Wrekinsport CC 10

It’s going down to the wire in The Coaching Revolutions 2-Up Series with the destination of five pairs of medals unresolved after the 9th and penultimate round. Riders entering Wrekinsport CC’s 10 on the lumpy Shawbirch – Cotwall Bank circuit had an extra obstacle to endure, a strong south-westerly wind – not that that fazed the evening’s winners Matt’s Davies and Garthwaite. The Rhino Velo pairing breezed around the circuit in a fabulous time of 20 minutes 24 seconds, visibly faster than the competition as they flew off the start line.

Despite that time both found the going difficult, both courtesy of the wind and through the beating they doled out to each other; indeed Garthwaite’s comments adequately described the experience: “It was nice to get the win, but an evening licking concrete would have been more enjoyable than holding Matt’s wheel! Grim“. Davies also suffered for the cause, adding: “A great night out, though it was tough both in the wind and on Garthwaite’s wheel. A huge thank you to all those involved in marshalling and putting the event on“.

Taking the runner-up spot were Nova Raiders’ pairing of Matt Gibbons and Scott Harris, stopping the watch on 21:57. The 18 points gained elevated them into sole occupancy of the Overall runner-up spot just two points behind Series leaders Bryn Davies and Pete Thomas, and with Gibbons unsure of availability for that final round he was cautious in his comments: “It would be a shame to end the 2-Up Series like this but I have enjoyed the season. Rapid stuff from the Rhino Velo guys, thanks to Wrekinsport“. Harris added: “I enjoyed the race though I wanted to go a lot faster but strong cross wind put a dampener on that. A brilliant time by the Rhino Velo boys, thanks to Coaching Revolutions for a great Series“.Just eight seconds split 3rd from 4th with another Nova pairing pushing out a Hafren CC team riding the course for the first time. Nick Long and Andy Rose crossed the line in 23:36 after struggling with the winds, though were happy with their effort. Rose stated: “I was pleased with the performance despite the windy conditions, I really enjoyed pairing up with Nick. Thanks to Wrekinsport and their volunteers for hosting“. Long added: “We went hard, but had some iffy moments in the crosswinds. Always a pleasure to ride with Andy“.

Despite being pushed into 4th in 23:44 Neil Vose and Mark Hill sealed Overall Series Bronze – the only medals settled on the night. Both were pleased with their effort, and with winning a medal in their first year as a team. Vose commented: “It was really blustery on the way out to Crudgington and when you turned into the headwind a tough climb up the hill. It was quick back down the hill but my legs died with about a mile to go and Mark dragged me back as he was finishing stronger. Pleased with the time and also please to confirm we have secured 3rd spot overall in our first year riding in the 2-Up series. Looking to improve next year and maybe push Bryn and Pete for top spot“?

Hill’s comments echoed Vose’s sentiments as he added: “Cotwall Bank was tough.Off the start line was fast with a strong cross wind. From the top we flew down the bank. A short climb back up to the main road and through Shawbirch. Another long straight to the finish line saw us cruising at 30 mph again. Many thanks to Wrekinsport for their TT course, a new one for me“.

Having sealed Women’s Silver in Round 8 the previous evening Wrekinsport’s Liz White and Paramount CRT’s Hil Pontefract made it a lap of honour to increase their tally to a very respectable 92 points with their 30:51 effort.

In the Mixed Team pairs it was a first ever Time Trial for Tina Elcocks, who seems to have had a different experience than husband Steve. The couple beat the magic ‘evens’ marker of 30 minutes with a good effort of 29:33, finishing strongly. Tina stated: “I thoroughly enjoyed my first time trial with a number on my back. It was well organised and it was nice to hear encouragement from marshals and start/finish timekeepers. A tad windy but Steve worked well“! Garthwaite’s wasn’t the only amusing comment of the evening as Steve returned to HQ having almost lost his voice through the effort of protesting “No Tina, I can’t go any faster” repeatedly throughout the race!

Result:

Women’s Team:

Mixed Team:

Cumulative Standings after nine rounds

Overall

Women’s Team

Mixed Team

• It’s all to play for in the 10th and final round at Welshpool as Hafren CC bring the 2017 Series to a close at 7pm on 9th August.
• There’s a video of the event available on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KhSF0xPjN4