Beardmore nets a fine victory in Friction Series

Riding for promoting club Bridgnorth CC, event organiser Beardmore raced round a a tough, rolling course made all the harder by wet conditions in a time of 44 minutes 23 seconds.

Planned as a 21-mile event for the second year running, the race, which took in Bridgnorth, Much Wenlock, Shipton and Morville, had to be truncated to 18 miles again due to a vintage tractor run.

Beardmore finished 24 seconds ahead of Wrekinsport’s Tomos Hales and also doubled up by claiming victory in the Veterans’ Series too in +4:25.

Beardmore is already setting out sterling defences of his dual Friction Series and Friction Veterans Series Championships as he returned to the top in the former and stretched his lead in the latter.

“The weather conditions weren’t the best with wet roads, but thankfully all riders got round safely,” said Beardmore. “I had to take it super easy on the descents. I felt better on the bike than my previous race and was very happy to take the county win.”

Hales was making his first appearance of the Series after being unable to ride the first round but quickly made up for lost time with a fine ride of 44:47. Like Beardmore, he knew that taking the tricky downhill sections at pace would potentially result in a spill, so put the hammer down on the climbs: “The challenging, hilly course was made even harder with the wet roads. “I went hard on the uphill but was cautious on the down. Well done to Tim with a cracking time and organising the event; and thanks to Bridgnorth CC for marshalling”.

Beardmore’s team-mate Jonathan Mills-Keeling took the final podium spot overall in 45:23, to see off the attentions of Ludlow CC’s Robbie Disney by 44 seconds, with Disney moving up to second in the Friction Series as a result of his ride.

Mills-Keeling also made it a Bridgnorth CC one-two in the Veterans’ competition with a fine +3:15.

Conditions seemed to affect him however as the cold and damp made things difficult: “It was a really cold and wet morning and my head wasn’t really into it, I tried to focus but couldn’t really get a decent pace. Well done to Tim and Tomos, and thanks to Bridgnorth CC for putting on”.

Bridgnorth had a cracking morning with Catherine Coley taking the Women’s honours exactly three minutes ahead of Wrekinsport’s Bethan Till in 53:15.

She was effusive in her post-race comments and is looking forward to future events.

“It was a great event for testing early-season form or lack of it, and fantastic organising and riding by Tim,” she said.

“The course was pretty testing with a strong north-easterly headwind, a lumpy section into Wenlock and a big climb out of it. There were some technical twisty sections on the Wenlock to Shipton road which were well sketchy on 22mm tubular tyres, and the headwind after the turn back onto the Corvedale road was like a wall.”