Bryn Davies took two wins in two days as he made a fabulous 2016 debut in the Coaching Revolutions 2-Up Series. First off the line with Hafren CC partner Pete Thomas the pair made no mistake, charging around the Montford Bridge – Nesscliffe 10 mile circuit in a superb 21 minutes 34 seconds, making the most of the superb smooth road surface to surprise reigning Champions Ed Middleton and Scott Harris with their form. A delighted Davies commented: “I was pleased with the result, we worked well together despite doing minimal training together beforehand. A really good course for a fast time, I enjoyed that, thanks to all involved“. Davies’ increased fitness level did however surprise partner Thomas who added wryly: “I did the best I could to hang onto Bryn who is on form! Last year it was me in form! A very good course, an excellent surface”.
2015 Champions Ed Middleton and Scott ‘Bomber’ Harris found themselves in an unaccustomed runner-up spot despite an excellent 22:21 in what is already shaping up to be a fabulous head-to-head battle in this best 5 from 8 Series – with Harris sure to improve and racing despite carrying a cold. He explained: “I felt rough before the start, but my legs have been good in training. Not as fast as we were aiming for. Well done to the Hafren boys, we just need to train even harder! I’m looking forward to the next round“. Middleton added: “It’s always fun riding with ‘Bomber’. A top ride by the Hafren boys who are showing good form. Lastly thanks to the organisers and marshals“. Despite Davies and Thomas closing the gap Middleton and Harris hold an eight point lead in the defence of their Championship and will be going all out to hold onto it for a third year in a row.
The fine surface of the rarely used MontfordBridge – Nesscliffe 10 attracted 15 teams, with some very fast times registered on a calm if chilly morning. It was a first-time pairing for Nick Pavard and Andy Rose, the latter riding his first ever race in this format. Despite that unfamiliarity the Nova Raiders pair finished in 3rd spot with a 22:52 effort, just seven seconds ahead of Revolutions Racing’s Dan Lamsdell and Steve Elcocks, who moved up to overall runner-up spot thanks to the 14 points added to their tally.
The 2015 Mixed-pair Champions are already setting out their stall for 2016 with a commanding lead that sees them move up to joint 3rd spot overall in a tie with Davies and Thomas. Wrekinsport’s Amanda Witty and Delwyn Jones registered a 2-Up Personal Best of 23:56 – good enough for 8th spot overall on the day despite an excellent effort from Steve and Jane Chapman who were runners-up in 24:57. A delighted Witty commented: “It was the first time for both of us on that course. We were really pleased with that time. Thanks to all the helpers making it a great event“.
The only all-female team in competition were Rachel Storey and Jo Coombes, who ended the morning on 30:45.
Result:
| Pos’n | No. | Name | Club | Time | Points |
| 1 | 1 | Peter Thomas | Hafren CC |
21:34 |
20 |
| 2 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | |||
| 2 | 9 | Ed Middleton | Nova Raiders |
22:21 |
18 |
| 10 | Scott Harris | Nova Raiders | |||
| 3 | 7 | Nick Pavard | Nova Raiders |
22:52 |
16 |
| 8 | Andy Rose | Nova Raiders | |||
| 4 | 25 | Steve Elcocks | Revolutions Racing |
22:59 |
14 |
| 26 | Daniel Lamsdell | Revolutions Racing | |||
| 5 | 21 | Chris Horsfield | Revolutions Racing |
23:09 |
12 |
| 22 | Tom Byatt | Revolutions Racing | |||
| 6 | 5 | Chris Hill | Mid Shropshire Wheelers |
23:14 |
10 |
| 6 | Dilwyn Griffiths | Hafren CC | |||
| 7 | 17 | Ian Coe | Hafren CC |
23:40 |
8 |
| 18 | Paul Bufton | Hafren CC | |||
| 8 | 11 | Amanda Witty | Wrekinsport CC |
23:56 |
6 |
| 12 | Delwyn Jones | Wrekinsport CC | |||
| 9 | 19 | Andrew Hellowell | Revolutions Racing |
24:04 |
4 |
| 20 | Pete Craddock | Revolutions Racing | |||
| 10 | 29 | John Robertson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers |
24:08 |
2 |
| 30 | Andy Hazell | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | |||
| 11 | 3 | Andy Griffiths | Hafren CC |
24:15 |
2 |
| 4 | Mark Hill | Hafren CC | |||
| 12 | 23 | Steve Chapman | Nova Raiders |
24:57 |
2 |
| 24 | Jane Chapman | Nova Raiders | |||
| 13 | 15 | Rob Finch | Arctic Tacx |
25:00 |
|
| 16 | Lucy Davies | Hafren CC | |||
| 14 | 13 | Craig Howells | Nova Raiders |
25:46 |
2 |
| 14 | Jonathan Howells | Nova Raiders | |||
| 15 | 27 | Jo Coombes | Nova Raiders |
30:45 |
2 |
| 28 | Rachel Storey | Nova Raiders |
Cumulative Top 10 after two rounds:
| Position | Team | Club(s) | Best 5 |
| 1 | Scott Harris & Ed Middleton | Nova Raiders | 38 |
| 2 | Steve Elcocks & Daniel Lamsdell | Revolutions Racing | 30 |
| =3 | Amanda Witty & Delwyn Jones | Wrekinsport CC | 20 |
| =3 | Pete Thomas & Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 20 |
| 5 | Nick Pavard & Mark Harrison | Nova Raiders | 18 |
| 6 | Nick Pavard & Andy Rose | Nova Raiders | 16 |
| =7 | Chris Horsfield & Tom Byatt | Revolutions Racing | 12 |
| =7 | Richard Cordova & Matt Harrison | North Shropshire Wheelers | 12 |
| =9 | Chris Hill & Dilwyn Griffiths | Mid Shropshire Wheelers & Hafren CC | 10 |
| =9 | James Greehalgh & James Handley | North Shropshire Wheelers | 10 |
- Round 3 of the Coaching Revolutions 2-Up Series takes place on Friday, 20th May when Oswestry Paragon CC promote their 10 mile event on the D10/5c Queens Head – Gobowen course.