The traffic Gods were not smiling on the scheduled Shropshire Cycling Clubs Association 30. With one course out of action due to Shawbirch road works the reserve course, due to receive it’s first ever use and thus offering the mouth-watering prospect of a course record to the winner, also feel foul of issues near Tern Hill with less than an hour to go with traffic backed up a mile in every direction due to temporary lights. A hastily-convened 10 mile event using the Waters Upton – Hodnet course thus marked the first time a County level race had had to be truncated for many years.
Round 10 of the Friction Hydraulic Series saw Matt Davies loose out on the opportunity to set another course record but still make the best of balmy conditions to take an excellent win in 20 minutes 58 seconds – his seventh in this Series from eight entries.
Davies is the rider to beat at the moment and this fine win stretched his Series lead to 135 points – with the rider in the runner-up spot claiming that same position on the night. Mid Shropshire Wheelers’ Victor Chetta took the surprise of the more concentrated effort required for the shorter distance in his stride, crossing the finish line in 21:20 in his second ride on this course in four days. He explained: “My legs weren’t quite expecting a 10, but I tried to make the best of it! I was grateful we still got to race thanks to quick thinking of organisers. The wind direction was the exact opposite to the Mid Shropshire Wheelers’ MSW 10 on the same course which made for a bit of variety! It turned out to still be a pleasant evening“.
Davies pushed Tim Beardmore into third place overall as the Bridgnorth CC rider registered a course personal best of 22:17 to just get the edge over SCCA Private Member Alex Leek by five seconds. But Beardmore did better still in the Veteran’s Championship, taking his first ever win in +4:01. A delighted Beardmore stated: “I went out a little hard and suffered for it in the last mile coming back, but it was still fastest time on that course, so really pleased. It was great to get a first County win in the Veterans. A big thanks to the marshals and timekeepers“.
Beardmore wasn’t the only one setting a personal best as Dave Owen put in a fabulous effort of +3:45 for his highest ever finish in the Veterans. The Nova Raider also finished sixth overall in 22:33 on actual after pulling a real ride of quality out of the bag. He commented: “The race went really well, I got to the turn with high average speed so I was expecting a block head wind return. Nowhere near as bad as I expected so super pleased“!
Personal bests were also a theme in the Ladies Championship as Pauline Hughes knew she had to put in a shift to keep Jenny York at bay. With York having taken the honours four days previously this time it was Hughes’ turn in a ding-dong battle between the pair. She stopped the watch on 25:40 with York 23 seconds back. Hughes stated: “Conditions felt good and I felt strong. I pushed hard all the way as I knew Jenny would be chasing me down! I’m really pleased with the time, I think it was a PB for that course“.
16 year-old Sam Morris was looking forward to a 30 mile event after trying his first in the same event a year earlier, but put in a fine ride at the shorter distance to finish eighth overall in 23:22 and stretch his Junior Championship lead by another 60 points. He said: “It was a shame it couldn’t be a 30, but at least we had an event. Agonisingly close to a course personal best once again”!
Result
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series – Round 10
| Position | Forename | Surname | Club | Time | Points |
| 1 | Matthew | Davies | Rhino Velo RT | 20:58 | 60 |
| 2 | Victor | Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 21:20 | 55 |
| 3 | Tim | Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | 22:17 | 50 |
| 4 | Alex | Leek | SCCA Private Member | 22:22 | 45 |
| 5 | Andrew | Tamplin | Revolutions Racing | 22:28 | 40 |
| 6 | Dave | Owen | Nova Raiders | 22:33 | 35 |
| 7 | Ed | Middleton | Nova Raiders | 23:04 | 30 |
| 8 | Sam | Morris | Revolutions Racing | 23:22 | 25 |
| 9 | Rob | Kennard | Revolutions Racing | 23:28 | 20 |
| 10 | William | Baugh | Ludlow CC | 24:01 | 15 |
| 11 | Steve | Elcocks | Revolutions Racing | 24:23 | 10 |
| 12 | David | Drew | North Shropshire Wheelers | 24:36 | 5 |
| 13 | John | Robertson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 25:05 | 5 |
| 14 | Dave | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 25:34 | 5 |
| 15 | Pauline | Hughes | Revolutions Racing | 25:40 | 5 |
| 16 | Jenny | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 26:03 | 5 |
| 17 | Geoff | Edgerton | North Shropshire Wheelers | 26:13 | 5 |
| 18 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 26:40 | 5 |
| Amanda | Whitmore | Revolutions Racing | DNS-A |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship – Round 10
| Vets Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Vet +/- | Vets Points |
| 1 | Tim | Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | +4:01 | 60 |
| 2 | Dave | Owen | Nova Raiders | +3:45 | 55 |
| 3 | Jenny | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | +3:35 | 50 |
| 4 | Andrew | Tamplin | Revolutions Racing | +3:31 | 45 |
| 5 | Pauline | Hughes | Revolutions Racing | +3:29 | 40 |
| 6 | Rob | Kennard | Revolutions Racing | +3:17 | 35 |
| 7 | David | Drew | North Shropshire Wheelers | +3:08 | 30 |
| 8 | John | Robertson | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | +2:39 | 25 |
| 9 | William | Baugh | Ludlow CC | +2:35 | 20 |
| 10 | Geoff | Edgerton | North Shropshire Wheelers | +2:29 | 15 |
| 11 | Steve | Elcocks | Revolutions Racing | +2:22 | 10 |
| 12 | Dave | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | +2:10 | 5 |
| 13 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | +1:59 | 5 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Ladies Championship – Round 10
| Ladies Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Time | Ladies Points |
| 1 | Pauline | Hughes | Revolutions Racing | 25:40 | 60 |
| 2 | Jenny | York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 26:03 | 55 |
| 3 | Helen | Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 26:40 | 50 |
| Amanda | Whitmore | Revolutions Racing | DNS-A |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship – Round 10
| Junior Pos’n | Forename | Surname | Club | Time | Junior Points |
| 1 | Sam | Morris | Revolutions Racing | 23:22 | 60 |
Top Club Award – Round 10
| Pos’n | Club | Points |
| 1 | Revolutions Racing |
100 |
| 2 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers |
70 |
| 3 | Nova Raiders |
65 |
| 4 | Rhino Velo RT |
60 |
| 5 | Bridgnorth CC |
50 |
| 6 | SCCA Private Member |
45 |
| 7 | Ludlow CC |
15 |
| 8 | North Shropshire Wheelers |
10 |
| 9 | Oswestry Paragon CC |
5 |
Cumulative Standings after ten rounds
Friction and Hydraulic Services Shropshire Championship Points Series
| Position | Name | Club | Cat | Best 12 |
| 1 | Matt Davies | Rhino Velo RT | S | 485 |
| 2 | Victor Chetta | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | S | 350 |
| 3 | Andrew Tamplin | Revolutions Racing | S | 325 |
| 4 | Richard Kay | North Shropshire Wheelers | V | 230 |
| 5 | Tim Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | V | 225 |
| =6 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | J | 210 |
| =6 | Matt Garthwaite | Rhino Velo RT | S | 210 |
| 8 | Kirk Vickers | Rhino Velo RT | S | 195 |
| 9 | George Evans | SCCA Private Member | S | 175 |
| 10 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | V | 155 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Veterans Championship
| Vets Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Tim Beardmore | Bridgnorth CC | 355 |
| 2 | Richard Kay | North Shropshire Wheelers | 300 |
| 3 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 290 |
| =4 | Andy Hazell | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 265 |
| =4 | Pauline Hughes | Revolutions Racing | 265 |
| 6 | Andrew Tamplin | Revolutions Racing | 255 |
| 7 | Terry Icke | NewportShropshire CC | 190 |
| 8 | Bryn Davies | Hafren CC | 175 |
| 9 | Gary Duncan | Paramount CRT | 165 |
| =10 | David Drew | North Shropshire Wheelers | 160 |
| =10 | Stephen Minton | Ludlow Brewery RT | 160 |
| =10 | William Baugh | Ludlow CC | 160 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Ladies Championship
| Ladies Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Pauline Hughes | Revolutions Racing | 575 |
| 2 | Jenny York | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 455 |
| 3 | Ceris Eslava | Paramount CRT | 310 |
| 4 | Tracey Billington | Wrekinsport CC | 280 |
| 5 | Helen Tudor | Oswestry Paragon CC | 270 |
| 6 | Amanda Whitmore | Revolutions Racing | 265 |
| 7 | Susan Jeffery | Wrekinsport CC | 185 |
| 8 | Jade Chapman | Nova Raiders | 120 |
| 9 | Jennifer Morris | Wrekinsport CC | 90 |
| 10 | Amanda Witty | Wrekinsport CC | 85 |
Friction and Hydraulic Services Junior Championship
| Junior Pos’n | Name | Club | Best 12 |
| 1 | Sam Morris | Revolutions Racing | 450 |
| 2 | Devon Round | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 295 |
| 3 | Jamie Holmes | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 60 |
| 4 | Kieran Morris | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 55 |
| 5 | William Hints | Ludlow CC | 50 |
| =6 | James Bell | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 45 |
| =6 | Matthew Tilson | Ludlow CC | 45 |
| 8 | Ewan Grivell – Mellor | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 40 |
| =9 | Ben Pierce | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 35 |
| =9 | Matty Redworth | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 35 |
Top Club Award
| Position | Club | Total Points |
| 1 | Mid Shropshire Wheelers | 1055 |
| 2 | Rhino Velo RT | 890 |
| 3 | Revolutions Racing | 700 |
| 4 | SCCA Private Members | 465 |
| 5 | Nova Raiders | 460 |
| 6 | North Shropshire Wheelers | 330 |
| 7 | Hafren CC | 235 |
| 8 | Bridgnorth CC | 215 |
| 9 | Wrekinsport CC | 200 |
| 10 | Ludlow Brewery RT | 190 |
- Round 11 of the Friction Hydraulics Shropshire Championship Points Series takes place on Thursday – and it’s a big one. The Cyclotherapy Shropshire Championship 25 sees a huge chance to gain County medals on the fast Berriew – Four Crosses course, with a 7pm start.