Springtime on the roads for VC Baracchi cyclists

The first really warm Sunday of spring attracted many cyclists onto the roads of Norfolk and Suffolk, like so many ladybirds emerging from hibernation.

Not all the cyclists had hibernated, of course, but the sunny day certainly made a nice change from some of the wetter days of winter.

The Velo Club Baracchi 8.30am club run from the Colville Road roundabout was well attended and most of the riders followed the full route via Halesworth and Peasenhall and Saxmundham to Dunwich and then back through Wenhaston.

Some were getting in some final training in the run-up to Gt Yarmouth CC’s open 25-mile time trial around the Somerleyton course this Sunday.  Quite a few VCB riders are entered in this eagerly-awaited first 25 of the year.

They include older campaigners as well as a newer club rider, Titch Richards, whose previous sport was football.  He looks very competitive, having recovered from a knee operation and now showing good speed and endurance on club runs.

VCB’s touring enthusiast John Thompson had a weekend that reflected in many ways the traditions of English cycling before nearly everyone had motor transport, save that it was a solo journey.

He went for a long weekend into Essex and West Suffolk, riding on Friday afternoon to Blaxhall, “basically bashing the A12 to Stratford St Andrew” and he stayed overnight in B & B at the pub.

On Saturday he to Ipswich via Tunstall and Woodbridge, then Manningtree and via Thorpe-le-Soken to Walton-on-the-Naze.  He spent a few minutes at the Naze headland before heading through Frinton, Holland-on-Sea and Clacton, along the sea front and through St Osyth to Colchester, then Tiptree and Maldon to Danbury.

He said, “Although it was a lovely day, there was a strong enough wind which was against me all day.  With laden panniers I admit I was pretty ‘all in’ when I reached my B & B in Danbury.”

Fortunately the wind stayed in the same direction and it was a tail wind more or less all the way home on Sunday. 

Firstly, he returned to Tiptree but via a devious route through lanes, eventually to Marks Tey, where he had a busy but very short stretch, leading over the A12, to follow some more nice lanes to Bures.

From there it was Sudbury and Bildeston, “to have a lunch of a bacon roll, plum crumble and three mugs of tea” at tea rooms at Onehouse near Stowmarket.  Then it was Stowmarket, through to Peasenhall, for a short recuperation stop, then Walpole, Halesworth, Uggeshall, Stoven and Hulver, 90-plus miles in all that day. 

VC Baracchi will be supporting the Beccles Cycle for Life charity ride on May 11.  See details and entry forms on www.becclescycleforlife.org