Exeter Wheelers riders had a successful outing last weekend, four of them travelling up to Ilton in Somerset for the Team Tor closed circuit stage races.

Andrew Whittemore, Finlay Webb, Joe Sheppard and Tristan Kelsall-Spurr, arrived at RAF Merryfield in good weather and optimistic spirits.

Joe, Andrew and Tristan were riding as an Exeter Wheeler’s team in the cat 3/4 Whitelake Tor event, whilst Fin was part of a mixed clubs team in the category 1/2/3 Kalas cup.

The three man EWCC team in the White Lake event; Andrew Whittemore, Joe Sheppard and Tristan Kelsall-Spurr.

In the Whitelake, stage one was an individual time trial, involving one 5km lap of the largely flat airfield circuit. The still air made for some fast times. Tristan, who has been winning plenty of ‘fastest road bike’ prizes in SW time trials this year took full advantage of the day’s ‘Road Bikes only’ ruling to run out fastest rider, on 6 minutes 40 seconds. Four seconds slower and in 4^th place Andrew was showing that after a period away from a full racing calendar he was getting back into form. New Exeter Wheeler recruit Joe Sheppard, another rider whose fitness is on the rise, completed the teams times with a 19^th spot from the three dozen riders competing. All this meant that Tristan was GC leader and the team were in second place, close behind the Okehampton team of Lloyd Copp, Callum Orchard and Jonathan Hobbs.

Given that the Exeter Wheelers riders and the Okehampton CC riders knew each other well, this led to some friendly but earnest banter . . . who would come out on top in the end?

The second stage was a team time trial, with three laps of the circuit to complete, a total distance of around 15km. Sadly, things went less well here for our riders, with some pacing issues leading to the team dropping down the table a few notches, and them also losing Tristan’s GC top-spot; this went to young Callum Orchard, 19, with his Okehampton CC team increasing their lead at the top of the table.

Joe Sheppard leads the team through in the I.T.T.

The third and final stage was the cut and thrust of a bunched start circuit race. Shortly before the start, the heavens opened, making for wet and potentially hazardous racing. Tristan, Andrew and Joe felt that with OKCC likely to be riding a more cautious race, concentrating on simply retaining their leadership in the team stakes on the wet surface, it would make sense to go on the offensive in committed fashion. Andrew’s experience of road racing, and his pure power, were soon much in evidence, and early on he was able to get off the front and gap the rest of the field. With Andrew out in front, Tristan repeatedly tried to bridge across to him, but alas the OKCC trio were wise to that and closed him down each and every time, preventing the EWCC riders from forming a break. Everything came back together, and our riders were assessing their options . . . . at Andrew’s behest, Joe kept the pace high, and put in some disrupting attacks, and then, with one lap remaining Andrew hit out strongly again, and this time the move stuck; Andrew stayed away and took a much-deserved first place.

Wet wet wet – the circuit race

A first in two of the three races, and a strong showing in the team table – promising stuff, and we look forward to these three Wheelers giving us more to cheer about in SW road racing next year. And not to be outdone by her husband, Andrew’s wife Thuza made her race debut, riding in the Come and Try It Beginners race – hopefully Thuza will catch the bug….

Thuza Whittemore’s first race…..

Up a notch in the race category standards, young Fin Webb had a tougher time of things, as to be expected with the stronger riders he was competing against, and of course Fin had no EWCC team mates to join him in battle in the Kalas cup event. Fin will be looking forward to British National Para-Cycling action on the weekend of the 14^th of September, when he’ll be competing in his category in the time trial up at Smeatharpe and again next day in the circuit races down at the Torbay Velopark. We wish him the best of luck.

 

This weekend the British Cycling Open Masters National Road Race Championships take place in the Westcountry, for the second year running. There are a total of 10 EWCC riders entered for the various races on what will be a tough 60 mile course for each competitor. Race HQ is at Hatherleigh Community Centre, and the route is two laps of a 30 mile loop, heading west on the A3072 from Hatherleigh via Highampton towards Holsworthy, then turning left at Brandis Corner onto the A3079 to pass thorugh Halwill before picking up the A386 to Hatherleigh just west of Okehampton. The course can be seen here https://www.strava.com/routes/3139195931921815770.

Whilst the route doesn’t include the gruesome 1 in 6 that featured twice last year it is nevertheless a tough course, with plenty of long if less steep hills. Riders will be hoping to have gotten the balance between rest and fitness right; recovery from hard training takes longer when you are older and it will be a long hard race.

Saturday morning at 10am sees the 40+ race roll out, with Jon Hare the only EWCC rider on the startsheet. Jon was down to ride last year, but a bad crash resulting in a broken collarbone and elbow at an early summer Westpoint crit put paid to that.

Saturday afternoon at 2pm will be the 50+ event, with five of our riders entered. Last year Gideon Aroussi was on the podium in the 55-59 category, taking a British Cycling bronze medal. Asked if he might possibly be able to better that this year, Gideon agreed that would be a tough ask, but that he was feeling in good form so who knows what might be possible? Winner of the 50+ section in the 2023/4 SWCX Tim Carpenter is another strong and experienced EWCC rider to watch. Craig Lawson has moved into the 50+ range this year, and has been training hard for the race. Ben Zissimos and Graham Turner complete the roster of EWCC riders in the 50+

Sunday at 10am and there is the curious classification that is the 30+ veterans/masters – seems rather young to be masters/vets,  but what the heck it gives our very strong and fast 32 year old Tristan Kelsall-Spurr a chance to shine. Tristan took third in the early season Primavera Road Race back in March (see https://www.middevon.cc/primavera-2024.html)  but getting away early for a second time with his training mates from Okehampton CC Lloyd Copp and Jonathan Hobbs will be much tougher to achieve this time round given it is not a pursuit race and there will be some wise old/young heads alongside them on the start line. We also have Andrew Whittemore in this race, another very strong and fast racer on his day.

Finally, the ‘supervets’ in the 60+ section get their opportunity on the Sunday afternoon, and here we have Paul Cameron, 9^th in his age category last year, plus Pete Bishop lining up for that one. Pete will be hoping for better luck than last year, when he punctured on the badly potholed lanes near Roadford Reservoir.

We wish all out riders the very best of luck.

 

The final East Devon Evening Ten of 2024 took place on an overcast evening out on the Honiton Club Course this evening, with the cool damp air preventing the times that might have been expected of a night when the wind didn’t appear to be much in evidence -however, riders afterwards reported that  there were some unexpected and unwelcome contrary breezes on certain parts of the course.

Running out winner again was the flying roadman George Kimber (Spirit), whose 21:35 was 50 seconds slower than his best time for the course this year, an indication of conditions. Exeter Wheeler Tristan Kelsall-Spurr and Aidan King of FTP joined forces and did a two-up, and hoped that they might thus be able to challenge the time that would be set by Kimber, but alas no, they fell short by 24 seconds at 21.59. Joe Rosser of Cycle Sanctuary completed the virtual podium at 24.20.

Afterwards we assembled at the Otter Inn where further prizes were awarded for various category winners in the series, and especially thanks to Exeter Brewery for their donation of packs of their lovely beers as prizes to the series senior road bike winner Aidan King of FTP and series senior TT bike winner James Greenaway (who indeed was tp of the league overall as well). James says of his top spot: 

“I was quite literally never expecting this one, to take a win over the course of the evening 10 series is still a strange concept for me that it hasn’t sunken in yet. These races are an amazing chance for me to get to see friends, club mates and riders who inspire me to compete and also, whether it being the seasoned pro or the person taking their first attempt at racing on bicycle everyone should and is welcome.

The last few years have been physically and mentally tough as in 2021 I had a major accident cycling without a helmet in which I was put into a coma and questions asked if I would see another sunrise, by December of the same year I was back on two wheels racing near Ermington, being told after breaking my arm in February 2023 that I wouldn’t be cycling till the new year and that same year I took part in (admittedly poorly) at CTT National Circuit Championships and the same year I got the call to say at 32 years old I needed to have a pacemaker and out of my sheer determination to compete again the second I was given the all clear I went to Ermington and took a podium finish at City Cycle Couriers race.

I’m unbelievably fortunate for all the support I’ve had leading up to this season’s win from members of the EWCC team as well as The Bike Shed (Greg, Simon, Bill to name but a few), Tribe Cycle Solutions (Tony Arnell), Cranbrook CC and City Cycle Couriers (Rob Scott, Ian Scott, and Andy Parno). But most importantly my parents (Jan Greenaway and Andrew Greenaway) who have supported me nonstop and unquestionably with competing at races, and as many of you will know my Mum is constant support at races who goes out of her way to help whether she can both for me and other riders. 

Just to explain my pacemaker for those that are curious, I have a lifelong undiagnosed heart condition in which I have a slow heartrate. But occasionally my heart can and will just stop for short gaps (a couple seconds) without any kind of reason. And this is where my pacemaker comes in to restart my heart into a normal rhyme again. I have spoken with British Cycling and Cycling Time Trials who have both given me the all clear to keep competing.”

An end-of-series thanks go to all those of you who have ridden, we hope you have enjoyed the races and hope to see you next year.

Thanks on behalf of all those who have ridden go to all the helpers, timekeepers, marshalls etc, from all four of the organising clubs (Exeter Wheelers, CS Dynamo, Cranbrook CC and Sid Valley CC) who have ensured that the series took place, in particular thanks to Mike Rose for being the main man when it comes to the series taking place again this year.

Any of you who have ridden one of the tens for a club other than those mentioned in the paragraph above, please hassle your club committee to step forward and join the ranks of the organising clubs next year. 

Meanwhile, for those of us who like the phenomena that are club evening tens, there are others in the area that continue in to August and even beyond – the final Okehampton Wheelers evening ten on the arduous old A30 course starting at Bridestowe takes place Tuesday 30^th of August (see Okehampton CC Facebook for details), and North Devon Velo CC’s evening tens on a kinder course at Bishop’s Tawton continue throughout next month and possibly into early September – registration via https://www.webscorer.com/124003?pg=register (registration closes two days before each race). Across the border in west Somerset Wellington Wheelers have further evening tens on the 1^st, 15^th and 29^th of August, registration via https://www.webscorer.com/wellingtonwheelers?pg=register.

 

Results from tonight 25^th July East Devon Evening Ten:

1	George Kimber	Spirit	M	snr	road	21.35
2	Tristan Kellsall-Spurr	Exeter Whs. CC	M	snr 2-up	road	21.59
	& Aidan King	FTP	M	snr 2-up	road	21.59
3	Joe Rosser	Cycle Sanctuary	M	A	road	24.20
4	Aaron Lawrence	Exeter Whs. CC	M	snr	road	24.50
5	Scott Davies	1st Chard Whs. CC	M	B	road	24.59
6	Finlay Webb	Exeter Whs. CC	M	Espoir	TT	25.04
7	James Greenaway	Exeter Whs. CC	M	snr	road	25.34
8	Simon Brown	CS Dynamo	M	E	TT	27.33
9	Andrew Haydon	guest	M	D	road	28.17
10	David Thomas	Cycle Sanctuary	M	A	road	28.32
11	John King	Exeter Whs. CC	M	B	road	28.35
12	John Baker	Exeter Whs. CC	M	D	road	29.48
13	David Fleming	Exeter Whs. CC	M	G	TT	30.15
14	Richard Crosby	guest	M	D	road	31.51

Veteran’s categories: A = 40-44, B= 45-49, D = 55-59, E = 60-64, G = 70-74