Hutchinson breaks 10-mile competition record

WITH the British Time Trial Championships less than seven days away, Michael Hutchinson (In Gear Quickvit RT) threw down the gauntlet to his rivals in thrilling style when he slashed 12 seconds off his own 10-mile competition record on Sunday.

Hutchinson clocked 17-45 to win the Team Swift 10 on the V718 course at South Cave in East Yorkshire, taking victory by 31 seconds ahead of Metaltek-Scott's James Gullen, while his team-mate Simon Wilson was third, with 18-44.

While he has entered the Championship, Hutchinson is ineligible for the title as he holds an Irish racing license and may in fact choose not to ride at all.

In the women, juniors and overflow event, junior Tom Bracegirdle (Team Elite) was the quickest with a time of 20-31. Rebecca Rimmington (Bio Cadenza RT) was the fastest woman in 21-13.

Elsewhere, prolific fast man Jeff Jones (Drag2Zero.com) was in good form in the sixth round of the Rudy Project National Series staged over 26.7 miles of a circuit near Lymington in Hampshire on Bank Holiday Monday.

He covered the distance is 56-24, more than three minutes faster than his nearest rival. His rival for the title, Matt Bottrill chose not to ride the event.

In the women's race, Julia Shaw (also Drag2Zero.com) was the quickest rider, her time of 40-44 over three minutes faster than Rebecca Slack (London Dynamo) in second place.

68 year old Terry Icke (Poole Wheelers) was the fastest veteran on standard ahead of John Woodburn (VC Meudon), Geoff Platts (MG Decor) and Shaw.

Jones had also won the West DC 10 at Ashton Keynes in Wiltshire 48 hours earlier. He clocked 18-56, 30 seconds quicker than Cadence RT's Robin Coomber, while Jones' team-mate Jon Simpkins was third with 19-38.

Another favourite for a medal at the British Championships on Sunday, Matt Bottrill didn't have the ideal result in his final trial before the championships as his legs gave way halfway round his run.

The Drag2zero.com rider wanted to see what kind of stress his body could take after a tough week of training and at the halfway stage the numbers looked good.

But then the adrenaline stopped and the lactic acid kicked in, seeing Bottrill finish second with a time of 19-43.

However, that isn't to take anything away from winner Richard Handley of Rapha Condor Sharp - who knocked 13 seconds off Bottrill's course record to finish in 19-25.

Elsewhere, just a week after the tragic death of Len Grayson in the Team Swift 100 there was another incident in the VTTA (Wessex) 25 which was abandoned when Robin Rickson was in collision with a car and had to be airlifted to Kings College Hospital in London.

The Eastbourne Rovers CC rider was reportedly speaking at the scene of the crash, but it is thought that he may have a broken shoulder and a punctured lung.

Harry Armstrong was quickest in the Tyneside Vagabonds CC 10 as he clocked a time of 22:19. The Berwick Wheelers rider was 20 seconds up on host club's David Robinson in second.

Brett Harwood of Time RT laid down a time of 21:10 to take victory in the Peterborough CC Rob Corrigan Memorial 10 mile TT, ten seconds ahead of Witham Wheeler, James Coleman.

The Severn Valley Velo Open 10 was won by 45-year-old Richard Bradley who powered round in 20:25. In second place was teenager Jonathan Wears who put in a time of 20:56 for Union Cycliste de Monaco.