National Team Time Trial - 01/07/2007 - Wales

Port Talbot Wheelers promoted the latest National Championship event on Sunday 1st July, the Team Time Trail, based at Glyn Neath, South Wales. This event is all about team work as there are three riders per team and you can only go as fast as your slowest rider. Lincolnshire only had one team competing, Ian Dalton, Andy Moore and Jon Surtees from Cherry Valley RT. The event had attracted a full field of 50 teams including 8 all women teams.

Having not trained specifically for the event Ian, Andy and Jon were hoping to have a rider over the course on the Saturday afternoon but with heavy rain and strong winds it was decided to just drive around the course. The event is usually run over 50km but due to road works was reduced to a traditional 25 miles event. The course started at Resolven and quickly joined the A465 heading south towards Swansea, the first turn came after 5.30 miles at Aberdulais and sent the riders heading back on the A465 to Glyn Neath (12.50 miles)passing Resolven, turning off the A465 at Glyn Neath and then a tight turn onto the B4242. This was the old road and ran perallel to the A465 back almost to Aberdulais to turn again (19.56 miles) and retrace back to the finish aproximatly 1 miles before Glyn Neath.

With an 8.00 O’clock start on Sunday morning the early starting teams had wet roads to contend with all the way round, the rain fortunatly had stopped but there was still a stiff wind blowing up the valley towards Glyn Neath bringing the occoaisonly heavy shower. The wind was only an issue on the main dual carriageway as the old road was well sheltered by trees. The Cherry Valley RT trio were seeded team 45 out of 50 and once underway they worked well together battleing into the head wind first leg, the return leg back to Glyn Neath was the fastest section on the course with speeds almost reaching 40mph in places. Turning on to the B4242 this road was still damp as it was well sheltered, it was not long before the road was wet as a heavy shower passed over, this made visability poor with spray coming up off riders wheels. This ‘B’ road was undalating compaired to the dual carriagwey used earlier and this makes team work all the more important. The ‘U’ turn on the ‘B’ road was negoatiated safely and it was now the final run to the finish. The Cherry Valley trio stopped the clock with a 52.59 ride which would eventually be good enough for 8th place.

The winning team was pre race favorites – Plowman Craven – Evans Cycles with a time of 49.55 from the In-Gear Quickvit team (50.42) defending champions Artic – Shorter Roachford RT (51.21) could only manage 4th place this year been piped for bronze medal by Sportscover – Planet X (51.10)

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