​Lancs Invitation TT 29th March

Superfit Darryl Hutchinson got his cycling season off to a flying start, being the fastest Schlap rider and runner up in the Lancs Inv TT on the tough hilly Pendle circuit. 
Stating that he was at the team's disposal this Sunday as long as he caught an evening flight from Bristol(!), he made the long journey up from Devon and requested an early start from the race organiser. This did not give him the best of conditions on a wintry and wet morning, but he was clearly "up" when he caught GB squad team mate Ellie, for 2 minutes before half distance, and posted the fastest time at the early check points.

However, a torrent of rain on the latter part of the course lost him traction on the hills and despite some mad descending, his time advantage slipped away leaving him in 2nd place. Modest as always, he made no excuses and praised team mates Ian (3rd) and Antony (5th) for top 5 places easily winning Schlap the best team prize. Ellie was fastest lady and finished in a very creditable 9th place in a field comprised mainly of elite male cyclists. Overall, the event was a superb outing for Schlap with excellent performances and all riders finishing in the top 20 in a quality field. Well done everyone and we hope Darryl gets his flight!

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21/03: First big race of the new season gets underway on the 29th March in Lancs on the testing Pendle hardriders course. Schlap has put together a strong team for this invitation race with 8 riders competing including Ian, Darryl, Antony, Russell and Ellen. For those travelling up to the event, we have bookings at the Premier Inn, Wigan, on Saturday night (details from Antony, and previously via email). Alarm calls are set for 5am Sunday and don't forget the clocks change this weekend! 

22/02 Mallorca Training Camp​: 18 Schlap riders attended the training camp in Porto and the weather certainly beat Liverpool (as one team mate put it!). Daily rides of 60-80 miles were organised among some fantastic scenery and citrus groves. Ian and Antony showed early signs of fitness and were rarely absent from the front of the bunch! Thanks to our sponsors for selecting a great hotel with excellent food.

2015 HIGHLIGHTS

Schlap RACing Team

​​25th May - 2 on the Podium in Sherespire cycling Road Race

April Track Meeting 25th April

Fantastic results all round at Herne with wins for Antony and Ian in 3 races in the mens events but the one to watch and the crowd favourite was the superb womens points race final, culminating in a 3-girl sprint with our very own Eve and Ellie (right).

Ellie attacked the field with 3 laps to go, taking just 2 riders with her. At one point it looked as it was doomed to failure, but the break got organised and manged to stay away and Eve just managed to edge out Ellie. Well done to all!

A superb win for the team, with Ian (right) winning the sprint from Antony and Neil Millar of Haverhill. The 65-miler was run at a record pace with very light winds and reasonable weather. The decisive break occurring at 28 miles, with Ian, Darryl Hutchinson and Antony Keppell getting into a leading group of 18 riders. The team managed to keep the race together (see below) to secure a great win. Congrats to Ian and Antony for their brilliant  performance. Antony's 2nd means he is now only a few points away from an Elite licence.

​The pre-race brief was to try to keep the race together for the bunch sprint and this owes much to our "man of the match", Darryl, who thought the "flat" course not to his strengths and sacrificed himself to support our sprinters. He doggedly neutralised attack after attack, was worked over by the other teams, but still managed to finish 8th in the sprint and took a fair chunk of the lap prizes. We couldn't have done it without him!