A big field of riders will be looking to kick-start their time trial seasons after a lengthy break in two open events this Sunday.

The Covid-19 pandemic has meant a long break for riders with the last open event taking place on March 15, but the season is due to re-commence this weekend.

The Shaftesbury 50 and Barnesbury 25 will get the open season back underway at opposite ends of the country on Sunday.

Some 120 riders will get the season back underway in Cambridgeshire on the out and back A11 course near Newmarket.

Chris Bartley (AS Test Team) won the same event last season by nearly three minutes in a time of 1-35-08 and will go off as scratch man on Sunday.

However, with a shortage of races he will face stiff opposition with Adam Duggleby (Almerico Vive Le Velo), Conrad Moss (Primera-Team Jobs) and Adam Wild (GS Metro) all going off within a minute of each other in latter half of the field.

Bartley beat Wild on his way to third place in the National 50 last season and will hope for a similar result on Sunday.

The women’s field is also a strong one with 24 riders down on the start sheet.

National 50 Champion from 2018 Anna Turvey (Drag2Zero) will be one to watch and is the last woman due on the course.

Meanwhile, in the North East a field of 100 riders are down to ride the Barnesbury 25 on an out and back course down the A189.

With last year’s event winner Wild riding in the day’s other event, scratch rider will be last season’s runner-up Keith Murray (Drag2Zero).

As last year Murray will face stiff competition from Thomas Hutchinson (Team Kirkley Cycles) and Lewis Timmins (Team Swift) who finished third and fourth respectively last season.

“I have only ridden one time-trial this season and that was back in March,” said Murray.

“I concentrate more on triathlons these days but there have been none of those either. I am looking forward to the event, but I’m not the tester I once but it’s nice to be off last.

“Lewis Timmins and Thomas Hutchinson are the men in form I would have thought. I have an Ironman in five weeks in Estonia which is going ahead so I had a big race to aim for during lockdown.

“I am fit but have been putting a massive effort into my running these days. I’m hoping to go well and it would be nice to get around the 52 minutes mark or around there.”

In the women’s event 10 riders are due to take to the start, but last year’s event winner Fiona Burnie (GS Metro) will be absent as she is down to compete in the Shaftesbury 50.

On Saturday, Team Sportslab have organised an invitational only 10 which 12 riders are due to compete in on the V714 course in Yorkshire.

The out and back course between sees riders compete on the B1230 to Howden and back towards North Cave.

Scratch rider will be host club rider Bevan Jones, who won the Lindsey Roads 10 last season in a time of 20-16.

Full startsheets from these events are available on the CTT website. Remember to keep checking back to the CTT website over the weekend for reports and results.

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