Report: Essex Time Trial Championships 2023

Alex Dowsett adds Essex title to his palmares, while Louise Robinson retains her crown and Morgan Saunders takes his first Junior victory

Report: Essex Time Trial Championships 2023

Alex Dowsett adds Essex title to his palmares, while Louise Robinson retains her crown and Morgan Saunders takes his first Junior victory – success for Colin Ward and Paulina Mozal in the road bike categories

The second edition of the innovative Essex Time Trail Championship (29 July 2023) again attracted a large, quality-packed field throughout the road and TT bike categories. With recently retired World Tour pro Alex Dowsett on the start sheet, local riders had extra motivation to test their legs on the county’s fastest course, the E91/10b, near Chelmsford.

The event was organised by former 50-mile TT national record holder Paul Hart and the lure of a champion’s jersey for the five categories, drew around 80 entries. Just three Juniors contested their class, but the prospect of who would come out on top was no less exciting. As it was, last year’s runner-up, 17-year-old Morgan Saunders clocked 22:18 to put himself clear of his Hart Performance Coaching (HPC) team-mate and 2022 champion James Wicks, who recorded 22:59. In his first season of racing, Charles Langford (Southend Wheelers) posted an impressive 23:01 and at just 14-years old has marked himself as another youngster to watch.

In the Female Road Bike category Chelmer CC’s Paulina Mozal’s 26:39 was 57 seconds faster than her nearest challenger Ruth Stapleton (Harlow CC), with Caroline Wyke completing the podium.

While the women’s class was surprisingly down on numbers, the men’s equivalent had drawn a strong entry of almost 30 competitors. Had a team prize been available, Harlow CC would surely have won with 11 members on the start list. Colin Ward (Essex Roads CC) is rightly regarded as something of a ‘legend’ in Essex and lived up to his status by ripping round the course in a time of 21:06, shading Paul Hart (HPC) by 15 seconds. Furthermore, Ward’s time would have put him 4th in the TT bike class. Proving that he too is no slouch, Matthew Saward (Athlon CC) took 3rd with a time of 21:48, eleven seconds ahead of Shaftesbury CC’s Michael Stimson, on 21:59.

In the Female TT bike class, Louise Robinson (Essex Roads CC) again proved to be the class of the field and retained her title as Essex champion with 23:20 – beating her 2022 winning time of 23:32. Similarly, Karen Aylen (Maldon & District CC) had to accept second best with a time of 24:28. Lauren Harding stepped onto the podium in her first appearance at the event, courtesy of a creditable 25:28, pipping last year’s 3rd-placed rider Jan Harvey by 22 seconds.

A broad mix of talent and experience ran throughout the dense Men’s TT field. This was exemplified by the last four riders off; Simon Alexander (Richardson’s Trek DAS), Sam Thienel (Elysium Kalas RT), Tim Torrie (trainSharp) and Alex Dowsett (NoPinz). The quartet would also finish in that order, with each – bar last man away Dowsett – ceding time at the first split to the rider starting behind them.

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Alexander was down nine seconds on Thienel, who in turn was 25 seconds in deficit to Torrie, with Dowsett taking a 20 second advantage by the first time-check. Torrie fought back after the turn and as the headwind, grippy surface and painful short climb two miles before the finish began to take their toll, Dowsett’s lead had extended by eight seconds. It was enough to secure another title and victory to an already glittering palmares. Thienel rued his aggressive outward leg, but his 20:43 put him on the podium, with last year’s 3rd-placed rider Alexander finishing 4th.

After the prize presentation and the award of his Essex champion’s jersey from Paul Hart, Dowsett said: “In the early years, when I was a Junior, this is the stuff I dreamed of winning. Then I did the pro thing but I still like TTing and I must say hats off to Paul Hart for creating this event. It was the little things, like the signs on the course (EG: giving distance to the finish and amusing messages such as ‘Pain is the French for bread’), the projector showing the timings on a large screen back in the village hall and the way he was trying to encourage people. We need more Paul Harts.”

Reflecting on the event, organiser Paul Hart said: “I’m chuffed. We’re beginning to build something. The Essex TT Championship has already established itself as a popular event and shows that we have a real depth of talent here. Looking ahead, I would dearly like to see more youngsters enter future versions. So, if you’ve got a teenage boy or girl who loves cycling and would like to give time trialling a go, I’d love to welcome them and help them have a fantastic experience.”

Result
1 Alex Dowsett Nopinz 00:19:17 31.115 Mph Senior
2 Timothy Torrie trainSharp 00:19:45 30.38 Mph Senior
3 Samuel Thienel Elysium Kalas Race Team 00:20:43 Senior
4 Simon Alexander Richardsons-Trek RT 00:21:14 Senior
5 Matt Steel Pronto Bikes 00:21:23 Vet
6 Henry Okill Southend Wheelers 00:21:24 Senior
7 Peter Robertson Lea Valley CC 00:21:32 Senior
8 Paul Turton Team Vision Racing – Silverhook 00:21:37 Vet
9 Alfie Salmon Hart Performance Coaching 00:21:54 Espoir
10 Andrew Whelan Velo Schils Interbike RT 00:22:14 Vet
11 Morgan Saunders Hart Performance Coaching 00:22:18 Junior
12 Tom Bishop Walden Velo 00:22:35 Vet
13 Dominic Schils Velo Schils Interbike RT 00:22:41 Senior
14 Michael Beaver Athlon CC 00:22:42 Vet
15 Johnny Garrett Clapham Chasers 00:22:44 Senior
16 James Wicks Hart Performance Coaching 00:22:59 Junior
17 Charles Langford Southend Wheelers 00:23:01 Juvenile
18 Dan Jenkins Hart Performance Coaching 00:23:02 Vet
19 Louise Robinson Essex Roads CC 00:23:20 Female Vet
20 Adrian Tovey Maldon & District CC 00:23:22 Vet
21 Philip Hodey Shaftesbury CC 00:23:29 Vet
22 Lee Turner Arctic Aircon RT 00:23:43 Vet
23 Joe Kerner trainSharp 00:23:49 Espoir
24 Simon Ginger Shaftesbury CC 00:23:56 Vet
25 Chris Smith Essex Roads CC 00:24:16 Vet
26 Karen Aylen Maldon & District CC 00:24:28 Female Vet
27 Mark Lloyd Colchester Rovers CC 00:24:33 Vet
28 Graham Hurrell Basildon CC 00:25:22 Vet
29 Peter Tibbitts Ford CC 00:25:25 Vet
30 Lauren Harding Chelmer CC 00:25:28 Female Senior
31 Jan Harvey Southend Wheelers 00:25:50 Female Vet
32 Colin Doe Ford CC 00:26:13 Vet
33 Harry Moore Cycling Club Hackney 00:26:16 Vet
34 Camilla Wilkes Hart Performance Coaching 00:26:31 Female Vet
35 Andy Grant Chelmer CC 00:26:42 Vet
36 Claire Lee Shaftesbury CC 00:26:51 Female Vet
37 Ian Damant Becontree Wheelers CC 00:27:04 Vet
38 Paul Gribbon Southend Wheelers 00:27:11 Vet
39 Rachel Halamandres Basildon CC 00:27:20 Female Vet
40 Andrew Merchant Southend Wheelers 00:27:53 Vet
41 Courtney Granger Athlon CC 00:28:40 Female Senior
42 James Bromley Hart Performance Coaching 00:30:16 Vet

ROAD BIKE
1 Colin Ward Essex Roads CC 00:21:06 Vet
2 Paul Hart Hart Performance Coaching 00:21:21 Vet
3 Matthew Saward Athlon CC 00:21:48 Senior
4 Michael Stimson Shaftesbury CC 00:21:59 Senior
5 Louis Digance Hart Performance Coaching 00:22:18 Senior
6 Aaron Green Shaftesbury CC 00:23:23 Vet
7 Jon Wileman Hart Performance Coaching 00:23:39 Senior
8 Nick Boyle Chelmer CC 00:24:03 Vet
9 John Paduano Southend Wheelers 00:24:24 Vet
10 Jamie Bishop Harlow CC 00:24:29 Vet
11 Paul Donegan Chelmer CC 00:25:05 Vet
12 Josh Winch Harlow CC 00:25:09 Senior
13 Toby Hetherington Harlow CC 00:25:22 Senior
14 Adam Ashwell Harlow CC 00:25:23 Senior
15 Tim Simpkins Harlow CC 00:25:31 Vet
16 Phillip Brant Southend Wheelers 00:26:01 Vet
17 Ben Spurgeon Harlow CC 00:26:15 Senior
18 Adam Jones Southend Wheelers 00:26:23 Vet
19 Paulina Mozal Chelmer CC 00:26:39 Female Senior
20 Stuart Clarke Chelmer CC 00:26:57 Vet
21 Ioan Luca Harlow CC 00:27:13 Vet
21 Stephen Hitchcock CC Sudbury 00:27:13 Vet
23 Marc Brant Southend Wheelers 00:27:28 Vet
24 Ruth Stapleton Harlow CC 00:27:36 Female Vet
25 Richard Elven Harlow CC 00:28:00 Vet
26 Kevin Coombes Harlow CC 00:28:28 Vet
27 Jacobus Van Der Poel Harlow CC 00:32:46 Vet
28 Caroline Wyke CC Sudbury 00:35:10 Female Vet

PODIUMS

Men’s TT:
1 Alex Dowsett (Senior) NoPinz 00:19:17 31.115 mph
2 Timothy Torrie (Senior) trainSharp 00:19:45 30.38 mph
3 Samuel Thienel (Senior) Elysium Kalas RT 00:20:43 28.962 mph

Women’s TT:
1 Louise Robinson (Vet) Essex Roads CC 00:23:20 25.714 mph
2 Karen Aylen (Vet) Maldon & District CC 00:24:28 24.523 mph
3 Lauren Harding (Senior) Chelmer CC 00:25:28 23.56 mph

Junior’s TT:
1 Morgan Saunders Hart Performance Coaching CC 00:22:18 26.906 mph
2 James Wicks Hart Performance Coaching 00:22:59 26.106 mph
3 Charles Langford Southend Wheelers 00:23:01 26.068 mph

Men’s Road Bike:
1 Colin Ward (Vet) Essex Roads CC 00:21:06 28.436 mph
2 Paul Hart (Vet) Hart Performance Coaching 00:21:21 28.103 mph
3 Matthew Saward (Senior) Athlon CC 00:21:48 27.523 mph

Women’s Road Bikes:
1 Paulina Mozal (Senior) Chelmer CC 00:26:39 22.514 mph
2 Ruth Stapleton (Vet) Harlow CC 00:27:36 21.739 mph
3 Caroline Wyke (Vet) CC Sudbury 00:35:10 17.062 mph