Velo Club Baracchi’s 100km reliability trial a success

 

Velo Club Baracchi’s 100km (62-mile) reliability trial on Sunday attracted a total of nineteen riders and was a good event.

The early starters for a 4.5-hour ride were the organiser John Thompson with a prospective member, Ryan McGuire and a very welcome new member Kate Churchill, who has ridden for Chippenham Wheelers in the past.

Fifteen minutes later George Kerridge and Nicky Hawkes set off, followed at 9am by Mark “Titch” Richards, Steve Summons, Ian Sandall (GYCC), Stewart Godwin (GYCC) Duncan Lines and John Swanbury, followed shortly by Jenny Anderson.

All were aiming to get back to the Oulton Community Centre by 1pm and the fast group at 9.30am comprised VCB members John Dupen, Chris Womack with guest riders from other clubs (GYCC and Strada Sport) Mark Dickson, Rob Anderson, Mark Hickson, Nick Esser and another Chris.

All managed to achieve what they set out to do and the refreshments organised back at base by Thompson and Ray Skipper were very welcome.  The headwind had initially been fairly hard and towards Laxfield and soon there was some help from a tailwind all the way back as far as St Olaves, before the headwind kicked in again.

The day before in the Norfolk Nips 3 audax ride, also 100km, VCB riders Mike Rainton, Keith Wink and Steve Cone, along with Glen Cone, Denis and Chris Glasscock, David Bedford and Hugh Gatenby, all local riders enjoyed the ride from Hellesdon to Swaffham and back.

Rainton said, “As usual the organisation was superb and there were excellent refreshments including vegetable soup and an abundance of tea.”

There was water across the course at about fifteen miles, which was deep enough to require some wading, so wet feet for the remainder of the ride were inevitable.

It was one of those windy days, so the riders were pleased when on the second half of the ride there was some help, but many were by then too tired to make the best of it.

When there has been nothing special going on, club riders have continued their Sunday club rides at 8.30am from the Cotmer Road roundabout.  Last Saturday week Nicki Hawkes, Patrick Harbord and new member Charlotte Jessop left the roundabout and headed towards Halesworth, picking up and Kerridge on the way.

Jessop and Summons cut short prior to Sotterley and the remaining three headed out towards Halesworth, Walpole, Pesasenhall, Laxfield, Harleston and Bungay where they stopped for a cup of tea. 

By this time the rain has started and the dash along the bypass to Bungay was not too pleasant.  Rainton, discovered in Bungay enjoying his cups of tea, joined them for the slog home, in what were cold, wet and windy conditions.  A tough 61 miles was covered.