EVENT REPORT by David Taylor

Richard Prebble (Pinarello RT) won the penultimate round of the RTTC-Rudy Project Time Trial Series at Naseby to take the overall lead in the competition.

Prebble’s win put him two points clear of previous leader Paul O’Mahoney (Probikekit.com) who finished sixth in Saturday’s round well off of the pace of Prebble’s 1-04-37 for the rolling 28-mile event.

Espoir Dafydd Dylan (Team KFS) was the closest to the flying Prebble with his 1-06-37, which put him in second spot, 29 seconds ahead of Mark Lovatt (Sportscover Planet X RT).

Back in to time trialling mode after his exertions in the Tour of Ireland and Tour of Britain James Millard (Plowman Craven-Evans Cycles RT), top Espoir in the 2002 and 2003 TT Series, claimed fourth place, his 1-07-06 giving him a two seconds edge over Dominic Sweeney (Lutterworth Cycle Centre).

Ten years after he first won the Series Prebble adds this year’s national competition to his record along with his other success in 1998.

“Although I missed out on the early rounds I was determined to make up for lost time towards the end of the season,” Prebble said. “Now I’ve had three wins, a second and a fourth so I think I have done enough to win the Series.”

“I went over the course early on Saturday morning and I could tell it suited me, I had a trouble free ride. I had expected Millard to be the danger man” (Millard did a 49 minute `25` recently)

“I’ve ridden a couple of evening `10s` against in the last weeks. He beat me by 43 seconds in the first one and only one second the next time. So I knew I had some form,” Prebble said.

“There is one more round to go and I will be riding, it is in Hampshire the nearest round to my home.”

Millard said he had felt fine immediately after his two stage race rides. “Its only now that I’m beginning to feel tired,” Millard said.

Dominic Sweeney has been riding the TT Series since they began back in 1995 but this year he has been a non-starter in most of them even though he had entered them.

“Work and illness kept me away and then just when I seemed to be getting some form (he was sixth in the national 10-mile championship and eighth in the `25`) I went down with shingles followed by blood poisoning,” Sweeney explained.

As if that wasn’t enough he then cut his foot open when a passing car drove over a milk bottle which shattered and embedded a large piece of glass in his foot.

“I pulled the glass out of my foot and rode home with blood pouring from it,” Sweeney said. “I’m hoping all my bad luck is behind me now,” he added.

A month after she was the surprise silver medal winner in the British Time Trial Championship Caroline Kloiber (Chiro Forne D’Aslo) proved it was no fluke by dominating the 20-mile event for women at Naseby, the scene of the decisive battle of the Civil War in 1645.

Kloiber won her championship medal with just four weeks training under her belt following a couple of bad crashes while riding for her Italian sponsors in the Tour of El Salvador which nearly brought her season to a premature end.

“I was really going well back in March before the crashes. I was out of action for May, June and July only getting back on my bike in August. I was determined to get some results before the season was over,” Kloiber said.

She needed all that determination on Saturday. “I fell heavily on today’s first lap. I was being careful on a corner, slowed right but my disc wheel slid away and down I went,” Kloiber said as she limped back to the event headquarters, her left leg grazed from hip to calf.

“I reckon I lost nearly a minute before I got a grip of myself and got going again with the adrenalin really working for me,” Kloiber said.

Kloiber, a PE teacher in St Neots, says her real strength is road racing, “hill-climbing is my speciality,” she said.

It is little wonder that she intends to enter the national hill-climb championship in October. “Before that I’ll be riding the last round of the Rudy Project,” Kloiber said.

Her contract with the Italian team ended Kloiber has yet to find a team for 2008. “I’ve had a couple of offers of bikes but nothing is firm as yet,” she said.

Kloiber’s winning 48-22 gave her 1-43 in hand over Pippa Handley (Edinburgh RC) while Series leader Julia Shaw (GS Strada) was at 2-17.

“I’m just pleased to have at last finished ahead of Julia (Shaw), it is the first time I have ever beaten her,” a happy Pippa Handley said. “I think I’ll get the result framed,” she laughed.

Handley rides the final leg of the Series in two weeks time and is then looking forward to a ride in the French Chrono Nations time trial. “I was 10th last year and hope to do better this time,” Handley said.

Shaw was not too surprised at her own defeat. “It has been a long season for me and the `100` (championship) took a lot out of me and I’ve spent this week packing and moving furniture to move home,” Shaw said.

“I have achieved all I wanted this season, next year I think I’ll stick to the shorter events and do more track events.”

New to the TT Series Wayne Randle (Sportscover Planet X RT) won the veteran’s event over 20 miles, his 45-25 putting him 1-05 clear of Roy Chamberlain (Team Milton Keynes). Third place went to the promoting club’s Phil Rayner (Welland Valley CC) 2-03 behind Randle.

Series leader Ian Dalton (Cherry Valley RT) was a non-finisher. “I punctured on a mucky bit of the course,” he said.

Randle admitted he “had found it hard.”

John Woodburn (Maidenhead & District CC) was best vet on target time and at the same time clinched the overall victory with the maximum 300 points ahead of season-long rival Derek Hodgkins (Stockport Clarion CC), on 296 points.

Tom Yeatman (www.agiskoviner.com) continued his unbeaten run in the series to beat Adam Oliver (Doncaster Wheelers) and Dean Fuller (Camel Valley C&TC).

Simon Richardson (Lifeforce Creations) reinforced his position as leader in the Disabled event ahead of Adam Smith (Mike Vaughan Cycles) and Richard Davies (High Wycombe CC) on the adjusted times.

The final round of the TT Series takes place on October 13, promoted by the Sotonia CC.

Disabled

Juniors

Women

Veterans Actual

Veterans on Target

Seniors / Espoirs