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.
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”.
