Working out the winners of the VTTA event always takes that bit longer with the added complication of the standard times, but it’s nothing a really complicated Excel spreadsheet can’t handle.

Brian Sunter (Condor Road Club) was gunning for a second successive title on standard, but faced stiff competition from the super-fast supervet, Kevin Tye (VeloRefined Aerosmiths) and the newly-aged Andy Jackson (SSLL), a fresh-faced pup of only 40.

In a weekend bedevilled by low temperatures, it was no different in Kent. The Ashford course was marginally above freezing for the 8am start. VTTA president Carole Gandy took a novel approach to a collective warm-up by getting her car stuck in the mud. Cue a lot of huffing and puffing as competitors put in some big efforts to raise the heart rate, and Gandy’s wagon, from the quagmire of the overflow car park.

On actual-time, Jackson put in a blistering turn of speed for a 01:02:36, beating Jonathan Parker (Team Bottrill) by 54 seconds and taking the course record by over a minute. Kevin Tye was third on actual, but won on standard, taking the overall from Jackson, with the evergreen Sunter in third.

Bronwen Ewing (Rye and District Wheelers) flew along the straights and swooped through the corners to break the ladies’ course record and take 7th place overall on standard, a superlative ride.

* All reports are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission.

Results:

Fastest:

1 Andy Jackson  SSLL Racing Team  01:02:36

2 Jonathan Parker Team Bottrill 01:03:30

3 Kevin Tye VeloRefined Aerosmiths 01:04:08

4 Keith Lea Paceline RT 01:04:40

5 Lee Morgan Team Bottrill 01:05:28

6 Ian Greenstreet Newbury RC 01:07:06

7 Jon Surtees SSLL Racing Team 01:07:22

8 Nick Wilson Rye & District Wheelers CC 01:07:35

9 Peter Pav Bryan Rye & District Wheelers CC 01:08:12

10 Paul Morton PMR @ Toachim House 01:08:46