Thirty four riders from eight different clubs turned out for tonight’s season opening 5 mile time trial. In spite of the overcast conditions, there were some great rides, with 6 riders beating the 25mph mark, 4 Ards CC riders scoring personal bests, and 5 Ards CC riders taking part in their first ever 5 mile TT.
The battle for the win was particularly close. Ian Inglis (Black Rose) set the early standard with 11:32, only to see Keith Philips (North Down) go faster by one second. But it was last man off, Ricky Topping (Ards CC) who took the win with 11:28.
This is a counting event for the club 5 mile Handicap Cup. Each Ards CC rider’s time is compared to his previous personal best at 5 miles, and the rider with the biggest improvement wins. Points are awarded to the first 6 on handicap, and the rider with the most points at the end of the year wins the trophy. Winner on handicap this evening was Dean Bradley, who improved his PB by 43 seconds.
Note – if you haven’t previously ridden an Ards CC 5 mile time trial, then we won’t have a personal best time for you, and you’ll not be eligible for handicap points until your next ride at this distance.
Thanks as always to the timekeepers and marshals, who did a great job on a busy evening.
| Name | Club | Time | H’Cap | Pts | |
| 1 | Ricky Topping | Ards CC | 11:28 | -10 | 2 |
| 2 | Keith Philips | North Down | 11:31 | ||
| 3 | Ian Inglis | Black Rose | 11:32 | ||
| 4 | Robin Logan | Northern | 11:52 | ||
| 5 | Willy Gill | Ards CC | 11:55 | -25 | 1 |
| 6 | Jonny Webb | North Down | 11:59 | ||
| 7 | Glen Kinning | Kinning | 12:00 | ||
| 8 | Andrew Evans | Killinchy CC | 12:11 | ||
| 9 | Roy Corhill | Kinning | 12:13 | ||
| 10 | Robin Millar | Ards CC | 12:27 | -50 | |
| 11= | Gareth Murray | Ards CC | 12:29 | +33 | 5 |
| 11= | Michael Rowan | Northern | 12:29 | ||
| 13 | Andrew Jess | Ards CC | 12:32 | npt | |
| 14 | James Lemon | North Down | 12:44 | ||
| 15 | Daniel Gordon | VC Iveagh | 12:46 | ||
| 16 | Richard Hanna | Ards CC | 12:49 | -26 | |
| 17 | Alex Porter | Ards CC | 12:53 | +34 | 7 |
| 18 | Dean Bradley | Ards CC | 12:54 | +43 | 10 |
| 19 | Roman Sarvas | Ards CC | 12:55 | npt | |
| 20 | Gary Stevenson | Ards CC | 13:00 | npt | |
| 21 | Nev Smyth | Northern | 13:05 | ||
| 22 | Alan Rodgers | Ards CC | 13:07 | +3 | 3 |
| 23 | Luke Joyce | Kinning | 13:08 | ||
| 24 | Tim McCallion | Titantic | 13:09 | ||
| 25 | Ross Brennan | Northern | 13:10 | ||
| 26 | Michael Price | Ards CC | 13:13 | -41 | |
| 27 | Chris Speers | Ards CC | 13:16 | -37 | |
| 28 | Lee Harvey | Kinning | 13:22 | ||
| 29 | Colin Wilson | Ards CC | 13:27 | -36 | |
| 30 | Stephen Beattie | Ards CC | 13:40 | npt | |
| 31 | Barry Greer | Kinning | 13:48 | ||
| 32 | Gillian Orr | North Down | 13:52 | ||
| 33 | Gavin McBride | Ards CC | 14:08 | npt | |
| 34 | Mark Harvey | Kinning | 14:11 |
npt = no previous time (at this distance in an Ards CC race, while a member.