Dennington adds VCB 50-mile championship to his achievements

Paul Dennington of Velo Club Baracchi won the club’s 50-mile championship with a fine ride in the VCB open 50-mile time trial on the A143.

Dennington on his way to the championship

His time was 2-04:36 and gave him the edge over Paul Hayward 2-05:02, Lucas He 2-06:02 and Alex He 2-17:10.  Chris Womack packed.

Hayward at Clay’s, lap 1

Lucas and his father Alex had not raced the distance before and discovered how hard it was to ride into the steady light breeze on the last headwind last leg of four at the same pace as the second one.

Lucas He

Alex He

Lucas’ time established a VCB junior record that will be hard to better unless he himself has another go at the distance, possibly on a faster course.

The event also incorporated the East District Championship and the winner was Matthew Senter of Team VeloVelocity with 1-47:23, from Harley Matthews of DAP CC (1-47:23), Daniel Bloy of Team VeloVelocity (1-48:39) and Ben Stancombe of King’s Lynn CC (1-54:04).

The women’s district champion was Jennifer Smart of VC Norwich with 2-13:48 and Chris Nudds of CC Breckland was the veteran winner with +27:36 on age standard from his 2-04:42 ride.

The whole event was organised by Richard Allen of VCB with help on the day from club members and some from other clubs.

The penultimate Diss CC club 10 attracted a big entry on the Billingford to Needham Market roundabout out-and-back course, especially popular as the Godric ones were finished for the season.

Mark Richards, VCB’s vice chairman, though now riding for DAP CC, took advantage of the warm conditions with to set a new course record, 20:48, with Liam Gentry (also of DAP CC) second in 21:29 and Simon Scott of Anglia Velo third in 21:35.

The VCB times were good too, with a course best 22:02 by Hayward for fifth place, 22:38 by Dennington and 24:34 by Alex He.  Lucas He broke his chain on the start line and rode the course after the event, discovering that he would have been very quick.

The VCB tandem pair, John Swanbury and Ali Banks, were pleased with their 22:31 ride.

Richards also rode the Eastern Region Road Race Championship for DAP CC on the old A11 near Saffron Walden and climbing into the Chiltern Hills west of that road.

He took ninth place, 3:11 down on the winning time of Rhys Howells (Team Wiggins), who had ridden the Rapha Copenhagen Nocturne the previous evening.

Keith Wink rides well in Tour De Broads sportive

Keith Wink flew the flag for Velo Club Baracchi on the northern Tour de Broads sportive 100-mile route.

It started and finished on the Hoveton Hall estate and followed a figure of eight route through Norfolk, Happisburgh at the north of the first loop and Fleggburgh at the south and then Scottow and Buxton near the top of the second loop and Reedham on the south.

Wink said, “I was in a small group of only three or four with two of us doing most of the work and with some reasonable head winds at times.  I finished in four hours and fifty-seven minutes with a 20.3mph average. It would have been quicker but for traffic, junctions and road works.”

He added, “I was very pleased with that ride. The average for the first loop was quicker and it was tough to keep the average over 20mph.”

John Thompson rode the Essex Rivers and Reservoirs 215km audax from Witham, with controls at Stock, Burnham-on-Crouch, Tillingham, Abberton Reservoir Visitor Centre, Sudbury, Gt Bardfield and Littley Green before returning to Witham.

He said, “It was a bit of a slow ride, finishing in around 13 hours, but it does involve a lot of controls where you have to buy something for the receipt.  We were more lucky than unlucky with the wind direction, with a total of just around 25 miles against it.”