SWan's CHALLENGE cup

Are you up for setting a time?  Can you beat your previous best?
​Remember it’s all about improvement over the season - so everyone can participate on an even footing. 
This event will run once a fortnight over the Summer months. The trophy is awarded at the Annual General Meeting to the person who demonstrates the greatest improved lap time for the year. To participate you will need to join Swan Wheelers Club on Strava, (after all if it’s not on Strava, did it really happen!). The laps are recorded at each event and results posted (see below).

To qualify, after warming up, you must set an initial genuine best effort lap and subsequent attempts during the course of the year will be compared to that initial best effort lap time, the net improvement will be calculated for each participant. The jury has the discretion to disregard lap times, where it feels there wasn’t a "(best effort)" made.

The point of the cup is to add bit of social fun & a beer into our events calendar and for Club members to acknowledge and celebrate the effort of the person who has demonstrated the greatest improvement in this challenge, during the year. This format allows everyone, from novice to seasoned cyclist, to have a chance of winning the cup.

2025 Competition

2025 sees another change, with the TT loop now running clockwise - Gawcott - Hillesden - Preston Bissett - Gawcott, a 6.65 mile loop starting and ending at the Buckingham Road junction opposite The Crown pub.

PREVIOUS WINNERS

2023 and 2024 saw a slight change with the TT loop continuing to run anti-clockwise, but the Swans Section segment started and finished in Gawcott just before the street calming. This reduced the distance from 6.66 miles to 6.47 miles
Post Covid-19, for 2022 and due to the Silverstone Circuit change of use, we decided to use the Gawcott – Preston Bissett – Hillesden 6.66 mile Strava segment instead:​
SILVERSTONE CHALLENGE CUP
​Prior to Covid19 there were a number of cycle evenings run by Silverstone Running and Cycling Club each year to allow access to the circuit where you can train and cycle at your own pace. The circuit was open from 5:30pm to 8:00pm weather permitting. You were able to attend as many of the cycling evenings as you wish upon payment to the organisers and following their rules of admission. Post Covid-19 (2022) this was not re-introduced in the same format, so what to do next?

​A trophy was  awarded at the Annual General Meeting to the person who demonstrates the greatest improved lap time for the year, around the Silverstone Circuit, using segment "SWCC from Beckett’s Lap" on Strava, against the Swan Wheelers Club leaderboard. If you wish to participate it is important that you join (free) Strava, (after all – if it’s not on Strava, did it really happen?) and on Strava join the Swan Wheelers Club. The laps will be recorded after each event and results posted

To qualify, after warming up, you must set an initial genuine best effort lap. Rolling starts are acceptable, a static start is not required. Subsequent attempts during the course of the year will be compared to your initial best effort lap time, the net improvement will be calculated for each participant. The jury has discretion to disregard best effort lap times, where the jury feels there is an unrepresentative “best effort” made.

This challenge is an attempt made by an individual, therefore Chain Gang Laps are excluded from the results. Participants in “Chain Gang” should forward their individual solo best lap time to the Club Secretary to be included in the Challenge Cup results. If the solo time is not submitted, then their times of the evening will be excluded from the results.

The person with the greatest improvement at the end of the season, will be declared the winner. In the case of a tie, the first participant to achieve the greatest difference will be declared the winner, and awarded the cup, to be retained until the next AGM, where it will subsequently be awarded to the next seasons winner.

The point of the cup is to add bit of fun into the calendar, and for club members to acknowledge and celebrate the effort of the person who has demonstrated the greatest improvement in this challenge, during the year. This format allows everyone, from novice to seasoned cyclist, to have a chance of winning the cup.​
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Times recorded in the first years challenge, will be carried forward to be the best effort for subsequent years, so you will be hitting the ground running after the first attempt!

SILVERSTONE
​CHALLENGE CUP​ final results 2018

Thanks to everyone that participated in this fun competition, the final results are now in – The trophy will be awarded to Stuart Batchelor at the upcoming AGM, Well done to Stuart for consistently bettering his previous time on each attempt. We hope to see you all out on the circuit next season - Can you go even quicker than your best time this year?