VCB riders excel with two top-five places in Plomesgate time trial

Velo Club Baracchi riders Mark Richards and Liam Gentry had great rides in the Plomesgate CC 10-mile open time trial, backed up by Nick Esser who was nearly as fast on this tough sporting course.

Richards took third place with 22:34 and Gentry actually finished sixth with 23:19 but was promoted to fifth as the result of the disqualification of another rider who will regret having overlooked the newly-introduced requirement to sign out.

Richards (Photo Fergus Muir)

Gentry (Photo Fergus Muir)

Esser (Photo Fergus Muir – Fergus apologises for only having his old camera!)

Esser backed this up with fifteenth place with his 24:03 ride out of the sixty riders who were placed and the team prize may be in the bag.

Lloyd Chapman of Banks/Catford CC Equipe won in 20:40, with Lyster Romero of Wigmore CC second in 22:30 and slotted in between Richards and Gentry was Stuart Fairweather of Team VeloVelocity in 22:39 in fourth.

Verity Smith of Stowmarket & District CC won the ladies’ prize with 24:57.

Majorca training ride (photo by Harley Matthews)

The three VCB riders had just returned from a strenuous training holiday in Majorca and Richards wondered what they could all have done in the time trial if they had had fresh legs.

John Thompson of VCB rode the “Swaffham Lions 208” audax, promoted by CC Breckland in conjunction with Swaffham Lions Club.

The 208km (130mile) event was based at Swaffham Assembly Rooms and went to Holt, Wells, Walsingham, West Newton and Downham Market before returning.

Thompson completed his ride in 11 hours 50 minutes, mostly solo, so was pleased to achieve his usual target of getting inside 12 hours.

He said, “It was headwind to Holt, then tail or side-tail to Downham Market but, cruelly, a headwind for the last bit.  That said, at the time I was doing the final leg in the evening it had probably died somewhat.”

The organisers of Beccles Cycle for Life charity ride on May 14 (the Rotary Club of Beccles) have stepped up their publicity and are being rewarded by a good number of advance entries.

Full details of the event and of the prizes on offer for sponsored riders are on their website www.becclescycleforlife.org through which riders can enter, either by post or on line.