Ride Fast Coaching Shropshire Championship 4-Up

The most keenly anticipated time trial on the Shropshire Calendar; the Ride Fast Coaching Shropshire Championship 4-Up, saw Bridgnorth CC retain their Overall and Road Bike crowns – and add the Female 4-Up Trophy for good measure in a marvellous morning for the club. With two different members from the 2025 line-up; Bridgnorth A featuring Tom Herbert, Matt Clarke, James Satoor and Sean Dawson knocked 46 seconds off their previous year’s effort with a stellar 1 hour 4 minutes 10 second effort on a glorious sunny morning on the 50 km course; covering a T-shape taking in Edgmond, Crudgington, Shawbirch and Hodnet; and catching the Wrekinsport A squad who finished as runners-up late on to show dominance for the third year in a row in this fastest of all time trialling formats.

All four members of Bridgnorth A are active road racers in an event that attracts all ability levels, and regularly features riders who have never entered a time trial before, promoting the sport to newcomers in this uncommon format. With all racing on road bikes, the sheer level of their performance, working as if in a road race breakaway, was exceptional to retain both The John Farr 4-Up Shield and The Road Bike 4-Up Trophy. The special atmosphere and format attracted quite a few spectators and photographers around the course who, along with the marshalling crews, provided lots of encouragement; with a traditional and well received post-race social at HQ, The Lamb at Edgmond in one of the social highlights of the Shropshire racing calendar. 

Herbert was proud of the performance of the club overall on a course where squads can get a view of how others are performing: “All in all it was a fantastic day for the club, with the clean sweep. It was great to be part of such a strong, even team again this year. Everyone pulled their turns really well, and by Shawbirch I’d timed the gap at two minutes to Wrekinsport A, so I knew we were on track. However, the elusive 30mph average speed slipped away with the traffic we ran into on the final approach to the Crudgington roundabout, but I knew a few teams would have struggled with that, so we just pushed as hard as we could in the final five miles or so to really empty the tank. Riding on James Satoor’s wheel felt like a turn and a half at that point. I’m also super chuffed with how the girls performed given that they don’t have much in the way of racing experience, and our only practice with them was on two days prior to the event. They looked fantastic as a team when we passed them in the other direction through Waters Upton. It was also great to drag Jason Meyer out of retirement as Captain of our B team. They put in a really solid ride, working well together and finishing as a four”.

Herbert’s comments show how the rolling terrain of the final leg back to Edgmond can catch riders out when ‘on the rivet’; although from his post-race comments it appears 1^st category roadman Satoor took to it like a duck to water. This was Satoor’s first experience of the 4-Up format, and he was not disappointed, stating: “It was great to defend our win in the 4-Up. We pulled together really well as a team and were delighted with our performance in what was a tough one hour effort. It was even better to see the club secure the Trophy in the Women’s 4-Up too; a great day all round”!

This was Dawson’s first trialling experience, but the knowledge of each other’s abilities racing the local road racing league helped the closely-matched team mates pull a great performance out of the bag through teamwork, as Dawson explained: “It was a beautiful day for it! It was my first experience of a time trial event. We had a good strong team of road racers, with not a lot between us in terms of strength, which helped us work well together as a team. We set off pulling one minute turns and held this smoothly until taking the final turn at the roundabout to head towards the finish, where we started to ramp it up with shorter turns to empty the tank. We were held up with a little bit of traffic approaching the roundabout for the final time, but apart from that I think we left it all out there to produce a good time. It was a great day for the club and a pleasure to represent Bridgnorth CC in picking up the titles. Thanks for a great event. I hope to be racing and defending the win again next year”. Clarke concurred that teamwork had been the key to success, adding: “Overall the team time trial could not have gone better. A strong team all evenly matched, with great turns”.

County rules to win the trophies state that all squad members must be affiliated to the SCCA to qualify; and essentially must all belong ‘first claim’ to the same club to avoid the fastest riders from multiple clubs simply getting together to win in a competition rooted in friendly inter-club rivalry. Consequently a surprise entry from four current and ex-Nova Raiders’ members marking a welcome return to racing this event for the first time since 2021 saw Deb Hutson-Lumb, Jenny Newton, Julie Caddick and Karen Sherriff take the overall Female win in 1:23:31 but not qualify for the silverware. The squad had had a trial run out in the Wrekinsport CC club 10 mile 4-Up four days earlier, which utilises part of the course and is run specifically to give practice at the format in the run-up to the Championship – something Hutson-Lumb found beneficial.

One of the Nova Raiders riders from 2021, Hutson-Lumb explained how the germ of an idea to race together again originated with Newton, who also rode that 2021 event and is coming back to time trialling after some time away: “I had no plans to ride the 4-Up this year, but when Jenny started trying to pull together a women’s team a few weeks ago it was an opportunity not to miss. Our first ride together was the Wrekinsport 10 4-Up, in which we learnt a lot from in terms of rider order, getting round turns together, pacing etc. Putting all of that into place for the SCCA 4-Up helped massively, and meant that each rider could work to their strengths. On the day, we took the first stretch to the A442 relatively easily; letting the race come to us, and once on the A442 we were able to settle into a good rhythm. As we approached the Shawbirch turn we saw Paramount women’s team coming in the opposite direction and it looked as though we were starting to pull them back. Shortly after the Hodnet turn their rear lights were in our sights, which was very motivating. Once onto the return section of the B5062 we started to push on, unfortunately impeded for a short while due to a vehicle behind a slower rider, so we didn’t quite make the catch before the finish. I think it is fair to say that everyone in our team was super-pleased with the ride, especially as we all finished together. Winning the women’s category was a surprise, but reflects excellent team work and riders pushing their own limits. I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved in the event – and looking at the number of marshals out on the course that is a small army of people giving up their Sunday morning”.

One of the goals of the event is to encourage riders who have never raced before to have a go, and hopefully come back for more. This certainly seemed to have ignited a flame in Caddick, who thoroughly enjoyed the experience, commenting: “We had a fantastic day and really enjoyed the event. As a team we worked brilliantly together throughout the 50 kilometres, communicating well, with smooth turns and keeping the pace high from start to finish. It all came together on the day, and we were delighted to finish as the first ladies team, ahead of Paramount and Bridgnorth. It was only my second ever time trial, with the first being the Wrekinsport 4-Up as a chance to practise our through-and-off technique, so I was really pleased with how well it all came together. We knew we weren’t eligible to receive the Championship trophies because we all ride for different first-claim clubs, but a win is still a win in our eyes. We all ride together socially too, which made the result even more special. A huge thank you to the organisers, marshals and everyone involved in putting on another excellent event. It was great to pin a number on again after a few years away from racing, and I think I’ll certainly be back for more ‘type two fun’”!

Caddick’s statement that the whole squad had a great time was echoed by Sherriff, who added: “What a cracking event! It was an absolute pleasure to be asked to ride as part of the Nova Raiders ladies’ 4-Up TT team. For us to come away with the fastest time against such strong competition from the ladies of Bridgnorth CC and Paramount CC was an incredible achievement. Although our team couldn’t officially lift the trophy we still took the win on the road, and that’s something we are all incredibly proud of! Also I’d like to give a big shout out to the organisers and marshals for their time and effort for putting on such a seamless and successful event”.

Newton is a tentative comeback trail, unseen in a race since 2023, but having had some practice in 2-Up team format earlier in 2026 seems to have found the joy in racing again, stating: “I so enjoyed that! We had a plan and stuck to it, and we could tell it was paying off long before the finish. We had great fun teaming up”.

When told they had won the Female 4-Up Trophy at the post-race social following first team time trials for all four members of the Bridgnorth Females squad: Hayley Brain, Charlotte Hunt, Lauren Turley, and late reserve Megan Brain, covering for illness; all looked incredulous. They stopped the watch on 1:24:13 to take the Trophy off reigning Champions Paramount Ladies, who finished in 1:26:25. The sheer pleasure taken from completing the course together and smoothly was evident as they whooped with delight crossing the line. This is the first time after several attempts to put a Female squad together that Bridgnorth CC finally succeeded, and it certainly paid dividends.

Preparation however was far from ideal, despite best intentions, as Hayley Brain explained: “We are absolutely chuffed to win the Female Trophy at the SCCA 4-Up Team Time Trial! We really exceeded every expectation any of us had. This was the first team time trial for all of us, so thorough preparation was essential. However, our training programme consisted of meeting in a lay-by two days before the race, learning the basic team time trial manoeuvres, and then swiftly moving on to the most important part of team preparation – a well-earned post training pint for team bonding purposes! Race day itself was tough, with everyone digging deep and giving it absolutely everything. We also seemed to have a remarkable talent for arriving at every roundabout at exactly the same time as the traffic, but despite that, we managed to average a speed far higher than any of us thought possible. We were genuinely delighted just to make it to the finish line as a team of four, so finding ourselves in top spot at the end was the cherry on top of an already brilliant day. It was a fantastic first-time experience for all of us, and we’d love to come back next year and see if we can defend the title; maybe with a bit more preparation next time! A huge thank you to all the organisers, marshals and enthusiastic supporters who helped make the event such a success. We had an amazing day and can’t wait to do it all again”!

Hunt commented on the way the squad clicked quickly despite little practice, and the positive experience of seeing 16 Females in competition, with three mixed squads also in competition as well as three all-female ones: “I am delighted to have won the Women’s 4-Up Team Time Trial trophy as the fastest eligible team. It was a strong field with outstanding performances from all teams. I am proud of the ride our team put together, especially as none of us had ever done a team time trial before and only met as a team two days before the event. We worked really well together with good communication, stayed on each other’s wheels and achieved our main aim, which was to all cross the finish line together. I’d really like to thank the marshals and everyone who gave their time to make the event possible. It was great to have support along the course from spectators and from the other teams taking part. The event had such a friendly atmosphere, which was particularly welcoming for newcomers like us. As a club, Bridgnorth CC is especially pleased to have been able to field a woman’s team and support women’s team time trialling. We hope this is something that continues to grow; and that even more women’s teams will enter next year’s event”.

Turley acknowledged the smoothness of the teamwork, something alluded to by Herbert’s observation, stating: “Firstly, thanks for organising a great time trial, and thanks to all the marshals! It was a great team effort, and we were really pleased with how we rode together as a cohesive group despite not riding together on road bikes before. Everyone put in a fantastic effort and we look forward to the next one”! Meanwhile Megan Brain simply echoed the eyeballs-out feeling of the format commented on by many pushing themselves beyond what they thought possible: “That’s the fastest I’ve ever gone on a bike”.

Things didn’t go completely smoothly for Wrekinsport A, comprising Oli Freeman, Ben Wood, Paul Edwards, and Phil Roberts; with a touch of wheels as the squad changed formation sending Edwards to the floor. Edwards had been on the front, but clipped Freeman’s wheel whilst drifting to the back. Shaken, but thankfully with no major issues but a few bumps and scrapes; after a stop of around 40 seconds Edwards urged the squad to continue as a 3-Up, with times in this format taken on the third rider; and helpfully received a lift back to HQ from marshal Terry Price after all teams had circumnavigated Hodnet roundabout. The three remaining members finished in 1:07:35 for runner-up spot, with the accident affecting their final time but thankfully not their position. Edwards commented: “After a successful winning warm up in the Wrekinsport 4-Up; Wrekinsport A, made up of the same four strong, experienced riders who had personally achieved a lot during the season, went into the Championship 4-Up TTT event with huge optimism. With ideal race conditions, a far cry from last year’s weather, the team set off strong, meeting an agreed race strategy for each rider. Despite an unfortunate incident, which abruptly halted my race at mile 16, the team continued as a trio, to finish the race in second place; a huge achievement. Personal thanks to the team, the organisers, the marshals and fellow riders for contributions to this enjoyable event, together with support on the day. Well done to Bridgnorth CC A on the victory; and Paramount 1 on securing third place”.

Despite only finishing with three, the same members beat their 1:09:07 effort from 2025 by 1:32 and one place, showing how much they have improved. Roberts has spent the season concentrating on team formats, and showed how this training benefited them when they had to dig deep post-crash: “I was really pleased with how we rode as a team. We had a plan going into it, and for the majority of the race it worked really well. Everyone took their turns, kept it smooth and we were working well together. Unfortunately Paul crashed during the race. Thankfully he was OK and gave us the green light to carry on, so the three of us pushed on to the finish. It obviously changed things from that point, but we just got our heads down and did what we could. To still come away as runners-up was a result we were really happy with. It was also great to ride with Oli, Ben and Paul again as the same four as last year. The 4-Up is always a brilliant event to ride. It’s a bit different, very unique and a really good team event. I’d like to give a big ‘thank you’ to all the marshals and volunteers who gave up their time to make it happen”.

Wood and Freeman are well used to riding together in the 2-Up format; and that experience of each other’s strengths came to the fore, with Freeman taking bigger turns, intuitively knowing that Wood tends to tire towards the end of an event – and particularly as the undulations in the final leg sap energy, as Wood explained: “It was great to ‘get the band back together’ from last year. After the Wrekinsport warm up event we were feeling confident that we could improve our time from last year. We started off very well by using the tailwind to our advantage but not getting too excited! We had refined our turn times after some advice from a wise coach, and this saw us working well together and smooth in our changes. This continued until about mile 16 when unfortunately Paul’s front wheel touched onto Oli’s back wheel and Paul hit the deck. After stopping to check that he was OK, Paul urged us to carry on, and then it became a slog! Thankfully after our 2-Up experience Oli knows I usually have to be nursed to the line, and he and Phil looked after me very well in the final undulating six miles. I was delighted to have beaten our time by a considerable margin and also delighted to have improved our position from last year. Thank you to everyone that makes it happen; and thank you to all that helped Paul”.

For Freeman, in his third season, it was the clear progression through the standings year on year and the team work bringing out the best in each other that made this a memorable one: “The SCCA 4-Up is always one of my favourite events in the calendar. It’s a great opportunity to ride with team mates who you would normally be racing against, working together to get the best time possible. We were going well, until a clip of tyres resulted in Paul going down after 16 miles. After stopping to make sure he was OK, we continued as a trio. Overall I was really happy with our time, 92 seconds faster than last year; and to get the runner-up spot, after being fourth in 2024 and third 2025. Thank you to the organisers, marshals; and for all of the support out on course”.

Paramount 1; comprising Chris Riley, Rob McGregor, Simon Romei and new team member Mitchell Fletcher; took third spot in 1:08:27 having acknowledged some ‘ring rust’ apparent from the Wrekinsport 4-Up practice run. That practice allowed them to tweak their strategy in time for the Championship, as McGregor explained: “I was a little apprehensive coming into the Championship event after a pretty shambolic practice run. However, we applied the learning from the Wrekinsport race and rode as a cohesive unit. Good communication really helped to keep us together and saved us a huge amount of energy. We lost a bit of time to traffic on our second and third approaches to Crudgington roundabout, but had a smooth run otherwise. It was a great feeling to get all four of us across the finish line, and I was buzzing for a few days afterwards – thanks to everyone involved in hosting a fantastic event”.

For newest member of the squad Fletcher there was a bit of apprehension joining riders well versed in the format. Fletcher has ridden several 2-Up events this year with wife Evie, but this format was a completely new experience; as he explained: “After a practice run at Wrekinsport’s 10 mile 4-Up this was only my second time racing a 4-Up team time trial. Naturally I was quite nervous, but I knew I was in good hands with my Paramount team mates. We started off strong, with an excellent pace to the first turn, and kept it going from there. We worked amazingly as a team, with a lot of communication coming from Rob to keep us all together and at bay! The team looked after me excellently, with Si, Rob and Chris doing some amazing pulls throughout the whole race. I had suffered from sickness coming into the race, so was happy to contribute to the team with all I could and make it to the finish. I really enjoyed the event, was proud of our time and all of us making it to the finish, and look forward to participating again next year! Thank you to all the organisers and volunteers”.

Despite that illness his team mates did not notice any drop off in power, with Romei particularly pointing out how Fletcher fit in well: “Super happy to have secured third place in the Shropshire Championship 4-Up, it was a great morning racing. All the team put some really solid turns on the front, and we worked really well as a team even with our newest member. Big shout out to all the marshals and timekeepers who did a fantastic job of arranging a great, safe race”.

That left the final word to Chris Riley, backing up Romei’s comments: “The Paramount top team was excellent this year. McGregor was a brilliant road captain, and got the pace and rider management bang on. Romei was the power, and our new member Mitchell Fletcher was awesome. I am the weakest link these days, but the enjoyment is undiminished, and my friends made sure of getting me round. The 4-Up is a unique and fantastic event, and third place behind the strong Bridgnorth and Wrekinsport teams is brilliant. Thanks everyone for all the hard work in making this one another success”.

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