July is perhaps the busiest month of the cycling calendar offering those looking to compete in time trial racing opportunities to visit varied distances on the many courses around the country. It is a time when hard training over winter months and early season racing should click in to place and produce the fastest times of the year, if that fails there is always the Tour de France to watch on television.
Competing against some of the fastest riders in the UK Ross riders have been travelling to open events around the country over the last couple of weeks. For long distance enthusiasts the gruelling Welsh National 12 Hour Championship took place on the Abergavenny circuit course. The winner is the rider who records the highest mileage over the 12 hour period of racing. Ross rider Dennis Beard first entered this arduous event at the age of 72 and has continued to tackle the race each year since.
Now, at the age of 80, Dennis is going as strong as ever clocking an impressive 170 miles in the hot conditions of the race this year. Paul Stephens posted an admirable mileage of 231 miles, agonisingly less than a mile short of his previous personal best.
Competing on the fast Ludlow 10 mile course Ross club rider Alan Cook was beaten to second place by the slimmest margin of just three seconds by Ross rider Simon Harradine, riding for Leisure Lakes Bikes. Racing on a slightly extended 25 mile course between Cirencester and Cricklade Dave Harwood came close to clocking a new personal best time of 55 minutes 21 seconds.
Last week's regular Ross cycling club 10 mile time trial on the Walford Road to Lydbrook course was won by Will Bevan in a time of 23 minutes 32 seconds. Ever improving junior Matt Fallon clocked his fastest time of the year so far 30.05.