Team Salesengine at Blenheim

Sunday October 4th saw Paul and Steve competing for the last time this season at the Blenheim Palace 12 mile time trial.

The closed circuit event has a much more special feel than most events in the year, and almost 300 competitors took to the start line to battle it out on the fairly hilly, narrow and very technical cicrcuit around the grounds of the Palace.

Steve took top team honours with his time of 34:04 which proved good enough for 77th place, with Paul close behind with 35:00 to take 95th. As with so many events this year the winner was Michael Hutchinson.

PK at Blenheim!

Picture courtesy of Chris Ife.

ECCA 10 - E2/10

Saturday saw Dave Wentworth completing his final event of the 2009 season. A perfect day dawned for the event with a 3mph wind and, judging from the leg loosener ride on Friday, Dave should have been on a cracker. The first 5 miles - into what seemed like a 3mph gale - saw Dave average just 24mph, then at 6miles he suddenly got going and averaged just shy of 28mph for the last 4miles. All too late though and a 23:37 resulted at the end.

Steve gets a top 10

After a good but not outstanding season Steve Robinson pulled out possibly his best ride in Team Salesengine.co.uk colours to take 10th place in the Stevenage CC 12 mile time trial at Guilden Morden.

His time of 30:01 is his fastest ever on the quiet country lane circuit, and compared well to Richard Palmer's 27:58 (good enough for 4th spot) and David Ledgerton's 30:37.

Just the Blenheim time trial in 2 weeks time and then it is back to winter base miles in the big build up for 2010!

Picture above courtesy of Sarah brooke photography - www.sarahbrookephotography.co.uk

Icknield RC 10 - F1B/10

After a couple of weeks off racing Dave Wentworth was back in action on Sunday morning in the Icknield 10mile event on the F1B/10 course at Tempsford. Good conditions should have seen a sub 23 minute ride from Dave, alas, he never really got going and never actually made it "hurt". A disappointing time of 23:33. Hey-ho, just one more event this year - the ECCA 10 miler on the E2/10 in two weeks time.

Steve posts faster time than Bradley Wiggins

In the British Time Trial Championships Steve Robinson was representing team Sales Engine, and finished 108th in the Masters group with a 55:42 on the lumpy and rural Milton keynes based circuit.

Whilst it sounds impressive that he recorded a time 7 minutes faster than one Bradley Wiggins, the truth is that, as a senior not a Master, Brad had to ride 3 circuits instead of 2, so head to head would have beaten me by almost 15 minutes!

It was a fantastically well organised event on a nice testing course, and the chance to even compare times against an olympic gold medallist don't exactly come along too often so I'm well chuffed to have been able to ride.

Target for next year needs to be a top 100 result!

Team Sanjan Design - F2A/10

Saturday afternoon saw Dave Wentworth in action over the 10 mile distance again. This was a rare chance to ride the F2/10 course in reasonable conditions - it's usual howling winds from the South seemed to have deserted it for once with just a moderate South Westerly blowing. Despite looking at the clock wrong and turning up at the start area a good half hour too early - and then the start being delayed for 10 minutes - Dave still felt in good form for the start. Dave managed to reach the 4.5 mile turn in 11:30 but still had faster tailwind(ish) leg to come. A final time of 23:11 was a 50 second beating his course best time saw Dave being well chuffed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Beds Roads CC 25 - F1B/25

Sunday morning dawned with near perfect time trialing conditions - alas, the rising westerly wouldn't be much use to Dave Wentworth as he tackled the Beds Roads 25 miler. Not that the strength of the wind mattered a great deal in the end though. First off the zip gets stuck on Dave's skinsuit and he had to improvise with safety pins - and looks a right rag-a-muffin!! Then, just before climbing Topler's Hill going southbound Dave's gear cable fails - leaving him with just a 126 inch gear. Now, Dave's sparrow like legs, a 126 inch gear and two climbs of Topler's is an unfair contest in favour of the gear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! However, unlike years gone by, Dave kept his cool, didn't completely "loose it" and didn't throw the bike over a hedge - but it was marginal!!! Oh, the time, a 1:02:something. Hey-ho, always next weekend.

Team Salesengine.co.uk Vs Bradley Wiggins

The start of September will witness a big showdown between Bradley Wiggins (4th in the Tour De France) and Paul King and Steve Robinson from Team Salesengine.co.uk.

OK, so in truth Bradley is unlikely to be aware of our presence at the British Time Trial Championships, but it's nice to be in the same event as him all the same.

Due to Wiggo being under 30 (and the fastest rider in the UK at present) he will be racing the mens event which is 31 miles, while Steve and Paul feature in the Masters event which is only 21 miles.

Big question is whether Bradley will do his 31 in less time than our boys can do 21! Not quite I suspect, but it could be close.

ECCA 10 - E2/10

A near perfect day on the E2/10 for Dave Wentworth on Saturday afternoon - very little wind and warm. Last time on the E2/10 Dave was a single second away from his current PB at 10 miles - this time, a 22:50 bettered it by a single second. OK, it's only a single second, but it's a new current PB - another second closer to that all life time best!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!