50-mile personal best for Paul Hayward

Paul Hayward of Velo Club Baracchi tackled the Godric CC 50-mile open time trial on Sunday and came away with a course personal best time of 2-04:56.

The event up and down sections of the Waveney Valley course on the A143 between the Stockton roundabout and the Needham roundabout is by no means the fastest in the area but Matthew Senter of Team VeloVelocity beat his own course record with a 1-45:59 ride.

In the Iceni Velo 10-mile open event on the A11 near Morley John Swanbury of VCB achieved a year’s-best 24:14.

Matt O’Brien of Plomesgate CC won the event in 19:45 and the sole tandem of Glenn Taylor (Shorter Rochford RT) and Mark Arnold (VTTA East Anglian Group) recorded 18:36.

Jenny Anderson of Gt Yarmouth CC rode a personal best 24:02 and Denise Hurren of Sole Bay Cycle Sport was the fastest woman with 22:30, seeing off a challenge by Sarah Senderski of Team Bottrill/Vanguard, second in 22:59.

In the Godric CC club 10 last week the VCB times were Stuart Chase 23:26, Paul Dennington 23:31, Alex He 24:06 and on the tandem Kate Churchill and John Swanbury 24:09.

VCB riders and some Godrics at the Godric Club 10

The three top times were very close; Nick Partridge (Plomesgate CC) won with 21:31 from Brian Yates (Carrick CC) 21:43 and Simon Scott (Anglia Velo) 21:47.

John Thompson rode “The Windmill Ride” 200km audax, so-called because the route passes 10 windmills.

Based at Chelmsford, the route included controls at Finchingfield, Belchamp St Paul, Newmarket, Saffron Walden, Barley, the Eagle Road Club hut at Ugley and then back to Chelmsford, with various devious routes between.

Thompson just missed out on 12 hours for this ride but was happy and said, “If it had been a tad cooler I might have been a bit quicker, particularly as it involved more and longer stopping for rehydration.”

He was amused at Saffron Walden church that the riders’ bottles were refilled from the font, the cue for banter.

On a sad note, VCB members were sorry to learn that one of their club-mates, Stephen Woodcock, had passed away after having held serious illness at bay for a long time.

A very keen rider and supporter of the club, who helped with events and remained cheerful despite his problems, Stephen had also taken part with enthusiasm in the “Wrinklies” rides.

His funeral will be at St Mark’s Church in Oulton Broad on Monday July 2 at 12 noon.