Ten mile time trial

Steve Heading won his first ever flat Matlock Club time trial on Tuesday to break Chris Green's winning streak.
Riding into a stiff breeze on the outward leg he was always in control and pulled away even further on the return where his huge gear was able to take advantage of the tailwind.
Steve Heading was not the only rider to use a retro low profile bike -Matlock CC's Keith Noble made a return to time trialling after a three-year break.
Veteran Keith is well known on the local time trial scene for his economical style, his time of 29.50 just beat the 20 mph barrier and he also became the oldest Matlock rider to complete a time trial this year.

Grouse Open ten mile time trial

Steady rain resulted in only half the original 60 riders actually starting the event.
Riders had come from all over the Midlands and a large contingent from Buxton CC.
Stefan Rick of Zenith CC won the event in 22.08. Richard Cordin was Matlock CC's best placed rider and his time of 22.21 gave him fourth spot.
Surprise of the night was a blistering ride by Dominic Wibberley who slashed 50 seconds off his personal best time on this course with 22.34 and he took fifth.
Peter Colledge was Matlock's third counting rider in the team prize but their combined time of 67.40 was not good enough to beat Buxton CC who recorded 67.33.
Further down the field it was Phil Cushway who gained much attention when he rode his father's bike.
Phil had spent the past year restoring the 1970s bike back to its original condition. Dressed appropriately in retro gear it was Phil's first time trial since 1988 and he was very pleased to break the 20 mph barrier with his time of 29.07.
Emily Thoday was the fastest lady and Wibberley's time gave him third place in the handicap competition.

Long Hilly time trial

Four time trials in five days had its effect on the attendance of Thursday's Long Hilly time trial.
It was a foregone conclusion that Chris Green would be the winner, he cruised around the course under no pressure to win by one-and-a-half minutes.
On the final climb all seven riders were on the same section of the hill, but Green was going away from everybody and although Jon Edwards was riding well he had already been overtaken by Chris.
Jon Edwards took second place in 30.24.
Arthur Green, 12, was riding his first Long Hilly event and posted an excellent time of 34.28.
Patrick Smart, 13, got back to setting personal bests when he beat the 34 minute barrier for the first time.

South Downs Double

The South Downs Double is a ride from Winchester to Eastbourne and back using the South Downs Way.
The ride is all bridleways and in total is 200 miles.
In 1993 Steve Heading and his brother Andy rode the original route, which was then only around 140 miles, and they set a record time of around 23 hours.
Steve would make another attempt on the new course and ride totally unsupported, obtaining water from public taps along the route.
Steve made some reconnaissance rides to ensure he knew the route.
He set off at midnight and rain began to fall two hours later. After four hours he was totally drenched and cold and was forced to stop to put on all his spare clothes. During the night he had to ride around badgers on the trail.
Steve recalls: "The badgers had a quizzical look, no doubt wondering who would be out on a night like this. I slowly began to warm up and the sun began to break through the clouds.
"I was well on schedule, having turned around in 9hr 25mins and making steady progress, albeit slower than the outward journey because of a headwind.
"By my calculations I could definitely make sub 21 hours. On these rides three hours is nothing and I upped the pace.
"Butser Hill, the last big one, is just two hours from Winchester. I had to give it everything to ride up, but ride it I did. In the last hour a stick jammed into the gear changer, it only took a minute to bend the cage back into shape.
"Racing into Winchester I passed the statue of King Alfred (the official finishing point) in 20 hours 36 minutes."
The officials monitoring his progress were all agreed this was an astonishing finishing time given the heavy rain and then the stiff headwind.
Steve was pleased with his time which was the third fastest of all time and puts him in the South Downs Double Hall of Fame.

Etwall-Uttoxeter 100 mile Open Time Trial

Matlock CC's Lee Shunburne, who is better known for Cyclo Cross, entered the Etwall to Uttoxeter 100 mile time trial with the goal of finishing in under four hours.
This has been his dream for the past two years having completed ten, 25 and 50 mile time trials at over 25mph, but the 100 was his ultimate challenge. A full field of 120 riders lined up for the event.
Lee was extremely pleased with his time and told the story of the race:
"It was a hot and windy afternoon, not the conditions I like at all, but I was feeling good and going well, having spent the last four months or so preparing for this event.
"I set off steadily into what should have been a headwind out to Utttoxeter, but it felt quite calm. It was only on the way back that I realised it had been a headwind out, and I was just really motoring.
"I passed the 50 mile mark in 1 hour 52 minutes, five minutes faster than my personal best.
"After 70 miles I was ten minutes up, but the heat, rather than the effort was getting to me. I eased off quite a bit as I had plenty in hand. I crossed the finish in quite a state even though I had drunk 6 bottles of fluid.
"Big thanks to Eric Ruthenberg, who helped me throughout, I'd never have got round without him."
Lee recorded a time of 3 hours 51mins and 43 seconds and so achieved his ambition, and he also finished in the top 15 riders.
The event was won by Sean Childs of the Royal Navy in 3.37.18.

British Schools Cycling Association National ten mile time trial championships

The BSCA National ten mile Time Trial Championship was held on a course just off the A1 near Durham.
Under blue skies and light winds a good field of young riders enjoyed near ideal racing conditions in the event which was being hosted for the first time by Stockton Wheelers Cycling Club.
Two members of Matlock Cycling Club made the trip up north to compete in this event. Daniel O'Toole, who is quite new to time trialling, put in a good performance in the under 14 boys category and was rewarded with a new personal best time of 31.33 finishing in a tie for fifth place.
Taking her first ride on a new time trial bike in this event, Emily Thoday, who was riding in the under 14 girls category, succeeded in dipping under the 30 minute barrier for the first time.
A ride of 29.36 not only knocked two minutes off her personal best time but also won her second place and a silver national medal.
This puts her in a very strong position in the National BAR series with only one event to go, the hillclimb in August.