Garthwaite rolls back the years to claim victory
A first time trial in five years made no difference to Matthew Garthwaite as muscle memory kicked in giving him a win by seven seconds in round eight of The Decathlon Evening 10 Series by Wrekinsport.
Garthwaite, riding for Holohan Coaching, stopped the watch on 22 minutes 10 seconds on an evening where a notable southerly wind helped competitors down the A442 as they took full advantage of the benefit of the twice-ridden mile straight between Shawbirch and Long Lane.
Garthwaite beat Decathlon Series leader Tomos Hales into the overall runner-up spot in 22:17, with the Wrekinsport rider extending his lead at the top of the standings to four points over 16 year-old Ben Southgate, who finished fourth on the night in 24:27 with Phil Roberts taking the final podium slot in 23:59.
The keenly fought Road Bike Series took another twist in a great battle between Elliott Wills and David Seager for the top spot.
Wills halved Seager’s advantage to just one point with a winning time of 28:14, with Seager 33 seconds back in a scrap that is already shaping up to go down to the wire.
Meanwhile, in the Women’s Series Deb Hutson-Lumb posted an impressive 25:13 to narrow the gap to four points to leader Mollie Croxon, who ended her evening on 32:27.
