Our local hero Womack

 

Chris Womack of Velo Club Baracchi rode well in two 25-mile time trials at the weekend.

 

In the East Anglian VTTA 25 on a sporting course starting south-west ofNewmarketon the A1303, Womack took advantage of the warm weather (about 12 degrees) to achieve 1-06:30.

The course turned at Dunston Corner down a very bumpy un-classified country road to Six Mile Bottom and back on the A1304 towardsNewmarketand there were two circuits of on this triangular course to complete.

The fastest veteran rider was Martin Jones of Fenland Clarion with 58:39 and the overall winner of the veteran competition (comparing actual time with their veteran age standard time) was Chris Dyason of Viking Road Club with +8:48 (i.e.8:48 under his age standard).  Dyason was also the best veteran in Womack’s category (ages 65-69).

Womack’s “plus” was +5:50, which placed him seventh on standard in the veteran competition. 

Non-veteran riders also took part and the overall fastest was national champion Michael Hutchinson of In Gear Quickvit Trainsharp with 50:25.

Womack may have hoped for similar weather in the early morning event on the A11 road between Attleborough to Thetford the next morning but for all the early starters, who included all three VCB riders, it was very cold and still a little misty, starting to warm up a little when the sun came out.

The event was put back half an hour because of localised fog, none of which had been seen in Lowestoft orNorwich, and even after that when with the riders with lower start numbers set off many of them were dressed for the cold.

It was a new course, designed to avoid some of the bumpy surfaces now to be found on the old one, but there were some bigger drags on the southern end of it.

VCB times were Womack 1-04:17, John Swanbury 1-06:54 and John Thompson 1-15:28.  Second claim VCB member Jenny Anderson, riding for Gt Yarmouth CC, achieved 1-10:18.

The winner was Ian Cammish of Sonic Cycles with 52:09, from Daniel Bloy of King’s Lynn CC (52:42).

Joe Skipper, a sponsored international triathlete from Lowestoftwho has retained his VCB membership, has had some good results lately.  John Haigh, a VCB member who was holidaying in Spainwith his wife, was present to see Skipper take 7^th place out of the 1,200 competitors in the Elche Triathlon (1.9km swim, 90km bike and 19km run).

Joe admitted to Haigh after the finish that it was one of the hardest courses he had undertaken, involving a beach section during part of the run.  Skipper also recently took third place in the half-iron distance ICAN Malaga triathlon.

To enter the Beccles Cycle for Life charity ride on May 12 in advance your entry must be in by May 4.  See www.becclescycleforlife.org for all details, forms and an online entry facility. If you miss this deadline, entries on the day at the formerBecclesMiddle School (nowSirJohnLemanLowerSchool) on Castle Hill are accepted at a higher rate.

Distances range between 7 and 50 miles on country roads and the event should suit all.  So far the youngest rider is aged 4 and the oldest is 80.