Velo’s Sally Smith scored her first victory of the season by winning the road bike category at the KCA 10 held on the Brenzett course.

Smith recorded 26:56 and as well as taking the victory, she recorded her first time under 27 minutes on her road bike.

Well done Sally and thanks to fellow Velo David Mackey for timekeeping and organiser Pete Elms and his KCA team for putting the event on.

Across the channel, Phil Booth rode the Paris Roubaix challenge, successfully completing his ninth attempt at the event.

Velo’s Rob Kennison crossed the channel to take part in the Gent Wevelgem sportive, riding the flemish roads of the spring classic one day ahead of the professional peloton.

Opting for the 220km version , Rob braved the winds of De Moeren, the cobbles of the Kemmelberg, and the gravel of the ‘plugstreets’, and completed the distance in just under nine hours, although that also included riding too and from his hotel.

An epic, effort, well done Rob!

Sally Smith raced closer to home, travelling to the Isle of Grain to ride the West Kent RC 10. Sally also had to brave the winds, and came home in 28:13, taking second female road bike and third female overall.

Well done Sally, and thank you to the volunteers from WKRC for putting on the event.

The opening day of the time trial season in Kent, saw seven velos travel to the Isle of Grain to complete in the VTTA 10, doubling up as the velo’s road bike championship.

Rob Kennison came home with the cup, finishing with a time of 24:58, good enough to also be second road bike overall, and first veteran road bike. Matt Nunn wasn’t far behind, recording 26:03. Fraser Blandford claimed third place, stopping the stopwatch on 28:10, with Simon Tucker (28:28) and Nigel Wharton (28:31) on his heels.

The event also saw the welcome return to time trialling of Steve Smith and Phil Booth, who both came home in under 30 minutes, here’s hoping they both start competing regularly again.

Well done all and thank you to Bob Giles and the VTTA for organising, velo member Dave Mackey for timekeeping, and Charlie Bruce for the photos.

Whilst the velo TT riders were racing in Grain, Sally Smith and Mike Stanley headed to Thetford Forest to ride a 53 mile Glorious Gravel sportive.

Despite a puncture for Mike which thankfully sealed itself the pair finished the course on 3 hours 15.

Well done both.

A new initiative for the velo is the club chair’s challenge for 2025, where members compete to firstly complete a ride of at least a particular distance each month, with the final month of the challenge seeing any members remaining in the competition aiming to complete the ride of the longest distance.

The aim is to monitor this via the clubs strava club, however at the end of each month the chair will produce a list of who they think is still in the challenge, and ask for any additions that need to be made.

The rule are as follows

Velo’s Sally Smith and Mike Stanley travelled to Norfolk to take part in the Glorious Gravel Sportive.

Taking in 54 miles around Thetford they completed the distance in 3 hours 43 minutes, with Sally enduring a number of issues, including a puncture that saw her covered in sealant!

Well done both on their off road adventures this year.

Velo’s top female time triallist, Debbie Percival, finished second in the final Kent event of the year, the VTTA 15 run on the Hamstreet course.

Debbie completed the course in a time of 39:48, good enough for second place in the women’s event and only just behind winner Rebecca Wilson’s time of 39:23.

Overall winner was Nic Fennell in 29:29.

Well done Debbie and thanks to the VTTA, promoter Bob Giles, and his team of volunteers for putting on the event.

The annual Wigmore CC hill climb, held on the lung busting Hollingbourne Hill, saw Medway Velo’s Debbie Percival take the win in the female category.

Riding in her twentieth consecutive Wigmore hill climb, Debbie also took her ninth overall category win in the event, coming home in a time of 4:51.1.

Mike ‘Specs’ Stanley was the fastest velo overall, taking the clubs hill climb championship, recording 4:36.6, with Connor Clare also coming home in less than five minutes with his time of 4:59, a very creditable effort given him needing to overcome a couple of logistical issues in order to take the start line. Time trial debutant Jamie Martin was velo’s fourth representative, crossing the line in 5:50.2.

Overall winner was Josh Aiken almost breaking the three minute barrier with his time of 3:03.1.

Well done to all the riders and thank you to our friends at the Wigmore and their team of volunteers for putting on another great hill climb, and to Sally Smith for the photos.

Velo’s Debbie Percival achieved her third win of the season in the KCA 25 held on the Ham Street course.

Despite overnight showers, and the forecast of more heavy rain, Debbie took the win in the female category, coming home in 1:08:14.

Debbie now moves onto the hill climbing season, including her 20th appearance at the Wigmore CC event on Hollingbourne Hill.

Well done Debbie, and thank you to the KCA and their team of volunteers for putting on the event.

Two of velo’s strongest female riders travelled to Betteshanger country park for the KCA 10, with both riders coming away with podium places.

Debbie Percival continued her strong season on the TT bike, taking third place overall in the women’s race and was also fastest female on age adjusted time, coming home in 26:18.

Velo’s road bike queen Sally Smith claimed victory in the women’s road bike category a time of 27:54, more than two minutes ahead of her closest rival.

Winner overall was Nic Fennell of the Thanet RC, with Maria Sparks being fastest female.

Well done both, and thank you to organiser Mark Hill, and his team of KCA volunteers for putting on the event.

Three velos travelled to the A2070 Hamstreet bypass to race the KCA 10 mile time trial.

Jon Graciano was the fastest velo, recording an excellent PB of 22:22, taking 10th spot overall. Mike Stanley, fresh from the club 10 on Friday evening recorded 23:34, whilst Debbie Percival was well placed amongst the females with a time of 25:53, good enough for third fastest female.

Well done all, and thanks to the KCA for putting the event on.