REPORT: VTTA National 24-Hour Championship

VTTA Yorkshire rider Greg Elwell powered to victory in the VTTA National 24-Hour Championship last weekend, but aside from his superb efforts the event threw up its usual mix of drama, broken records – and even a pit-stop for a full English breakfast!
The 24-hour is a unique event, attracting a special kind of rider – but also a special kind of organisation which this year was led by Tim Smith of the Manchester and District CTT but with help from a dedicated team of volunteers.
Riders experienced rain in the early hours of the morning and around midday on the Sunday, and had to deal with a strong wind particularly on the finishing circuit.
Paul Watts set an early pace that saw him heading for a splendid total on the way to winning the CTT National Championship.
However it was Yorkshire member Greg Elwell who was the leading VTTA competitor. Greg rode a well-judged race and was actually pulling time back on Paul in the latter stages.
Greg was to finish in second place in the CTT event backing up his winning total of 542.44 miles on age-adjusted distance for his first VTTA championship jersey.
The ride of the day must be that of the tandem pair of Doug Hart (Ilkley CC) and Chris Murray (WattShop) who established a new National Mixed Tandem record with a stunning 483.52 miles. They deservedly took the tandem award in our event.
Unfortunately there were no eligible female riders in the VTTA event.
The only trike rider was Stuart Day, North Midlands, who negotiated the course and the 24 hrs in conditions that were somewhat challenging for a trike rider. Maybe we should think of an award for trike competitors as we do for tandem riders.
On paper there appeared to be a potentially close competition for the Group award between East Midlands, Merseyside and Yorkshire.
However the final result was a handsome win for Yorkshire led by Greg Elwell well supported by Sean Sanders and Gary Simpson with an AAD of 1,483.04 miles
The club award went to Graham Weigh Racing-Deeside Olympic led by Barry Murphy who finished second in the championship with Alan Broadbent, 3rd, and Doug Pickering 7th. 
Barry with 491.40 actual distance was 4th in the CTT event and must be thinking of that elusive 500 mile barrier next year.
Thanks must go to the marshals, timekeepers and support folk who literally work through the night to ensure the event is safely run.
* Photos by Cheshire Cycling Snaps.

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