Acme Wheelers - News

May 2009

Three of our members rode the Port Talbot 10 mile TT on 2nd May on a hard, windy day. Fastest was John Hughes in 17th place with 22.57. This was an excellent ride as all the faster times were also 22's apart from the winner who recorded 21.58. Paul Griffiths was pleased with his ride of 25.53 while Fiona Davies rode her first ever 10 mile TT in 26.56 to win the Fastest Lady Vet award as well as achieving her Club Silver Standard. She is now looking forward to riding the Welsh Championship 25.

April 2009

ACME MEMBERS AND FRIENDS
PICTURED WITH SPECIAL GUEST
DARRYL WEBSTER

Acme Members and Friends turned out in force to ensure a successful weekend of racing when the club hosted two open events on consecutive days. Fabulous weather greeted the riders from as far afield as Guernsey on to the Neath Valley Roads.

Wyre Forest CC rider David Barnes (right) secured first place in Bryn Griffiths Memorial 25 mile time trial. With an average speed of 29.7 mph over the distance, his time as been the Second fastest time Recorded in the Memorial Trophy Book which dates back to 1974, David held off second placed Aran Stanton of VC St. Raphael by seven seconds. Barnes covered the 25 mile distance on the second fastest course in Great Britain in 50 minutes and 30 seconds. Third place went to Daniel Arblaster of the Guernsey Velo with a time of 51:13.

With the added attraction of a 10 mile trial on the day before the 25 mile event top names from England, Wales and Channel Islands were drawn to compete for the honours. Aran Stanton (left) took first place in the Ten Mile event and recorded 21.06 ahead of second and third place Cwmcarn CC riders David Povall and Andrew Butcher who recorded times of 21:18 and 21.50. The Cwmcarn secured the Team awards for the 10 and 25 mile events to complete a successful weekend for the local club.

Female winner in both events was Lynne Taylor, (pictured with club Chairman Roger Evans) travelling from Litchfield and rides for the Walsall Road CC. Setting a time of 22:57 for the 10 mile test and an impressive 55.08 for the 25 miles. Lynne is also a specialist at the longer distances and is currently the Record Holder for the Lands end to John O’Groats. Lynne achieved this record in 2002 with an astonishing time of 2 days 4 hrs 45 mins. It was a privilege for the club to have so many Talented riders from around the country and Acme members hope they will all return again next year.

A prize presentation took place after the 25 mile event with special guest Commonwealth Games rider Darryl Webster presenting the Prize Winners. Chairman Roger Evans later congratulated all Members, Family and Friends for their enthusiasm and hard work during the Two Event Weekend.

Photo Gallery

New pictures have arrived:
Prize Presentation 2008
Hay on Wye Weekend 2008
Mountain Trial 2009
Open Weekend 2009 (10 and 25 mile Time Trials)

Tuesday Night Club Runs

Start on 28th April with all rides leaving the Welcome Inn, Tonypandy at 6.30pm prompt. The short distances are good opportunity for new members to join in.

• 05/05/09    Groes Vaen - Radyr - Pontypridd - return
• 12/05/09    Talbot Green - Cowbridge - Lanes - return
• 19/05/09    Gilfach - Bwlch - Return
• 26/05/09    Pontypridd - Radyr - Penturch - Groes Vaen - return

March 2009

Club 30 Mile Champion

Carl Banwell successfully achieved his first of many aims for the 2009 season, with an outstanding ride in the Bynea CC promoted event to be declared the Club 30 Mile Champion. The event has been for many years as the Nominated event to decide the ACME 30 mile title, and Carl took it in fine style riding in his first race of the year. Clocking 1.13.07 and taking second place overall in the event, just 18 seconds behind race winner Jason Williams (Cwmcarn Paragon).
John Hughes also represented the club and recorded a time of 1.16.54 a great performance and a well deserved 10th place in this tough early season event.

Mountain Trial

Fine weather greeted Acme riders for their final trial to start this seasons racing. The lung-busting course over the 44 mile distance took in climbs at Gilfach - Bwlch - Rhigos and Maerdy mountain to a fast finish down the Valley to Porth. The riders set off from Tonypandy at a steady pace to the first climb at Gilfach, Des Develin broke away with Ken Washington, Edwin Parry and Tavis Rees holding on to his break. After climbing the Bwlch, Develin strung the small bunch out on the Rhigos Mountain and by the time he reached Aberdare to climb over to Maerdy big gaps between the riders had formed. Meanwhile a second group from the initial split had kept together, Carol Bridge setting the pace with Jason Dodd. Eirion Atkins, Eddie Blayney, Simon Isles, Christina Bridge and Kerry Lewis all working together to keep the pace going. The group rolled in all together with a credible time of 3 hours and 15 minutes. Develin descended alone and crossed the finish in 2:26 followed by Edwin Parry 2:49, Tavis 2:53, and veteran Ken Washington 2:58. Club chairman Roger Evans and Carole Deitman provided en-route refreshments and support.

Result News

In open events Paul Griffiths competed in the WCA hilly 22 mile event at Crickhowell and finished on 1:08:59.

First out this season in road racing were Acme trio Dean Cummings, Hywel Morgan and Carl Banwell. All performed well in the Abergavenny CC handicap road race and finished in the bunch.

New Members

Welcome to new members Tavis Rees (left) from Pontypridd and Simon Isles (right) of Tonyrefail. Tavis is new to Club Cycling and is proving to be quite a talent and hoping to enter a few races during the year.
Simon, a former member of the Cardiff Ajax CC, is making a return to cycling after a lay off of a number of years. Previously he represented Wales as a Junior in Road Racing and like Tavis he's planning a few races mid season.

Following a busy year with regular updates of the website, for various reasons it was allowed to stagnate over the winter. In order to keep it fresh any news, results, photos or stories will be very welcome. Please contact Dave Roberts with your information.

At the Annual General Meeting all officers were re-elected and the following elected as committee members: Gwyn Humphreys, Jeff Matthews, Eddie Blayney, Eiron Atkins and Dave Bebb.

Club members are gearing up for the racing season, John Hughes having started with the Port Talbot Wheelers event. Carl Banwell intends to ride all distances this year as well as a few early road races. Congratulations on the recent birth of your son, Carl. Fiona Davies is keen to ride more TT's this year, even a 50! In the meantime she is concentrating on the British Duathlon Championships on 5th April at Milton Keynes (10k run, 40k bike, 5k run) which is also the qualifying event for the European Champs in Hungary. Last year Fiona qualified for her age group for the Champs in Italy. Husband Gareth, who concentrated on his running last year, says he will be racing again this year. In his first season of cycling he got to within a few seconds of the hour at 25 miles. Glenn Waters has also been putting in the miles, sometimes with Carl and is contemplating a solo tour in Western Europe.

With the 50 and 75 mile Reliability Rides already completed, the next event for club members is the 44 mile Mountain Trial on 27th March. Eddie Blayney is co-ordinating the group start times for his brainchild. Wearing his Rhondda Boys and Girls Clubs hat he is also helping to organize their charity ride to Llandrindod on 27th June. Many of our members will be riding and helping keep an eye on the riders. Club members are booking places for the Rhondda Sports Personality Awards dinner on 16th May.

April will be an important month with the Club 30 mile Championship incorporated in the Bynea 30 on 5th April. This is followed by our Open 10 mile TT on Saturday 18th April with our Open 25 the following day. A large number of competitors is expected so as much help as possible will be needed to ensure the usual high standard of our promotions. Instead of waiting o be asked, please offer your support to any Officer or Committee member or direct to Chris Clements who has again taken on the responsibility of organising both events. The earlier the better for promises of help to avoid giving Kerry Lewis any last minute grief as chief marshal.

Looking well ahead, Eddie has already published details of his famed Winter Weekend Ride on Saturday 10th October. This year we will be going via Brecon to Abergavenny, returning via a shorter route the following day. As usual there will be a support vehicle but let's ensure that everyone rides the route this time, so get the miles in this summer.

Remember to please let me have any news, results etc. to keep this site up to date.

Dave

 September 2008

Lyme Racing Club Hill Climb

Congratulations to Pete Williams on his 8th place behind Jim Henderson and Mark Lovatt in the Lyme Racing Club Hill Climb on October 19th

 September 2008

Roger Evans presents Edwyn Parry with the 5 Mile Series Award for the 2008 season

Edwyn Parry clinched the Acme Wheelers CC 5 mile sprint series with a total of 105 points in the classification table. Parry finished in fourth place in the final event recording 13:20, this proved to be enough to hold off the current leader Ryan Evans who missed the start on the night. Hot on the pace was Nigel Williams; the Merthyr CC rider cruised in at 11:32 to collect maximum points for his winning ride. In second place was Mark Andrews on 12:08 with Eiron Atkins third on 13:18. Parry finished fourth with Paul Griffiths 13:32, Andy Williams 13:41, Rhyd Evans 14:28 and Mike Davies 14:36. "The Ryan King" now holds the course record set at 11:20 for the distance raced on the Porth to Pontygwaith by-pass.

Kerry Lewis thanked all attending with a presentation to the winner made by club chairman Roger Evans. Gwyn Humphreys, Gerald Clements and Carole Dietman officiated throughout the series with Kerry Lewis and Eddie Blayney as course marshals.

With the racing early completed for 2008, members are now looking forward to their annual end of season ride. This year's destination is to be Hay-on-Wye. Plans are already moving to hold a 50-mile trial in January, a 75 mile trial in February and new to the calendar in March a 44 mile fondo taking in Gilfach, Bwlch Mountain, Rhigos Mountain, Aberdare, Maerdy Mountain and to finish in Porth. With low mileage club runs leaving the Welcome Inn every Sunday at 9.30am until Christmas, it is a good time for new members to join the valley based club.

Members wishing to claim Club Standards should contact Kerry Lewis as soon as possible.

End of Season Dinner Dates

Prize Presentation Dinner will take place on November 8th at "The Colliers" - Glynfach, Porth
Christmas Dinner will take place on December 14th at "The Cross Keys" - Llantrisant

Roger Evans presents Ryan Evans with the Hill Climb Series Award for the 2008 Season

Ryan Evans secured his top of the table position with a convincing win over rival Anthony Redman in event number seven in the Acme Wheelers Bwlch Hill Climb Series sponsored by the Rhondda Cycle Centre. Evans pulled the red polka dot jersey on after four wins and two second placings in the series to collect 8 points to top the classification table. "The Ryan King" recorded 13:44 in wet and blustery conditions ahead of Anthony Redman 14:48. Kerry Lewis and Edwyn Parry jockeyed for third place both starting the final race on even points. Parry proved too strong for Lewis to hold and finished on 14:59 while Lewis finished a full minute behind on 15:59. Roadman, Dean Cummings, turned out a 15:05 and Eddie Blayney 17:01.

Club Chairman Roger Evans presented the trophy to series winner Ryan Evans with Kerry Lewis extending thanks to Gwyn Humphreys, Gerald Clements and Carole Dietman for their time keeping duties.

As well as being a success, the series is unique to all other clubs in South Wales with the Rhondda based club taking full advantage of the mountain road on their doorstep. The accolades of our Olympic riders have raised the profile of cycling this year and has already sparked interest with younger athletes. With the structure of the Acme Wheelers club providing regular competitive events, and British Cycling qualified coaches to assist riders, the club looks forward to an exciting future. Testimony to club coach Dave Roberts is junior prodigy Dale Appleby, who's ridden recently in the Tour Of Britain for the Rapha-Condor-Recycling team, now at senior level.

Colin May competed in the Cardiff CC open ten mile time trial and finished a credible 8th position; he covered the distance in 22:09.

Gerald Clements presents Des Devlin with the Hill Climb Champion Award for 2008

Des Devlin climbed to victory in the Acme Wheelers CC hill climb championship event held on the Bwlch Mountain Road. Des, a new member of the club, works in the University of Glamorgan; originally from Banbury, he now lives in Hopkinstown.

He pulled the polka dot jersey on after a stiff ride of 13.03 with Ryan Evans hot on his heels at 13:17. Iron man John Hughes was home third on 14:07. Anthony Redman 14:32 was followed by veteran Ken Washington 14:58 and Edwyn Parry 15:06. Kerry Lewis 15:19 now levels with Parry on points in the classification table along with Redman, keeping the pressure on the leader "The Ryan King". Jason Dodd recorded 15:45 with Eddie Blayney on 16:54. First time up the mountain Mike Davies's sterling effort of 18:41 was rounded off by Tony Morgan 25:02.

Timekeepers at the event were Gwyn Humphries, Audrey Clements and Gerald Clements. Carole Dietman and Mark Nicholls acted as course marshals.

Colin May flew the Acme flag in this seasons Welsh 100 mile championship, his time of 4 hours 2 minutes 21 seconds secured 8th place overall in this difficult solo event.

His efforts secured the title of the Acme 100 mile Champion for 2008 to go along with his other Championship Titles achieved during his successful year.

Colin May was top Acme rider in the Cardiff CC open 50-mile time trial with a 1:55:14. Glyndwr Lewis was third overall veteran on 2:09:38 and Paul Griffiths finished on 2:17:26.

 August 2008

Hill Climb Series - Event 5

Gareth Battle
Event 5 Winner

The Tour de France stages in the Alps were no distraction for club level racing as Gareth Battle beat points leader Ryan Evans by just under a minute in the Event 5 of the Bwlch Hill Climb Series. Battle, a talented climber, turned out an impressive ride to climb the distance up the difficult mountain road in 11 minutes 42 seconds. Evans in second place with a 12:40 and still leads the series points competition. Third place was Anthony Redman 13:16, Peter Williams 13:39, iron man John Hughes 13:44, Dean Cummings 14:11, always improving Edwyn Parry 14:22, Jason Scott Dodd 14:41, Kerry Lewis 14:44, Paul Griffiths 16:30, Eddie Blayney (pictured) 17:05 and Tony "The Rocket" Morgan 25:45.

Timekeepers on the night were Gwyn Humpries, Audrey and Gerald Clements, start marshal Eirion Atkins and Photographs by Mark Nicholls.

Photo's of the event can be viewed in the Photo Gallery

Open Events

ACME riders competed in the Cardiff 100 milers CC 25 mile TT based in Usk recently, Carl Banwell setting the Creditable 57:31, Ryan Evans 57:35, Anthony Redman 59:47, Dean Cummings 1:03:38 And new member Fiona Davies riding her first 25 mile event achieved a 1:11:47.

Tuesday Night Club Run Routes

5.8.08  Talbot Green - Pencoed - Return
12.8.08  Pontypridd - Trefforest - Return
19.8.08  Pontypridd - Creigau - Talbot Green - Return
26.8.08  Smaelog - Miskin - Pontypridd - Return

Fastest 10 of the year challenge is hotting up, Colin May has improved on his 22:02 time to an incredible 21:44, Ryan Evans has also improved his 10 mile time with a 21:49 just trailing Colin by 5 seconds. This challenge is going to run until the end of the season with just a few open 10 mile events remaining, and with only few seconds between the challengers who knows which name will be placed on the Emlyn Jones Memorial Bowl Trophy?

Acme 5 Mile Sprint Series - Event 4

Ryan Evans
5 Mile Series Leader and New Course Record Holder

Acme rider Ryan Evans set a new course record shaving no less than 17 seconds off John Hughes previous best time. The in-form Evans has now collected maximum points in all three events that he has raced in, and now tops the classification table on sixty points. His record time of 11:20 was followed by Rhys Payne on 11:44 with Nigel Williams recording 11:49. Anthony Redman finished on 12:25, Dean Cummings 12:29, Peter Williams (pictured) 12:34, Chris Wooley 12:43, Paul Griffiths 12:59, Eirion Atkins 13:17, Jason Dodd 13:20, Edwyn Parry 13:32, Andrew Williams 13:45, Michael Davies 14:13, and Tony Morgan 17:47.

Timekeepers officiating were Gwyn Humphreys, Gerald and Audrey Clements with Carole Dietman as start marshal and Eddie Blayney course marshal.

Photo's of the event can be viewed in the Photo Gallery

The Acme riders were also in action in the Ross On Wye CC open 25-mile time trial. A collective effort from Colin May 55:42, Carl Banwell 56:18 and Ryan Evans 57:13 was enough to take the team award on the day. Veterans Glyndwr Lewis and Ken Washington also rode the event with sterling times of 59:49 and 1:01:16 respectively.

Event number 5 in the Bwlch Hill climb series scheduled for this Thursday (24th July) evening, with good weather forecasted it promises to be an exciting nights racing with Ryan Evans defending his lead in the classification table. First rider off will be at 7pm.

 July 2008

Hill Climb Series - Event 4

Ryan Evans now tops the points classification table of the Acme Wheelers CC Bwlch Hill Climb Series after a convincing win over club rivals, his time of 13:27 was enough to clinch maximum points.

With event number three cancelled due to heavy rain two weeks ago ,event number four was blessed this week with favourable conditions. Anthony Redman (pictured) took second place on 14:06 with Jason Dodd third 15:35. Edwyn Parry recorded 16:10, Kerry Lewis 16:19, Christina Bridge 17:19, Eddie Blayney 17:54, Michael Davies 17:59 and Tony Morgan 27:01. Gwyn Humphreys and Carole Dietman acted as timekeepers and club coach Dave Roberts as start marshal.

Swansea Wheelers CC hosted a open ten mile time trial with four Acme riders lining up in the event that was designated as part of the magic dragon series. Ryan Evans finished on 24:10, veteran Glyndwr Lewis 25:16, Anthony Redman 25:24 and Paul Griffiths 27:26.

Ryan Evans has come close to beating Colin May's Time for the fastest 10 time of the year, Ryan recorded a 22.12 just 10 seconds slower than Colin's time. Ryan and other racing members are determined to beat Colin's 22.02 before the end of the season. Chris Wooley has even purchased a new bike for the challenge - A Kawasaki 600. Chris is experiencing technical difficulties in fitting tri-bars to his new machine causing delays before it becomes ready to race.

Acme 5 Mile Sprint Series - Event 3

New Event Leader Edwyn Parry

Four elite club riders lined up for a showdown in this week's five-mile sprint series event number three. Iron man tri-athelete John Hughes recorded 11:37 to shave one second off the course record and to finish in pole position on the night. Welsh 12 hour champion Carl Banwell was close behind on 12:31 while long distance rider Chris Wooley settled for third place in 12:53. Domestique Dean Cummings (pictured) time of 13:30 was ahead of Edwyn Parry 13:38. Parry is now the new points classification leader of the series on 48pts. His consistent riding in all three events to date is testament to his commitment as this is his first year racing with the club.
Paul Griffiths finished on 14:17, Jason Dodd 14:33, Michael Davies 14:40 and Tony Morgan 18:49. Timekeepers for the event were Gwyn Humphreys and Gerald Clements with Kerry Lewis and Carol Dietman acting as course marshals. Photo's of the event can be viewed in the Photo Gallery

Open event to report on, Glyndwr Lewis and Paul Griffiths competed in the Cardiff 100 Milers CC Open Ten-mile Time Trial. Their times were 25:37 and 28:12 respectively.

Colin May
Club 50 Mile Champion 2008

With the racing season well under way, Acme riders headed for Vale of Neath to compete in the Welsh Open 50 mile Time Trial. Top Acme man was Colin May covering the distance in under two hours on 1:59:04 to become the Club 50 mile Champion, the third Championship Title of the year after taking the 25 and 30 mile titles previously. John Hughes finished with a 2:01:46, Ryan Evans - 2:02:59, Anthony Redman - 2:08:52, the club's super fit Veterans Glyndwr Lewis finished in 2:10:53 and Paul Griffiths with a 2:26:30.

Port Talbot Wheelers held an open four-man 25-mile time trial with one Acme team entered. Team captain Dean Cummings failed to lead his team due to work commitments and left his three apprentices Eirion Atkins, Hywel Morgan and Kerry Lewis to fend for themselves in difficult conditions. With the long outward leg to the turn being hampered by a 20 mph headwind, newly elected captain Eirion Atkins powered along with Hywel and Kerry contributing with their smooth chain gang turns technique along the way down the Neath valley. Speeds over 30 mph were reached on their return leg with a tail wind in their favour, reaching the timekeeper in a time of 1 hour 4 minutes and 21 seconds. A pleasing time under the conditions and the last minute team re-organization with Dean's absence.

Powerhouse Chris Wooley failed to assemble a club team (maybe they were afraid) and decided to join the Merthyr CC in a composite team where his talent was appreciated, their recorded time of 57 minutes and 49 seconds placed them 12th overhaul in this popular annual event.

Acme 5 Mile Sprint Series - Event 2

In form Acme riders Ryan Evans and Colin May went head to head in this week five-mile sprint series event number two. With the strong headwind on the outward leg, time was made up with a fast down hill return section of the course. Evans edged ahead of May with 20 seconds to spare recording 11:37 over the distance. May finished on 11:57 with Anthony Redman in third place 12:35. Edwyn Parry (pictured) recorded 13:33, Jason Dodd 14:08, Christina Bridge 14:46, Michael Davies 15.03 and Tony Morgan 18:25. Timekeepers Gwyn Humphreys and Gerald Clements extend their thanks to Chequered Flag Garage for providing the appropriate chequered finish board.

 June 2008

Dragon Ride 2008

Photo's of the event can be viewed in the Photo Gallery

Hill Climb Series - Event 2

Current point leader Ryan Evans edged sixteen seconds ahead of Paul Jenkins in event number two of the Acme Wheelers CC Hill Climb Series. Jenkins time of 12 minutes 43 seconds was not enough to topple the Acme ace climber. There was great anticipation before the event as the Bush Mobility CC rider was favourite to win on the night - Jenkins currently holds the A470 record from Holyhead to Cardiff but the tough climb of the Bwlch Mountain proved too stern a test against the current leader Ryan Evans.

In third place on 13:23 was iron man John Hughes, followed by ever improving Edwyn Parry 14:55. Kerry Lewis secured fifth place in 15:01 with Jason Dodd hot on his heels with 15:13. A sterling performance by Christina Bridge 16:23 blew Paul Griffiths away on 16:38. Eddie Blayney (pictured) recorded 17:13 closely followed by Michael Davies 17:51. To complete the event Tony Morgan's time was 26:12.

Gwyn Humphreys and Gerald Clements officiated as timekeepers with Darren Warren acting as start marshall. Photo's of the event can be viewed in the Photo Gallery

In the Magic Dragon Series M & D Cycles sponsored an open 15-mile time trial. Ryan Evans recorded 35:12 to now score 108 points, Anthony Redman 36:26 to total 98 points and veteran Glyndwr Lewis 37:23 for 89 points.

Five Mile Series - Event 1

Jason Dodd Speeds Along the Rheola Bridge on the Five Mile Test

Ryan Evans has hit top form this season with his solo effort in the first of a pilot series of 5 mile sprint events held on the Ynyshir by-pass. Rolling over his gears he took pole position in 11 minutes 38 seconds to collect maximum points. He now leads both Acme Hill Climb and 5 Mile Sprint series.

Nigel Williams was home on 11:54 followed by Mark Andrews 12:08, Anthony Redman 12:24, and Mark Lampart 12:27. Rookie Edwyn Parry recorded 13:15 while Eiron Atkins 13:40 edged ahead of Jason Dodd 13:53. Paul Griffiths 14:12 finished ahead of Tony "rocket" Morgan 18:00.

Gwyn Humphreys and Gerald Clements took up the time keeping duties, they were both impressed with the trial run considering the blustery conditions.

Photo's of the event can be viewed in the Photo Gallery

Open events have been well represented by Acme riders with Anthony Redman and Ryan Evans competing in the Brecon Wheelers CC hill climb. Part of the Magic Dragon series their times for the event were 14 minutes 11 seconds and 14 minutes 39 seconds respectively.

It was an impressive show of strength in the Bynea open 50-mile time trial with six Acme riders lining up for the distance. Merthyr CC's Colin Wallace took first place in 1:54:54. Colin May was second on 1:59:17 and Steve Bennett third 2:01:04. Carl Banwell completed the trio to take the team award for fastest three in the event, he recorded 2:02:23 and was placed 8th overall. Ryan Evans finished 12th with 2:06:30, Anthony Redman on 2:09:09 and Gareth Battle with a 2:17:36.

Location and Details of the end of season Weekend Ride to appear soon

Hill Climb Series - Event 1

Ryan Evans laid down the gauntlet to all other riders for this season's hill climb series. His time of 12 minutes 20 seconds was enough to collect maximum points after climbing the formidable Bwlch Mountain in style. Shadowed by Anthony Redman on 13:01 a gap formed to Kerry Lewis 15:24 to pip Edwyn Parry 15:32 by eight seconds. Jason Dodd recorded 16:07, Eddie Blayney 17:35 and Tony Morgan 26:22. Timekeeper Gwyn Humphreys was a supported by club chairman Roger Evans in organising event number one in the series.

The ACME Hill Climb Championship will be incorporated into Event 7 on Thursday 21st August.

Continuing his good form Ryan Evans clocked 22:40 in the Merthyr CC open 10-mile time trial. Colin May recorded 22:02, John Hughes 22:36, Anthony Redman 22:53, Carl Banwell 23:05, Glyndwr Lewis 23:45 and Paul Griffiths 25:25. The valley based club made a good account of themselves in this event with excellent times being ridden.

Colin May's Time of 22:02 looks to be the fastest time over 10 miles this season, can it be beaten to win the Fastest 10 mile Trophy for 2008?

Last month's mystery guest was past Chairman Paul Watson. Thanks again for photos Paul.

 May 2008

The Tuesday Night Club Runs have been updated with the latest routes & dates.

Do you recognise this member from the recent past, a talented time-trialist, the designer of the current Acme Wheelers jersey and the winner of the 1996 Wasp Road Race? He has now turned his talents to photography and has kindly passed on a selection of photos from the recent Port Talbot Wheelers 10 mile event that took place during April (see the Photo Gallery).

His identity will be revealed next month and maybe more photos of the members from the mystery "Man in the Hat" will be forwarded to our web site.

The Events and Club Runs have been updated with the latest dates.

The Welsh Championship 25 mile TT on 11th May incorporated our own Club Championship with eleven members competing for the honours. The Welsh Championship itself was won by Rob Wood, Echelon Cycles in 50 minutes and 08 seconds while Colin May, finishing in 15th spot became our Club Champion with 54:05. Only twenty seconds slower in 17th position was a still improving Steve Bennett whose 54:25 shaved 2:17 off his personal best. Next of our riders was Carl Banwell in 55:30 while Anthony Redman also improved by 1:25 with his ride of 56:53. Jayson James just missed his PB by 2 seconds with 58:57. Evergreens, Glyndwr Lewis and Ken Washington had a close tussle with 59:33 and 1:00:16 respectively while Dean Cummings took time off from protecting the public to record 1:03:14, not too far off his best LTS. Pete Williams was also close to his PB, just 9 seconds off with 1:03:41. John Hughes's late entry meant a ride in the overflow event, his 56:22 for equal second would have placed him in the top forty of the championship. He was joined in the event by Paul Griffiths who recorded 1:06:48 to become our Longmarkers Champion.

Our Open 2-up 10 Mile TT on Thursday 15th had a disappointingly small entry of 21 teams. Thankfully the wet weather cleared and the event was a success with some fast times despite the cool conditions. Fastest team was Cwmcarn Paragon with Darran Carpenter and David Povall tearing around in 20:03. From a start position of no. 3 they arrived at the turn in second position on the road, finally passing team 1 of Paul Griffiths and Pete Williams who managed to stay on course and were quite pleased with their 24:24. Anthony Redman rode solo to record 22:54 as did John Hughes 22:18 and Carl Banwell 22:40. Chris Woolley and Gareth Battle got around in 22:25 while Glyndwr Lewis, riding with Stuart Evans (Maesteg CC) recorded 22:33.
Photo's of the event can be viewed in the Photo Gallery

 April 2008

Colin May
Club 30 Mile Champion 2008

Photo's of the Bryn Griffiths Memorial 25 Mile Time Trial can be viewed in the Photo Gallery)

Welcome to new members Mark Jones (Hopkinstown), Fiona Davies (Ynyshir) and Michael Davies (Ferndale).

The Club's racing scene is quite buoyant at present and it's been nice to see so many Acme jerseys at the early time-trials. Fastest of our racing men at the Veterans 10 mile event on 30th March was Steve Bennett with 22:21 which gave him 3rd place overall. Carl Banwell wasn't far behind with 22:43 for 8th place and Ryan Evans just out of the top ten with 23:02 and 11th place which secured the team award for Acme. Gareth Clements recorded 23:24, Jayson James 23:56 and Paul Griffiths 26:51.

Colin May returned to the fray on 6th April in the Bynea 30 which incorporated our Club Championship. He took 4th place overall with 1:14:22 closely followed by Ryan, 7th in 1:16:10 and Anthony Redman a very close 8th in 1:16:22. The following weekend Ryan was again 7th in the Llandovery 25 with a time of 1:00:18.

Sunday 20th was our own Bryn Griffiths Memorial 25 with club members out in force either as riders or part of the organisation. A full field was lucky to experience a hole in the awful recent weather and the atmosphere at event headquarters was very lively, friendly and enjoyable. On this occasion Steve Bennett (56:41) had to give best to Ryan's 56:29. Colin continued his comeback with 57:46 followed by Gareth Clements who improved by over two minutes to break the hour with 59:35. John Hughes also went under with 59:44, Dean Cummings recorded 1:05:32 and Peter Williams 1:06:21. Paul Griffiths fought his way around in 1:11:00, overcoming the discomfort and lack of training caused by his recent accident. Passing a parked bus at speed, he was knocked off by a pedestrian who ran out from in front of the bus, putting them both in Casualty. Paul's a big guy so I dread to think what the other one looked like after that! Photos of the event should soon be online.

Also riding our 25 was Justin Cannon, son of Councillor Paul Cannon, Guest of Honour at our Annul Prize Presentation. Justin rode with us as a junior before moving away to join the RAF and completed the course in the excellent time of 56:02. His comment after finishing was, "I'd be happier if I'd gone 3 seconds faster !"

 March 2008

Cardiff Ajax 3 up 10 TT Sunday 9th March 2008

The club was again well represented at the Cardiff Ajax 3-up 10 mile Time Trial held between Abercarn and Risca on Sunday 9th March. Four teams were entered but due to illness only one team started with a full complement.

Due to road works appearing overnight on the course just after the start, the event had to be shortened to nine miles. However, following some rain while the teams were warming up, the sun soon appeared, improving the atmosphere of the event.

Seventh to start of the twenty-six teams were Anthony Redman and Jayson James who again rode strongly and smoothly to record the eighth fastest time of 21 minutes and 37 seconds. They were closely beaten by Carl Banwell and Steve Bennett [who seems in very good form at present] who rode around in 21m 25s, recording seventh fastest.

Gareth Battle, Chris Woolley and John Hughes finished as a complete team in 22m 12s, entering the turn a minute behind Peter Williams and Paul Griffiths. They rode the return leg wondering why they couldn’t catch them. The answer? Pete and Paul were on their way to Newport and turned two roundabouts further on! They did finish the event [time unknown] but completed about fifteen miles. Never mind, they enjoyed the practice and are clubbing together to buy a Satnav ready for the next event.

The event was won by Darren Carpenter, David Povall and Andrew Williams of Cwmcarn Paragon in 19m 06 s.

Photos are available in the gallery.

New Member

A warm welcome goes to our newest member, Rhys Jones of Porth, who proved his worth in the first event of the season on Sunday March 2nd.

Port Talbot Wheelers 2 up 25 TT Sunday 2nd March 2008

Five teams from our club started in this, the Port Talbot Wheelers 2 up 25 mile Time Trial, meeting with mixed results on a cold and very windy morning.
More details are in the Results section and some photographs in the Gallery.