British Time Trial Championships 2009
September 6, 2009; Buckinghamshire; A North Bucks Road Club & Team Milton Keynes Promotion; Report by Larry Hickmott |
Stunning -- only word to describe Bradley Wiggins Time Trial in the British Championships. Photo: Larry Hickmott
Three time Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins is the British Time Trial champion after he demolished his rivals in a great show of power and speed around the lanes of Buckinghamshire. Wiggins defeated defending champion Michael Hutchinson and Chris Newton. In the Women’s title race, Olympic Silver medallist Emma Pooley beat fellow Olympic silver medallist Wendy Houvenaghel to win that title which means the champion’s jersey goes into European pro races for both men and women for the next 12 months. Julie Shaw was third in the Women’s race.
Report and Post Race Reactions
There is nothing quite like a Time Trial championship and this years on roads I used to punish myself on over a decade ago before I became a passive spectator, was very special indeed as the big crowd around the circuit witnessed the world class performances of world class champions.
I am sure looking back on the day in another ten years, there will be two memories that stand out from a day of many. One was outside a beef farm on the circuit and as I drove up, a group of people came running down the drive to ask ‘has Wiggins gone past yet’. ‘No’ I replied and for twenty minutes we chatted and waited for the champion to be to come past at speed which he duly did with a rider glued to his back wheel.
I’m not sure the latter was in the script for a Time Trial but the people from the farm were pleased they had seen this multi-Olympic champion and after we compared pictures they asked if I’d like some tea which I had to decline unfortunately but the moment showed just what a draw card a major champion like Bradley is. He really is a household name!
Bradley Wiggins gives the crowd something to laugh about as he jokes his way through a speech after being crowned British champion.
The second memory was driving up the hill into Botolph Claydon and seeing this huge crowd roaring on Women’s professional Emma Pooley and the other riders on their way to the finish just down the road. That same crowd had doubled by the time Wiggins came through and all credit to the marshals from the promoting clubs for keeping everything safe.
The day had started quite early, 9am for the big field of Masters (age over 30) and the elder statesmen of the race dominated the morning session before the podium presentations around lunchtime. Then, the younger riders from the Junior category upwards took to the circuit with the last man off being defending champion Michael Hutchison. The rider who dominates local Time Trialling though had no chance against Wiggins who before the race told me, ‘there are going to be some big time gaps’.
And big gaps there were too starting with his victory margin of 2 minutes 19 back to the silver medallist Hutchinson.Wiggins was in superb form as he tore up the roads around the Claydons in super style. I only wish I'd been able to sit in a car behind and watch the performance just as I had been able to in the Tour de France on television. The battle for the bronze medal was a tight affair between Olympic heros of the new age of British Cycling -- Chris Newton and Rob Hayles. Only nine seconds separated them at the end but for both, the performances showed they still had what it takes to compete with the best in Britain.
More of 'Wiggo' prior to his start in the time trial.
Afterwards Brad was his usual laid back self complete with Garmin hoody, and as a crowd started to gather around him waiting to talk and shake his hand, Brad explained “I set out to really get on it as it was a bit of dress rehearsal for the Worlds. This is the first time this week I have felt ‘normal’ since the Tour de France. It took me a good month to get over that and it still hasn’t sunk in to be honest all the hype and hysteria and everything else that is going on.”
“It has been good to get into the routine the last eight or nine days after moving back from Spain to be back at home for the winter. To get back into things and ride my bike. I felt good today and it’s still there, the form with a couple more weeks before the Worlds”.
“It’s good coming back to an event like this because it’s just like when I started cycling doing 10’s in an event that is so well supported on a voluntary level. It was a great event today, seven hours of bike racing, no accidents and safety issues, it was superb.”
“I rode the circuit well. I average 410 watts for an hour which is kind of where I need to be for the Worlds and a medal. It was a good work out. I prepared to win it today so it was good to do that. I was never taking it from granted that I was going to come here and win it. I have spent all week preparing for the mindset and took it very seriously. I came down Friday and stayed at a hotel just up the road.”
Back to his roots -- Wiggins gets ready for the start.
“This is the first time I have ridden this event (the TT Champs) and it was something I wanted to do and something I wanted to win.” Brad then smiled and said “it was great to win the jersey but I’ll probably go and win the worlds and won’t be able to wear it!” It was also his first senior British title on the road surprisingly enough.
Brad now has a week at home before riding the Tour of Britain next week. He explained that for him, the immediate future is all about the Time Trial at the Worlds. “I have a game plan and I won’t go too deep in the Tour of Britain. I have made mistakes in the past where I have gone too deep before the Worlds so I know what I have to do. There is an hour left of this season for me and that’s the Worlds.
In finishing, Brad also explained that he’ll be doing the road race at the Worlds in a support role for his Garmin teammate David Millar who he says is up for that event”.
Chris Newton meanwhile declared himself pleased with his Bronze medal ride saying "considering the flat nature of the course, I was happy with that and I'm looking forward to the Tour of Britain next week"
Women's Title
In the Women’s race, it was the battle between the Beijing Silver Medallists, Emma Pooley (right) (Time Trial) and Wendy Houvenaghel (Pursuit). The eventual winner was double 2009 World Cup winner Emma Pooley who resisted the challenger from the Pursuiter who was having a day out with husband Ian going back to her roots of Time Trialling before she became a Pursuiting mega star.
The gap at the end between the two talented riders was only thirty seconds with the bronze medal winner Julie Shaw another 34 seconds back from Wendy, a superb ride from the British based rider. Special mention too for Beijing Paracycling heroine Sarah Storey who was busy preparing for her World titles on the road next week in Italy with a great ride that was 28 seconds down on Shaw but over two minutes up on the next rider. Whilst fourth is never a great position to be in, Sarah I am certain will be wearing Gold in Italy in a few days!
Speaking to Emma Pooley afterwards, she explained “I’m really pleased with the ride today. I have never had a national champion’s jersey so I’m really proud to have won and kind of relieved as well! It’s really great to know that I can now wear it from the next year. Really special.”
Asked was it difficult to put her formidable reputation on the line in a British championship, her first time in this event, Emma replied “I don’t race much in the UK where the riders are strong and they look at us in Europe and say you should win but I don’t feel its that simple. I never came into this assuming I would win it and it wasn’t like there was a big gap at the end either. I am pleased in that I raced alright in an event that is different to a continental time trials in that there are no following cars, no radios and it’s not as technical”.
“I had to ride by feel, by how much I could make it hurt and I was mindful that I didn’t want to finish without winning and be thinking could I have tried a bit harder. You also have to be careful not to blow up too. There was a moment when my mind wandered and started thinking of something else and I had to refocus on what I was doing out there.”
“Winning here was also good for me because if I do get selected for the Worlds Time Trial, I’ll know I deserve it being champion. I didn’t want to get selected based on results from the past because they don’t provide a comparison between me, Wendy and Julia. This course is not too dissimilar to the Worlds one so it was good for me. If I get selected I want to know that it was because I’m good and not based on my reputation from past events.”
The win Emma explained will be important also for her pro team. “Cervelo make Time Trial bikes, the nicest Time Trial bikes there are and they like having national champions and we (the Cervelo Test Team) have a few now.”
Other Races
Alex Dowsett.
In the other categories, Alex Dowsett’s win in the Under 23 category was emphatic as expected for a rider who specialises in the Time Trial and who’s lap times (20:30 & 22:07) were on par with Michael Hutchinson’s (20:31, 21:57, 22:06) for the two laps that Dowsett did to Hutchinson’s three. In the Junior Category, Glendene CC rider Joe Perrett, the European champion no less, as expected won that British title race from Conor Dunne with Jamie Rogers in third.
The latter's name has been in the results a lot lately and for sure, seems to be a talented rider who may well go onto bigger and better things. Hannah Barnes finished the race in 51.57 to be the first girl home, a time that would have been good enough for 10th in the Women's event for the 16 year old.
We'll have many more photos and reactions from riders later here on BritishCycling.org.uk
Results: Click here for the full results ...
Photos (from Sarah Brooke Photography)
Chris Newton (left) and Andrew Griffiths (right)
Andy Tennant
Another angle on the superb ride by Bradley Wiggins
Conor Dunne
Emma Pooley turns on the style on her way to victory
Wendy Houvenaghel
Hannah Barnes
Jamie Rogers
Joe Perrett
Julia Shaw
Michael Hutchinson
Photos from Larry Hickmott
Emma Pooley climbs up the main climb and into the village where a crowd cheered her on to victory.
A bike is checked outside the headquarters by Colin Docker and officials
One rider prepares to start as a rider comes past on his second lap of the course.
A rider from one of the promoting clubs speeds past me outside the 'beef farm' on the course.
A proper legend from the world of time trialling -- Eddie Atkins
A Masters medallist on the track at the Euros, 'Jimmy' Rutherford turns his legs to time trialling
Times are posted all day long in the tent outside the vilage hall.
Queue for machine checks -- it's where I caught up with Emma Pooley for an interview to come here on BritishCycling.org.uk
'Wiggo' shows off his helmet for the race prior to the event
A solitary life in Time Trialling -- Wiggins warms up away from the crowd
New Under 23 Academy coach Paul Manning (Gold medallist in Beijing) talks to Steven Burke before his ride.
Crowd at the start of the race.
Results
