2022 Wessex Group Recorder Report

In my report last year, I said of the new automated systems “we have between us been identifying and ironing out a few teething problems!”  Well a year later and we are still doing so!

The standards system did not work quite as anticipated, also the majority of riders did not claim their awards online.  After contacting IT about various issues, further guidance was issued asking recorders to do the claims manually!  (This was made more tedious by the system logging me out every time I clicked a claim!  So for each claim, I had to switch back into the admin mode and find the rider again!)

The records system was not automated by the end of September as promised, and records I input manually did not update for some time.  The automated system has apparently now been sorted.

On to the Results!!

The headline for this year’s report must be “Angela Carpenter won the National 3-distance and Short-Distance competitions, 5 (FIVE!) National VTTA championships, and set Five National age records.

VTTA National Season-long competitions.

..a3crg’s Angela Carpenter topped the VTTA National 3-distance comp, with an average speed of 27.43mph!!

Her team-mate Claire Emons was 2^nd woman and 3^rd overall.

VC St Raphael’s Andy Rivett was 9^th in the men’s competition, and ..a3crg’s David Shepherd 10^th.

Wessex group had 8 qualifiers in this competition – 3 women and 5 men.

Angela also won the VTTA National Short-Distance competition, with an average 28.64mph!!  Claire Emons placed 6^th in the Women’s competition. In the men’s competition, our best-placed rider was Peter Younghusband (Petersfield Tri Club), in 19^th.  Wessex had 17 qualifiers – 6 women and 11 men.

Our only qualifier in the VTTA National BAR is Andy Rivett (VC St Raphael) in 4^th place.

Angela was best of the 11 qualifiers (6 women, 5 men) in the Wessex Short-Distance BAR (2X10, 2X25, 1X50).

...a3crg won the Wessex Team comp with their all-women team of Angela, Claire and Virginia McGee.

Unsurprisingly, Angela won the Wessex Women’s BAR (1X10, 1X25, 1X50), with Claire 2^nd and Virginia 3rd.

National VTTA Records

Angela Carpenter set National age records at 10,15,25,50 and 100 miles during the season!

Norman Harvey and Mary Corbett set 9 National age records on Bonnie the Tandem Trike, at every  distance up to & including 12 hours – some of them twice due to Mary’s mid-season birthday.

Mary also set National solo trike records at 10 miles.

Wessex Group records

In addition to the above, Sarah Matthews set age 61/62 group records at 5 distances up to 50 miles.  New record-breaker Lucia Borrodaile CC Weymouth, set age 64 records at 15, 25 and 50 miles. Other Wessex records were set by David Shepherd (age 61, 30 & 100 miles), Neil Mackley (age 58 10 & 15 miles), Nick Tarmey (age 44 24hr), Andy Rivett (age 50 50-mile) and Norman Harvey (age 89 10-mile.) 

VTTA National Championships.

10-mile  Angela donned her first National champion jersey and cap of the year in the 10, held in April on the U7B course in Gloucestershire. Sarah Matthews (..a3crg) won bronze in the women’s competition, and Pete Younghusband helped Wessex to the group award.

100-mile held in May in the Hounslow CC/ VTTA London & Home Counties event.  Angela was again overall winner on standard, her 3:53:00 giving her +1:27:14 and a National age record. First man on standard was her team-mate David Shepherd.  VC St Raphael’s Kevin Baker completed the winning Wessex group +3:32:35.

National 50 – Once again Angela was the overall winner.  Her ..a3crg team-mates Claire Emons and Sarah Matthews were 2^nd and 3^rd women respectively, giving ..a3crg a club ‘clean sweep’ of the women’s medals.  David Shepherd won the bronze medal, and together with Claire Emons, Wessex ran out group champions.

National 25   - Angela = VTTA champion  52:28

National 12hr – Mary Corbett and Norman Harvey on their tandem  trike Bonnie, endured tough  conditions to ride 177.50 miles  - setting a National age record along the way.

National 24hr    With an impressive 516.56 miles (a Wessex age record) VC Venta’s Nick Tarmey won the both the RTTC champs, and the VTTA crown with +147.51.

Wessex Group Championships.

50: (Wessex RC 12^th June).  a3crg’s David Shepherd  is champion, in 1:53:25 (+31:29).  Second on standard was VC St Raphael’s Andy Rivett, whose 1:48:05 (+30:35) was fastest on the day, winning him the South DC Championship.  Kevin Baker (VC St Raphael) was 3^rd with 1:52:53 +21:41.  Only 4 Wessex vets rode this event.

10:  (Sotonia CC 8^th July), which turned out rather a fast morning. Group champion is ..a3crg’s Kirsty McSeveney , her 22:06 giving her +6:32.  First male and 2nd overall was Adrian Talley (Portsmouth North End CC), with 20:25 +6:21, with Kevin Baker (VC St Raphael) 3^rd with 19:47 +6:19.

15 (Newbury Velo 21^st August). Angela Carpenter was first with 32:19 +12:24, 2^nd was Sarah Matthews 35:31 +11:06, and 3^rd James Fawcett (..a3crg) 30:44 +10:33. Norman and Mary are tandem champions 41:55 +9:59.

25: - this was originally to be held in Southdown Velo event in August – however when this was shortened to a 10, Epsom CC kindly agreed to host our championship in their event on 25^th Sept.  Very sadly there was a fatality in that event, which was duly abandoned. Therefore there was no Wessex 25 championship this year.

No teams finished in any of the group championships.

Sotonia CC did use vets’ standards in the ‘10’ and worked out the plusses.  However, none of the other group championship events awarded VoS prizes, meaning that I had to look up the standards and calculate plusses.

VTTA Closed Circuit 10 Mile Age Group Championship (South).

Women TT bikes.

1^st Angela Carpenter (..a3crg) +7:21 +WV-C

3^rd Lucia Borradaile (CC Weymouth) +5:19  +WV-E

Mens TT bikes

2^nd James Fawcett (..a3crg) +6:33 + MV-D

Mens Road bikes

1^st Crispin Doyle (VTTA Wessex Group) +5:22 + MV-B

MV-C = Graham Harman(Sotonia CC) +3:11

MV-E – M Anderson (CC Moncontour) +4:39

MV-F = Mike Boyce (..a3crg) +2:24

CTT Honours

Angela was 3^rd in the RTTC (CTT) National Women’s BBAR, and Claire 4^th. 

Andy Rivett was 8^th in the RTTC men’s BBAR.  He also won the 50-54 age group in the National 12hr.

James Fawcett won the 55-59 in the National 10.

Paul Jones won the 50-54 in the National 25.

In the RTTC circuit championship, Neil Mackley won the M55-59 and Sarah Matthews the W60-64 awards.

Standards

50 members purchased standards in 2022. 33 members between them achieved  64 standards - 46 medals and 4 riders achieved plaques for 4 or 5 standards. 

Well done to our many champions, medallists, record-breakers and standard-beaters!

Claire Newman, Wessex Group Recorder

November 2022