The VTTA 10 mile time trial saw four riders on the startsheet for the Six Mile Bottom-Four Wentways event, 12 September 2014.
The E2/10 course is a classic 'out and back' affair with riders pacing themselves southwards on the A11 before retracing to Six Mile Bottom. With Dave Wentworth a DNS it was down to Hugo Hocknell, Chris Hartley and Simon Doyle to see what they could muster.
Hugo was off #1 and posted a time of 23m 18s. Conditions were not great. On what is one of the fastest courses in the UK, the wind decided to kick riders in the teeth on the way out. The race therefore becoming a damage limitation exercise. Limiting losses on the way out was key in terms of keeping the average speed up. The push on the way back was considerable with averages being nearly 10mph higher than in the first five miles.
Chris Hartley tapped out a perfect 24mph average speed to come home with a time of 25 minutes dead. Doyle was off later in the field (#82) and following a 6 week time trial hiatus almost drew level with Hugo, a time of 23m 20s was a fair return. A winning time in the 21 minute range was mooted. Results pending.
Sunday, 13 September 2015
Saturday, 29 August 2015
Chris Hartley matches his lifetime best in Hull
Hull may seem like a long way to drive to spend a little over 20 minutes on a bike, but when it is a chance to visit probably the fastest course in the country (the fabled V718) it is definitely worth the effort.
The downside to the Hull course is that it is frequently very windy, and that was the conditions that faced Chris Hartley when he arrived up North. The less than ideal conditions, and a season that has been disrupted by illness, would make you think that a quick ride wasn't on the cards, but Chris was having none of it.
He smashed round the course in 23:05 to match his best ever ten mile performance to the second. So congratulations Chris, and based on that ride it shows that a strong winter, and an illness free early season, will see you well into the 22's in 2016!
The downside to the Hull course is that it is frequently very windy, and that was the conditions that faced Chris Hartley when he arrived up North. The less than ideal conditions, and a season that has been disrupted by illness, would make you think that a quick ride wasn't on the cards, but Chris was having none of it.
He smashed round the course in 23:05 to match his best ever ten mile performance to the second. So congratulations Chris, and based on that ride it shows that a strong winter, and an illness free early season, will see you well into the 22's in 2016!
Sunday, 16 August 2015
Lifetime best for Sam Hayes at the Finsbury Park 25
After a week of watching the weather forecasts which all promised no wind at Tempsford on Sunday morning, the team arrived at the start of the Finsbury Park 25 knowing that quick times could be on the cards.
The F1/b may be a bit slower than the fabled (and much flatter) F1a due to the hills from Langford to Baldock on the A1, but it can still serve up good times if you're strong enough.
On the day Sam Hayes proved that he was certainly strong enough, and in the form of his life, by blasting around the course in 54:33, to knock 9 seconds off his fastest ever 25. Given the lack of traffic, the rolling nature of the bottom end of the course and the rising headwind on the return, this really was a simply stunning ride by Sam.
Next up for the team was Steve Robinson, who hadn't broken the hour for at least 17 years due to his dislike of 25's. A strong ride from Steve saw him record his 2nd fastest ever 25 with 58:59, an agonising 8 seconds away from his lifetime best. Worryingly for Steve, this ride shows that he can record decent rides at this distance, so he may now need to do a few more to improve on his best ever time.
If there was an award for greatest improvement by a rider in a season then David Ledgerton would have it in the bag. After a disrupted winter that lead to a slow start to the season for David he has steadily got faster and faster all through the year, and is now motoring well. David clocked 1:05:12 to record his fastest 25 in 5 years, clearly demonstrating that the speed is coming back.
The F1/b may be a bit slower than the fabled (and much flatter) F1a due to the hills from Langford to Baldock on the A1, but it can still serve up good times if you're strong enough.
On the day Sam Hayes proved that he was certainly strong enough, and in the form of his life, by blasting around the course in 54:33, to knock 9 seconds off his fastest ever 25. Given the lack of traffic, the rolling nature of the bottom end of the course and the rising headwind on the return, this really was a simply stunning ride by Sam.
Next up for the team was Steve Robinson, who hadn't broken the hour for at least 17 years due to his dislike of 25's. A strong ride from Steve saw him record his 2nd fastest ever 25 with 58:59, an agonising 8 seconds away from his lifetime best. Worryingly for Steve, this ride shows that he can record decent rides at this distance, so he may now need to do a few more to improve on his best ever time.
If there was an award for greatest improvement by a rider in a season then David Ledgerton would have it in the bag. After a disrupted winter that lead to a slow start to the season for David he has steadily got faster and faster all through the year, and is now motoring well. David clocked 1:05:12 to record his fastest 25 in 5 years, clearly demonstrating that the speed is coming back.
Jones leads the team home at the Coventry CC 10
Martin Jones continued his rich vein of form this week with another fantastically rapid 10 at the Coventry CC 10 on the K11/10T.
A strong headwind put paid to his shot at a lifetime best, but even so he blasted the course in 20:37 to take an excellent 12th place and once again prove that he is the strong man of TSE this year.
The battle for second fastest counter for the team was a close one, as age and experience in the form of Dave Wentworth went up against youthful exuberance from Stephen Franklin. In this case it was experience that just paid off, with Dave clocking 24:11 to edge out Stephen 'Whiskers' Franklin who finished in a strong 24:26.
After a season disrupted by a number of illnesses it is fantastic to see Dave going so well in the latter stages, but he still needs to look over his shoulder, as Whiskers just keeps getting quicker.
Monday, 3 August 2015
August heralds august performances for The Engine - Race Reports
National 25 - 2 Aug 2015
The opening weekend of August saw riders in action across a couple of events, one of which was Sunday's CTT National 25 mile time trial championship near Marlow, Bucks (2nd Aug 2015).
Martin Jones flew the flag for the Team at the Nationals, posting a fantastic time of 54.15 to take 51st place. The defending champion, Matt Bottrill could only claim 2nd spot this year with a time of 48.24. Ryan Perry scooped top honours with a time of 48:04. Martin is the first (of hopefully many) TSE rider to take on the National 25. Results.
Chronos RT 10 - 1 Aug 2015
The Saturday prior to Martin's landmark ride, the team were out in force on Saturday's Chronos RT promoted F2A/10, 10 mile time trial (1 Aug 2015). Steve Robinson set the standard with a 22.15, his third fastest time in 17 years.
The head wind to the turn took its toll on many riders so strong efforts were needed to reduce time losses in the first half of the race. These outbound efforts helped riders to then capitalise on any tailwind assistance for the eastbound return leg. David Ledgerton continues to improve and posted 24.20. Roy Robinson was next off and tapped in a rock-steady 26.45,
A trio of sub-22 minute rides then followed with Sam Hayes, Chris Rimes and Simon Doyle posting 21.06, 21.50 and 21.44 respectively giving the team an aggregate (and winning) 'best 3' time of 1h 04.40.
Dave Wentworth underscored the team's performance with a 25mph-plus ride of 23.20.
Mick Hodson of St Ives took the win, with 19.57.
Building on success
Sam Hayes' ride was his second quickest at the distance ever, Simon Doyle shaved 5 seconds of his lifetime PB (set in 2014). Chris Rimes' time is even more impressive as it his first competitive race for several months. Welcome back Chris aka Buster Rimes!
Images courtesy of hedge-row raider and all round good-guy Davey Jones.
The opening weekend of August saw riders in action across a couple of events, one of which was Sunday's CTT National 25 mile time trial championship near Marlow, Bucks (2nd Aug 2015).
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| Martin Jones in action at the National 25 TT championship 2015- Source TimeTriallistUK |
Chronos RT 10 - 1 Aug 2015
The Saturday prior to Martin's landmark ride, the team were out in force on Saturday's Chronos RT promoted F2A/10, 10 mile time trial (1 Aug 2015). Steve Robinson set the standard with a 22.15, his third fastest time in 17 years.
The head wind to the turn took its toll on many riders so strong efforts were needed to reduce time losses in the first half of the race. These outbound efforts helped riders to then capitalise on any tailwind assistance for the eastbound return leg. David Ledgerton continues to improve and posted 24.20. Roy Robinson was next off and tapped in a rock-steady 26.45,
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| Steve 'Oleg' Robinson opening the day's account. |
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| David 'The Ledgend' Ledgerton. |
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| Ox Robinson powering home |
A trio of sub-22 minute rides then followed with Sam Hayes, Chris Rimes and Simon Doyle posting 21.06, 21.50 and 21.44 respectively giving the team an aggregate (and winning) 'best 3' time of 1h 04.40.
Dave Wentworth underscored the team's performance with a 25mph-plus ride of 23.20.
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| Sam 'Bling' Hayes turning the goldie-looking cranks to be first amongst TSE equals |
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| Buster Rimes back with some block-busting beats |
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| 'Speedy' Doyle on the way to a life-time PB. |
Mick Hodson of St Ives took the win, with 19.57.
Building on success
Sam Hayes' ride was his second quickest at the distance ever, Simon Doyle shaved 5 seconds of his lifetime PB (set in 2014). Chris Rimes' time is even more impressive as it his first competitive race for several months. Welcome back Chris aka Buster Rimes!
Images courtesy of hedge-row raider and all round good-guy Davey Jones.
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Steve and Sam top the Victoria 2up Championship - Martin Jones smashes the N&DCA 25 - 25 July 2015
The Engine has seen riders posting quick times all over the region in the last few weeks, In truth it's hard to keep track with the mid-week 10s and club events. Martin Jones and Steve Franklin have been bothering the scorers in the midlands (on the K courses) and Roy Robinson has been making incursions on the Kent courses.
Four of the team were recently (18 July) at the Team Cambridge 10 on the F2D/10, version that turns at Madingley roundabout. Dave Wentworth led the team home in 23:46, David Ledgerton followed with 24:09, Roy Robinson with 26:31 and Stuart Hocknell with 30:04.
And that's just a snippet. So on to a quick round-up of this weekend's open events, And yes, the lads smashed it, proving that the team is evolving further.
Happy and Glorious, Victorious in the Victoria
Like London buses, you wait a few days for races to come along and then you get two on the same day. As defending champions the dynamic duo braved the rather chilly and windy morning conditions to go and smash out a short-23 on the rolling 10.2 miler.
Dave 'The Legend' Ledgerton, deciding that one race in a day isn't enough used the Victoria event as a precursor for the afternoon's 25. Dave pushed out a 26-minute time for the 10.2 (26.22), demonstrating to all, that he is well and truly getting back to form.
It didn't rain over us (N&DCA Rd 7)
As if that wasn't enough, Steve decamped to Guilden Morden to set up the N&DCA Round 7 event. 'The Engine' were promoting this round of the event, with the support of our chums in the Bonito Squadra Corse. The event was based on the rather tough F14/25 Guilden Morden circuit.
The weather was dry but the wind conditions were challenging in places. However, this did not stop man-of-the-moment Martin Jones from stamping his mark on the top end of the results board. Martin clocked 55.51 to take 6th place (and 3rd place in the counting scores for the Association competition).
Following in Martin's footsteps (or tyre tracks?) were Simon Doyle, Steve Franklin and David Ledgerton. Doyle posted a 59.58 to just nip under the hour mark for the second time on this course in a week.
The strength and quality of the field was so high that 18 riders posted 25mph+ times.
Steve Franklin, in his inaugural F14/25 course ride, turned in a very creditable 1.04.15 to claim more points in his pursuit of glory in the over-arching competition.
David posted a new LTS PB of 1.07.20.
The N&DCA event was made possible through the support and commitment of many, including Mary and Chris Hartley, Rik Palmer and John Pick and, importantly, though he won't say so himself, Steve Robinson,
Results are posted on the TimeTrialling Forum - N&DCA Rd 7 2015
All snaps courtesy of Davey Jones.
Four of the team were recently (18 July) at the Team Cambridge 10 on the F2D/10, version that turns at Madingley roundabout. Dave Wentworth led the team home in 23:46, David Ledgerton followed with 24:09, Roy Robinson with 26:31 and Stuart Hocknell with 30:04.
And that's just a snippet. So on to a quick round-up of this weekend's open events, And yes, the lads smashed it, proving that the team is evolving further.
Happy and Glorious, Victorious in the Victoria
Like London buses, you wait a few days for races to come along and then you get two on the same day. As defending champions the dynamic duo braved the rather chilly and windy morning conditions to go and smash out a short-23 on the rolling 10.2 miler.
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| David Ledgerton |
It didn't rain over us (N&DCA Rd 7)
As if that wasn't enough, Steve decamped to Guilden Morden to set up the N&DCA Round 7 event. 'The Engine' were promoting this round of the event, with the support of our chums in the Bonito Squadra Corse. The event was based on the rather tough F14/25 Guilden Morden circuit.
The weather was dry but the wind conditions were challenging in places. However, this did not stop man-of-the-moment Martin Jones from stamping his mark on the top end of the results board. Martin clocked 55.51 to take 6th place (and 3rd place in the counting scores for the Association competition).
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The strength and quality of the field was so high that 18 riders posted 25mph+ times.
Steve Franklin, in his inaugural F14/25 course ride, turned in a very creditable 1.04.15 to claim more points in his pursuit of glory in the over-arching competition.
David posted a new LTS PB of 1.07.20.
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| Steve 'Whiskers' Franklin |
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| Speedy Doyle |
The N&DCA event was made possible through the support and commitment of many, including Mary and Chris Hartley, Rik Palmer and John Pick and, importantly, though he won't say so himself, Steve Robinson,
Results are posted on the TimeTrialling Forum - N&DCA Rd 7 2015
All snaps courtesy of Davey Jones.
Sunday, 5 July 2015
Andy Roffe hits his stride with a sub 21 minute 10
There was a time when a 21 minute ten was pretty much the benchmark for the quickest members of the team, but these days you need to be able to go sub 21 to really be able to claim to be one of the team's true fast men.
Over the last few weeks Andy Roffe has proved that he is right up there with Martin Jones and Sam Hayes by clocking a cracking 20:58 at the VTTA 10 the E2 at Newmarket to take a superb 11th place. Andy also followed this up with a 21:04 a couple of days later on the F20. Strong rides indeed!
Andy was supported at the VTTA E2/10 by Dave Wentworth who, despite being full of antibiotics, rode superbly to clock 23:58. Dave has been knocked back this year by a few illnesses, but shows that even when on prescription drugs he can still clock some cracking times!
The following week saw a number of the team return to the E2 in search of PB's. Andy Roffe showed that he is the very epitome of consistency by clocking 21:10, his 3rd circa 29mph ride in 7 days!
Dave Wentworth was next up for the team, substantially improving on his previous ride to clock 23:35, and edge out the team's 3rd counter Chris Hartley who clocked a very creditable 24:13.
Roy Robinson is another of the more senior members of the team still putting in strong times. Having never ridden the E2 before he took to the course like a duck to water and recorded 26:20, his 2nd fastest 10 in the last ten years, and a sure sign that retirement seems to suit him.
Over the last few weeks Andy Roffe has proved that he is right up there with Martin Jones and Sam Hayes by clocking a cracking 20:58 at the VTTA 10 the E2 at Newmarket to take a superb 11th place. Andy also followed this up with a 21:04 a couple of days later on the F20. Strong rides indeed!
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| Andy Roffe smashing it! |
The following week saw a number of the team return to the E2 in search of PB's. Andy Roffe showed that he is the very epitome of consistency by clocking 21:10, his 3rd circa 29mph ride in 7 days!
Dave Wentworth was next up for the team, substantially improving on his previous ride to clock 23:35, and edge out the team's 3rd counter Chris Hartley who clocked a very creditable 24:13.
Roy Robinson is another of the more senior members of the team still putting in strong times. Having never ridden the E2 before he took to the course like a duck to water and recorded 26:20, his 2nd fastest 10 in the last ten years, and a sure sign that retirement seems to suit him.
Sunday, 21 June 2015
Martin Jones becomes team's fastest ever...
After a number of super quick rides it was almost a matter of time before Martin Jones took the record of fastest ever 10 by a Team Salesengine rider.
On the 16th June Martin visited the K11/10T in the Midlands with his sights firmly set on putting the advice of Matt Bottrill, and all the weeks and months of hard work, to best use.
The previous best of 20:26, set by Phil Silver in 2014 was eclipsed by 5 seconds to take the new club record to 20:21, a simply stunning time for a course that doesn't usually get mentioned in the top 3 fastest courses in the country. This suggest there is still mote to come, but for now the team are simply celebrating such a stunning ride. Well done Martin!
On the 16th June Martin visited the K11/10T in the Midlands with his sights firmly set on putting the advice of Matt Bottrill, and all the weeks and months of hard work, to best use.
The previous best of 20:26, set by Phil Silver in 2014 was eclipsed by 5 seconds to take the new club record to 20:21, a simply stunning time for a course that doesn't usually get mentioned in the top 3 fastest courses in the country. This suggest there is still mote to come, but for now the team are simply celebrating such a stunning ride. Well done Martin!
The team battle at the Tour of Cambridgeshire
After many years of racing up and down the open roads of Britain, the opportunity to compete in a fully closed road time trial complete with start ramp proved a huge draw for a number of the team.
At the inaugural Tour of Cambridgeshire Team Salesengine had representatives in a number of the age categories.
The best result for the team went to Martin Jones, who seemed almost immune to the 25 mph wind to blast round the hilly course in 38:18 which was quick enough for 47th out of the 533 finishers and saw him qualify for the amateur world championships later in the year.
Next up for the team was Hugo Hocknell, who showed that after months of illness he is getting back to his rapid best with 41:14. Frustratingly Hugo missed the Worlds qualification by just one place.
An agonising 4 seconds back from Hugo was Steve Robinson, who enjoyed one of his strongest races of the year to finish with 41:18 and a clear aim of worlds qualification in 2016.
Unlike Steve, Simon Doyle was having a slightly worse day than he was hoping for, which saw him slip behind Hugo and Steve for a change with his time of 42:21. After so many strong rides this year, it is just a blip, and will no doubt add fuel to the fire for faster rides later in the year.
Next up was David Ledgerton who clocked a strong 47:35. As we often see with David, he races himself into form, and as the season is progressing his tomes are getting ever more competitive, so we know there is still more to come.
The final member of the team was Roy Robinson who was doing battle in the 65-70 age group and again showed promising progress with an excellent time of 51:19, a good 2 plus minutes quicker than expected, and a time inside not just many in his age group, but a lot of much younger riders as well. Good showing Roy.
At the inaugural Tour of Cambridgeshire Team Salesengine had representatives in a number of the age categories.
The best result for the team went to Martin Jones, who seemed almost immune to the 25 mph wind to blast round the hilly course in 38:18 which was quick enough for 47th out of the 533 finishers and saw him qualify for the amateur world championships later in the year.
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| Martin Jones catching Steve Robinson from 3 minutes right on the line! |
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| Steve Robinson leaving the Start ramp at the Tour of Cambridgeshire |
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| Simon Doyle battling up the main climb of the Tour of Cambridgeshire |
The final member of the team was Roy Robinson who was doing battle in the 65-70 age group and again showed promising progress with an excellent time of 51:19, a good 2 plus minutes quicker than expected, and a time inside not just many in his age group, but a lot of much younger riders as well. Good showing Roy.
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| Roy negotiates the very slippery first bend out of the arena |
Saturday, 6 June 2015
Martin Jones bags a magnificent second place
At round 4 of the season long Northampton & District series Martin Jones proved what a massive boost he is to the squad by taking 2nd place on the day, and bagging a maximum points score towards the individual and team prizes.
Due to roadworks the lumpy course had been shortened to 15.6 miles, which martin blitzed in 36:25, just missing out on the win thanks to a strong ride by Jon Simpkins of sponsored team Drag2zero.
In the team competition Martin was supported by Hugo Hocknell, who continue his battle back to fitness with a strong 18th place with 39:57, closely followed by another of our 2015 recruits, Stephen Franklin who came 24th with 41:43.
David Ledgerton scored some useful points in the overall competition by finishing 40th in 46:57 and Stuart Hocknell took a few scalps on his way to 50th place with 56:44.
These results leave Martin in a strong 4th place in the overall competition, and now looking to be a serious contender for the win, and the team head the team points series by a strong margin with 6 rounds to go.
Due to roadworks the lumpy course had been shortened to 15.6 miles, which martin blitzed in 36:25, just missing out on the win thanks to a strong ride by Jon Simpkins of sponsored team Drag2zero.
In the team competition Martin was supported by Hugo Hocknell, who continue his battle back to fitness with a strong 18th place with 39:57, closely followed by another of our 2015 recruits, Stephen Franklin who came 24th with 41:43.
David Ledgerton scored some useful points in the overall competition by finishing 40th in 46:57 and Stuart Hocknell took a few scalps on his way to 50th place with 56:44.
These results leave Martin in a strong 4th place in the overall competition, and now looking to be a serious contender for the win, and the team head the team points series by a strong margin with 6 rounds to go.
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