First open win for Titch, a team prize and other goodies

Mark (Titch) lays the bike over in the GYCC 25 (photo by Dominic Austrin)

A win for Mark Richards of Velo Club Baracchi in Gt Yarmouth CC’s open 25-mile time trial on Sunday underlined his superb current form. It was his first open win.

The course around Somerleyton, Lound, Browston and St Olaves is well known locally for being a challenging one but Richards made short work of it in 56:54.

Second place was claimed by Steve Gorbutt of Diss & District CC in 57:14 and Jim Hardwicke of Plomesgate CC took third in 58:31.

Liam Gentry in his dodgy kit (photo by Dominic Austrin)

Liam Gentry of VCB, sixth in 58:56, was also beaten by Iain Robertson of Tri Anglia in 58:40 and Steve Konrad of the home club in 58:44.  Because Gorbutt and Hardwicke won first and second veteran prizes, Gentry would have taken the prize for fourth on scratch.

George Kerridge and Nicki Hawkes riding together in the two-up event achieved 1-06:08.  The top two-up pair, John Swindells and Paul Groombridge of Iceni Velo, despite the advantage of riding together, did not quite match Richards’ time with their 57:05.

George Kerridge & Nicki Hawkes two-up (photo Dominic Austrin)

VCB also won the team prize. Other VCB times were Chris Womack 1-06:35, John Thompson 1-17:24 and Richard Allen 1-17:58.  Second-claim VCB member Jenny Anderson recorded 1-09:42 for Gt Yarmouth CC.

Richard Allen (photo by Dominic Austrin)

The top lady was Verity Smith of Stowmarket & District CC with 1-03:26. Allen was VCB’s best performer in the handicap category finishing fifteenth out of 39.  The handicap winner was Ian Sandall of the home club.

Chris Womack also rode Saturday’s VTTA national 10-mile championship near Grantham in which his time was 24:47 for a veteran “plus” of +4:05 against his age standard.  He reported on a strong headwind on the outward lap and three mini-roundabouts that slowed the course. Ron Hallam (South Pennine RC), aged 85, won with +6:41 (27:06 actual).

In the Godric CC 10 last week a run of VCB victories was disrupted by Harley Matthews of Team Pedal Revolution, who pipped Richards of VCB to the win by two seconds. Their times were just two seconds apart at 21:00 and 22:02 respectively.

Gentry came second in 21:34 and the other VCB times were Kerridge 23:00, Paul Hayward 23:01, Hawkes 26:17, Paul Reed 27:45.  There were 31 solo riders. VCB tandem pair John Swanbury and Ali Banks achieved 22:32.

Thursday’s Gt Yarmouth CC club 10 from Lound produced another win for TPR’s Matthews, with Richards second.  Their times were 22:06 and 22:20 respectively, pressed closely by Zak Coleman of TPR in third place with 22:22.

Richard Allen enjoys this course!

Kerridge took fifth place in 24:12, with VCB’s Dave Loynes eighth in 25:02.  Other VCB times were Swanbury 27:07, Richard Allen 31:07 and Josh Womack 33:59.

Dave Loynes’s tongue (photo Dominic Austrin)

Kerrridge also rode the previous week’s Plomesgate CC club 10, in which he was seventh in 23:43.  Eighteen rode and the fastest was Lloyd Chapman of Pedal Heaven in 20:58.

George Kerridge

A group of VCB riders rode to Framlingham on Sunday by way of Halesworth, Heveningham, Laxfield, Stradbroke and Saxstead Green to include Sweffling, Peasenhall and Huntingfield on the return. It stayed dry and was often sunny.