Wolverhampton Racing Cycling Club (WRCC) Time Trial League 2026
Last year (2025) I finally managed to compete in some time trials for the first time. As is the case for many, I suspect, I quickly got the bug and throughout the season progressed from “giving it a go” on a repurposed road bike to buying a TT bike and eventually trying to squeeze every last watt out of aero shoe covers, skinsuits and silly helmets – all of which, as a lifelong roadie, I’d kind of hoped I’d never have to wear.
Long story short, I posted some respectable times in 2025 and managed to win my club’s TT league. Last year’s win did come with the caveat that some club mates were out of form and/or injured, so I knew 2026 would represent a much tougher challenge. I wanted to approach this season with much better-quality preparation than simply turning up on a Tuesday night and riding.
My local time trial scene has two layers: the weekly open competitions, racing against anywhere between 15 and 35 riders from various local clubs, and the race amongst club mates for points in our own TT league, with point-scoring races spread across seven of those weekly events. I knew that if I could shave 30–40 seconds off my 2025 times, I could be in with a shot at some podium finishes in the open category and should also have a chance of defending my club TT league title.
I was definitely aware that my CdA needed work, especially after seeing some photos of my position from an event last year, so a bike fit during the winter was a must. In January I also set some tangible goals and started working with Tim to improve my FTP and race craft.
After a couple of pre-league races, I took to the line in mid-May for the first points-scoring race of the season. It was windy, so no PB, and I finished a respectable fourth in a field of 25 riders. A club mate and I recorded the club’s first known dead heat – in more than 75 years of club time trials – to tie for first place in the league.
It could have been worse, as proved to be the case in race two a couple of weeks later, when I fell heavily on a sharp bend (front wheel touched some gravel mid-corner) and crawled slowly to the finish line with a bruised ego, ripped skinsuit and some bark off my knee, elbow and shoulder.
But I settled into a groove from race three onwards and was the fastest club rider in the next four races, which was enough to retain the league. My other personal target was to achieve a podium finish in the open category at some stage in 2026 and, after finishing fourth in four back-to-back races early in the season, I finally broke through and went on to finish on the podium five times – three third places and two second places.
My FTP increased by more than 15 watts compared with last season. Combined with the bike fit, Tim’s programme helped me shave a full minute off last year’s PB – considerably more than the 30–40 seconds I’d been hoping for at the start of the year.
A season full of ups and downs (literally, in the case of race two), but one in which I achieved everything I’d set out to do – and a bit more. This year also reinforced what a wonderfully quirky and unique thing the British TT scene is. If you’ve never done it, you really should give it a go.
I’m already looking forward to seeing what 2027 brings.
Pete Richards