REPORT: VTTA National 12-Hour Championship

By Phil Guy

Continuing his good run of form, Mick Stevens (Melton Olympic and East Midlands Group) was crowned open winner at the VTTA National 12-Hour Championship, while Joanna Cebrat (360 Cycling and Manchester and North West) was the female champion.
Rescheduled because of roadworks during the original date in late July, the event was promoted by West Cheshire TTCA on a course in Shropshire.
A total of 41 riders including 29 VTTA members entered and 31 lined up for the start on a cool and blustery morning. The attrition rate was low with only three not completing the course.
Stevens had an age-adjusted distance of 314.07 miles. His actual distance of 239.94 (so close!) was a new age record at 64-years-old.
The silver medal went to Greg Elwell (VTTA Yorkshire) with an AAD of 294.86 miles (280.21 miles actual distance) and the bronze to Andrew Whiteside (Springfield RT and North Lancs & Lakes) with 292.34 miles (277.69 on actual).
Cebrat retained her title from the previous year with an age-adjusted distance of 281.67 miles (250.31 on actual) from Penny Wilkin (Coventry Triathletes and Midlands) with an AAD of 266.95 miles (233.32 on actual) in second place and Hannah Fawcett (Liverpool Braveheart and Merseyside) in third with 246.29 miles (215.52 on actual).
No club team finished, but the Group Team Champions were the local Merseyside Group comprising Colin Hayes (Liverpool Century RC) with 285.02, Barry Murphy (Graham Weigh RT) with 279.18 and Clive West (Chester RC) with 278.95, for an aggregate of 843.15 miles on age-adjusted distance.
The new course seemed to find favour with many riders judging by the number of smiling faces at the HQ after the event, but it could just have been relief that their ordeal was over.
Organiser Alan Broadbent and his team are to be congratulated on the high standard of promotion of the event and this bodes well for 2027 when the West Cheshire TTCA will be hosting the CTT National 12-Hour Championship as part of its 90th Anniversary celebrations.

* Archive photo of Mick Stevens by Way Forward Photography.
 

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