Stephanie Post and Tom Ward were the female and male winners respectively at the Welsh 25-Mile Championships near Rhigos on Sunday.

Team Bottrill rider Post, 33 and from Cardiff, clocked 52-30 to take the win by 37 seconds from multiple national record holder Alice Lethbridge (Drag2zero), while third fastest female was Anna Morris (AeroLab).

And in the men’s event Tom Ward (AeroLab Ward Wheelz) was fastest with 47-15, giving him the win by 38 seconds from Ioan Smallwood (Cardiff Ajax CC), while reigning national 24-hour champion Andy Jackson (AeroCoach) was third, another 11 seconds back.

It was not a perfect day, although it could’ve been a lot worse, and with dry and sunny conditions to contend with there were some personal bests – although a repeat of the competition record-breaking performances of this event in 2018 were not on the cards.

The R25/3h course takes riders from the start near Rhigos downhill toward Hirwaun where they turn onto the A465 dual carriageway and head through Glynneath and down to the turn at Aberdulais before returning up – but they don’t have to tackle the climb back up to the start as they pass the ten-mile mark just beforehand.

The last man off, Ward came to the event with an impressive personal best of 46.27, and although he didn’t challenge that, he did more than enough to take the title. He was second in the 2018 Welsh 25 Championships, very much playing second fiddle to Marcin Bialoblocki who was around three and a half minutes quicker than Ward as he powered to a new national competition record.

But this year the spotlight rightly fell on Ward, who was competing in his first open time trial of the season.

The runner-up last year, Post’s performance was also deserving of the title, despite pre-race favourite and reigning champion Lethbridge not feeling 100 per cent for the event.

Post clocked 52-30 this year, an improvement of 24 seconds from last year. She has shown her form already this season having been fastest female in the Welsh CA hilly 21 last weekend as well as partnering with Gareth Pym and finishing as the fastest team with a woman at the Burton and District CA two-up in March.

In other categories, the junior title went to George Elliott (Innovation Racing) with 48-15 which would’ve given him fourth spot in the men’s event were it not run as a separate event.

And fastest junior female was Caitlin Peters (Storey Racing0 with 55-16, which was seventh fastest female overall.

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

* A full gallery of photos by Kimroy Photography is available here

 

Results:

Men:

Pos   Name  Club  Time

1     Tom Ward    AeroLab Ward WheelZ     47:15

2     Ioan Smallwood    Cardiff Ajax CC   47:53

3     Andy Jackson      AeroCoach   48:04

4     Liam Maybank      Twickenham CC     48:19

5     Christopher Gibbard     Bynea Cycling Club      48:20

6     Jonathan Gates    Royal Air Force Cycling Association 48:26

7     Samuel Wadsley    Primera-Teamjobs  48:51

8     Dan Evans   ASSOS Equipe UK   48:52

9     Graham Kemp Team Bottrill     49:08

10    Robert West AeroCoach   49:12

11    Joseph Dobson     Manchester Bicycle Club 49:20

12    Lee Perrott Cycle Specific    49:21

13    Mitch Russell     The Bike Bar      49:26

14    Keith Ainsworth   Sheffrec CC 49:41

15    Paul Jones  Primera-Teamjobs  49:45

16    Will Bevan  Ross on Wye & Dist CC   49:52

17    Philip Tucker     Cycle Specific    50:00

18    Andy Davies Cardiff Jif 50:00

19    Julian Macbride   Team Kirkley Cycles     50:03

20    Greg Parker Estrella Bikes    50:04

21    Joshua Clark      Royal Navy & Royal Marines CA 50:37

22    James Garrett     Rugby Velo  50:39

23    John Osborn Folkestone Velo Club    50:58

24    Rob Scott   City Cycle Couriers RT  51:05

25    Chris Ledger      Ace Test Team     51:20

26    Kevin Baker Andover Wheelers  51:34

27    Chris Jones Bynea Cycling Club      51:49

28    Paul Hayward      Pontypool Road Cycling Club   52:01

29    Gary Flower Acme Whs (Rhondda) CC   52:06

30    Michael Hill      Chester RC  52:19

31    Lee Sanderson     Mid Devon CC      52:20

32    Tim May     PDQ Cycle Coaching      52:20

33    Nev Martin  GS Metro    52:21

34    Josh Coyne  Bpm Coaching      52:24

35    Rod Hicks   Port Talbot Whs CC      52:34

36    Tom Bowering      ActiveEdge Race Team P/B Cooper/BMW Inchcape    52:42

37    Dave Williams     Cycle Specific    52:48

38    Steven Cottington Bath Cycling Club 52:52

39    Nathan Leaves     Cwmcarn Paragon Road Club     52:53

40    Andrew Parnowski  City Cycle Couriers RT  52:54

41    Thomas Dye  Cardiff Ajax CC   53:06

42    Guy Rees    Bynea Cycling Club      53:12

43    Matt Kuwertz      Southborough & Dist. Whs      53:12

44    Leon Evans  Cardiff Ajax CC   53:25

45    Michael Portlock  Merthyr CC  53:26

46    David Medhurst    Cardiff Ajax CC   53:41

47    Garry Ellis Energy Cycling Club/Clwb Beicio Egni      53:42

48    Felix Wilkinson   Velo Club Montpellier   53:54

49    Max Lees    Leicestershire RC 53:57

50    James Manson      Cardiff Triathletes     54:00

51    Mark Bradley      Bristol South Cycling Club    54:01

52    Tommy Barlow      Clevedon & District Road Club 54:08

53    John Regan  Pembrokeshire Velo      54:18

54    Jason Roberts     Cycle Specific    54:19

55    Colin Wallace     Merthyr CC  54:28

56    Jac Lewis   Energy Cycling Club/Clwb Beicio Egni      54:29

57    Lee Williams      North Hampshire RC      54:32

58    Gareth Jones      Clevedon & District Road Club 54:34

59    Mark Sanders      Mid Devon CC      54:34

60    Alun Williams     Energy Cycling Club/Clwb Beicio Egni      54:45

61    Phil Willoughby   Towy Riders Cycle Club  55:09

62    Edward Priddy     Solihull CC 55:20

63    David Wilson-Evans      Bynea Cycling Club      55:29

64    Nigel Vuagniaux   Bath Cycling Club 55:37

65    David Evans Team Echelon      55:54

66    Jon Vickery Cwmcarn Paragon Road Club     55:54

67    Roy Carless       Swindon Road Club 55:56

68    Daniel Kempe      Bristol South Cycling Club    55:56

69    Owain Roberts     CES Sport   55:57

70    Robert Hughes     Rhondda Triathlon Club  56:00

71    Tom Cox     Northover VT / Rudy Project / SCS   56:06

72    Diccon Hill Cardiff 100 Miles RCC   56:12

73    Richard Coleman   Stourbridge Velo  56:18

74    Patrick Kelly     Velo Club Long Eaton    56:21

75    Christopher Bailey      Lyme Racing Club  56:36

76    Chris Broad-Drake Swindon Road Club 56:39

77    David Thomas      Rhondda Triathlon Club  56:43

78    Jonathan Gall     Clevedon & District Road Club 56:44

79    John Aspell PDQ Cycle Coaching      56:45

80    Andrew Curley     Warwickshire Road Club  56:48

81    Pete Harris Andover Wheelers  56:54

82    Terry Icke  CC Weymouth 57:06

83    David Singleton   Acme Whs (Rhondda) CC   57:10

84    Richard Llewellyn Imperial Racing Team    57:17

85    Matt Robinson     Westbury Wheelers 57:29

86    John Williams     Bynea Cycling Club      57:59

87    Gareth Williams   Hereford & Dist Whs CC  58:02

88    Les Thomas  Port Talbot Whs CC      58:03

89    Ian Piper   Minehead Cycling Club   58:08

90    Ricki Morgan      Team NBCC   58:13

91    Philip Elliott    Liverpool Century RC    58:21

92    Marco Marletta    Cardiff Jif 58:32

93    Steve Mountford   Solihull CC 58:39

94    John French Oxford City RC    58:58

95    Paul Freegard     Chippenham & District Wheelers      59:15

96    Warren Jackson    Congleton CC      59:20

97    Andrew Clarke     North Shropshire Wheelers     1:00:05

98    Stuart Evans      Port Talbot Whs CC      1:00:05

99    Jeffrey Rees      Gower Riders Cycling Club     1:00:10

100   Paul Stephens     Ross on Wye & Dist CC   1:00:35

101   Roger Taylor      Frome and District Wheelers   1:01:07

102   David Roe   Revo Racing 1:01:24

103   John Shehan Bynea Cycling Club      1:02:16

104   Huw Morgan  Narberth Dynamos Cycling Club 1:02:47

105   Brad Davies Bynea Cycling Club      1:03:22

106   Paul Rees   Bynea Cycling Club      1:03:48

107   Simon Kinsey      Virtual Cycling Club    1:05:15

      Benjamin Gannon   St Helens CRC     DNS

      Chris Henderson   Nottingham Clarion CC   DNS

      Rich Long   Merthyr CC  DNS

      Dominic Norcross  Team NBCC   DNS

      Richard Wilder    Sportzmad   DNS

      Gethin Davies-Jones     Abercynon Road Club     DNS

      Mark Woolford     Team Swindon Cycles     DNS

      Roger Wood  Pontypool Road Cycling Club   DNS

      Nicholas Forbes   Bynea Cycling Club      DNS

      Colin Barrett     Tenby Aces CC     DNS

      Michael Parker    TMG Horizon Cycling Team      DNS

      Andy Hoskins      Cardiff Jif DNS

      Scott Davies      Team Dimension Data     DNS

 

Women:

Pos   Name  Club  Time

1     Stephanie Post    Team Bottrill     52:30

2     Alice Lethbridge DRAG2ZERO   53:07

3     Anna Morris AeroLab Ward WheelZ     53:13

4     Karen Ledger      Ace Test Team     53:51

5     Megan Dickerson   Bristol South Cycling Club    53:55

6     Pip Jenkins Southborough & Dist. Whs      54:45

7     Caitlin Peters    Storey Racing     55:16

8     Crystal Spearman  Born to Bike - Bridgtown Cycles     56:00

9     Marianne Holt     Team Bottrill     56:15

10    Andrea Parish     VeloSistas TT Team      57:40

11    Louisa Cooper     Bournemouth Jubilee Whs 58:11

12    Emma Serjeant     Hafren CC   58:31

13    Dena Ford   High Wycombe CC   58:44

14    Carrie Brookes    Blaydon CC  59:16

15    Joanne Rea  Blaydon CC  59:30

16    Philippa Shubert  High Wycombe CC   1:00:24

17    Deborah Sheridan  Warwickshire Road Club  1:00:32

18    Anita Saycell     Ystwyth CC  1:01:29

19    Joanna Knight     Bristol South Cycling Club    1:02:37

20    Emma Bexson Stratford Cycling Club  1:02:44

21    Fenella Brown     Beacon Roads CC   1:03:12

22    Diane Wilson-Evans      Bynea Cycling Club      1:03:49

23    Caryl Williams-Ford     Bynea Cycling Club      1:04:51

24    Diane Hynam Bynea Cycling Club      1:12:48

 

Juniors:

Pos   Name  Club  Time

1     George Elliott    Innovation Racing       48:15

2     Thomas Day  Giant CC  Halo Films    50:19

3     Fabien Large      NOPINZ      52:05

 

Female Junior     Caitlin Peters    Storey Racing     55:16