Finally, racing returns to UK roads

Newbury Velo’s TTs get the domestic race scene rolling, reports James Shrubsall

- James Shrubsall

Last week saw the first bike racing in the UK since lockdown began, when Newbury Velo staged two time trial ‘test’ events.

Both events were held just outside the club’s home town in Berkshire, and staged over 10 miles under club event rules. They were described by Cycling Time Trials as a valuable confidence-booster ahead of the official resumption of time trialing on Monday 13 July for club events, and this coming Saturday (18 July) for opens.

Covid-19 precautions were very much in evidence, with organizers Rachael Elliott and Glen Knight putting in place safety measures.

“Everyone who was helping was given a little bottle of hand sanitizer, they all had to wear face masks and were briefed on social distancing,” explained Elliott. “We had the car park set up, and people were told to arrive at HQ at a certain time, they can’t just arrive – just to keep numbers down in the car park. We had social distancing officers, as we call them, making sure people didn’t congregate… no one was allowed to turbo.”