Thank goodness it was only 15km…….
On a hot and windy Sunday morning, seventeen keen cyclists lined up to race against the clock and themselves. The 15km Individual Time Trial sounded like a reasonably short distance to some but after the first lap all agreed they were happy for the smaller circuit. First off the line was Vicky Sheilds and Shannon Farden - this was Shannon's first ride with Spokes and under Vicky's guidance she rode a very strong race. Mitchell Crabb left just 1 minute later with mum Kylee Crabb hot on his tail at 2 minutes. The wind wreaked some havoc right from the outset with many riders struggling to hold any kind of speed across the back straight.Barb Glenister was next to leave and was followed by Reggie Richardson, Jennie Haste and new Spokes cyclists Cameron Dawson and Gus Ruiz. Cameron was accidentally set off at 6 minutes when this was perhaps a bit unfair - the handicapper hadn't realised that Cameron was riding a hybrid with thicker tyres until he lined up! Gus Ruiz powered from the start line and considering he hasn't previously raced with Spokes, he showed strength throughout each lap of the Deepdale Circuit.
Mike Reymond left at 8 minutes, followed by Julie Firth with this signalling the last of the minute intervals for start. Jonathan Tamm left just 30 seconds after Julie Firth, followed by regular riders Tim Glenister, Reg Salmon, Duane Crabb and Eddie Muller. As a result of his excellent form in the Australia Day race, Jamie Rowe was stretched out to a minute after Eddie Muller and was quick to settle into a high cadence and relaxed riding style.
The first lap saw placings change however Vicky Sheilds and Shannon Farden managed to hold off an attack from Mitchell Crabb to remain the first team through. Crabb was only a few seconds behind the duo and their placings would change throughout the race. Kylee Crabb was a bit concerned that Mitchell was still out in front and put in a determined effort to catch him. Gus Ruiz had a fantastic first lap and had caught many cyclists in front of him, a trend he continued into the second and final lap. Reggie Richardson was a little nervous about the corners, but with encouragement from Peter Burchell she upped the pace as the time trial progressed, improving on every lap.
Everyone suffered in the heat and the wind, albeit no-one seemed to have told Jamie Rowe about either of the elements and he continued at speed around the course. Mike Reymond did very well in his first time trial, maintaining a steady speed for the whole race. Jennie Haste was enjoying her lovely new bike and Cameron Dawson was a inspiration to everyone racing around the course on his hybrid.
Placings on the road continued to change and everyone was happy to hear the bell for the final lap. Julie Firth was overtaken by Reg Salmon and Eddie Muller reigned in Duane Crabb. Jonathan Tamm had fitted tri bars for the occasion and was very smooth and relaxed throughout the ride. He held off the majority of riders behind him to finish in the top five. There was some discussion at the start line about the benefits of tri bars with a certain Spokes member commenting that as much as he would like to use them he was reasonably sure his physique wouldn't allow the aero position........
Corrected times saw Jamie Rowe the the fastest time at 26:53 and an average of 34.1km/hr. Reg Salmon was second fastest in a time of 29:49 (30.8km/hr) and Gus Ruiz in his first road race was third in 30:11 (30.4km/hr). Full results are available in the table below and the Picasa photo stream has been updated with an array of pictures from today's event.
Many thanks to Tim and Barb for putting out and collecting the signs and to Roger and Tooves for marshaling.
Our next event is a Team Time Trial on the new Jandanol circuit. Full details of this will be sent to all members in the coming week.
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