Sara Storey and Michael Hutchinson the winners at the 20 kilometre Blenheim Palace Time Trial
Win for Sarah Storey in Blenheim Palace Time Trial
Sarah Storey writes … Closed roads for Time Trialling in the UK are such a rarity and possibly only an annual occasion at the Blenheim Palace TT, so when the opportunity to ride there came up I couldn’t wait to experience what everyone had told me was the best Time Trial event in the UK.
Apart from an evening time trial event, I hadn’t raced since the National Circuit Race Championships, so was looking forward to getting stuck in again. The race would also be at the end of the final big training block before heading to the Road Worlds and from here on in it’ll be putting the final touches to the form.
Heading down to Oxford, I could feel the big training rides I’d been putting in were weighing down my legs a bit, but the training block had been the longest at home all summer and after the tough racing of July, it had been brilliant to stay put for a while and train on familiar and picturesque routes. Living on the edge of the Peak District and Cheshire countryside is an ideal spot for the rides I needed to be doing and whilst the weather was generally good to me, there were a couple of days when I felt like I was never going to get dry.
Normally the Goyt Valley is one of the most beautiful spots to be on a summer’s day but a couple of weeks ago I ended up in a fog cloud, hailstorm and river like road, whilst riding through there, I had to keep reminding myself it was in fact August!
The course at Blenheim was an ideal Time Trial route, good road surface, wide sections, narrower sections, grippy uphills, quick downs, fast following corners and plenty to concentrate on which made the 6.5km laps go by really quick. The three narrow bridges made timing the passing of other competitors quite crucial but everyone kept to the general idea that you pass on the right and try and keep left when someone is coming up behind.
The start was to the side of Blenheim Palace itself and then turning to come along the front of the magnificent building there was no time to admire the view as the quick left and right handers led to a fast section directly before the first draggy part. After this we dropped through a short narrow section and over a well-covered cattle grid and up the main drag of the circuit. This lasted a minute or so and then quickly transitioned into another descent and then a fun section of corners, bridges and cattle grids before the final false flat to complete the lap.
It was by no means a slow circuit though and the race covered 3 laps, the challenge would be pacing the 2nd and 3rd laps, as everyone feels like Fabian Cancellara in the first lap don’t they! The atmosphere all around the circuit was great as there were lots of people watching and even more standing at the barriers through the start/finish straight. The marshals and event staff were also working hard keeping the regular Palace visitors from accidentally wandering onto the course although they couldn’t do much about the native pheasants! With only 2 weeks until the Para-cycling Road Worlds, it was brilliant to be able to practice using the whole of the road in the corners.
By the final lap it was just about smashing everything in sight, getting over the little rises and round the hay bales that were protecting an oddly place cattle grid. Coming into the home straight I had no idea just how quick it had been, but I knew it had been great fun and I was ready to sign myself up for next year’s event!
Being presented with the trophy by the Duke of Marlborough in the sunshine beside the Palace was a presentation like no other and after the formal part, came the Formula One part. The Champagne shaking! I shook it so hard by the time it had finished fizzing there was very little left for me to guzzle!
Aside from the TT event there was the Brompton World Championships and a sportive where 100’s of riders set off at 8am for up to 100 miles of riding in the local Oxfordshire countryside. Some of the Blenheim Palace gardens were transformed into a huge village with refreshments and bike related stalls which made for a great atmosphere and a place to meet up with the other competitors in the event. That is the one great thing about cycling, it can involve everyone in the family and there is no doubt the Blenheim event really encompassed all the great things about our sport.
RESULTS
Result
1.     Michael Hutchinson     In-Gear Quickvit Trainsharp RT     26:08
2.    Matthew Bottrill     I-Ride.Co.Uk     26:19
3.     Scott Walker     I-Ride.Co.Uk     27:51
4.     Sarah Storey     Horizon Fitness Prendas     28:29
5.     Rob Yeatman     Team Jewson/Thule/…     28:35
6.     Martin Garner     I-Ride.Co.Uk     28:52
7.     Dean Robson     Somerset RC-Bicycle Chain     29:06
8.     Steve Golla     High Wycombe CC     29:16
9.     Jake Prior     VC St Raphael     29:34
10.     Martyn Harris          29:38
11.     Alex Peterson          29:40
12.     Richard Pyne     Army Cycling Union     29:58
13.     Charles Hammon     Optima Racing Team     29:58
14.     Jesse Elzinga     Beeline Bicycles RT     30:08
15.     John Russell     Bad Tri-Fred Baker Cycles     30:14
16.     James Fettiplace     London Dynamo     30:18
17.     Oliver Roberts     PBscience     30:26
18.     Edward Clemens     VC10     30:28
19.     Geoff Perry     Team Milton Keynes     30:38
20.     Cameron Foster     Team Zappis cc     30:39
21.     Emma Grant          30:40
22.     Daryl May     Sheffrec CC     30:47
23.     Christopher Baldwin     Eagle Road Club     30:56
24.     Dan Blackburn     Oxonian/Oxford Tri     31:00
25.     Simon Baker     Bicester Millennium Cycling Club     31:10
26.     Rob Jones     Army Cycling Union     31:16
27.     Mark Shepherd          31:17     M 40
28.     David Wong Min     London Dynamo     31:28
29.     Martin Emery          31:43
30.     Alan Allcock     didcot phoenix cc     31:45
31.     Bronwen Ewing     Rye & District Wlrs     31:45
32.     Michael Kazimierski     PBscience.com     31:53
33.     Paul Welsby     www.drag2zero.com     31:55
34.     Adrian Trott     Welwyn Wheelers     31:57
35.     Howard Ashmore          31:58
36.     Gareth Batson     High Wycombe CC     32:04
37.     Richard Hutt     Lampard Road Club     32:07
38.     Alastair Gain     Poole Wheelers     32:08
39.     Edward Dursley     Worcester St. John’s CC     32:16
40.     Dan Henchy     PBscience.com     32:31
41.     Peter Lavine     Coalville Wheelers     32:34
42.     David Watkinson          32:43
43.     Roger Foster     Banbury Star cc     32:45
44.     Charlie Wallace     London Dynamo     32:49
45.     Rupert Hartley          32:49
46.     Stuart McGowan     Bike and Run     32:49
47.     Mark Green     London Dynamo     32:51
48.     Pete Tantrum     Didcot Pheonix     32:52
49.     Paul Freegard     Chippenham & District Whlrs     32:55
50.     Simon Parker     Team Zappi     32:55
51.     Damian Poulter     Hounslow & District Wheelers     32:56
52.     Sean Stewart          33:00
53.     Russell Green          33:11
54.     Jonathan Walford     Banbury Star     33:12
55.     Eddie Cairns          33:20
56.     Neil Currant          33:22
57.     Andrew Gibson          33:24
58.     David Kimberley          33:35
59.     Simon Edwards-Parton     Kingston Wheelers     33:37
60.     Declan Davis     CC Breckland     33:37
61.     Peter McGuiness     Southdown Velo Geared Bikes     33:41
62.     Steve Robinson     Team Salesengine.co.uk     33:43
63.     Christopher Crawford     Witham Wheelers     33:48
64.     Stephen Parfitt     oxonion     33:51
65.     Brendan Kay     West Drayton Mountain Bike Club     33:58
66.     Matthew Phillips          34:12
67.     Paul Soby     plymouth corinthian cc     34:14
68.     Michael Fry     Glendene CC     34:14
69.     Stephen Haynes         34:19
70.     Robert Giles     Rye & District Wheelers CC     34:20
71.     Nick Bent     Worcester St Johns CC     34:22
72.     David Welling     North Hants RC     34:23
73.     Matthew Walsh     Team Zappis     34:32
74.     Andrew Daniels          34:35
75.     Roy Howard     Charlotteville Cycling Club     34:37
76.     Dan Clemens     VC10     34:43
77.     Zander Cornish-Moore          34:46
78.     Ruth Clifton     London Dynamo     34:52
79.     Jane Morris     North Hampshire RC     34:58
80.     Nicci Meadows          35:00
81.     Alex King     Oxonian CC     35:03
82.     Alexandra Grzegorczyk     Leamington C&AC     35:04
83.     Ian Sparrow          35:10
84.     Ben Chuilon     Oxford Tri     35:13
85.     Daniel Talbot-Ponsonby     Oxford Tri     35:14
86.     Mike Hedges          35:15
87.     Warren Day          35:30
88.     Louise Lambert     Army Cycling Union     35:32
89.     Louise Fellingham     London Dynamo     35:34
90.     Thomas Seal     Serpentine     35:35
91.     Martin Hawker     Worcester St. Johns CC     35:59
92.     Erwan Jaffre          35:59
93.     Rick Lee          36:05
94.     Andrew Crawshaw          36:05
95.     Stuart McKie     Wyre Forest CRC     36:05
96.     Sam Cruickshank          36:08
97.     Chris Woodward          36:09
98.     David John Frith     Swindon RC     36:26
99.     Harry McLeod          36:41
100.     George Simpson          36:47
101.     Andrew Collins          36:49
102.     Laurence Bellamy          37:09
103.     Stuart West     Plymouth Corinthian CC     37:13
104.     John Major     Mid Oxon CC     37:17
105.     Paul Gaynor     beacon roads     37:18
106.     Paul Williamson          37:18
107.     Andrew Page          37:24
108.     Brian Jones     Halesowen A&CC     37:34
109.     Matt Wilkinson          37:39
110.     Lizzy Yates     Andover Wheelers     37:47
111.     Arnie Choi          37:50
112.     Graham Martin          37:50
113.     Andrew Street          37:52
114.     Graham Robinson          38:03
115.     Alan Owen          38:11
116.     Clifford Morrish     Plymouth Corinthian CC     38:11
117.     Craig Robert Ewing     Rye & District Wlrs     38:15
118.     Peta Bathie          38:21
119.     Brett Smith     Dulwich Paragon     38:23
120.     Calum Meikle          38:25
121.     Jeff King     Oxonian CC     38:30
122.     Emily Lyons          38:30
123.     Mary Dalton          38:37
124.     Sally Waterman          38:40
125.     Ian Hillsdon          38:43
126.     Charles Walker     Halesowen Cycling Club     38:47
127.     Duncan Welling          39:01
128.     Francis Boundy          39:01
129.     Brain Frank Chell          39:03
130.     Jeff Grainger     Worcester St Johns CC     39:06
131.     Rhian Smith     Team MK     39:09
132.     Stephen Allport          39:13
133.     Michael Bailey          39:22
134.     Tobias Lambert          39:42
135.     Nic Webb          40:04
136.     Geraint Apps          40:08
137.     Sean Wilkes          40:08
138.     Grahame Pepper          40:19
139.     Amanda Crawshaw          40:23
140.     Zoe Ludwig-Tantrum     Dicot Pheonix     40:34
141.     Chris Dunn          41:30
142.     Stephen Webb          41:30
143.     Paul Stickley          41:32
144.     Kevin Davies          41:40
145.     Jonathan Risk          41:40
146.     Alan Seal     CTC     42:23
147.     Lisa Butler          42:23
148.     Daniel Sills          42:42
149.     Roy Robinson     Hitchin Nomads     42:48
150.     Andrew Maton     fat boys GXB     42:48
151.     Paul Brain          42:49
152.     Mark Baxandall     westmead team 88     43:01
153.     James Wigmore     Wantage     43:13
154.     Ian Meikle          43:34
155.     John Misson     Plymouth Corinthian CC     44:27
156.     James Kent          44:45
157.     Andy Saunders          44:53
158.     Kate May          45:20
159.     Adam Bailey          47:04
160.     James Minchin          47:44
161.     Aloma Seal          49:08
162.     Carol Weaver          49:44
163.     Saleem Naseem          50:16
164.     James McKellar          50:24
165.     Jacqueline Maycock          52:16
