Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

“Great to compare times to legends,” says rider who was 2nd to Wiggins at club 10 TT

Phil Williams beaten on Lancashire course for first time – but he didn’t mind one bit

A cyclist previously unbeaten on a 10-mile time trial course in Lancashire says he doesn’t mind that run coming to an end on Tuesday evening, given the identity of the rider who beat him – Olympic time trial champion, Sir Bradley Wiggins.

> Bradley Wiggins turns up at a club ‘10’ in Lancashire – and wins

Phil Williams of Liverpool Phoenix CC had been the quickest rider this year in each of the seven previous Tuesday Interclubs 10s organised by his club on the Cycling Time Trials D10/1 course.

On Tuesday, though, his time was bettered by the rider who this time last year sported the rainbow bands of world champion when competing in time trials, and who will be looking for his fifth Olympic gold medal at Rio in two months’ time.

After Tuesday’s time trial, Williams said on Facebook: “Tonight I raced against Sir Bradley Wiggins on the Rainford 10 TT course. First time I’ve not won on my TT bike on the course but I don’t mind losing that accolade to Wiggins.”

He revealed that just last Saturday he’d gone below 20 minutes over 10 miles on the same course for the first time, clocking 19 minutes 50 seconds, and that “tonight I’m made up I done another 19 with a 19:54 with worse conditions and a hard day in work under my belt.

“I wasn’t expecting to go under 20 minutes again as there was a semi tough headwind back and it was much nicer on Saturday.

But I’m even more made up I was only 39 seconds behind Wiggins,” he went on. The winner of time trial gold at London 2012 put in a time of 19 minutes 15 seconds on Tuesday, with Williams the only other rider to go below 20 minutes.

He said it was “great to be able to compare times to legends and I don’t think this kind of thing could happen in many other sports.

“For amateurs to be able to race against someone who’s won Olympic gold medals, world championships, the Tour de France and the current Hour record holder is just amazing.”

Williams added: “I didn’t get to meet Wiggins unfortunately because he was off earlier but great of him to come and race and give the Liverpool Phoenix CC some good kudos. Thanks Wiggins.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

Add new comment

10 comments

Avatar
sidesaddle | 7 years ago
0 likes

Wonder how much notice the organisers had. Would have been good to get these two at the back of the entry, it'd put even more tigers in Williams tank and give Wiggo a target to stop him jogging round in 19'15.

Avatar
vonhelmet | 7 years ago
0 likes

A couple of mates of mine regularly ride that TT, but they missed it this week.  They must be gutted!

Avatar
bluemoonday | 7 years ago
0 likes

Awesome. I would love to see a comparison between the bikes and the clothing. Is it possible to estimate an overall rating of a riders aero potential? You often see claims that this helmet or that skin suit/pedals/eye wear/brake mount/chain oil/nose shape will give you a time saving similar to the winning margin over that distance. Given Bradley's links to Team Sky and their penchant for incremental gains, I'm surprised an amateur lost by such a margin? Sure, it was home ground and I'm guessing Bradley was not riding full gas, but it is still impressive isn't it?

Avatar
kitkat replied to bluemoonday | 7 years ago
2 likes

bluemoonday wrote:

Awesome. I would love to see a comparison between the bikes and the clothing...

i think there's a notion that Wiggins came from outer space and the other fellow was in tweed & riding his grandfathers bike - didn't he do well...

Would be good to see the rig he was on. I suspect it was pretty close to pro spec anyone who puts in a sub 20 time isn't messing about!

Avatar
szega replied to kitkat | 7 years ago
1 like

kitkat wrote:

bluemoonday wrote:

Awesome. I would love to see a comparison between the bikes and the clothing...

i think there's a notion that Wiggins came from outer space and the other fellow was in tweed & riding his grandfathers bike - didn't he do well...

Would be good to see the rig he was on. I suspect it was pretty close to pro spec anyone who puts in a sub 20 time isn't messing about!

 

Found this picture of him at his cycling club's page, i would say pretty decent kit:

 

http://www.phoenixccaintree.net/liverpool/web_pics/race_report_upload/ra...

Avatar
bluemoonday replied to szega | 7 years ago
0 likes

So not your typical Sunday Super hero. Has he got his own wind tunnel too?!

Avatar
bluemoonday replied to kitkat | 7 years ago
0 likes
kitkat wrote:

i think there's a notion that Wiggins came from outer space and the other fellow was in tweed & riding his grandfathers bike - didn't he do well...

Would be good to see the rig he was on. I suspect it was pretty close to pro spec anyone who puts in a sub 20 time isn't messing about!

That's the thing, even if money was no object, he's still an amateur going up against a guy, who is part of a team that has been raising the technology bar against the world's best professional opponents!

Avatar
japes | 7 years ago
0 likes

brilliant. good on the guy for still giving it the beans against wiggins : )

Avatar
StraelGuy | 7 years ago
0 likes

I live in Rainford and often see men with strangely shaped helmets powering up and down the bypass on various exotic fauna racing each other, must have been epic to meet Sir Brad .

Avatar
Yorky-M | 7 years ago
1 like

super

Latest Comments