KENT Valley Road Club's cycle time trial weekend of contrasts begins tomorrow (Saturday) with the annual Shap Summit Hill Climb and is followed, on Sunday morning, with a 25 miles event on the flats of Meathop Moss from Levens.

Tomorrow's nine miles climb will be a high noon showdown (the event starting at 12 o'clock to avoid a vintage lories run over Shap) between last year's winner, Settle-based Dave Cook, Lancashire Road Club's Craig Battersby and Blackburn CTC's Ian Stott. If there is a following wind up Huck's Brow, these three could even threaten Gethin Butler's course record of 25mins 22secs. There are 59 riders in the field.

Sunday's 25, starting at 7am, has atttacted 84 riders in the main event and ten riders for a separate medium gear contest, with riders restricted to a maximum gear size of 72inches. Favourite for the open event is probably Rossendale's Billy Rogers, but he could be pushed by Charles Taylor of South Pennine RC if the previous day's climb has not blunted his flat speed. There is, in fact, an award for best aggregate time in the two time trials and more than a dozen riders have entered both events.

Wind and cold rain put the brakes on all but the best riders in last Saturday's VTTA 50 mile time trial beside Bassenthwaite, won by Preston strongman John Morgan in 1-51-39. Andrew Barlow (Kent Valley) clocked 2-03-14 and Lois Gosnay did 2-26-38. Fred Pickstone rode 2-31-00 on fixed gear.

A troublesome westerly win also hampered riders in the latest Kent Valley midweek club 10, on Levens, last week. Fastest on the night was Colin Hill in 21-39 and other leading times were: Andrew Powell 22-24; Adrian Yate 22-44; Simon Smythe (Team Clean) 22-56; Ben Lawson 23-00; Bruce Attwood 23-02; Andrew Barlow 23-03; Dave Chell (Lancaster CC) 23-05; Tony Dixon 23-46; John Leach 24-01; and Chris Dixon and Mick Barlow (LCC) both 24-18. Fastest woman was Sharon Padley with 24-42 ahead of Sharon Bianchi's 26-57.

n In an article on mountain-biking in the Gazette of April 25, we referred to M & P Cycles. This should have read Wheelbase and we apologise for the mistake.

May 9, 2003 12:30