The late Damon Peacock (see “An Audax Legend” within Arrivée #153) held a passion for 24 Hour Time Trialling and made several videos of the National 24 Hour TT. In his 2012 video he described the event very well…
The “24” is the furthest shore of grass roots time trialling, it takes place in a hermetically sealed bubble within what I like to call the traffic islands; a series of gypsy encampments that supporters set up beside the road.
It’s very much a family affair.
The fastest riders are on their bikes pretty much constantly, others less so.
It’s a strangely relaxing event with long waits but interludes of frenetic activity.
I’ve been involved with the “24” since 1998, nearly all the world is sublimely indifferent to it, the contrast between the fierce loyalty of its adherence and the general apathy is what I like. I love the fact that something so extraordinary is staged in the gaps between normal life.
All this was taking place whilst Bradley Wiggins cemented his victory in the Tour de France, whilst about 200 of us celebrated a tradition that stretches back to the 1880’s.
These are the roots of British Cycling’s success and I hope we can keep them healthy.
Damon Peacock 2012.
The reference made to family speaks to where many of the entrants get their help and support from, and also to the organisation of the event, which has been organised by Jon Williams and his daughter Sam, for the last 17 years, with their club name “The Mersey Roads Cycling Club” becoming synonymous with the National 24.
In years gone by there were a handful of 24Hr TTs every year, (North Roads, Mersey Roads, Wessex, Catford and the occasional special) and the National 24 Hr Championship mostly rotated yearly around those different events, but nowadays in England there is only one chance to race twice around the clock and that has been at the Mersey Roads. The race takes place towards the end of July on a series of road circuits and loops starting near Wrexham, heading down towards Shrewsbury and then transitioning back over towards the Welsh border.
The news that 2024 was the final year that The Williams Family would be organising the National 24 leapt out at me within the results booklet that was sent out during October to the 2024 participants…
“Apologies for the delay in sending the result sheet out but we have been trying to find a solution to the sad situation that we are in. Unfortunately we’ve been unsuccessful and we’re very sad to have to share the news that the Mersey Roads Club are no longer able to promote this iconic event. The club is now only a very small one and we haven’t got enough people able to put the time required into running the event. We’ve informed the local district and the national committee and hope that someone will be able to come forward to keep the event going. We’ll be very happy to pass on our knowledge and support the event going forward. Yours in sport… Jon. We hope to see you all at a 2025 event”
Jon Williams 2024 MR24 Results Booklet
When I read the above I was gutted. I’d managed to ride and complete the event in 2024, with a distance of 403.31 miles. which earned me 12th place overall, 3rd place in my veterans age group category and a place within the winning mixed team Audax UK (1,137 miles) along with two of my AUK club mates, Corrina O’Connor (330.26 miles) and James Rees (403.43 miles).
After a day or so of thinking “never again” I was looking forward to the 2025 event. I had enjoyed my debut experience and on reflection had so much to work on to improve… better conditioning, increased strength, higher speed, fewer stops, and a lot less faffing. So, to think that I may not have the opportunity to improve on the baseline I had laid down was really disappointing. What could be done?
The 24 Hour Fellowship is an organisation which has been operating in support of 24Hr racing since 1960. Pete Bishop is The 24 Hour Fellowship Journal Editor, and I had been in correspondance with him before the 2024 event – I’d offered to send him a write of my experiences in my debut 24 for his editing and inclusion in a future journal. Pete responded positively and kindly dispensed some advice from his own experiences of riding in 24s. I met Pete at the 2024 event and it was nice to chat with him on the start line and at the finish.
Pete’s Advice for riding my first 24
- Take a read through the 24Hr Manual (a little dated, but many items still have relevance).
- Training with big miles isn’t strictly necessary. Plenty of riders of typical fitness standards compete with just a few extra long rides leading up to the event.
- Fuelling, or more accurately digestion can be an issue for some so take lots of different kinds of food. Variety is good.
- You will at some stage, and for considerable periods want to just get off your bike. So, go with the flow and accept that you want to get off… just don’t!
- Try not to look at your elapsed time / distance until a considerable way through the event (1/3 or 1/2 way through).
In the aftermath of the 2024 event I decided to join the 24 Hour Fellowship. I’d heard that membership numbers had been in decline and joining felt like a positive thing to do.
October’s news that the 2025 event was without an organiser had left the long distance TT community in a bit of a hole, so in pursuit of stimulating the search for a new willing horse to take on the event in 2025, UK Time Trials’ governing body – Cycling Time Trials (CTT) sent out an informational email to its mailing list, an active topic began on The Time Trialling Forum named “24 HOUR IN 2025”, a news article in Cycling Weekly was published and a lot of discussion was had at The 24 Hour Fellowship’s AGM in November. Fellowship Chairman Michael Broadwith, had also been in touch with the Chair of the CTT to offer his, and the Fellowship’s support to the current situation. I kept a close eye on the Time Trialling Forum topic “24 HOUR IN 2025” and the comments ranged from ardent support for the 24 to some folks being fine with no more 24…! In any case, Jon Williams of The Mersey Roads Club was at the Fellowship’s AGM and brought the positive news that he was in discussion with a person from the Manchester District regarding the event in 2025. It was early days… but there was now some hope for the future of the 24.
The welcome news that an organiser had been confirmed came into the forum on the 7th Nov 2024. Tim Smith (Manchester District and CTT board member) had volunteered to run the 2025 event on the current circuit. Hurrah! A few days later Tim sent out a post on the forum explaining a few items and calling for volunteers to join his working group for the 2025 event. Cycling Time Trials (CTT) followed the forum news with an email bulletin to its mailing list confirming Tim as organiser and setting the date for the 26/27th July 2025. There was also a short article in Cycling Weekly.
I quickly decided that I would volunteer myself to help where I could, reasoning that I wanted the historic event to continue, and for that to happen it needed people to help. I mailed Tim and by response he called me and we had a very positive chat. A small group of volunteers to pursue the organisation of the event would be formed early in 2025, and I was looking forward to getting involved, but made it clear that I would be equipping myself to ride the 24 again.
The Audax Contingent
Audax UK riders have regularly been strongly represented in the National 24Hr, and in 2024 there were 6 AUK members riding under the club name with more members riding under different club names. It’s quite an obvious fit really… a lot of AUK riders are used to riding consecutive days and sustaining themselves over long periods. The disciplines of Randonneurring and Time Trialling both require a rider to manage their resources wisely until the very end, and the length of the 24Hr makes it an achievable goal for many an AUK rider, not to mention a decent preparation ride for London-Edinburgh-London or Paris-Brest-Paris every couple of years. In fact, during the 1970s, prior to an Audax Super Randonneur Series being the necessary qualification to enter Paris-Brest-Paris, one had to achieve at least 375 miles in a 24 hour TT to qualify!
Previous editions of Arrivée have contained entertaining articles on the Mersey Roads 24 by AUK members and as recently as 2024 a piece by Sue Satchithananda on her first attempt featured in issue #163, a very informative piece covering Greg Melia’s attempt on the 2019 event was featured in issue #147, and going back further issue #122 had 2 accounts of the 2013 24Hr TT.
7 Reasons to Ride
I’m hoping this piece may encourage AUK members to enter and participate in the 2025 event? So, in summary here are 7 reasons why I think it is a good idea for AUK riders to take to the start of the 24Hr…
- As an AUK member, you are already affiliated to CTT, you don’t have to pay any fee for affiliation – all you need to do is set up a profile on the CTT website and you can ride any “Open” event, including the 24Hr with Audax UK as your first claim club. The event itself does have an entry fee which in 2024 was £40, and is expected to rise in 2025.
- Audax Points can be gained for riding the 24Hr… any AUK member who rides and appears on the results sheet of an official 24Hr Time Trial organised by CTT may claim 1 point for every 100Km ridden to a maximum 7 points, provided the member covers a minimum distance of 360Km (223 miles). See AUK Regulations 13.1.3.
- There is the AUK “Dave Lewis Trophy” up for grabs for the AUK rider with the greatest distance achieved in the 24Hr.
- One can ride the event unsupported, with the organisation offering unsupported riders areas where bags of food and kit can be left and accessed accordingly. It is common for riders to have one or two helpers though.
- You can use your existing bike like I did in 2024. I rode on my steel road bike with clip on aero bars and some deep section carbon wheels. You will see a range of bikes at the event, but you don’t need a TT bike to ride it.
- The generosity of support and encouragement for riders throughout the event is something rather special. You will receive applause and shout-outs of your name and number from supporters across the course which is fantastic for your morale. There is an ambience of camaraderie and a willingness to help riders if needed with some supporters even putting on fancy dress outfits to brighten the spirits. All of this gives the event a special feel.
- Finding the courage to enter such an event places you in a special sub-group of cyclists, riding and completing it provide you with a deep sense of achievement that will stay with you for a long time. The relief you will feel as you pass the final timekeeper is immense and is a reflection of the effort you (and your helpers) have put in over the previous 24 hours.
So, I’m looking forward to contributing to the running of the 2025 event and continuing with my training which will hopefully get me in shape to improve on my debut result from 2024. I am hopeful that we will see a strong showing from AUK members and if you are reading this and thinking that you are doubting you’d be able to ride this event then I would say to you that yes, you absolutely can! You don’t have to ride for the win, just for the experience and for yourself – all you are aiming to do is ride the biggest distance you can. Your Audax legs and mind will surely get you across the finish line. It’s simple, but it’s hard.
Resources
To read a full account of my (and my helpers) experience from 2024 take a look at my blog: https://diagonaliste.com/merseyroads2024/
YouTube playlist of videos of 24Hr TTs: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtEHDH7YCMFcY3P3ZMqzfiM-XdhiYHyuw&si=j1IB3btLO7GuD143
To register a CTT profile and to enter the event: https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/
To enter the 2025 event: https://www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk/events/32190
The 24 Hour Fellowship: https://24hourfellowship.org.uk/
The 24Hr Manual: https://24hourfellowship.org.uk/documents/24HrFellowshipManual.pdf
To read The 24 Hour Fellowship’s race report from 2024 take a look here: https://24hourfellowship.org.uk/documents/2024_24hr_race%20report%20only.pdf
Past winners of AUK’s Dave Lewis Trophy: https://www.audax.uk/results/annual-awards/dave-lewis-trophy/
Past editions of Arrivée online at: https://issuu.com/audax-uk
