Lancaster Cycling Club

11^th March 2007         Open SPOCO 21.6 Mile Time Trial

Under CTT (RTTC) Rules and Regulations

This is a Lakes & Lancashire SPOCO counting event

Organised by Liz Housley.

    The weather forecast early in the week had been pretty dire for Sunday and the first of Lancaster CC’s five open time trial events of the year - the 21.6mile Circuit of the Lune Valley SpoCo TT – organised this year by Liz Housley. As the weekend approached the forecast improved and on the morning the weather ended up quite fine but with still the strongish south-westerly blowing. The weather however was not the least of the organisers worries as a phone call late on Thursday evening informed her of the sudden appearance of traffic lights on the course but after a multitude of phone calls, emails and trips up the valley to inspect the route it was decided to carry on with the race as planned. This decision that was supported by all entrants who agreed that if they got stopped by the lights (outside the old Highwayman Inn at Burrow which is undergoing a major refurbishment) that it was just the luck of the draw and the time lost was just one of those things but just in case a marshal was positioned at the lights to make sure that all obeyed the rules of the road and stopped at red!!!

    There was a good entry of 55 riders for the event which included four women and three under 18’s with the rest ranging from early 20’s to over 60. As well as an event in its own right the race which up & down either side of the Lune Valley from Caton to Kirby Lonsdale and back to above Halton was the third counter in the 20 event Lakes & Lancs SpoCo series and many of the contenders for overall honours had entered. All agreed that the winner would be either Preston Wheelers’ Gethin Butler, the winner last week in the ‘Circuit of Pendle’, or Paul O’Mahoney (ProBikeKit), the winner of this event in 2004 & 5 (last years event was cancelled due to snow) and second last week but winner of the first event in the series at Bolton By Bowland. No one however expected Gethin’s winning margin to be quite so big. Gethin’s winning time of 48:24 was over 1½ minutes improvement on Paul’s course record set in 2004 in wet but not so windy conditions. O’Mahoney, recording 50:03, had to be content with his second successive second place and then came the rest lead by Matt Hodges (S-i-S) nearly three minute back with 53:02. The fastest under 18 was Kent Valley’s Callum Nicholson who recorded 55:52 and the KVRC also took the ladies prize with Lynn Hamel’s 57:15. These two plus Andy Barlow’s 58:16 gave the KVRC third team behind the Preston Wheelers and the team winners Lancashire RC led by Paul Shallicker who was fifth overall with 53:30. With many club members engaged in marshalling duties for the race the LCC was represented by three first claim and two second claim members the fastest of whom was Duncan Orme, riding his third SpoCo event and now finally getting his position right on his new TT bike, who recorded 54:55 – a 46 second improvement on his 2005 personal best for this course. The other LCC riders were Phil Barnes - first man off and having a lonely ride only being caught by one rider – who recorded 1:00:45 but if a prize went to the most unfortunate rider it must be to the third LCC counter Alistair Hodge who, having missed his start time due to a puncture when warming up, had the further misfortune of another puncture only a couple of miles into the race and was a resultant DNF. Ken Roberts, riding in the colours of his new first claim club Preston Wheelers, recorded 1:05:02 and Mike Palmer (first claim to Withington Wheelers) had mechanical problems on the course and was the only other DNF. The organiser Liz Housley wishes to thank all her club-mates who turned out on the day to help in the smooth running of the event with special thanks to one member who despite partying until 5am turned out as start steward and managed not to drop any riders!!!