Archives 2010

Yeovil cyclists on form at Axbridge

YEOVIL Cycling Club fared well at the Somerset Road Club ten-mile time-trial on the A38 near Axbridge.
Shaun Walsh led home the team with 23 mins 26 secs for sixth place. Chris Martin was tenth (23 mins 54 secs) and Alex Walsh 15th (24 mins 36 secs). Martin Whitmarsh
clocked 26 mins 15 secs and Doug Ward posted 29 mins 36 secs. Dean Ward was Chard Wheelers best, taking seventh place with 23 mins 41 secs.
Meanwhile, Yeovil’s Mark Plummer finished in the main bunch when he took part in two of the Springtime Pursuit races - handicap events of between 40-50 miles - near
Exeter Devon

18th March 2010

Walsh first home for Yeovil in Hilly

YEOVIL Cycling Club fielded a team of five in the Gillingham Wheelers Hilly 19-mile time-trial.
Garry Mitchener; Yeovil spokesman, said: The weather was kind to the 54 starters - sunshine and light winds. Shaun Walsh was our best in 20th place, clocking 51 mins 57 secs and taking second prize in the super veteran + over-60s - class and missing top spot by 14 secs. Mike Loader; in his first race of 2010, was 26th with 53 mins 8 secs and was followed closely by Rod Bowditch in 28th place with 53 mins 16 secs.
Alex Walsh was 34th in 55 mins 18 secs and Martyn Whitmarsh 39th with 57 mins 22 secs. Winner was Bath CC veteran Rob Pears in 44 mins 39
secs 99

25th March 2010

YEOVIL Cycling Club have been commended for their organisation and marshalling of the Ham Hill and Pittard Trophy road races.
Club spokesman Garry Mitchener said: We can be justly proud of the promotion which provided excellent, fast racing backed up with smooth organisation.
The chief commissaires - referees appointed by British Cycling - gave the races top marks for the overall organisation and the marshalling carried by club members aided by the expert motorcycles of the National Escort Group.
The elite-category Ham Hill event lived up to expectations with the best field seen at this race. A breakaway group of nine went clear on the first of the four 15-mile laps and gained a lead of 57 secs at one stage. But on the last lap they were caught and about 80 riders were in contention as they approached the finish at RNAS Yeovilton.
Chris Opie of the Pendragon-Le Col-Colnago team won the furious sprint for the line. The other big team, Willier-Big Maggies-Pendras, took the next three places with Matthew Rowe, Ian Rees and Marcin Bialoblocki.
Matthew Higgins of Team Corley Cycles was fifth and Pendragons Yanto Barker came sixth.
The winners time was 2 hrs 16 mins 13 secs, 26.4mph.
Opie also won the £50 prize for being the first over Coppits Hill on the last lap.
The Pittard Trophy race for third- and fourth-category riders and juniors was also a fast event but no breaks lasted long and again a big bunch contested the finishing Sprint.
Charles Rees of Mere, riding for the Gillingham & District Wheelers, stretched out the bunch as he powered over the line to a convincing win. He was the only Gillingham rider so he had no lead-out or help from team-mates.
Second was Jason Duckworth of Team Tor 2000, third was unattached Bristolian Toby Eichler and fourth came Jon Noton of Inverse Racing-Bikefood. The winners time was 1 hr 48 mins 28 secs - 26.5mph - and the hill prize was won by Richard Oram of Revo Racing.
Rick Johnson of Somerset RC clocked 12 mins 2 secs for success in a Yeovil five-mile time trial. A second behind was Yeovil’s Hugo Baldacchino. Dean Ward (Chard Wheelers) and Richard Smith (Team Tor 2000) tied with 12 mins 5 secs

22nd April 2010

Country’s leading riders to take part in Yeovil races

YEOVIL Cycling Club will play host to some of the top riders in the country on Sunday when they stage their Pittards& Ham Hill Trophy road races.
Club spokesman Garry Mitchener said: Both events have a full field of 80 riders plus reserves, with the senior Ham Hill event sporting 16 elite and 21 first-category riders.
We have two riders in the Pittards event - Mark Plummer of Martock near Yeovil and Anthony Morris of Chilthorne Domer near Yeovil.
The Ham Hill race will cover four laps of the Yeovilton-Ilchester-Coppits Hill-Coombe Street Lane-Mudford-Queen Camel-Bridgehampton-Yeovilton course for 60 miles and the Pittards three laps for 45 miles. Start times are 10am and 10.45am respect,ively The finish will be outside RNAS Yeovilton at around 1pm. There is an additional prize in both races for the first over the top of Coppits Hill on the last lap.
Yeovil’s Thursday time-trial series started last week with a five-mile event. Mitchener said: Riders faced a strong wind on the first leg from Yeovilton to Northover which did not seem to offer that much help on the return. -
Visitors took the top spots with Gillingham & District Wheeler Charles Rees fastest in 11 mins 48 secs followed by Rick Johnson of Somerset Road Club in 11 mins 57 secs. Our Hugo Baldacchino was third with 11 mins 58 secs and Chis Martin fourth with 12 mins 4 secs. Chard’s Dean Ward came fifth with 12 mins 16 secs and our Mike Loader was sixth, clocking 12 mins 33 secs. Four under-16s competed, the fastest being Gregory Morris with 16 mins 10 secs

8th April 2010

WHEELY GOOD: Members of the Yeovil Cycling Club gear up for the Go Yeovil! challenge next month. They are pictured at Johnson Park, Yeovil. Picture by James Dadzitis

23rd May 2010

YEOVIL Cycling Club veterans Shaun Walsh and Dave Driver broke the British Veterans Tandem record for a ten-mile time trial in the 65-year-old category recording 20 minutes and 53 seconds in the Sotonia CC event near Andover, Hampshire. Their category was calculated by averaging their ages - Walsh is 60 and Driver 69.
There were five tandems in the race with the winners K. Stokes and G. Perry (Team Milton Keynes) clocking 19:39. The Yeovil pair were second.
There was also a ten-mile solo event on the same day for riders who had not beaten 23 minutes in previous outings. Yeovil rider Martyn Whitmarsh rode a superb trial, recording a personal best 22:57 to take third place. Alex Walsh clocked 23:14 in tenth place and veteran Doug Ward 26:34 in 85th from 109 finishers.
The Walsh family were in action next day in the VTTA West ten mile race near Swindon, Wiltshire. Shaun Walsh clocked 22.25 for 12th while son Alex was 27th with 23:13. Winner was Dean Robson (Somerset R.C.) with 20:08.
Yeovil’s Thursday evening series continued with the first two lap event on the new Sparkford-based circuit which measures just over five miles.
Chris Martin was fastest with 26:06 with a split time of 12:59 for the first lap. Chard’s Dave Moffett was second with 26:17, Yeovil’s Mike Loader third in 26:38, Shaun Walsh 26:55, Hugo Baldacchino 27:28
and Rod Bowditch with 28:13 made up the rest of the top six.
Daniel Martin was fastest of the juveniles with 36:23 ahead of Daniel Bowditch 36:41 and Jacob Newbury 43:40.

3rd June 2010

YEOVIL Cycling Club competitors were recently in action at the Somerset Road Club Ten staged on the Bridgwater flats near Axbridge.
Chris Martin headed affairs for the south Somerset team by clocking 22 minutes and 56 seconds to land sixth place.
Martyn Whitmarsh quickly followed with a time of 24:01 and Alex Walsh (24:15), Dave Driver (24:39) and Doug Ward (27:31) all followed.
The Thursday evening five mile circuit time trial staged at Sparkford was held in Warm and calm conditions. Mike Loader finished first in a time of 12:39 just ahead of Chris Martin (12:46) and Hugo Baldacchino, who took third, in 13:06.
In recent years, Sportive rides have become very popular. They are run over various distances from 50 to 150 miles and over some very hard courses, with awards for finishing in time bands.
Yeovil’s Steve Pym was one such competitor recently when he took part in the Welsh Dragon Ride which involved 118 miles of riding and 3000 metres of climbing. He just missed out on the gold standard after seven hours of riding by a one-and-a-half minute margin

17th June 2010

YEOVIL Cycling Club’s flying veterans Shaun Walsh and Dave Driver lowered the British Veteran tandem record for ten miles in the 65 years category for the second time clocking 20 minutes and nine seconds in the Crabwood C.C. event near Andover last Saturday.
The pair improving their current record by 44 seconds - just nine seconds off the magic 30 mph average.
On Sunday morning Yeovil promoted their summer 25 time trial on the Podimore - Yeovil - South Petherton - Podimore course.
The conditions were far from ideal with a rising north west wind but there was some good times recorded by the 46 entrants.
Simon Edney (North Devon Wheelers) was fastest clocking 54:34 to win from Crewkerne’s Tom Aliban (Revo Racing) who recorded 54:52. Third was David Kiddell (Cavalier C.C) with 55:24 followed by scratchman Andy Winterbottom (Somerset R.C.) 55:42 and Adam Beams (Mid Devon C.C.) 55:50 was fifth.
Mike Loader lead the promoting club to victory in the team race clocking 56:25 for seventh place. Chris Martin (58:50) and Hugo Baldacchino (1:01:52) were the other counters.
Other Yeovil times were Dave Driver (1:03:36), John Clemit (l:03:42), Rod Bowditch (1:04:17), Ian Smith (1:09:43) and Doug Ward (1:10:31). Driver was also fastest veteran on age standard
with a plus of 18:17.
Dave Moffett was the fastest Chard Wheeler with 57:23 and Dean Ward clocked 1:02:40.
Last Thursday’s evening event was held on a new nine mile course which went from Queen Camel to Yeovilton and turned at Northover roundabout and retraced to Camel.
The course was intended to give a longer test than the five mile course.
Chard’s Moffett was fastest with 21:16, Yeovil’s Martin followed in 21:19. Walsh (21:41), Baldacchino (22:13), Ashley Martin (Chippenham & District) with 22:24 and Yeovil’s Loader (22:28) made up the rest of the major positions.

8th July 2010

YEOVIL Cycling Club tandem duo Shaun Walsh and Dave Driver have done it again by lowering the British Veteran tandem record, for ten miles in the 65 years category for the third time.
Recording 19 minutes 45 seconds (30.3 mph) in the Antelope Race Team event near Andover they were averaging 35 mph at the half way mark before a head wind on the return leg took its toll.
Their new record is over a minute better than the old time which had stood for several years before they embarked on this assault on the time.
The next target is the 25 mile record.
Meanwhile, the clubs ten-miler event was won by Crewkerne rider Tom Aliban who rides for the North Devon team Revo Racing. He mastered the breezy conditions to clock 21:41 ahead of Yeovil’s Chris Martin (22:34), Walsh (22:44), Mark Plummer (22:49), Alex Walsh (23:32) and Chard Wheeler Dean Ward (23:37).

22nd July 2010

YEOVIL Cycling Club’s Come and Try It five-mile time trial event was marred by bad weather.
Eight riders braved the conditions and only one was a new entrant. Chards Dave Moffett tamed the wind by finishing first with a respectable 11 minutes and 51 seconds. Yeovil’s Chris Martin, with 12:10, and Andy Gaylard 13:29
followed. Somerset Road Club’s Harry Buckle was fourth in 13:30, Mark Fisher (Yeovil C.C) followed in 14:57 and Yeovil juvenile Daniel Martin tied with newcomer Lee Tibbats clocking 16:22 while Ricky Gibbs followed with
17:13.
New riders can ride on Thursdays with a day membership and a small entry fee and there are more five mile races to come.
Meanwhile, four members travelled to south Wales for the Cardiff 100 miles promotion on the fast 25 course at Usk. The south Somerset club had targeted clocking a sub three hour time but it did not quite work out that way with
Mike Loader crashing shortly after the start as a result of a high speed wheel wobble on a short hill. He was unhurt but not able to continue.
Chris Martin was fastest with 56:58, Hugo Baldacchino 58:29 and Rod Bowditch 1:01:24.
More details of club and local open time trials and road races can be found on www.yeovilcc.com.

29th July 2010

YEOVIL Cycling Club’s record breaking veteran tandem pairing Shaun Walsh and Dave Driver made their club time trial debut recently and were fastest overall clocking 11 minutes and nine seconds.
There was another tandem in the race that piloted club secretary Mark Plummer and Mick Diplock to a creditable time of 13:30.
Mike Loader was the fastest solo with 11:20 followed by Chris Martin (11:52) and Hugo Baldacchino (11:59). There were other good debut rides by Rebecca Abraham (15:20) and 13 year old Jake Thomas (15:59)

19th August 2010

REIGNING ten mile handicap championlan Smith retained his title with a personal best ride in Yeovil Cycling Club’s annual event.
Recording 25 minutes and six seconds, his adjusted time (3:59 handicap) was 21:07; With a moderate cross wind which gave little assistance in either direction no other rider came close to their best which vindicated the handicap as the best ride won the day.
Ed Gibbs was next with 22:20 and following were Doug Ward (22:56), Hugo Baldacchino (23:38), Ricky Gibbs (23:52) and scratch man Chris Martin (23:59)
In the open event, Mark Plummer won his first club time trial with 23:09 followed by Jon Wilkinson (Team Tor 2000) with 23:18. Richard Easton (Chard Wheelers) 23:25, Martin (23:58), Baldachino (24:09) and Andy Millward
(24:16) followed them.

26th August 2010