Hamish takes the hill climb
It was a perfect October day for this year's Sotonia hill climb on Dean Hill. The sun was out and there was little, if any, wind - a rare thing indeed!
Making the most of the conditions was 18 year old Hamish Hunter from Fordingbridge, who had celebrated his birthday only 2 days before. Hamish who started his career with Sotonia, but these days rides for VC Venta, ascended the hill in 2 minutes 31 seconds. Runner up for the promoting club was Oliver Starkey in 2.42, while the third fastest time was recorded by Paul East who had come all the way down from Reading to ride as he had been unable to get a ride in the National Hill Climb championship which was taking place the same day 'oop north'.
Thanks to all those who took part and to the timekeeping team of Martin Napier, Dave Crocker and Graham Harman. Julian Gee and wife Linda were the organisers.
| 1 | Hamish Hunter | VC Venta | 2.31 |
| 2 | Oliver Starkey | Sotonia CC | 2.42 |
| 3 | Paul East | Reading CC | 2.54 |
| 4 | Jon Legg | Sotonia CC | 3.03 |
| 5 | James Peckham | Sotonia CC | 3.05 |
| 6 | Paul Macken | Sotonia CC | 3.15 |
| 7 | Steve Noton | Sotonia CC | 3.55 |
| 8 | Yair Yaniv | Sotonia CC | 4.50 |
You can see all the riders here: https://youtu.be/UMBnrHuGeIw
Eventful event and eight times
It is now getting towards the end of the time trial season, but riders were pleased with the decent autumn morning for Sunday's 10 mile club time trial on the P141 course, Romsey-Stockbridge road.
Whilst all the riders completed the course safely, the event was not without incident. Firstly, evential fastest rider, Evan Jardine-Skinner turned up and found he had left his cycling shoes at home! He was going to hand his number in and not start, but was persauded by race offiiclals he would do just fine in his training shoes, despite not being able to clip into his pedals. This proved to be good advice and he recorded a very fine 23 minutes 56 seconds for his ride, only his second race of the season.
12 year old brothers Lorenzo & Giulio Scarponi rode together as a 2-UP, but one had mechanical issues and swapped bikes mid-ride with his father Matteo who had started behind, and who was able to fix the problem and finish on his son's bike!
Thanks to time trial secretary Graham Harman for organising the event and riding out to marshal the turn. Timekeepers were Julian Gee and Dave Crocker.
1. Evan Jardine-Skinner Sotonia CC 23.56
2. Mike Marsh Sotonia CC 24.32
3. Richard Burch Sotonia CC 29.12
4. Peter Pike Sotonia CC 30.26
5. Lorenzo & Giulio Scarponi (2-UP) Sotonia CC 32.06
6. Chris Summers Sotonia CC 32.14
7. Matteo Scarponi Sotonia CC 33.19
8. Shai Waters Come and try it 33.52
Final evening club time trial of the season
The club ran its last evening event of the time trial season on the P161 10 mile circuit near Beaulieu, yesterday Tuesday 20th August.
14 riders took part on a bright but breezy evening and perhaps the strong wind which has been blowing all day put other riders off?
Easily the fastest on the night was speedy 17 year old Bobby Buenfeld (VC Venta) who zipped round the course in 21.04. Other notable rides came from 84 year old Dave Crocker who handed over timekeeping duties on this occasion to accompany fellow timekeeper Mary Corbett round the course on their tandem trike in very respectable 35.52. Grandfather/Grandson combination Peter Price and 16 year old Shai Waters, the latter riding his first event, rode as a 2-up and recorded 33.23.
Thanks are due to Phil Connell for organising, Jon Dudley, Martin Napier and Julian Gee for timekeeping duties and the marshals were Graham Harman, Skye and Stuart Martingale.
1 Bobby Buenfeld VC Venta 21.04
2 Mark Lisk 3C 22.51
3 Andrew Crocker Team Tor 2000 27.04
4 Ian Macdonald GS Vechhi 28.40
5 Emily Warner 3C 28.43
6 Adam Koperdan Sotonia CC 29.01
7 Gemma Wilks Sotonia CC 29.15
8 Chris Summers Sotonia CC 29.47
9 Claire Johnson Sotonia CC 30.06
10 Colin Witt Crabwood CC 31.10
11 Shai Waters/Peter Price (2UP) Come & Try/Sotonia CC 33.23
12 Mary Corbett / Dave Crocker (Tandem) Sotonia CC 35.52
The Magnificent Seven ride again...
Just seven riders faced the timekeeper for this year's running of the Sotonia 25 mile time trial championship at Bartley on the P128 course.
The unfortunately typical summer conditions of overcast skies with plenty of rain earlier in the day had no doubt put a few off. However, conditions weren't too bad for the event itself with further rain holding off and fairly light winds.
With just 4 Sotonia members taking part it was Will Weynberg who posted the fastest time of the evening on his road bike with a very creditable 58 mintues 39 seconds. No stranger to Strava segments, Will showed he has the stamina to move up to something requiring more endurance, in this his first 25 mile TT.
Beaten into second place was defending champion Jeremy Hubbard, a little off the pace this year with his 1.00.10.
Big thanks to Nick Wisby for organising the event. Dave Crocker and Martin Napier for timekeeping duties and marshals, Graham Harman, Skye and Stuart Martingale, Claire Newman and Julian Gee.
Tight at the top in title race
Whilst guest rider Paul Lockyear (New Forest CC) recorded the fastest time of the evening in last week's (Thursday 20th June) Sotonia Club Championship 10 mile TT on the P164 course at Lyndhurst, the race to be crowned men's champion was very tight race, with four rides within 14 seconds of each other.
However, this year's men's Champion is Peter Boustred with a good time of 22:56 on pleasant summer evening with not too much wind. This year's women's champion is again Gemma Wilks as fastest woman on the night, 15 year old Skye Martingale, now rides for Team Type One Style.
With 33 riders taking part the event was well supported and repaid the efforts of organiser Stuart Martingale's team of timekeepers, marshals and helpers on the night.
Full list of times:
1: Paul Lockyer.New Forest CC 21:45
2: Peter Boustred. Sotonia CC 22:56
3: Dan Mellor Sotonia CC 23:02
4: Jeremy Hubbard. Sotonia CC 23:09
5: Andy Gardiner. Sotonia CC 23:10
6: William Shield. Southampton University RC 24:05
7: Niclas Olley. Sotonia CC 24:07
8: Lewis Refill. Sotonia CC 24:14
9: Tom Wilks. Sotonia CC 24:24
10: Mike Anderson. CC Montentour 24:54
11: Alec O'Loughlin Southampton University RC 25:37
12: Stanley Phillips. Sotonia CC 25:40
13: Gareth Davies.Southampton University RC 25:51
14: Jon Legg. Sotonia CC 26:01
15: Skye Martingale. Team Type One Style 26:14
16: Simon Carlin. Oceanlake Tri 26:42
17: Oliver Starkey. 26:43
18: Oliver Berney.Utag RT 26:46
19: Justin Olley. Sotonia CC 28:14
20: Rhys Gilbert. Sotonia CC 28:15
21: Darren Pike. Sotonia CC 28:17
22: Phil Carline. Sotonia CC 28:46
23: Gemma Wilks. Sotonia CC 28:51
24: Ian Macdonald. GS Vecchi 29:13
25: Peter Pike.Sotonia CC 30:07
26: Chris Summers. Sotonia CC 30:12
27: Benji Pike. Sotonia CC 30:53
28: Poppy Carline. Sotonia CC 32:09
29: Eve Carline. Sotonia CC 32:27
30: George Boustred. Sotonia CC 32:41
31: Morgan Gilbert. Sotonia CC 34:00
32: Aneurin Gilbert.Sotonia CC 34:22
33: Evan Gilbert. Sotonia CC 35:20
Extra speed beats greater numbers in inter-club clash
A report from organiser Stuart Gilmour of VC Venta on the recent inter-club competition with Sotonia, Tuesday 21st May.
I hope everybody enjoyed a great night on the P164 last night at the annual VC Venta v Sotonia Inter-Club Time Trial. A fantastic 63 riders took to the start line (Sotonia 38, VC Venta 24, Guest 1) despite the threat of rain which unfortunately settled in during the second half of the event.
The competition was split in to four categories, open time trial, open road bike, combined ladies time trial and road bike and combined youth. Some riders chose to ride as a two-up and one pair on a tandem. Bonus points were also given to all junior riders and all female riders as the emphasis of the competition has always been to try and encourage wider participation in time trials from young riders and from our female members. Many members from both clubs were taking part in their first ever time trial and that spirit is what the inter-club is really all about.
Individual times can be seen on the result sheet website here,
https://resultsheet.app/rsd/1716027102885x307037689782468600
Things were not looking good for the hosting club VC Venta when one rider arrived having forgotten the thru axle for his rear wheel and another forgot their cycling shoes and with Sotonia already the dominant club in terms of rider entries. Would these absences be critical in the overall result. Time would tell……………….
First main category off were the youth riders and early dominance for Sotonia as their eight riders amassed points to take an early 59-8 lead against the sole Venta rider. Tom Wilks (13 years old) was fastest youth in an impressive 25m 14s.
Sotonia also dominated the open TT category securing a 55-24 victory, Venta however secured a one-two with Matt Downie clocking fastest time of the night in 21m 02s, closely followed in by Bobby Buenfeld with 21m 17s.
The ladies was a closely contested category with Venta just edging the category 14-12. Fastest female on the night was guest Holly Ramsey of the Hess Cycling Team who recorded 24m 24s. Leading female in the inter-club competition was Nicola Ferguson (VC Venta) in 28m 48s just beating Donna Bennett (Sotonia) who recorded 29m 03s.
The open road bike category however was the significant factor in the competition where Sotonia had sixteen riders compared to fourteen from Venta but Venta dominated the category on the road claiming five of the top six places. The road bike category having the largest number of riders meant the top placings also earned the biggest points and subsequently a 298-169 result in the category helped Venta to snatch the overall win on the night from under Sotonia.
The final result when adding in bonus points for the two ups and tandems was Venta 351 Sotonia 306.
Top five in each category were as follows
Open Road Open TT Womens Combined Youth (U16)
1st Tommy Stroud
VCV 22m 46s Matt Downie
VCV 21m 02s Holly Ramsey (Guest) 24m 24s Tom Wilks
Sotonia 25m 14s
2nd Carl Morris
VCV 23m 02s Bobby Buenfeld
VCV 21m 17s Nicola Ferguson VCV 28m 48s Tom Allen
Sotonia 25m 23s
3rd Jamie Plumb
VCV 23m 30s Jeremy Hubbard
Sotonia 22m 37s Donna Bennett
Sotonia 29m 03s Monty Flavell
Sotonia 26m 35s
4th Oscar Hoult
VCV 24m 15s Pete Boustred
Sotonia 22m 52s Emma Harrison Sotonia 30m 13s Isabella Hall Sotonia 27m 28s
5th Joe Wynne
Sotonia 24m 47s James Gilfillan
Sotonia 23m 02s Amy Thorpe
VCV 31m 42s Isla Hoult VCV 29m 03s
Last but not least thanks to the volunteers who enabled the event to happen, starters Rebecca Gilmour, Andrea Stroud and Kim, marshalls Jo South and Mike Naulls and timekeeper Nick Buenfeld. Thanks also to Graham Harman and Julian Gee for galvanising such a strong turn out from Sotonia CC. It was so good to see such a large number of youth riders representing your club. Finally of course a huge thank you to all members from both clubs for riding on what threatened to be a bit of a damp evening.
The baton is now handed back to Sotonia to organise the 2025 event.
Primera's Jones leads the octet in Sotonia 10 mile TT
Visiting from Bournemouth, 53 year old Paul Jones was the fastest of the eight riders who took part in Sotonia's second club event of the season, a 10 mile event on the P128 course at Bartley.
A bright and dry morning was somewhat spoilt by a cold northerly breeze but that didn't seem to slow the riders too much as Jones clocked a very fine 21.55 ride.
Close behind in second was Southampton University doctoral student, chemist Liam Kemp with 22.12, 40 seconds faster than Sotonia's top rider on the day Jeremy Hubbard.
Time trial secretary Graham Harman acted as start timekeeper and then went on to ride himself clocking a very creditable 23.54.
Thanks are also due to organiser Evan Jardine-Skinner and finish timekeepers Dave Crocker and Julian Gee.
Finish times
1 Paul Jones Primera 21.55
2 Liam Kemp Southampton University RC 22.12
3 Jeremy Hubbard Sotonia CC 22.52
4 Graham Harman Sotonia CC 23.54
5 Oliver Starkey Sotonia CC 26.34
6 Jon Legg Sotonia CC 26.39
7 Mick Anglim New Forest CC 28.36
8 Charlotte Starkey Come & try it 29.52
Another successful Sotonia promotion
The club had the pleasure of hosting the first round of this season's Cycling Time Trials National Circuit Series, in the form of this year's 'Leg Loosener' 14.6 mile event in the New Forest.
There was a decent entry for this early season test, with 68 entries across the categories, and despite the unpleasant, wet and misty conditions, the majority of these made the effort to start, which made the efforts of organiser Phil Wilks and his team of helpers and time keepers worthwhile.
The video gives a flavour of the event, and the state of some of the finishers as they struggled up Pipers Wait, to the finish timekeepers!
https://youtu.be/nSnxz5h4NUk
Win for 19 year old debutant Shield in damp conditions for hill climb
Given the wet weather it was very good to see 15 riders take part in this morning's hill climb on Dean Hill.
Whilst conditions weren't perfect for any record breaking, it was very pleasing to witness 19 year old Southampton University student Will Shield, posting the fastest time in his first competitive event. Having ridden out from Southampton Will and his university club mates, didn't have time to reconnoiter the course so had to have it explained to them before starting. However, this didn't seem to hinder them as they went on to post most of the fastest times up the half mile climb in south Wiltshire.
With the women riders, it was win for the promoting club as Gemma Wilks saw off the challenge of past winner Gemma Herbertson and another first time to hill climbing, 18 year old Alice Snow, also riding her first event. However, Alice's speed might have been blunted as she had already competed in a 10km run earlier in the day!
Thanks to all those who took part and especially to timekeepers Martin Napier and Dave Crocker (who was officiating at his 20th event of the season!) and to Graham Harman who assisted organiser Julian Gee in setting out the course before helping the timekeepers.
MEN
Position Rider No. Name Club Finish time
1 4 William Shield Southampton University RC 2.16
2 14 Joey Wynne Sotonia CC 2.25
3 3 Barnaby Huxtable Southampton University RC 2.41
4 1 Harry Nickells Southampton University RC 2.44
5 2 Tim Ericksson Southampton University RC 2.45
6 5 Rich Ward New Forest CC 3.02
7 9 Patrick Fuller Sotonia CC 3.07
8 7 Jez Hart Sotonia CC 3.09
9 6 Rob Ward Come & Try 3.18
10 10 Greg Sanger Sotonia CC 3.29
11 11 Nick Jenning Sotonia CC 3.39
12 12 Steve Noton Sotonia CC 3.59
WOMEN
Position Rider No. Name Club Finish time
1 13 Gemma Wilks Sotonia CC 3.24
2 8 Gemma Herbertson Elevate RT 3.58
3 15 Alice Snow Come & Try 4.10
On form Hubbard fastest again
Newly crowned club 25 mile Champion Jeremy Hubbard carried on his good recent form by recording the fastest time in the recent club 10 mile time trial on the P164 course (Tuesday 8th August) just dipping under 23 minutes on an overcast evening with rain threatening throughout.
The contest amongst the women riders was very close as Debbie Hallett recorded the fastest of four 29 minute rides, edging out two of the club's up-and-coming youth riders Emma Harrison and Skye Martingale and the more experienced Gemma Wilks.
The evening also saw Mary Corbett pilot 83 year old Club President Dave Crocker around the course on her tandem trike in a very creditable 37.07.
Thanks to Phil Connell for taking on the organisation, Martin Napier, Graham Harman and Julian Gee for timekeeping and the marshals were Nigel Aiken and Jon Dudley.
Name Club Time
1 Jeremy Hubbard Sotonia CC 22.59
2 Pete Boustred DHC 23.08
3 Mike Anderson CC Moncontour 24.54
4 Jason Harrison Sotonia CC 26.23
5 Thomas Wilks Sotonia CC 26.37
6 Oliver Starkey Come & Try it 27.35
7 Darren Pike Sotonia CC 28.05
8 Martin Nobbs Sotonia CC 28.26
9 Debbie Hallett Sotonia CC 29.07
10 Skye Martingale Sotonia CC 29.34
11 Gemma Wilks Sotonia CC 29.35
12 Emma Harrison Sotonia CC 29.41
13 Chris Summers Sotonia CC 30.19
14 Marc Riley Sotonia CC 30.43
15 Charlotte Starkey Come & Try it 31.26
16 Benji Pike Sotonia CC 34.04
17 Mary Corbett/Dave Crocker (Tandem Trike) Sotonia CC 37.07