Course records were smashed on the ‘Frying Pan’ 10 course as an unusual dual event saw Wrekinsport’s conclusion to their Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series joined by a last-minute transfer of the finale of the County-level Mower Mec 2-Up Series following a cancellation of the Ludlow CC event due to traffic lights on their course to mark a collapsed drain.
Mower Mec 2-Up Series Round 7
Full:
Pos’n
Names
Club(s)
Time
Points
Nos
1
Oli Freeman & Ben Wood
Wrekinsport CC
22:39
20
10/11
2
Karl Lombardi & Peter Fletcher
Oswestry Paragon CC & Dave Scott Coaching
25:11
18
15/16
3
Dave Moore & Dave Seager
Wrekinsport CC
25:45
16
5/6
4
Colin Wells & Chris Riley
Paramount CRT
25:56
14
12/13
5
Jo Evans & Jane Morris
Market Drayton CC
27:08
12
7/8
6
Mark Parkinson & Florence Parkinson
Mid Shropshire Wheelers
31:13
10
21/22
Mixed Team:
Mixed Pos’n
Names
Club(s)
Time
Mixed Points
Nos
1
Mark Parkinson & Florence Parkinson
Mid Shropshire Wheelers
31:13
20
21/22
Female Team:
Female Pos’n
Names
Club(s)
Time
Female Points
Nos
1
Jo Evans & Jane Morris
Market Drayton CC
27:08
20
7/8
Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport No 14 2026
There was a surprise winner of the opening round of the opening round of the BBR Opticians Hill Climb Series as the traditional, vertical conclusion to the time trialling season kicked off with a bang as Edward Copeland took victory in Wrekinsport CC’s Willomoor Bank Hill Climb by two seconds. Starting outside the site of the former Forest Glen at the foot of The Wrekin, the ever-changing gradient of the mile climb towards Little Wenlock features a 15% sting in the tail that can catch out the unwary, but Copeland managed to dig deep to crest the finish line in 3 minutes 41 seconds. The Ludlow Brewery RT rider was encountering the climb for the first time, and nearly got his effort wrong, as he explained: “First time I have raced the Wrekin course; a climb with lots of steps and a brutal finish. I paced it wrong and went way too hard at the start and suffered at the end, but managed to squeeze a win which came as a surprise. A great course and, very well run by the Wrekinsport club”.
2025’s runner-up Tomos Hales occupied the same position in 2026 with a new set-up in a format that encourages riders to minimise the weight of their bikes for tactical advantage. Swapping out a pair of chain rings for a single front ring accompanied by a wider range cassette, Hales was foiled by the tougher conditions on the evening than in 2025, loosing three seconds off last year’s effort to finish in 3:43. He explained: “My local and favourite hill climb of the year is always a tough one. I’ve gone all out this year running a ‘1x’ system on the hill climb bike. I should have perhaps gone hard on the bottom section of the climb, and the cross wind didn’t help on the flat middle section. I had a great finish up the top section, but it wasn’t quite good enough for the win. Well done to Ed for the win; and thanks to Deb and Bernard Hutson-Lumb for timekeeping the finish. Wrekinsport always put on a good hill climb, and had a great turnout for the first one of the year”. Hales was correct on that last point, with a good field of 29 riders testing their climbing ability against gravity.
The quality of Copeland and Hales’ rides was clear from them being the only riders to break four minutes, with both close to 16.8mph. But it was a close battle for third as Wrekinsport’s Phil Roberts took the honours for the promoting club in 4:10, just two seconds ahead of Dave Scott Coaching’s Jack Young. Roberts was clearly looking forward to this event, beating his 2025 effort by five seconds despite the less favourable conditions. He commented: “My favourite Wrekinsport event of the year. I’ll always try to get race number 1 so I can get my effort done and then soak up the atmosphere on Willmoor Bank afterwards. I managed to equal my personal best up the climb despite the conditions feeling pretty tough on the exposed section. I had a really strict plan this year to ride to power, not go too hard on the first half, then attack the steepest section and build all the way to the line. I executed it pretty much perfectly. The top half was comfortably the quickest I’ve ever ridden it, and I was able to stay out of the saddle, keep building the power and empty the tank all the way to the finish. Huge respect to the top two for the leap in class this year; and to everyone else who turned themselves inside out getting up there – as always, a massive thanks to the organisers, volunteers and everyone making loads of noise on that final bend; a brilliant event”.
There was a dead heat for the Veterans honours, with Stuart Proctor and Paul Bailey tying on 4:32 for the joint win. The pair shared 8th spot overall in a format that tends to favour younger riders. Bailey last rode the climb in 2024 when he finished a strong 3rd overall – but 16 seconds faster. He was shocked when told that he had won after having limited time around the event to take in the result, as he explained rather tongue in cheek when told of the win: “That’s a complete surprise to me! I think I was the last to arrive and first to leave due to childcare! The hill felt harder than ever. I put everything into it, but was slower than last time I rode in 2024 It could not possibly be age catching up with me, so must have been a slight headwind. I was pleased to have got up without having a cardiac though and will do some more! Thanks to Wrekinsport for a great event; and it was brilliant to see so many people riding”.
Proctor only returned to hill climbing in the last two rounds of the 2025 BBR Series, but was keen to get off to a flying start for the 2026 competition, comparing the atmosphere rather humorously to that of ‘Dutch Corner’ on Alpe d’Huez in the Tour de France: “What a fantastic evening to kick off the 2026 BBR Hill Climb Series. A little bit of breeze, but that would soon pale into insignificance once we were gurning up the climb! I felt a little ‘soggy’ from the get-go, but felt like I hit my stride when it kicked up. Fantastic support on what surely should be called ‘Little Wenlock Corner’. I know it’s a stretch; although a lot less orange! It was superbly organised, thanks to all at Wrekinsport for hosting the event”.
Young riders tend to excel at this format, and with 12 the minimum age to race on public roads, debutants took wins in both the BBR Female Series and BBR Junior Series. Newport Shropshire CC 12 year old Isla Furniss stopped the watch on 6:12, 30 seconds ahead of reigning BBR Female Series champion Claire Blackwell-Smyth showing a huge amount of promise. Furniss put her off-road cyclo-cross and track racing experience to good use and enjoyed the huge level of encouragement received on the final lung-bursting section: “Taking part in the hill climb was an amazing experience. It was challenging, but I enjoyed it and the atmosphere was great”.
Furniss also took the runner-up spot in the Juniors behind another 12 year old as Mid Shropshire Wheelers’ Bryn Nelson posted an impressive 4:59. He stated: “It was my first hill climb, but not a target event as I hope to complete most of them. I was very nervous before, especially being held at the start, but once I got going I felt good, started fast, but then found it difficult to hold my pace on the steepest part. I was very surprised and felt great when I found out I was first Junior”.
Both the overall and female course records were shattered on a memorable evening in Round 12 of the SB Sports Injuries Series, as Tomos Hales and Hayley Wells lowered their own benchmarks, both set in Round 4, in the Wrekinsport CC Gordon Davis 18 – as riders had the treat of the partial eclipse during the race. The temperature dropped slightly, but there was still plenty of light available to race as Hales knocked 51 seconds off to lower the overall record to 37 minutes 17 seconds on the 18 mile Eyton – Hodnet ‘out and back’ course; whilst Wells lopped 40 seconds off her own record to reset the female target to 41:44.
Hales knew he had to put in a performance with the first-time presence in SB Series this year from Kirk Vickers, who was revealed to be targeting the course record pre-race. In the end reigning SB Series Champion Hales did more than enough even though he had the Ludlow Scenic 10 in his legs from 24 hours earlier. He commented: “The night had the potential for a quick time due to the wind blowing you up the slight up hill drag from Shawbirch to Hodnet. My main aim was to hold a good speed on the way out and push on the way back. However, my efforts of the Ludlow time trial the night before definitely were taking their toll. The short eclipse gave us a brief respite from the beating sun, but it was a very taxing night. I was happy to take a big chunk off my old course record; and will have to see how long it stands. Thanks for Wrekinsport for hosting, brilliant as always”.
With Hales off first rider Vickers didn’t have a chance to hold the record even briefly despite finishing 23 seconds behind the Aerologic rider and beating the old record by 28 seconds. Vickers stated: “A tough night in the heat, but I managed to pace it pretty well, building the effort slightly into the headwind on the way back. Top ride from Tomos, I just couldn’t quite match his speed on the night”.
Ride of the evening came from 16 year-old Newport rider Ben Bramford-Hale who not only finished 3rd overall in 40:40, but also took a maiden win in the SB Road Bike Series and the Junior win too to move to joint lead of that Series. The 16 year-old fired off the start line as if his life depended on it, getting straight up to maximum speed with barely a delay. He commented: “I loved the experience of riding the race through the eclipse and enjoyed the time trial as it gives me a great point of comparison from how I’ve progressed against previous years. It was a great atmosphere with encouragement from the other riders and volunteers, who I’m very grateful to”.
Despite holding the female course record set in April, Wells surprising thought she had more left in the tank in her Round 4 effort. Here though she left it all on the road, potentially helped by Vickers overtaking her within the last 500 metres as a carrot to try to pull back. Wells’ 41:44 took 4th spot overall in a powerhouse performance as she edged Chris Riley out by two seconds and narrowed the gap to Evie Fletcher at the top of the SB Female standings to 26 points after Fletcher finished as runner-up in 48:55. wells commented: “After a disappointing ride on this course back in April, I was hopeful I could better it! I started out sensible, knowing the return leg was going to be a little tougher. I was grateful for a slight drop in temperature for the return leg due to the eclipse, I managed to hang on and knock 40 seconds off my previous effort. It was a great atmosphere as always at mid-week events, many thanks to Wrekinsport”.
For the second evening in a row Paramount team mates John Westhead and Chris Riley were pushing each other to the limit in a closely-fought battle that saw Westhead just come home with the win over the SB Veterans Champion Riley by fours seconds in +8:13. Westhead revealed that he was a little wary of racing a longer time trail in the heat, but all came good: “After abandoning the Ride Fast Coaching Shropshire Championship 25 due to feeling unwell in 34ºC, I was uncertain about another race in high temperatures. However, after winning the Veterans category in the Ludlow Scenic 10 the night before I knew that I was going well. As this race was seven miles shorter than the 25, I decided to give it a go. In the end I was also aided by the eclipse of the sun, which offered an eerie relief halfway around the course. I was pleased to scrape a second win in two nights, and to increase the margin of my win over Chris Riley from three to four seconds. There’s almost nothing between us on age adjusted times in these shorter events, and I have been fortunate to edge the wins as those time gaps can be reversed very easily by being stuck in traffic”.
It’s down to the wire as just one more medal was sealed in the 13th and penultimate round of the Denso and Tern Cycles Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport as Ben Wood took the Silver medal after finishing best placed of the club’s riders. Won overall by Aerologic’s Tomos Hales, off first and finishing first in a strong 20 minutes 22 seconds; Wood took the overall runner-up spot and the maximum six points on offer after closing out his account on 22:37, with Paramount’s John Westhead thirs in 24:36.
Wrekinsport’s monthly trip up to the Waters Upton – Hodnet course takes advantage of multiple formats within the one event, and this event saw four different ones on the go at the same time – solo, 2-Up, 4-Up and tandem. Within the solo category there’s a separate and keenly fought Road Bike competition, with Rich Smith finishing best placed of the club’s riders on 25:29 to move into the lead of this Series. However, all the medals will be decided in the final event with the trio of Smith, Allan Henderson and Chris Dunn all assured of a medal, just what type.
Smith didn’t have things all his own way, with a superb performance from first-timer Lee Smart, unexpectedly taking the Road Bike win and 4th spot overall in 25:20. This is a superb first effort as he clearly has another first-timer, Jamie Kirwan in his sights along the finishing straight to act as a carrot. Kirwan also put in a strong effort of 25:58, which shows great promise.
There was a first-time pairing this season in the 2-Up competition with Dave Moore and Dave Seager teaming up in 26:12. Three teams are tied for silver medal position, and unless more points are scored new count back rules based on fastest performance and only introduced this season will come into play to split them.
In the afterglow of the Ride Fast Coaching Shropshire Championship 4-Up which took place three days earlier, one squad couldn’t resist a final chance this year to race the format, as George Coombes, Chris Staples, Tim Burn, Phil Roberts stopped the watch on 21:42.
Another course record for Hayley Wells, the Junior Friction Hydraulics Series won; and things getting mightily tight at the head of the overall standings in Round 15, Wrekinsport CC’s 10 – as the club remembered fallen member Pete Jukes. Wells shaved a single second off her own female course record set in 2025 on the Shawbury – Hodnet course, stopping the watch on 22 minutes and 55 seconds, doing just enough to fend off the ominous charge of reigning Series Champion Tomos Hales, who won the event by exactly a minute in 20:33.
Wells, who has already sealed the Female Friction Series for another year now holds the narrowest of five point margins from Hales. The race was blissfully light on traffic as a bonus, as Wells commented on: “Quieter roads due to the World Cup were a welcomed change! I felt like I held a good pace throughout the race and finished strongly; many thanks to Wrekinsport for hosting”.
Rumours of Jukes’ passing abroad three days prior to the event was only confirmed the day before race day, and a number of club mates chose to ride with black armbands in his memory. Hales’ thoughts were perhaps understandably partially on the race and partly on the tragic news: “The Wrekinsport Open 10 had the potential to be a quick night, and with the added pressure to get back for the England game I was able to hold good power and it was great to take the win; thanks to all the guys at Wrekinsport for helping out and creating a good atmosphere after the awful news of Wrekinsport member Pete Jukes’ passing earlier that week”.
It was a dead heat for runner-up spot as Wrekinsport’s Oli Freeman and SCCA Private Member Jonathan Whittaker tied on 21:33 to earn 55 points each. Freeman set a personal best with this ride on a sunny but unexpectedly tough evening, as he explained: “I was looking forward to the Wrekinsport Open, more of a measure of my improvement over the past year. Last year I recorded a 22:36 on the same course, I was super happy with a 21:33 this year and an outright 10 mile personal best. It was a race of two halves: a stern head wind on the way out which I knew I had to really push hard into, and a rewarding tail wind on the way back. It was a great evening of racing, as always thanks to everyone for making these events happen”.
Whittaker’s comments showed that the relentless heat took it’s toll in the closing stages of the race, with a ride good enough to elevate him into the Top 10 overall standings for the first time: “It was another very hot evening, something we were getting well used to over recent events. Going out toward Hodnet there was a bit of headwind, so I knew I had to go a little harder but try not to over do it. This allowed the chance to ease up slightly on the way back to Shawbury. Compared to the previous week’s racing in the heat this one seemed to be hitting me harder than usual, which meant I was suffering during the last few mile, so I just tried to keep it together. I was relieved to find out my effort was enough to manage joint second on the night; big thanks to Wrekinsport and their volunteers for hosting the event and making it possible”.
In his first season of County level time trialling, Mid Shropshire Wheelers’ 14 year old Taliesin Goh is looks like a chip off the old block of proud father Jonathan as he sealed Friction Series Junior Gold thanks to a 27:19 effort. Goh only raced his first ever 10 mile event earlier in the season and is already coming on leaps and bounds as he has fine-tuned his position. He stated: “It was harder than expected but still an enjoyable event, thanks to the marshals”.
Taking his second Veterans win on the trot, Hafren CC’s Bryn Davies took the win by 40 seconds with a Veterans Standard +5:01 from Paramount’s John Westhead with +4:21, with the welcome sight of Aerologic’s recovering Jonathan Mills-Keeling taking third with +4:06. It was nearly a non-start however, until event organiser Hales came to the rescue, and Davies explained: “I had a bit of hanging around after work to make the start, but was glad I did, it’s a great course and good to catch up with everyone. I was really happy with my time; it’s good to see some improvement after getting a couple of races in over the previous couple of weeks. Really happy to get Vets winner. I had a bit of a nightmare before the start with a puncture that refused to seal, thanks to Tomos for the super glue to seal it. Thanks also to everyone involved in putting the event on, much appreciated, thank you”.
In the Friction Road Bike Series leader Stuart Proctor stretched his lead further with a win in a handicap-adjusted 22:04 ahead of Jonathan Goh, the reigning Road Bike Champion, in 22:57, which extended that lead over Andrew Dawson from just five points to 25. This was a new course for Proctor, but doing his homework pre-race paid dividends: “Yet more toasty conditions on race evening, and the first time I’d raced on this particular course. I did a quick reconnoitre as a warm up and realised that the headwind on the way out was not going to be fun! And so it was… it was really a great relief to turn at Espley roundabout, and a lovely blast back to Shawbury, with a cheeky little sprint over the line; a great course, great organising, many thanks to one and all”!
Wrekinsport ran their 10 mile 4-Up four days before the Ride Fast Coaching Shropshire Championship 4-Up to give squads some practice over part of the course and to give those who hadn’t entered a taste of what they were missing. Seven squads of four took the line at Waters Upton on a warm evening, with six of them taking advantage of racing in team formation at full pelt and ironing out change-over issues in preparation for the Championship in this fastest of all time trial formats.
However, it was almost a disaster for the Wrekinsport squad of Oli Freeman, Ben Wood, Paul Edwards and Phil Roberts as gearing issue thanks to a dead di2 changer saw Roberts miss the start. Despite that, with the time taken on the third rider they still won, bettering their 2025 effort by 10 seconds to cross the line in 20 minutes 51 seconds – much to Roberts’ bemusement who stated tongue in cheek: “Didn’t even need me”!
The one squad that hadn’t entered the Championship 4-Up comprised Paramount members Billy Panter, Mason Durant and Will Preston; with Holohan Coaching member Kirk Vickers subbed in; stopping the watch on 21:08, eight seconds ahead of Paramount’s Championship squad of Chris Riley, Rob McGregor, Simon Romei and Mitchell Fletcher to take the runner-up and third spots respectively..
There was a good tussle in the Women’s race as four current and past Nova Raiders members Deb Hutson-Lumb, Jenny Newton, Julie Caddick and Karen Sherriff teamed up to push the Paramount Female squad of Jayne Powell, Thea Osmund-Smith, Gill Snelson and Claire Blackwell-Smyth out by 17 seconds in 26:31; setting up the prospect of an intriguing battle four days later.
Two pairs of medals were sealed following the penultimate Round 6 of the Mower Mec 2-Up Series, The Wrekinsport 10 – as the Series Champions were pushed out for the first time. Held on the brand new ‘Frying Pan’ 10, so named because of its shape when viewed on a map; the two riders battling for Wrekinsport’s individual club series honours as well as club 2-Up honours teamed up and took the win on their first 2026 Mower Mec entry; as Oli Freeman and Ben Wood stopped the watch on 21 minutes 36 seconds.
This event was supposed to be the first use of this course, taking in Long Lane – Shawbirch – Crudgington – Shawbirch – Long Lane; but it had to be brought into unexpected early use due to road works a couple of weeks earlier, giving the Wrekinsport pair an insight into how to ride this instantly popular course – and up their game for the increased level of competition. That carrot; and the club level 2-Up practice proved decisive, as Wood explained: “I was very pleased with both the result and the time. Oli and I have done a couple of 2-Ups recently, so we have been learning limits and improving each time, but this one was way beyond anything we have done before. He has been in stellar form all season, and I’ve been delighted to ride with him. Massive thank you to all that make it happen; we couldn’t do anything without all off the volunteers that time us and keep us safe”.
Freeman also pointed out the combination of familiarity and knowing each other’s strengths held them in good stead: “This was my second opportunity to ride the new ‘Frying Pan 10’ course, this time in a 2-Up format with Ben, which was our third time riding a 2-Up together, along with our first appearance in the Mower Mec Series. I was really pleased with how we rode, working together, and both digging deep and pushing hard in the last few miles. As always, a huge thank you to the organisers and all of the volunteers who make these events happen”.
The Series Champions got a shock as they ended up in the runners-up spot for the first time on 22:09, pushing out another Wrekinsport pair, Phil Roberts and Chris Staples into third spot in 22:54. Riley was extremely complementary about the event, his team mate and getting beaten for the first time in 2026, stating: “Another great event in what has been a most enjoyable 2-Up series in 2026. My friend and partner for these events has become a very smooth and extremely quick rider these last few seasons. It’s been a joy to follow that wheel despite my suffering. A second place behind Wrekinsport strong men Ben and Oli is definitely something to be proud of. It was also a good first crack at the ‘Frying Pan’ 10 mile course, which is a cracker. Thanks everyone at Wrekinsport for a brilliant evening; a new course for me yet so familiar, it’s a good one and works well for the timekeeping team. It was a lovely evening; we have been spoiled by such prolonged good weather – looking forward to an Autumn 10 in the wind and rain”.
McGregor revealed that despite that loss the Paramount pair posted their fastest of 2026, adding: “I really enjoyed the event, it was a new course for me and my legs felt good. We worked really well together and did our fastest ride this year with a 27 mph average. There was a big field for an evening event which gave it a great atmosphere. Congratulations to Oli and Ben on taking the win with a fantastic time”!
Roberts and Staples have been riding 2-Up and club –Up formats all years, so had plenty of knowledge of each other’s strengths for that third place, as Roberts explained: “2-Up and 4-Up events have been a huge part of my racing this year, and I love the team element they bring. There is something special about working together, sharing the effort and trying to get the best out of each other. We were delighted to set a new personal best. The new course felt much faster than the old three-lap format, and tactically we were really well matched. We kept the opening three miles controlled; then gradually increased the pace before committing everything to a big finish. We crossed the line knowing we had left absolutely everything out on the course. Huge thank you as always, to the organisers, marshals, timekeepers and all the volunteers. Events like this simply could not happen without the time and effort they give”. Staples added: “The new course was fast and enjoyable, thanks to the marshals. The weather was almost perfect apart from a light breeze. Phil is on form at the moment, he put in longer turns on the front, more 60:40 than 50:50, but my legs felt good too, it’s our fastest together this year and my fastest ever Road Bike 2-Up”. That speed won the pair the Wrekinsport 2-Up Handicap Trophy in an adjusted 19:39 ahead of Freeman and Wood in 19:51.
The Mower Mec Mixed Team Series was decided as Paramount husband and wife team of Mitchell and Evie Fletcher put themselves in an unbeatable position with a win in 25:05 ahead of Claire Blackwell-Smyth and Stuart Proctor in 25:24. The great weather saw the pair be another to get a personal best, as Evie explained: “I was excited to return to another event in this Series knowing that with a good performance it would put us in a great position for the overall Mixed Gold medal or potentially take it on the night! Mitch warned me the first section could feel slow, so I tried to keep the pace high and put in more effort, knowing I would get a rest after the Shawbirch roundabout. I wouldn’t say I got much of a rest after my turn, but I managed to follow Mitch’s wheel through the flat and fast sections to then finish in a personal best for us. Thank you Wrekinsport for another amazing event, and I am so happy we managed to close the Series out on the night”.
Mitchell was also complementary about the new course and backed up the feelings of strong team work: “As another new course for us, we were excited to ride it. The roads weren’t new to us, with sections of previous races merged together; but for us it was some of our favourite parts of those others courses. Evie led us out to a good start through the first couple miles before I took over to drive into the long flat sections. We managed to finish strong, with Evie bringing us home after I blew my cogs! We were so happy to achieve many things: a 2-Up personal best; and to secure the Mixed Gold medal. As our first season racing 2-Up’s together we are super happy to secure this and shows how strong we can be together. I look forward to doing more in the future with Evie and tackling this Series again”.
In the Mower Mec Female Series Thea Osmund-Smith and Sophie Edge took a strong win in 24:50 ahead of Series leaders Jane Morris and Jo Evans of Market Drayton CC in 27:16, with all to play for in the final round at Ludlow. Osmund-Smith was definitely a fan of the new course, and spoke of a developing partnership which saw the pair record another personal best as a pair. She stated: “The Race was brilliant fun. Despite all the roundabouts, it was a fast course, and the time spent on the A442 stretch meant that there were lots of opportunities to see and cheer on the other competitors! Sophie and I had a plan, and we executed it perfectly. I was super pleased with how the race went, and delighted as ever to take the win with such an impressive team mate. We’re both fresh from cycling trips to the Alps, which undoubtedly shifted our performance up a gear. Thanks to Wrekinsport for a welcoming and brilliant event, and also to the other competitors who were all in good spirits and really contributed to an enjoyable evening”. Edge added: “This was our third 2-Up in the Series, and we were really pleased with our performance on the night. A great turnout too on a lovely summer’s evening; next year we hope to complete more events in the Series”.
Medals were sealed in this Series by a team not in competition on the evening due to a clash with work, with the Nova Raiders pairing of Jenny Newton and Nicky Mason taking Bronze. For Newton after several years away from the sport this was an unexpected reward; although she lamented the absence of many strong female teams, commenting: “How nice to win a medal after so long… such a shame there weren’t more ladies competing though”. For Mason this is her first season racing, and to come away with a medal at the end of it was a bonus. She added: “It’s been great to have a go at some 2-Up time trials; I’d recommend anyone try it”!
With the original Club Championship 25 halted by a car on fire at the 22 mile point in June the club committee took the decision to put on an extra event: a re-run to decide the destination of the club’s overall and new handicap 25 mile Trophies – actually a characterful old silver trophy from the 1930’s named “Wrekin Cycling Club 25 Mile Championship” brought out of retirement for this new competition.
On a beautiful evening not dissimilar to conditions in the original event, Phil Roberts took the win in 57 minutes 52 seconds, 20 seconds ahead of Chris Halford. This won the pair the Silver and Bronze medals as they could not beat Oli Freeman’s 55:59 from June; who took the Fastest on Actual Trophy. Halford pushed out Ben Wood, who had finished runner-up in the original event in 59:31, with these four the only ones to beat the hour on the new ‘Duck’ 25, so named because it not only starts near The Ugly Duckling at Long Lane; but because of the course’s shape very approximately resembling a duck’s head.
The honour of being the first new name in about 90 years on the Handicap Trophy saw renewed interest in the competition, with Bethan Tomlinson taking that Trophy in an adjusted 51:28, 31 seconds ahead of Freeman, who had to be content with Silver. New club member Chris Staples took Bronze having only joined Wrekinsport part way through 2026 for a successful debut, stopping the watch on an adjusted 52:17, 28 seconds ahead of Vince Evans.
Result (on actual):
Pos’n
Name
Club
Cat
Machine
Time
No.
1
Phil Roberts
Wrekinsport CC
S
TT
0:57:52
10
2
Chris Halford
Wrekinsport CC
V
TT
0:58:12
2
3
George Coombes
Aerologic RT
S
RB
1:00:26
6
4
Adam Mumford
Wrekinsport CC
S
TT
1:00:29
11
5
Tim Burn
Wrekinsport CC
S
RB
1:02:17
9
6
Chris Staples
Wrekinsport CC
V
RB
1:02:47
8
7
Matt Price
Wrekinsport CC
V
TT
1:03:45
4
8
Allan Henderson
Wrekinsport CC
V
RB
1:06:44
3
9
Chris Dunn
Wrekinsport CC
V
RB
1:09:32
1
10
Vince Evans
Wrekinsport CC
V
TT
1:11:15
5
11
Bethan Tomlinson
Wrekinsport CC
F
RB
1:14:28
7
Relevant club member times from original abandoned event:
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.
