Cycling Weekly – August 22, 2019

12 | August 22, 2019 | Cycling Weekly

NEWS

National 25-mile

TT championship

PREVIEW

a cafe team from Canterbury — are the

favourites after strong T T seasons.

Lewis, second to Hayley Simmonds in

2018, comes to the race already holding

the 50-mile championship crown, which

she claimed in June. Fennell was pipped

to the 50-mile title by Marcin Białobłock i

(NoPinz) but has won 17 open events this

year so far.

Lewis said: “To be classed as a

favourite is an honour. I feel glad I’ve got

that name tag. I’ve not

been a favourite for

any thing until this year

started so I am still

getting to grips with it.”

August 24-

A

small cafe-based racing

team that was started only

last year is well placed to

make history this weekend

as two of its riders are favourites to

win the 25-mile National Time Trial

Championship — no two riders from the

same squad have won the titles in the

same year before.

Emma Lewis and Chris Fennell, who

both ride for Th e Independent Pedaler —

She added: “Chris and I have known

each other for a long time. I k new him

when he was a very young lad — we’ve

been in separate clubs but I see him as

my lovely, annoying little brother.”

Th e chances of both will be boosted by

the absence of the defending champions

Białobłocki and Simmonds. Both of them

are unlikely to ride since the event had to

be rescheduled due to poor weather on

its original date in July, meaning it now

clashes with other commitments.

Th e pair will also benefi t from

controversy concerning the safety of the

course, which runs on the busy A 50 dual

carriageway, with several strong riders

“To be classed as a

favourite is an honour”