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.
It was a character building evening as only the hardier breed turned up to Round 5 of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series, with just eight riders taking the line in chilly conditions and having to battle a stiff and gusting north-west wind. That of course meant a good chance of scoring big points on the Long Lane circuit.
Oli Freeman didn’t finish that much off the pace from his Round 3 time, the last time on the technical circuit, loosing just nine seconds to take the win in 22 minutes 51 seconds. Freeman declared post-race that “The straight was horrible”, indicating a tough triple passage along the A442. Freeman extended his Series lead to 11 points as a result. His nearest challenge came from Phil Roberts, making his first solo appearance of the year and stopping the watch on 23:46. Meanwhile third placed Ben Wood lost a lot of speed thanks to the added frustration of being stuck behind a slow moving mobile water tanker for the entire half mile length of his second passage down Long Lane, which affected both his rhythm and time: 1:07 down on his Round 3 effort in 24:07.
In the Road Bike Series winner Allan Henderson stated that the evening constituted “The toughest conditions I’ve ever ridden in”, which wasn’t enough to stop him adding five points to his tally and moving up to the runner-up spot in the standings thanks to a 27:09 effort, just five seconds off his Round 3 time; with the benefit of the tailwind south along the B5063 making up some of the lost ground pushing north. Henderson’s nearest challenge came from Series leader Peter Jukes in 27:51, and who now holds a four point lead.
The first ever experimental test of a unique triple format event being held monthly saw Wrekinsport run solo, 2-Up and 4-Up categories in Round 4 of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport on the Waters Upton – Hodnet course. Despite a slight chill in the air conditions for the first time this year were near still, ensuring some fast times.
Solo winner was Aerologic’s Tomos Hales, first off and first back by some minutes on his favourite local 10 mile course. Hales stopped the watch on 20 minutes 38 seconds, with his nearest challenge coming from Wrekinsport’s Oli Freeman in 21:47. Freeman extended his Series lead over Ben Wood to 9 points after a first appearance of the season for Chris Halford took 3rd spot with 22:10, and Wood in fourth with 22:27.
There’s a new leader in the Road Bike Series as Peter Jukes snuck one point ahead of Rich Smith – but it could have been two if he had been one second faster. Jukes finished third on the night in 27:10, behind Chris Dunn on 27:09. But neither of them had an answer for the category winner Allan Henderson; who crossed the line in 25:57.
The first points in the 2-Up category were registered with Matt Price and Dave Seager recording 25:35. But eyes were on the 4-Up format, a popular request from within the club which took a little head scratching over the winter to work out how to run within another event when it is usually only ever stand alone. Two teams entered, with Phil Roberts, Chris Staples, Tim Burn and George Coombes taking the win in 22:13 ahead of Bernard Hutson-Lumb, Stu Wright, Kieran Hackett and Tom Mason in 23:29.
Both the overall and female course records were smashed in Round 4 of the SB Sports Injuries Series on a windy evening in Wrekinsport CC’s Hannah Phipps-Jones 18. Held on a reserve course between Shawbirch and Hodnet, the last time this had had to be called into use was in 2022 – but the records both date back even further to 2020. Tomos Hales took a huge win in 38 minutes 8 seconds to knock 21 seconds off the record of the rider who finished as runner-u on the night, Dan Watts; whilst Hayley Wells continues to break records with a fabulous 42:24, slicing 50 seconds off Deb Hutson-Lumb’s benchmark.
Riders expressed getting a rare chance to ride this course as a refreshing change – so much so that the club committee are considering making it the main choice in 2027. Hales’ comments echoed this sentiment: “I haven’t done this course for over four years, so it was nice to do it again. I felt very good on the ride and managed to deal with the difficult crosswind which persisted for the whole ride. Clearly the new roundabout didn’t slow me up as the new tarmac made me quicker. It’s good to have the course record; and thanks for Wrekinsport for hosting they do a great job”. The reigning Series Champion lifted himself to the top of the standings as a result of this ride, but only has a narrow two point lead over previous leader Chris Riley.
Wells was delighted at lowering yet another female course record in a feat that is almost becoming routine this season as she builds on the success of 2025 and has come back even stronger. Like Hales, the conditions looked like playing a significant part, but she surprised herself: “It was a breezy night which threw me off my rhythm a bit so I was not expecting much! I found the ‘out’ leg quite tough, but then managed to claw back a bit of time on the return leg. Excellent organisation and atmosphere as always from Wrekinsport; and it was good to ride a course which isn’t used very often”. Reigning Female Champion Wells lifted herself back to the top of the table on the back of this effort after missing two earlier rounds and is clearly making up for lost time with a ride good enough for eighth spot overall from a 29-strong field.
Watts is more normally seen racing a Road Bike, but dug his Time Trial bike out on another tricky evening which gave him some issues as the deeper-section wheels took the brunt. He was generous in his post-race comments about his record falling after taking the runner-up spot in 39:16: “There’s nothing like reintroducing yourself to the handling of a Time Trial bike than to ride on an extremely strong crosswind evening! All in all I’m pleased to take second, and still trying to find those time trailling legs of old. Congrats to both Tom and Hayley for their course records, even if it does see my time from 2020 fall”.
Another rider also making his 2026 debut took third spot as Jonathan Whittaker stopped the watch on 41:01 to see off the challenge of Wrekinsport’s Ben Wood by 16 seconds. Whittaker explained his absence so far: “This was my first opportunity for an outing on my Time Trial bike in 2026; and this was my first time doing this course, but no better place to do it as it’s a section of road that makes up so much of our yearly time trials. It was nice to come away with third position, being my first event of the year. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, albeit a little windy on course. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season’s time trials along the Shropshire roads – thanks to Wrekinsport and all the volunteers for putting the event together”.
In the SB Veterans Series Paramount’s Chris Riley added another 20 points for his win to put a firm stranglehold on the championship as he extended his lead to 30 points after finishing with a +7:39 standard; 11 seconds better than Wrekinsport’s Chris Halford. Unlike other comments about the wind hampering progress, Riley’s perspective was positive, particularly with some warmth finally thrown in: “My third bash at this course and a little faster than 2022. The fresh easterly wind was the right kind of air, and the warm conditions made for a great evening of racing. There was a good turnout, some superstar performances and a lovely atmosphere, which is standard at the Wrekinsport events. I’m enjoying the SB Series this year which I’d recommend for its range of races and friendly welcome – thanks everyone”.
Another rider making hay whilst the sun shines was North Shropshire Wheelers’ Richard Simpson, who stretched his lead at the top of the SB Road Bike Series with his third win from four events. Simpson now has a 22 point lead over George Coombes after finishing in an adjusted 42:22 to Coombes’ 43:16. He stated: “Very strong crosswinds, especially in the first 5 miles or so made for challenging riding at times, but I was pleased with my performance despite being held up slightly at the turn“.
Oli Freeman struck back in Round 3 of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport after the shock of being beaten by Ben Wood in the tough conditions of Round 2 – and stretched his lead at the head of the Series as a result. Another decidedly chilly evening saw Freeman take the win on the Long Lane circuit in 22 minutes 42 seconds, pushing out Wood by 18 seconds. Wood now sits in second place in the Series. The final podium position was taken by Paramount’s Chris Riley, currently in good form as he stopped the watch on 23:49.
It was a welcome return for Dan Watts as he made immediate capital by taking the win for RAF CA in the Road Bike event, beating another military visitor Jake Salter of Royal Navy and Royal Marines CA by three seconds in 24:01. Watts found the comeback as tricky as first efforts after a break always are, and was actually down 10 seconds on Salter at the first passage through the finish line, but wound things up when he warmed up as much as was possible on another decidedly chilly evening. Best placed of Wrekinsport’s riders in the Road Bike Series was Series leader Rich Smith, crossing the line in 26:20 to extend his lead over Peter Jukes.
There was a surprise in store for the winner of Round 1 of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport, Oli Freeman as Ben Wood took an unexpected win in Round 2, again held on the Long Lane circuit. Wood was already up by 11 seconds at the 2½ mile point, stretching his lead to 21 seconds by the end, coping best with the tricky conditions. Wood stopped the watch on 23 minutes 17 seconds, with Freeman taking the runner-up spot in exactly a minute off his Round 1 effort in 23:38.
Heavy rain a couple of hours before the event thankfully abated, and the course dried rapidly thanks to an intense and chilly 17mph south-westerly wind that hampered progress along the half mile Long Lane stretch.
There was the welcome sight of three visiting riders training at RAF Shawbury as Luke Brookes won the Road Bike event in 24:30 to take third spot overall, and taking the honours for the RAF over Royal Navy & Royal Marines colleagues Jake Saleg and Hassan Nada. Best placed of Wrekinsport’s riders was Rich Smith in 26:52, again, exactly a minute down from his Round 1 effort showing how hard things were. The lone female Deb Hutson-Lumb, riding for Legato RT, finished a strong 6th overall in 25:50.
The Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport kicked off with a fine win by Oli Freeman on the tight Long Lane course, coping best with the technical 3.75 course circuit which was called into use as reserve. Freeman beat a good field of 18 riders to take the win in 22 minutes 38 seconds ahead of Paramount’s Chris Riley 1:02 back. Freeman was already noticeably faster at the 2½ mile point on a dry if slightly chilly evening.
Tim Burn took the final podium slot in 24:23, also helping himself to an impressive win in the popular Road Bike category, with 11 riders taking on the biggest growth area in the sport. Burn crossed the line in 24:23, 1:04 ahead of Matt Price.
There was only one female in competition on the night, with Beth Tomlinson taking the opportunity to make a first ever appearance, beating the 20mph/30 minute benchmark by five seconds.
The opening round of the Wrekinsport club season saw the first; and supposedly only appearance of the season of former club member Ben Southgate before RAF duties spirit him away. The 19 year-olds’ training has clearly been beneficial as he took a strong win of 10 minutes 50 seconds on a road bike around the fast and furious Admaston – Bratton – Allscott 5 mile circuit, beating Oli Freeman by 12 seconds.
Freeman took the spoils for the promoting club ahead of team mate Ben Wood by 17 seconds in an event attracting a great turn out of 20 riders looking to shake off the winter cobwebs. However, the event wasn’t without incident, as despite the course being well publicised pre-race five riders managed somehow to go to the wrong start location, which meant start timekeeper Deb Hutson-Lumb had to keep a cool head to reschedule them on the fly when they eventually realised: a baptism of fire for her first experience of timekeeping.
