +18:42 | 65 |
| 5 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | RB | +16:39 | 60 |
| 6 | Lee | Proctor | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +16:01 | 55 |
| 7 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | +7:15 | 50 |
| 8 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | +0:51 | 45 |
| 9 | Tim | Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | V | TT | -3:10 | 40 |
| 10 | Simon | Jones | Hafren CC | V | TT | -17:07 | 35 |
| 11 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | -1:05:08 | 30 |
Females:
| Female Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | Time | Female Points |
| 1 | Hayley | Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | TT | 04:07:41 | 80 |
| 2 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | FV | TT | 05:17:18 | 75 |
Road Bikes:
| RB Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Cat | Machine | RB Adj Time | RB Points |
| 1 | David | Scott | Paramount CRT | S | RB | 04:15:34 | 80 |
| 2 | Jonathan | Goh | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 04:22:32 | 75 |
| 3 | Mark | Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | RB | 04:24:35 | 70 |
| 4 | Lee | Proctor | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 04:25:13 | 65 |
| 5 | Andrew | Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | RB | 04:33:59 | 60 |
| 6 | Ashley | Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | RB | 05:46:22 | 55 |
Top Club Award:
| Pos’n | Club | Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 280 |
| 2 | Wrekinsport CC | 220 |
| 3 | Aerologic RT | 75 |
| 4 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 30 |
| 5 | Hafren CC | 20 |
| 6 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 15 |
Cumulative Standings after eight rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | V | 375 |
| 2 | Tomos Hales | Wrekinsport CC | S | 370 |
| 3 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | V | 290 |
| 4 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | V | 250 |
| 5 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 245 |
| 6 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | F | 200 |
| 7 | Oli Freeman | Wrekinsport CC | S | 145 |
| 8 | Robert McGregor | Paramount CRT | S | 140 |
| 9 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 130 |
| 10 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | FV | 125 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Vets Position | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Mills-Keeling | Aerologic RT | 395 |
| 2 | Christopher Riley | Paramount CRT | 295 |
| =3 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | 285 |
| =3 | Simon Romei | Paramount CRT | 285 |
| 5 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 250 |
| 6 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | 225 |
| 7 | John Westhead | Paramount CRT | 200 |
| 8 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | 190 |
| 9 | Ian Laverie | Wrekinsport CC | 140 |
| =10 | Tim Evans | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 110 |
| =10 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 110 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Road Bike Championship
| Road Bike Pos’n | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Jonathan Goh | Paramount CRT | V | 435 |
| 2 | Andrew Dawson | Paramount CRT | V | 375 |
| 3 | Mark Fenn | Shropshire CCA | V | 365 |
| 4 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | F | 255 |
| 5 | William Preston | Paramount CRT | S | 165 |
| 6 | David Scott | Paramount CRT | S | 140 |
| 7 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | FV | 110 |
| =8 | Ashley Kirkham | Wrekinsport CC | V | 85 |
| =8 | Billy Panter | Paramount CRT | S | 85 |
| 10 | Alvydas Janusauskas | Paramount CRT | V | 75 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Female Championship
| Female Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Hayley Wells | Wrekinsport CC | 380 |
| 2 | Emma Brown | Paramount CRT | 315 |
| 3 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 285 |
| 4 | Deb Hutson-Lumb | SCCA Private Member | 240 |
| 5 | Claire Blackwell-Smyth | Paramount CRT | 145 |
| 6 | Gill Snelson | Paramount CRT | 95 |
| =7 | Jan Davies | Hafren CC | 55 |
| =7 | Thea Osmund-Smith | Paramount CRT | 55 |
| 9 | Kathryn Rossiter | North Shropshire Wheelers | 50 |
| 10 | Elaine Beckett | North Shropshire Wheelers | 40 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Paramount CRT | 1550 |
| 2 | Wrekinsport CC | 1065 |
| 3 | Aerologic RT | 530 |
| 4 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 145 |
| 4 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 145 |
| 6 | Hafren CC | 110 |
| 7 | Newport (Shropshire) CC | 90 |
| 8 | Oswestry Paragon CC | 65 |