Despite the number of members involved in racing and others riding recent sportive’s the Sunday clubruns are still popular leaving the Welcome Inn, Tonypandy 9.30 each week. Rides vary from 40 – 60 miles depending on weather condition. Recent rides have varied between coastal rides and the mountains of the Brecon Beacons with a cafe stop on route. The picture above shows Craig, Carl, Alec, Mark and potential new members Mike, Andrew, Lloyd & Scott on a recent coastal ride.

The Club 100 mile Championship was held on 14th June and as usual was incorporated in the Welsh Championship. Disappointingly, only two members had entered and with Dan Taylor being DNS this left Dai Long as our only competitor. The course used this year was the West Wales one between Brecon and Carmarthen and while being very scenic does not produce the fastest of times. However, in his first ever 100 mile time trial, Dai became our 100 mile Champion with an excellent 4 hours 37 minutes 05 seconds, well inside our silver standard of 4.45.00.

In round 5 of the Celtic Series 10 mile TT’s, Neale Lewis produced a 22.15 ride and Jeff Rees 23.58 which he must have been pleased with. Ross Morgan and Nadine Cannon both managed late starts of over five minutes ! Ross’s actual time would have been 24-47 and Nadine who was given 32.03 must have been kicking herself when her actual time was a very respectable 26.54.

The Port Talbot 4-up Team Time Trial evening event is always popular with Acme members and this year we had three teams competing. Above are pictured Dan Taylor, Neale Lewis, Dai Long and Steve Bennett, considered to be our A-Team, who completed the 25 mile course in 52.06.

The B-Team, shown below, consisted of Dean Cummings, Steve Williams, Paul Harries and Tommy Doherty. This was Tommy’s first 25 mile time trial so he did well to match the others and was rewarded with an under the hour ride when the team finished in 58.54.

Team-C was a mixed group of Schoolboy,Senior and Veteran riders. Experienced veteran, Jeff Rees, took the role of team captain and ushered Simon Kinsey, young Rory Jenkins and even younger Alec Morris to a very good finishing time of 1.02.26. Several riders were disappointed not to have a ride so we can expect at least one other team to participate next year.

Riders in the Bynea 50 mile TT on Sunday had a tough ride, facing a headwind on the dual carriageway instead of the usual help from a westerly wind. Many competitors were disappointed at not getting under the two hour mark. Five of our members took part with Gary Flower achieving the fastest time by an Acme rider with his 2.02.54. Steve Bennett was not far behind with a 2.03 and Dan Taylor following on with 2.04. Anthony Redman finished with a 2.07 and Dai Long in 2.09 so it was a closely fought battle among our riders. All will be hoping to go faster in the club championship but will have to wait until the end of the season for that. In the meantime, the Championship 100 is looming and being held on the West Wales course will also prove a tough challenge.

Sportive News – VELOTHON WALES

Meanwhile, many other Acme members will be finalizing they training in preparation for the Cardiff Velothon a Combined closed road sportive alongside a UCI sanctioned professional race. Velothon Wales promises to deliver a weekend of cycling on a scale that Wales has never before witnessed.

On the 14th June 2015, up to 15,000 riders will make history as they roll across the start line in the heart of Cardiff and embark on a completely closed road cycling sportive that takes in some of Wales’ most breath-taking scenery. Offering a challenging 140km route for experienced riders and a 50km route for those looking for a slightly less intense day in the saddle, Velothon Wales appeals to cyclists of all abilities.

Taking place after the sportive, the professional race is likely to attract some of the world’s best teams and riders. Watching the pro’s fly into Cardiff city centre and across the finish line is guaranteed to provide a dramatic climax to a truly memorable day of cycling.