Rankings
Midlands Rankings
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Midlands Rankings - August
Not so busy in August.......
Surprisingly there was just one rankings-counting event in the Midlands District in August and that was the Coventry CC's 25-mile event on the Princethorpe course. The first weekend of the month did see the Worcester St. John's promotion of the national Rudy Project event and the Shropshire CCA promoted a 4-up but neither of these events count towards the rankings.
The only rider to be promoted up a category in August was Tony Kiss (Stratford CC) who achieved his promotion to 1st-cat with 55.35 and a comfortable 4th place in the CCC's 25. Congratulations to Tony! Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughan Cycles) won the event overall with an extremely impressive 51.14, giving him 200 points which will help in his bid to regain topspot in the rankings. Meanwhile Michelle Parsons (Team Echelon-Rotor) was the women's winner with 1.01.03. She returns to the rankings as a 3rd cat with just the minimum of five counting events.
Now is probably a good time to remind everyone that ALL riders can be included in the age-category tables (i.e. not just vets) if they provide their date of birth to the database guru Steve Lockwood. In particular it would be great if the younger riders and seniors would drop a message to Steve with their date of birth so that juveniles, juniors, espoirs and seniors can have meaningful rankings by age as well as the vets. There is a very quick and easy link to do this on the age-category page.
Two months of the 2011 season completed................
Another eight Midlands open TT events have taken place in April, equally split between classic ‘hillies' and flatter 10-mile events. Many riders are really getting into the routine of racing regularly and we are starting to see some improved performances with several riders being promoted up a category this month:
Congratulations to four riders who have moved up from 4th-cat to 3rd-cat and, remarkably, three of these four are from Rugby RCC. (Is there something in the water in Rugby?) Adrian Tayles and Victoria Plant are both promoted on the strength of good rides in the Echelon/VTTA 10 in early April whereas David Kimberley made a distinct improvement in the Warwicks and Coventry CC 10s at the end of the month. Another rider for whom those two events were very successful was David Mobbs (Banbury Star CC) and he is also promoted to 3rd cat this month for the first time. You don't gain promotion in these rankings without clearly improving your performances so well done to all four riders.
A quiet end of the 2010 season led to Phil Hunt (Wyre Forest CRC) dropping down to 3rd-cat but due to some strong rides in April he has jumped back up to 2nd-cat. Congratulations to him, especially on a great 4th-place in the Elizabethan Hilly.
Finally two riders have done some great rides in local 10s and made the toughest leap of all, becoming Elites for the first time. David Watson (Coventry RC) achieved two 5th places in the Echelon/VTTA 10 and the Coventry CC 10 while Matthew Purshouse (Warwicks RC) has had a string of 3rd places, catapulting him to Elite status and a ranking of 7th. Whilst we're looking at the Elites, we should also congratulate Jon Simpkins (www.drag2zero.com) who at the Coventry CC 10 has just achieved his 5th open-event win and hence joins Richard Bradley and Matt Clinton at the very top of the rankings table on maximum points of 1000.
Riders are only given a category if they have completed five counting events in the previous 12 months and each month some riders come straight in at the higher categories without working their way up from 4th-cat. This month the following riders have freshly completed five rides and came straight in with a category above 4th-cat:
- Tony Kiss (Stratford CC) - 2nd Cat
- Adrian Manning (Wyre Forest CRC) - 3rd Cat
- Martin Osman (MJS Racing) - 3rd Cat
- Nick Walford (MJS Racing) - 3rd Cat
- Joe Page (Echelon-Rotor) - 3rd Cat
For anyone not in an age-category in the rankings do drop a note to Steve Lockwood with your date of birth - you can find an easy link to do this on the age-categories page.
Comments
If you have any comments about the rankings, or if you wish to point out any inaccuracies, please contact Ruth Eyles or Steve Lockwood.
For general discussion on the rankings, please join in with the topic on Time Trialling Forum.
Midland Rankings March 2011 Update
Welcome to the Midlands Rankings for the 2011 Season!
First things first - have you noticed the changes to the Midlands Rankings this season? Our database wizard Steve Lockwood has managed to include age categories in the facts and figures you can view. This means that riders can now look at how they compare to others in their age-group. We have a certain amount of age information about riders but if anyone finds they are not in an age-group then that's because we do not know your age. All you need to do is to click on the link on the ‘Rankings by Age-Category' page and tell us your name, club and date of birth. The more people who tell us their date of birth the more interesting these tables will be so don't delay in dropping a quick message to Steve. It will only take 10 seconds!
The time trialling season in the Midlands is now well under way with six of our traditional early-season events already behind us. However, not a lot has changed in the rankings as many people have not yet started racing regularly. At the top of the men's rankings Richard Bradley, now riding for Team i-ride, has already achieved one win in the VC Sevale 10 but his closest rival at the top of the table, Matt Clinton (MikeVaughan.co.uk), has yet to race. At the top of the women's rankings Michelle King (Cult Racing) is already showing that she is in fine form with a win in the Stourbridge Velo 21.
Nobody has succeeded in moving up a category in March - we are going to have to be patient and wait for the April results to come in before we see who has made big improvements in their form over the winter. Hopefully next month we will get some clues as to who are the biggest improvers amongst the Midlands time triallists of 2011.
For general discussion on the rankings, please join in with the topic on Time Trialling Forum.
Rankings - August update
How have the rankings changed in August?
Within the Midlands District just four events took place in August: 25-mile events organised by Coventry CC and Mercia HBM CC and 10-mile events organised by Speedwell BC and the BDCA. 214 rides were done in those 4 events by 25 different women and 151 different men.
The riders taking part represented 78 different clubs and the two clubs with the highest number of active riders were the Leamington C&AC and the Wyre Forest CRC. Both clubs had 9 riders taking part in at least one event in August.
The most dramatic change in the rankings has come in the women's table this month with Michelle King (Cult Racing) finally completing a 5th counting event and launching herself into the Elite category. This is where she deserves to be as the reigning National Rudy Project Series Champion and she would almost certainly have got there sooner but for the cancellation of the Echelon double-header weekend in July. However Michelle is making a habit of achieving top-10 placings in open events and a further two top-10s at the Coventry 25 and the Speedwell 10 gave her ample points to claim Elite status. Congratulations to Michelle!
Apart from Michelle, just two riders have been promoted up a category this month. David Cossey (Hinckley CRC) has been quietly making steady progress since the start of the season and his performances and points scores have been improving every month. It was his 14th place with 22.36 in the Speedwell 10 which finally lifted him to 2nd cat in August. Another rider whose ranking benefited at the Speedwell 10 was Tony Ball (Team Swift). The points for his 6th place on that day are added to his very strong performances in July and take him up to 1st cat and a ranking of 17th in the district. Well done to David and Tony.
Finally, congratulations to these riders who have just completed five counting events for the first time and been categorised as 3rd cats this month:
- Pierre Guern (Leamington C&AC)
- Jack Hugill (Mercia HBM CC)
- Robert Eccles (Lichfield City CC)
For general discussion on the rankings, please join in with the topic on Time Trialling Forum.
Rankings - July update
How have the rankings changed in July?
Just five open events took place in the Midlands District in July, three 10-mile events organised by Leamington C&AC, Coventry CC and Rugby RC, and two 25-mile events by Walsall RCC and Warwickshire RC. 329 rides were done by 234 riders from 78 different clubs. The most prolific riders were Emily Whitmore, John Dixson, Steve Batsford and Jon Simpkins, each of whom completed four events.
As usual it is those riders who have completed five or more Midlands (K-course) events in the last 12 months who we will focus on, because anyone who has not yet done five events will not have a ranking or points score which reflects their level of performance.
The Leamington 10 proved a fruitful event for Martin Hackley and Emily Whitmore, both of Team Endura - MI Racing. Martin achieved his highest placing yet of 18th and Emily her second highest points score leading both to be promoted from 4th cat to 3rd cat. Ron Clews (Wyre Forest CRC) also made the jump up from 4th cat to 3rd cat thanks to a 23.09 in the Rugby 10.
An emphatic leap into the 2nd cats was made by Steve Batsford (Banbury Star CC) during July, his consistently improving results leading to an increase of over 100 points and a ranking of 33rd after lying only 71st back in April. John Herring (Leamington C&AC) and Peter Ward (Stratford CC) both moved back up to 2nd cat status in July after sliding down temporarily in June and Simon Harradine (CC Topp) returned to 1st cat after briefly slipping to 2nd cat.
Very little has changed at the top of the men's rankings but change looks imminent at the very top of the women's table. Even without five counting events Michelle King (Cult Racing) has moved up to 2nd place in the rankings thanks to an outstanding 9th place and 22.05 in the Coventry 10. She looks set to take over the top position from Ruth Eyles (Beacon Roads CC) if she can complete five counting events before the end of the season.
Finally, congratulations to all the riders who have just completed five counting events for the first time and been categorised above 4th cat this month. The riders are:
- Tony Ball (Team Swift) - 2nd cat
- Mike Wheeler (Team Lutterworth Cycle Centre) - 2nd cat
- Ian Ward (Walsall RCC) - 2nd cat
- Dave Tedds (Hinckley CRC) - 3rd cat
- Martin Millington (Stratford CC) - 3rd cat
- Peter Ding (Ludlow CC) - 3rd cat
- Adrian Tayles (Rugby RC) - 3rd cat
- Alex Grzegorczyk (Leamington C&AC) - 3rd cat
- Richard Coleman (Stourbridge CC) - 3rd cat
For general discussion on the rankings, please join in with the topic on Time Trialling Forum.
Rankings - June update
Updates and Changes in June
Six open time trials took place in June in the Midlands District, four 10-mile events, a 25 and the solitary open 50 in the district, the Shirley RC 50.
In total nine riders have succeeded in moving up a category which is the clearest indication of progress and overall improvement in form. Congratulations therefore to Peter Delves (Coventry RC) who achieved a new PB in the Evesham Whlrs 10 taking him to 3rd cat for the first time. Richard Deeley (MJS Racing) and Colin Edney (Beacon RCC), who had both dipped down to 4th cat briefly in May, also regained their 3rd cat status.
Moving from 3rd cat to 2nd cat is Adam Hart (Worcester St. Johns CC) who delivered emphatic performances in the Shirley 50 where he was 5th and 3rd place in his own club's 10. Neil Dallaway (Uni of Birmingham CC) was just behind Hart in 6th place in the Shirley 50 and he also progresses to 2nd cat on the strength of that ride. Meanwhile Mike Amery (VC Sevale) achieved a very strong 6th place with 21.32 in the Evesham Whlrs 10 to move up to 2nd cat.
Rankings May update
What Has Changed in May?
Seven more Midlands time trials took place in May and at last we have some riders showing clear progress up the rankings: this month we have our first riders who have succeeded in going up a category!
Firstly, congratulations to three riders who have been promoted to 3rd cat this month: Steven Goodbier (Evesham & Dist Whlrs) put in his best peformance for some time in the Beacon Little Mountain TT and leapt up a massive 93 points. Martin Staines (Worcester St John's CC) showed that the best rides can be done in the worst conditions by achieving his highest event score yet in the wind and rain at the Severn Valley Velo 10 and finally David Mobbs (Banbury Star CC) did a good ride on a tough course at the Coventry CC 10 on May Day to gain his promotion.
Rankings - April update
What Has Changed in April?
Our next update of the Midlands Rankings includes the five events which took place in April 2010 and leaves out the events from April 2009. 359 rides in open events were completed in April by 240 different riders, 29 of them women. Riders from 88 different clubs took part in at least one of the five events.
This month there has been a change at the top of the rankings with James Wall (Team Echelon-SPIUK) dislodging Richard Bradley (Shorter Rochford RT) from the no. 1 position as some of Bradley's oldest wins are now more than 12 months ago and so are no longer counted. Can Bradley can win some more events in May and reclaim a joint top spot with Wall? The biggest mover in the higher categories is Scott Povey (Warwicks RC) who is heading back up towards the Elites after his emphatic victory in the Warwicks RC 10. Waiting in the wings but not yet having 5 counting events to earn categorisation is Matt Clinton (Mike Vaughan.co.uk): If Matt can win one more open event on a K-course he will shoot straight to the top of the rankings and be level with Wall.
Amongst the 2nd cats Dael Sidwell (Team Lutterworth CC) has made the most progress thanks to a strong 6th place in the VTTA 8.7-mile event and if he continues in that manner he will soon be a 1st cat. Nicky Xandora (Banbury Star CC) and Tim Hastie (Rugby RC) are making greatest progress amongst the 3rd cats and Stephen Cooke (Walsal RCC) and James Plant (Wyre Forest CRC), both 4ths, have leapt upwards by 80 and 71 ranking places respectively.
As expected several riders have been categorised for the first time, having just completed 5 events, but we are still waiting for the first rider to move up a category through improved performances. Who will be the first to achieve that? Maybe someone will make a breakthrough in May!
Newly categorised above 4th cat this month are:
- Andrew Green (Team Lutterworth CC) - 2nd cat
- Vince Page (Team Echelon SPIUK) - 2nd cat
- Neil Dallaway (University of B'ham CC) - 3rd cat
- Steve Batsford (Banbury Star CC) - 3rd cat
- Stacey Penn (Team Endura) - 3rd cat
For general discussion on the April rankings, please join in with the topic on Time Trialling Forum.
Midlands Rankings - Updated
The Midlands Rankings website has been updated to include performances in March. To go to the Rankings website click here. There's also a thread on Time Trialling Forum if you want to make general comments. If you wish to point out any inaccuracies, please contact Ruth Eyles or Steve Lockwood
Movers and Shakers in March 2010!
The rankings have now been updated and include the six events in March 2010 in the Midlands district. So far 170 riders have been active this season and ridden one or more events. Most prolific of these has been Rob Weare (Leamington C&AC) who has ridden five out of the six events. He is closely followed by David Wood (Wyre Forest CRC), Elspeth Brimley (Hinckley CRC), James Wall (Echelon-SPIUK) and Norbert Wysocki (Wyre Forest CRC) who have all ridden four events.
Some riders have shot up the rankings because they previously did not have five counting events (so every event means a big increase in points for them) but the real improvements can be seen for riders who previously had five event results and yet their performances so far in 2010 have pushed them further up the rankings. The greatest increase in points has been achieved by Phil Hunt (Wyre Forest CRC) who has increased his tally by 31 points with strong performances in the Wrekinsport Hilly and the Stourbridge Velo 22. Another big increase in points and the highest increase in ranking this month has been achieved by Alex Hamer (Severn Valley Velo). A good perfomance in the Stourbridge Velo 11 has boosted his points and moved him up 28 ranking places. However, James Wall is the only one to cause any movements amongst the Elites and his stunning achievement of a trio of wins in the Banbury Star Hardriders, the Stourbridge Velo 22 and the Elizabethan Hilly have catapulted him to the very top of the rankings to join Richard Bradley (Shorter Rochford RT) as the joint-highest-ranked riders in the district.
A few riders have been categorised for the first time, having just completed 5 events, but as yet no rider has moved up a category through improved performances. We will probably have to wait for more events and more riders to start their seasons to see category shifts which are the measure of big improvements in performance. However, newly categorised above 4th cat this month are:
- Simon Harradine (CC Top) - 1st cat
- Peter Ward (Stratford CC) - 2nd cat
- Timothy Hastie (Rugby RCC) - 3rd cat
- Dave Preece (Worcester St. John's CC) - 3rd cat
- Nicky Xandora (Banbury Star CC) - 3rd cat
- Marina Bloom (Rugby RCC) - 3rd cat
- Claire Sadler (Bicester Millennium CC) - 3rd cat
