Time trial entries slump sparks concern

CTT survey attempts to find the cause of low entry numbers, reports James Shrubsall

- James Shrubsall

Increasingly disappointing time trial field sizes have led governing body Cycling Time Trials to send a survey to all members in an attempt to get to the bottom of the issue.

Even the most popular races appear to be suffering from a dearth in entries, with the evergreen North Road Hardriders 25 only managing 42 starters this year against 80 in 2017 and 76 in 2019. Another legendary early-season hilly test, the East Surrey Hardriders, saw a nearly 50% fall in entries in 2021 from four years ago - 94 in 2017 to 52 last year. This season's edition was cancelled due to risk of ice.

CTT's Rob Bailey said: “We are aware that there appears to be fewer riders entering time trials this season. Obviously, we are concerned in case this trend continues.

"Smaller fields reduce the incentive for events to be run as well as the social aspect of our sport back in the race HQ.” The reason for the decline, Bailey said, was not yet understood, but there were various theories.

“We have considered possible causes. These include the current high prevalence of Covid-19, the time to recover and regain fitness post-Covid, the rapidly rising cost of living, and riders finding enjoyable alternatives during the lockdown. No doubt there will be other reasons."