HUTCH RULES
Michael Hutchinson (In Gear Quickvit-Trainsharp) continues to rule the roost when it comes to domestic time trialling claiming his third successive 25-mile RTTC National Championship on Saturday, his nearest rival the best part of two minutes adrift.
The women’s championship was equally decisive with defending champion Julia Shaw (Utag Yamaha.com) putting 2-16 into runner-up Sarah Storey (Horizon Fitness RT).
A much closer battle decided the outcome of the Junior title race where Conor Dunne (Glendene-Biketrax CC), 18, clinched the gold medal by 10 seconds from 15 year-old Ryan Mullen (Planet X).
The day-long festival of time trialling saw nearly 250 riders competing for the medals on the course based on Boroughbridge, in a faultless Yorkshire Velo promotion that would be hard to better.
The relatively traffic-free course provided an excellent setting for the championships, with Michael Hutchinson later remarking that he would like to see “all the championships” held on it.
LADIES FIRST
It was a case of ladies first, starting proceedings at 11am. With halfway times coming in the standard was set by London Dynamo-Prologue’s Rachel Turner with a 30-32. Funnily enough it was her team mate Rebecca Slack who was first to improve on that with 30-26.
(Ferryhill Wheelers Mountain High RT) then sliced 51 seconds off of Slack’s time and looked to be in with a chance of a medal (remembering that she had placed fourth in the recent 10-mile championship) with 13 still to reach the timekeeper at the turn.
Finishing times were now being displayed and Slack had finished with 59-50 to hold the lead but once again it was the Ferryhill Wheelers’ rider who unseated her, with 57-59.
Claire Galloway (Team Zappi’s) was next home, the 23 year-old clocking 58-23 to move in to a temporary second place with the top seeds still to finish, although none of them so far had beaten Matthijsse’s first half 29-35.
TWO TO GO
It was left to the last two on the card to do just that. Sarah Storey was checked through with 28-48 quickly followed by Shaw with a time 1-05 faster, 27-43.
The second half saw Shaw winding it up as she closed on Storey to wipe out the two minutes that separated them at the start and drop her by a further16 seconds.
Shaw’s 54-30 gave her a second successive 25-mile title and with her 2007 win that makes it three. As in 2009, Storey’s effort, 56-46, earned her second place.
As in the 10-mile championship it was the trio from London Dynamo-Prologue, Rebecca Slack, Rachel Turner and Jenny Lloyd-Jones who rode to the team medals.
ENOUGH FOR THE GAMES?
The big question for Julia Shaw was “have I done enough to get Commonwealth Games selection?”
“I think I’ve done all I can. I trained really hard through the winter, going out early in the morning, in the dark, before going to work,” Shaw said. “Its days like today that make all those efforts worth while.
STOREY PLEASED WITH IMPROVEMENT
Sarah Storey was pleased with a personal best 56-46. “I’m satisfied with that, I’ve improved at everything I have done this season, I have more power and have improved on all styles of courses and have done well on the road as well, finishing no worse than second in all kinds of events,” Storey said.
Time trialling takes a back seat as she embarks on an End-to-End ride followed by the national road race championships, criteriums, the Tour of Limousin and the road World’s.
Taking her first championship medal, Mathilde Matthijsse has quickly improved, this being her “first serious season.”
SERIOUS MATHILDE
Matthijsse, 30, started racing three years ago. “I only really rode club events for the first year or so. I decided to have a more serious go this year. I started training for this season last May. I rode the Bedford 2-Day (won by Storey) and finished ninth overall. Then I was fourth in the 10-mile championship six seconds away from he bronze medal.
“I wanted to do something special today so the bronze medal is pretty good. Now I’ll have to see what I can do in the `50`,” Matthijsse said.
Leading London Dynamo to the team win had tested Rebecca Slack almost to the limit. “I had terrible cramp back from the turn and wanted to stop but I kept telling myself `remember the team`,” Slack said. “I’ve just been getting over tonsillitis as well,” she added.
CONOR ON TOP
Equally at home in road racing or time trialling Conor Dunne (Glendene-Biketrax CC) at last hit the top spot with first place in the Junior’s 25-mile event. Taking an early lead, Dunne held on to a 10 seconds advantage over Ryan Mullen (Planet X) at half distance to take the gold medal with 54-08 to Mullen’s 54-18.
Current 10-mile champion Oliver Rossi (PCA Ciclos Uno) had to settle for third this time out with 54-52 after trailing Mullen by just two seconds at the midway point.
Junior 25-mile record holder Alexander Royle, fourth with a 56-02, had the satisfaction of leading I-ride.co.uk to the team honours backed by Tom Lackenby and Harry Whitford.
Hannah Barnes (Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta RT) was best of the girls, with 1-01-29 in her first ever 25.
Dunne has shown steady progress since he finished fourth in the 2008 GHS `10` final and followed that up the following year with second place in both the Junior 10-mile championship and British Time Trial Championship. This year he was second to Rossi in the `10`.
BELGIUM REGULAR
A regular visitor to Belgium with the Glendene CC he has three wins to his credit. “I’ve got two more Belgian events coming up and the rest of the Junior Road Race Series, the Tour of Wales and later the BTTC championship,” Dunne said.
“I expect Conor to do well in a Belgian 3-Day event in July, it includes a time trial,” said Glendene’s Bob Downs.
Training to be a civil engineer, Dunne is taking off a gap year before going to University. He hopes to spend that year racing and living in Belgium.
Ryan Mullen, 15, is another on the upward path. Last season he won the GHS final when he beat Rossi in to second place.
Ten-mile champion Rossi third this time had no excuses. “The other two just went faster than me,” he said looking forward to a racing trip to Belgium this weekend.
FLYING WITH HUTCHINSON
How time flies. Some eleven years ago Michael Hutchinson rode his first National `25`, when he was at Cambridge University. The winner was Chris Newton and Hutchinson finished fifth. Since then both have gone on to greater things.
That event was also at Boroughbridge but on a slightly different course than Saturday’s event. Unbeaten this season and with the 10-mile title already under his belt it was going to be a race for second place.
Potential challenger, last year’s bronze medallist Andrew Tennant (Motorpoint-Marshalls Pasta RT) was a non-starter. After taking third place in the 10-mile championship he had thought he might not make the championship with his commitments to his team’s road and circuit racing programme.
Although there were 150 listed for the Men’s event interest centred on the last 10 seeded riders, off at two minute intervals, although some `outsiders` performed well enough to get in he first 10.
HOT AND STICKY
It was hot throughout the day and even after four o’clock it was still very sticky. Add in an unforgiving course that allowed for no resting and a road surface that didn’t help and you have all the ingredients for a true test.
A measure of the toughness might be reflected in the fact that with a 56-43 being the slowest entry accepted, 74 of the finishers failed to beat that time.
After a run of 55 and 54 minute rides, Laurence Harding (Sigma Sport) returned a 53-23 and that stood until Arthur Doyle (Dooley’s Cycle) romped home in 53-09. Then it swung back in favour of Sigma Sport thanks to Jerone Walters’ 52-54.
Walters’ team mate Chris Ball then sliced two seconds off of that before James Wall (Team Echelon-SPUIK) took the lead with 52-08.
FOUR TO FINISH
With four still to finish the medals were still to be decided. Scott Povey (Warwickshire RC) failed to crash the 52 minute barrier, his 53-11 worth an eventual ninth.
This left Mark Holton (drag2zero.com), Matt Bottrill (I ride.co.uk) and Hutchinson to finish.
Halfway times showed Holton on 25-32, Bottrill 13 seconds slower and Hutchinson leading by 50 seconds.
The day’s only 30mph ride saw Hutchinson finish with a 49-34 while Holton finished with 51-21 and Bottrill 51-49. The medals were sorted.
Holton had the added pleasure along with Laurence Harding and Stuart Dodd of taking home the championship team medals for drag2zero.com.
MATT’s MEDALS
“I might be best known for my fourth places but this is the third time I have been third in the 25-mile championship,” Bottrill said. “I found it very hard today, it was too hot, I couldn’t breath,” he added. When it comes to medals Bottrill takes some beating. “I think it makes 35 RTTC championship medals, individual and team that I have won,” Bottrill said.
Aero-space engineer Mark Holton, 32, was one happy man he had recently become a father for the third time and now he had flown to his first individual championship medal.
“I won the team time trial with Shorter Rochford last year and we won the team in the `10` and `50` in 2009,” Holton said.
He has improved with time finishing 64th in the 2007 championship and seventh in 2008. “As you get older you know yourself and obviously improve your training methods,” he added. “Now we have the `50` to come and I’m looking to do well.”
HUTCHINSON AGES
“I feel as though I have aged today. After two miles
I felt it was not going to be my day, I asked myself what am I doing here,” Hutchinson said.
“My wheels felt as if they were glued to the road, if I had been told I was only 10 seconds up I would have gladly packed. It was too hot and I felt I was going too slow.
“It was certainly one of my hardest rides, I had to concentrate on what I was doing aiming to get to points on the roadside each 100 yards, a spectator, a clump of grass and at one point a dead deer,” Hutchinson said as he sat recovering on the podium after the prize giving.
How does he keep so enthusiastic about time trialling with so few to challenge him and test him.
“Why, its because of the pleasure I get, I like doing it to prove myself”, Hutchinson said.
Sunday week he will be out to prove himself once more in the 50-mile championship, his forte, having won it for the last 10 years.
Awards to the Women and Juniors were made by Denise Burton-Cole. The Men's awards were presented by Wayne Randle.
Wayne is seen here with age category winner Roger Wrenn.
A short video of the event taken by Julian Gee can be see HERE