Multiple solo and team competition records fell on a wet and windy day with Stuart Travis smashing the 30-mile competition record in the Leo RC 30-mile time trial.

Wet and windy conditions had given organisers second thoughts about running the 30-mile event but will have been over the moon to ignore initial doubts as six competition records were broken on Saturday.

The Leo RC 30 is steeped in history after being a cycling fixture since 1948. A little more history was implanted upon the event as two men’s, three men’s team and a junior competition record were all eclipsed along with numerous age records for a 30-mile distance, feats that organisers say could have been down to low air pressure.

Stuart Travis (Team Bottrill) was the man of the moment as he ended the day with the 30-mile record but had to beat off stiff competition.

Gary Chambers (Nopinz) broke Michael Hutchinson’s seven year record of 55-39 initially as he shaved 30 seconds off the old mark to clock a time of 55-09 - but he wouldn’t be the only man to surpass Hutchinson’s mark.

In stepped the mercurial Travis who started seventh from last to smash Chambers’ time, lowering the record by a further one minute and 25 seconds to 53-44 to claim the plaudits.

The competition record was broken twice on the same day but four men in total bettered the mark of Michael Hutchinson. Jason Bouttell (Team Vision Racing) started last and tried to mount a challenge on Travis but fell short by 53 seconds, finishing second in 54-37. Team Bottrill veteran James Rix was the last of the quartet, finishing fourth with a time of 55-35.

Adam Jarps (Team Bottrill) will have to wait for scrutineering but looks likely to go home with the junior competition record as the 18-year-old crossed the line in 1-01-23.

The other main record to be smashed was the men’s team record which was set three times on the day. Nopinz were the first team to do it before the imperious Team Bottrill lowered the bar twice, ending with Stuart Travis, James Rix and George Evans as the final trio with the new record set at 2-45-38.

Quite unusually Alice Lethbridge (Drag2Zero) wasn’t a headliner for the days racing – trouble with her saddle had hindered her from joining in with the record breakers party - but she was still in formidable form.

Despite her equipment issues, Lethbridge stopped the clock at 1-01-58 to take a 1-25 victory ahead of Angela Carpenter (...a3crg).

Storm Ali had swept the UK with torrid weather this past week leading to bad conditions all over the country – event organiser John Golder had reservations about the event.

“It was an awful day to be quite honest and I was on the verge of cancelling it. Everywhere had been wet and windy and I live around 50 miles away from the event course so I was ‘umming’ and ‘arring’ on the drive up,” said Golder.

“We got up there and there was no surface water surprisingly so I rode the course beforehand and thought it wasn’t too bad so we decided to run with it and keep the race on – many people from the north and west didn’t make the trip though because of the conditions so we didn’t have a full field we would have liked.”

Numerous age category records were also broken on the day, 88-year-old Peter Horsnell (Chelmer CC) was the fastest veteran on standard with a time of +27-00.

The men’s tricycle team competition record was another to add to the list only a week after a 37 year old record had been smashed. Andy Newham, Ian Pike and Dan Linstead of Lincoln Wheelers CC beat their own record from last weekend after combining for a time of 3-29-47, lowering their previous competition record by 9-16.

* All reports are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission. This report by Jack Cudworth.

Results:

1. Stuart Travis (Team Bottrill)           53.44 CR

2. Jason Bouttell (Team Vision Racing)         54.37

3. Gary Chambers (Nopinz)    55.09

4. James Rix (Team Bottrill)   55.35

5. Stephen Irwin (North Lancashire RC)        56.17

6. George Evans (Team Bottrill)         56.19

7. Paul Hart (Southend Wheelers)      56.31

8. Daniel Northover (Finsbury Park CC)        57.03

9. Jonathan Wears (Nopinz)    57.13

10. Simon Norman (Bedfordshire Road RT) 57.23

Women: Alice Lethbridge (Drag2Zero)         1:01.58

Veteran on Standard: Peter Horsnell (Chelmer CC)  +27.00

Junior: Adam Jarps (Team Bottrill)     1:01.23 CR

Team Prize: Team Bottrill (Travis, Rix, Evans)          2:45.38 CR

Trike: Lincoln Wheelers (Newham, Pike, Linstead)   3:29.47 CR