THE TIME Trial season got off to an early start for three intrepid members of the Dursley Road Club on Sunday as they took part in a 25-mile Open event on the U17 course, organised by the Severn Road Club.

Starting in Woodford, the U17 course runs along the A38 for several miles before turning off left to loop around the minor roads, taking in Breadstone and Wanswell, before skirting Berkeley and re-joining the A38 again at Berkeley Heath.

The riders have to complete this loop twice before continuing up the A38 to the Slimbridge roundabout, and then head back along the A38 to the finish in Stone.

This traditional early season event more often than not falls victim to our unpredictable weather and Sunday’s running was no different in that respect.

Whilst the event started in reasonably bright conditions, the thermometer was only just nudging above freezing. However, it was not long before a slight increase in the temperature soon brought rain to add to the rider’s misery.

The atrocious weather conditions that followed did little to improve the technically demanding course, with the rain adding to the mud on the second lap of the course to make riding at speed both perilous and mentally draining for the competitors.

Fortunately, despite this, there were few incidents and most of the one hundred competitors finished the course, cold, tired but otherwise unharmed.

The Dursley RC trio of Mike Davis, Billy Oliver and Russell Peace were all competing in the solo event and all acquitted themselves well, posting good results.

Dursley RC secretary Oliver was using the event as a leg stretcher for the forthcoming season, which sees him taking the step up to competing at national level.

As part of the BikeScience/Boardman Elite team, Oliver is being coached by multi-national time trial champion Matt Bottrill and has been working hard over the off season in preparation.

Sunday’s performance would seem to suggest he is on the right path, taking a well-earned second place overall.

Keen triathlon competitor Davis, with a few years of time trial experience under his belt, was entering the event for the second year and, chasing hard, his efforts were rewarded with sixth overall.

Relatively new to Dursley RC, Peace, despite being a newcomer to time trialling, fought the course and conditions to take a very creditable twentieth place.

With the season now underway, Dursley riders will now be hoping that the weather improves over the next few weeks in time for the start of Durlsey RC’s Club TT 21 Race Championship which kicks off on Thursday April 2.