Another Club Championship, the 10 mile Time Trial was held on 18th August, incorporated in the Welsh Championship. With a full field of 120 riders it was necessary to include an overflow event in which 58 year old Paul Griffiths competed, recording 27 minutes 56 seconds. Three other members were included in the main event for men, Neale Lewis completing the distance in a very good 22.40 for 59th overall. Dan Taylor recorded a personal best finishing in 45th place with 22.03 while Steve Bennett, in a good run of form recorded 21.42 to take 30th overall and our Club Championship for 2013.
Steve continued to notch up results, riding in the last of the JIF Summer Criterium races at Llandow on 28th August. Now riding with 2nd Category status he competed in the Cat 2/3/4/Vet event, finishing in 3rd place then also rode in the following Cat 2/3/4 race where he came away with 9th place against mostly fresh riders.
Dan Taylor, meanwhile, was completing his training for the Welsh 12 hour TT Championship on 1st September. Following a night of clear skies the 6 am start, shortly after dawn, had some riders donning gloves and extra clothes ready for the first leg out to Hereford. By late morning the helpers and riders on the Chainbridge circuit were bathed in hot sunshine but a stiff wind had developed, hindering riders on the dual carriageway from Raglan to Hardwick. Unfortunately for Dan, some muscle damage suffered in the Championship 10 began to cause serious pain, forcing him to pull out after 125 miles with just under half his allocated time remaining. Extremely disappointed because he still felt strong, he is already thinking ahead to the 2014 event where it looks as though he will be joined by several other Acme riders. On a day which saw seven other withdrawals, 38 riders and two tandem teams completed the course with veteran rider Jon Wynn taking the title with an astonishing 287.74 miles.
The final round of the 5 Mile Time Trial Series 2013 took place on 29th August on the Porth bypass. Seventeen members have competed in the six events which began in early June. Junior member Ethan Derrick claimed his second club title with a points total (Best 5 Results) of 94. Runner up was Tony Rees, 83 points and in third place was last year’s winner, Paul Harries, 76 points.
Ethan was presented with the Dudley Thomas Memorial Trophy by Gwyn Humphries. It is rumoured that his dad, Anthony, has been putting up extra shelves at home to cope with all the silverware ! Once again, the riders would like to thank everyone who has given up their time to officiate at these events. A special mention should go to Chris Thomas who has taken over the ‘event signing’ duties this year. It is to his credit that each event has been run safely and without incident.
Overall winner of the Hill Climb Series, Paul Harries receives his trophy from timekeeper Gwyn Humphreys, flanked by the runners-up and start timekeeper, Carole Dietman. Ethan Derrick was not able to beat dad Anthony in the final event but managed to overtake Jason Dodd in the points count to claim second place. Jason’s consistent high finishing saw him claim the last podium place over Tony Rees who had occupied this place until the last event.
A special mention should be made of former Series Winner, Ian Humphries who rode his last Hill Climb event with the club before moving back to his native Devon. All the riders wish to thank the club officials and members who marshalled and timed this year’s events. Without their help the series would not take place.
Chris Thomas has supplied some additional pictures taken at the club events which have now been added to the relevant sections of the Photo Gallery.
Several older club members recently attended the funeral of the mother of Nigel Evans. Nigel, a past member, moved to England many years ago in pursuit of his profession but keeps in touch with Andrew Leach. Some of our members met Nigel at this year’s Dragon Ride when he and other members of his current club, Coalville Wheelers, were training for a sponsored ‘End to End’ ride. On this ride from John o’Groats to Land’s End, Nigel’s son Tom, new to cycling, achieved the feat of completing the 930 miles and helping to raise £11,000 for their charity.
