The Overall and Female Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport titles were sealed in Round 12 as Oli Freeman put his name on the Championship, and Bethan Tomlinson can no longer be caught in the Female Championship. Freeman led from the front with another maximum six points meaning he can no longer be caught by Ben Wood. This is only Freeman’s third season and he has been setting new personal bests throughout 2026.
He stopped the watch on 22 minutes 49 seconds on the tight Long Lane ‘Criterium’ circuit on a red hot evening ahead of a strong challenge from Newport Shropshire CC Junior Ben Bramford-Hale, taking the win in the Road Bike category in 23:24. Meanwhile Matt Price took five further points to close in on Wood with three riders in competition for the remaining two medals.
Tomlinson was not in competition on the evening, but with just 12 points available from the remaining two rounds she is now in a position where she can no longer be caught. The Female win on the evening went to Wrekinsport second claim member Karen Sherriff, recording 28:39.
The Road Bike Series remains hotly contested with the top three covered by just four points, with Allan Henderson still leading from Rich smith and Chris Dunn. However they all got a shock with a first time appearance of Darren Muffitt taking the six maximum thanks to his 25:37 effort, with Smith the best placed of the leading contenders in 26:42, three seconds ahead of Henderson which allowed him to move closer by one point.
In the 2-Up competition Chris Staples and Phil Roberts paired up to set a 24:03 time. This pair is usually found together in the monthly 4-Up format, so know each other’s strengths well and looked well drilled each time they passed through the finish line.
The monthly chance to race 4-Up would usually see a trip up the A442 for Round 11 of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport; but a collapsed manhole cover and resulting traffic lights put paid to both the main and first reserve options, meaning a first ever use for the brand new ‘Frying Pan’ 10 – so called because of it’s resemblance to the cooking implement when viewed on a map. Starting in Long Lane it follows the standard club circuit to Shawbirch before a back and forth trip involving Crudgington, Shawbirch and The Ugly Duckling; and received rave reviews from many competitors keen to have another go.
Back racing solo after pairing up for the last two rounds, Oli Freeman and Ben Wood came close to beating their best times of the Series on a sultry evening as they stamped their mark on the event. Freeman stopped the watch on 21 minutes 54 seconds, extending his lead to 15 points over Wood as he homes in on the club Championship. Wood posted 22:39, with a strong challenge coming from Newport Shropshire CC Junior Ben Bramford-Hale, who won the Road Bike category in 22:50.
Allan Henderson extended his lead in the Road Bike Series thanks to taking the maximum six points on offer with his 25:28, and now holds a slender three point lead in a tussle looking to go down to the wire. Rich Dmith was just eight seconds off Henderson’s pace and drew level with Chris Dunn for second spot in the standings after Dunn finished in 26:32.
But there was no luck for the 4-Up squad of Phil Roberts, Tim Burn, Chris Staples and George Coombes. After passing the 3.6 mile point in a cracking 8:19, Roberts hit a small but deep pothole, and just managed to stay upright after buckling his wheel, with the other three team members electing not to finish despite time being taken on the third rider.
It was a close call at the top of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport as the top two riders in the solo standings again teamed up to make a challenge for 2-Up honours as well. This saw the top four split by just 13 seconds on the tight Long Lane ‘Criterium’ as Ian Laverie took the win in 24 minutes 45 seconds ahead of visiting Stourbridge CC rider Ian Williams who took overall Road Bike honours in 24:53. This was Laverie’s first win of the season, having finished runner-up in Round 9.
The nature of the technical circuit, with 11 turns to negotiate favours road bike handling, with Tim Burn making his first appearance in the Series since Round 1 taking the maximum six points on offer for Wrekinsport members in this contest, finishing just a second behind Williams and in a strong third place overall. Making his first solo appearance on a road bike, Phil Roberts made it a major evening for this format by taking fourth overall in 24:58. Meanwhile, the four points Allan Henderson took on the evening with 26:38 saw him take over the lead in the Road Bike Series by a single points from former leader Chris Dunn, who despite leading Henderson by nine seconds at the end of lap 1 was suddenly five seconds to the bad by the next lap, and 24 seconds adrift at the finish. When also compared to the other leading challenger, Rich Smith, he gained 18 seconds over the final lap, suggesting Dunn started too aggressively and paid the price.
Oli Freeman and Ben Wood still have points to spare in the solo championship, so knocking 10 seconds off their Round 9 pairing saw them put in a strong 22:30 in the 2-Up competition, taking over the sole lead at the head of these standings.
Hostilities were suspended as the top two riders in the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport teamed up instead to make a challenge for 2-Up honours. Oli Freeman and Ben Wood charged around the tight Long Lane “Criterium” 10 circuit to stop the watch on 22 minutes 40 seconds. As is the nature of the format, a pair can go visibly faster than solo riders, and with the fastest Wrekinsport pairing they didn’t disappoint.
These left riders to make up ground in the solo event, with Adam Mumford in only his second appearance of the season taking the win in 23:51; with Ian Laverie 21 seconds back taking the runner-up spot in 24:12. The lap splits show consistency from Mumford, with the difference 9:02 between 1st and 2nd passages; and 9:01 between 2nd and 3rd. Laverie however slowed from 9:07 to 9:14 as a warm evening took its toll. Meanwhile Matt Price made up some ground on Wood as a consequence of finishing 3rd overall in 24:31, leaving an eight point gap to resolve.
In the Road Bike Series first time entrants came to the fore. Newly signed Chris Staples took the win in 25:06 ahead of Rich Smith in 25:39 and Allan Henderson in 26:28. With Road Bike Series leader Chris Dunn four seconds off Henderson this compressed things at the top, with Dunn only a point clear of Henderson, who is himself a single point ahead of Smith. And another new Wrekinsport signing, Zakary Sule made an impressive start to his time trialling career, just beating ‘Evens’ or 20mph average with a fine 29:57.
A brand new course, two course records – and a frankly bizarre ending to the Wrekinsport CC 25 saw the first mid-race event abandonment in Shropshire in living memory in Round 6 of the SB Sports Injuries Series. With a good entry of 21 riders, eight had finished before news arrived via social media of a car on fire blocking the A442 at the 22 mile point, leaving riders north of the incident to turn around and pick their way back through the lanes.
Those early finishers included the fastest riders on paper, who had fortunately signed on early and beat the issues emerging out on course well after the event was in full swing, with the truncated result seeing Tomos Hales and Hayley Wells set fabulous initial benchmarks and score large in this bonus point round. Under the guidance of Cycling Time Trials, the sports’ governing body, times recorded before event abandonment count; although prizes should less that 50% of the field finish should not be awarded. Given this event was Wrekinsport’s Club Championship and only three club members had finished, a re-run has being scheduled for 20th July.
On a glorious sunny evening the vast majority of those who finished beat the hour, showing the potential of the new and well received ‘Duck’ 25; which starts at Long Lane before heading north to Hodnet, then covers a lap of the ‘Tiddly’ circuit, with a return south to finish at Crudgington. Every straight head-to-head battle between Hales and team mate Dean Callister this season has seen Callister just edge things each time until this event; but this time Hales took the win in 52 minutes 20 seconds at nearly 28.7mph average, pushing Callister, making his first appearance in the 2026 SB Series, out by 29 seconds. Hales was delighted to set yet another course record in a season full of them, and having fallen foul of abandonment before even starting on a long trip to South Wales to the fastest 25 in the Country was pleased not to miss out again, stating: “I enjoyed the new course for the Wrekinsport 25. The wind wasn’t ideal however, and gave me a good opportunity to push into the head wind along the top section. I was happy with my time, and lucky to miss the car fire, which made up for me not being able to ride earlier in the year at the Welsh Championship. Thanks for Wrekinsport for hosting, a nice change of scenery with the new course”. Hales is the current SB Series Champion, and added 26 points to his tally, taking over second spot in the overall standings to lay jus four points off top.
Wells set yet another record, and was the only female to beat the unexpected road block. She looked extremely smooth on the fast, final, downhill push to the finish line, with her upper body totally locked and all energy concentrated in her legs, as the best time trial riders practice. She crossed the line in 58:01 to take fourth spot, and take over the SB Female Series lead as a consequence. She commented: “I always look forward to trying out a new course, and this one didn’t disappoint! The aim of the night was to keep consistency across the distance, and I was happy with the execution, ending with a strong finish. Such a shame not all riders were able to finish due to unforeseen circumstances, but hopefully a course we can use again in the future; thanks to all at Wrekinsport”.
Callister is unaccustomed to finishing as runner-up, but explained that he is battling a current health issue. Even so, his 52:49 is still an extremely creditable effort, more so given the circumstances: “I liked the new course, a great new addition. Not the best ride for me as I’m currently experiencing issues with my left leg. I did what I could, but felt very uncomfortable in places. Thanks to Wrekinsport for the event; and well done to Tomos for the win and course record”.
The best of the three Wrekinsport riders to finish was Oli Freeman, making his debut in the 2026 SB Series with a strong effort of 55:59. Freeman has put in some fine performances as the season has progressed and had to tweak domestic arrangements a little due to wanting to experience the new course, which didn’t disappoint: “I really enjoyed the new ‘Duck’ 25 course, and was pleased with my time, especially after a few longer races in recent weeks. Thanks for creating the course, and to Wrekinsport for putting on a great event, it was definitely one to remember”!
Paramount’s Chris Riley took over the sole lead of the SB Series as a result of his 59:38 sixth place overall, albeit with Hales breathing down his neck, and also opened up a commanding 58 point lead of the SB Veterans Series after taking the Veterans win on the night with +10:10, ahead of new Veteran Ben Wood with +6:29. Riley’s comments reflected on the incident which marred the race: “I’ve ridden through fire on many occasions in the quest for more speed but never so literally as some riders experienced during the Wrekinsport 25! It was a visually dramatic incident, and so very fortunate that nobody was hurt. Joking aside, a huge shame for what was a great turnout, and a refreshing Tiddly/Waters Upton combination course profile. It was a top effort from Wrekinsport race officials; and a great atmosphere as usual despite the inferno”.
With just one Road Bike managing to finish, Rich Smith took the win and the 26 points on offer to move up to third place overall, with Road Bike Series leader Richard Simpson frustrated at being caught behind the incident and unable to finish. Smith’s time when the handicap adjustment was added was 1:03:49 barely mattered; and as expected his post-race comments contained a number of tongue-in-cheek remarks: “My first time racing a 25 on the road bike and on a new course, so I rode to power numbers and was happy enough with how I paced it. More importantly, I was delighted to win the inaugural (and hopefully last) ‘Ring of Fire’ event as the only road bike survivor. The accusation by my fellow road bike competitors that I set fire to a car on the A442 to ensure victory is frankly outrageous although, fair enough, it is the kind of thing I might do! I prefer the explanation of one of my coaching clients that the speed of my riding had simply caused the car to spontaneously combust. I fear neither is close to the truth. Joking aside, a great new course inventively organised to avoid road works without sacrificing the quality of a good racing circuit. More importantly, I’m pleased everybody, marshals, riders and the unfortunate car owner all made it home safely after an unusually eventful evening”.
The heavens opened half an hour before Round 8 of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport leaving officials concerned that standing water may force a belated cancellation. Fortunately the rain blew through by race time, with riders reporting that roads had largely dried for the race, with just one large area of standing water 100 metres beyond the finish line which was easily managed. Despite this a 2-Up team withdrew just a little too early to take advantage.
Held on the Waters Upton – Hodnet 10 mile course because of the monthly experimental mixture of solo, 2-Up and 4-Up formats, conditions were decidedly chillier than in recent weeks, with Oli Freeman taking the solo win in 22 minutes 17 seconds, one second down on his Round 7 best on the far more technical Long Lane circuit.
Freeman opened up his Series lead to 14 points over Ben Wood again pushing him into the runner-up spot, with Wood finishing in 23:15. There was a first-time appearance in a club 10 this year for Adam Mumford, and he immediately set about taking third spot in 23:46.
In the Road Bike category there was unusually just one entrant, with Chris Dunn stopping the watch on 27:17. This gave him the maximum six points on offer, and lifted him into the Road Bike Series lead, the second change of leader in as many weeks in a tightly-fought contest. Dunn was helped by Peter Jukes, Allan Henderson, Franco Della Mura and Rich Smith suspended Road Bike hostilities for the week to team up in the 4-Up competition, ending their evening on 25:13.
It was a windy night in Round 7 of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport – but that didn’t stop Oli Freeman taking yet another win and posting his fastest time on this course ever. Freeman took full advantage of a strong easterly wind and the 27ºC temperature which given the wedge shape of the course gave some assistance along Long Lane but was a short battle directly into it at Shawbirch. Freeman crossed the line in 22 minutes 16 seconds, 14 seconds up on his Round 6 time; whilst runner-up Ben Wood actually went back a second with 23:08. Freeman now holds a 13 point advantage in the Championship. Third spot was a close call between Ian Laverie and visiting rider Hayden Beebee, with Laverie ending his evening on 24:05, 11 seconds to the good.
There’s a new leader in the Road Bike Series with the top three split by just two points. Allan Henderson took the win in 26:01, 10 seconds ahead of Rich Smith to take over that lead after Peter Jukes finished in 4th. This is likely to be a great battle for the medals as the 10 mile Championship, now at the halfway point, rolls on.
The only female in action was again Bethan Tomlinson, here with a personal best time of 29:12, a 48 second improvement on her Round 6 time.
Oli Freeman took another fine win in the 6th round of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport on an evening where Road Bikes, the growing area of the sport made up two-thirds of the field. Held on the tight and technical Long Lane circuit, Freeman stopped the watch on 22 minutes 30 seconds, with the rider lying in the runner-up spot in the standings, Ben Wood off a minute beforehand. This meant that Freeman caught regular glimpses of Wood around the circuit, spurring him on to his best time on this course for 2026. Wood took the runner-up spot in 23:07, and now sits 12 points behind Freeman in the overall standings. Taking third spot was Matt Price, on good form with a strong 24:51.
With the Road Bike category hotly contested on the evening there was a good battle between Rich Smith and Allan Henderson for honours. Henderson was up by five seconds at the first and second passages through the finish, but faded just a little at the end as Smith got the upper hand by four seconds, ending his evening on 26:23 to Henderson’s 26:27. With Series leader Peter Jukes finishing 4th Road Bike both made up ground in the standings, compressing things at the top. The lone female in competition was Bethan Tomlinson, ending her evening on 30 minutes exactly, a 20mph average.
