Dan Arblaster has shot to the top of the national junior 10-mile rankings after posting a record time for the national championship event. (Picture by Mike Brehaut, 0585033)
THEY refer to time trialing as ‘the race of truth’.
And for local cycling the truth is that the island has the best crop of youngsters in the Velo Club’s 40-year history and a national champion in Dan Arblaster, who not only took the title but set the fastest ever 10-mile time in the annual event.
Club president Gary Wallbridge rates the trio’s achievements as ‘certainly the best result Guernsey has achieved at national level’. ‘First and second is almost unbelievable and with Callum’s time we were a close second in the team event only two seconds outside the old team record with a combined time of 1hr 2min. 15 sec.
The Glendene team won the team event beating the GVC time by only 22 sec. and also setting a new team record. ‘Considering the Glendene team cherry-picks the top riders from across the UK to join and develop them, the results by the Guernsey trio are even more remarkable,’ said Wallbridge.
‘Without doubt the boys caused a massive upset at the championships as Glendene were fully expecting to walk away with the individual honours as well as the team award.’
The form book had suggested James McLaughlin would spearhead the Guernsey challenge at the national in Hampshire and of the Sarnian trio he was first off, quickly into a rhythm.
He posted a lightning fast first five miles up the A3, clocking 9min. 43sec. for the outward leg.
The second five miles was slightly uphill but that did not prevent him recording a personal best of 20-03 for second place.
Callum Hill-Smith, at 16 the youngest of the Sarnian juniors and competing in the 16 years category, has broken a string of age group records this season and put everything into his ride to cross the line in 22-19, a personal best by exactly one minute.
It was good enough for 21st overall and the bronze medal in his own age group.
Arblaster set off ninth from the back of the field and his five-mile time was a superb 9-39, just one second slower than pre-event favourite, Richard Handley.
But displaying remarkable grit and stamina, he overturned the deficit and with the fastest return leg of the day he took gold in 19-53.
Ann Bowditch competed in the women’s event fresh from her Guernsey record-breaking five-mile time trial of three days previous.
She was to finish just outside her lifetime best in 22-25 and along with her Science in Sport teammates of Leslie Walkling and Helen Carter, won the women’s team event.
After an early season illness that sidelined her for over a month, Guernsey’s ‘pocket rocket’ is quickly getting back to her best form.
Wallbridge said the youngsters were great ambassadors for island sport and have what it takes.
‘The young trio are without doubt very tough competitors, dedicated athletes capable of progressing a lot further in their sport.
‘They have the physical talent, the determination to win, the self-belief that all great athletes possess and require, and no regard to the normal barriers as to what they believe they can achieve in the sport,’ she said.
They had different and good coaches and raced within a club whose aim was to create an environment to allow all riders to develop and maximise their potential.
‘This is a wonderful time for cycling in the UK and more importantly in Guernsey and perhaps following the weekend’s results British Cycling will now know where Guernsey is and it is not just the IOM that can produce top cyclist,’ she added.
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