(c) 2007 www.swarbrick.com

Major achievements in 2005

British Time Trial Championships, Masters C (age 40 – 44) category – 2 nd place.

Cycling Time Trials/Rudy Project National Time Trial series – 2 nd place Veteran overall.
Now 42 years young, I started cycling when I was around 30, this being my first attempt at any sporting activity. In reality this was merely messing about in the woods on a Mountain bike. However, after a couple of years I joined my local cycling club – Portsmouth North End CC, and tried a bit of racing at Novice level. I soon found that although I enjoyed Mountain bike races, I lacked the technical ability to be competitive, and after trying a couple of local Time Trials on the road (initially using a Mountain bike), discovered that I was actually better at this particular discipline.

After several years of racing in local Open & Club Time Trials for Portsmouth North End CC (eventually winning the local ‘Portsdown Time Trial league’ for 3 years) and later for a more racing oriented club – GS Stella, I moved to the Isle of Wight in 2002. This is when I started taking racing & training a little more seriously. Up until this time I had won a total of 2 Open Time Trials (both in 2000). In 2002, later riding for SP Systems/ Wightlink RT, I won 5, and in 2003 I won 8, along with many top 3 placings.

However, at the end of 2003, I suffered a badly fractured hip in a training accident, and had to spend 3 or 4 months on crutches. This put paid to most of my 2004 season, although I did win 2 Open races later in the year. The time off the bike did however show me how important racing is to me, and after having the screws removed from my hip at the end of 2004, I started training with renewed enthusiasm for the 2005 season.

In 2005 my results in Open Time Trials were as follows:-

7 x Wins
9 x 2 nd place
3 x 3 rd place
1 x 5 th place

Plus 2 nd place in my age category in the British Time Trial Championships, and 2 nd Veteran (over 40) overall in the Cycling Time Trials National series, for which I received an invitation to the CTT Champions night in Derby to be presented with my medals.

So far in 2006, again riding for GS Stella, I have won 6 Open Time Trials, including 2 rounds of the National series, along with 3 x 2 nd places, 3 x 3 rd places and one 4 th place. My targets for this year are again the National Time Trial series (unfortunately a serious travelling commitment), and the British Time Trial Championships, plus various other Open events around the south of the country.