Abandoned Vets’ 50 disappoints VCB riders (and everyone)

Chris Womack and John Swanbury of Velo Club Baracchi were disappointed when the 50-mile time trial they were riding on Saturday was abandoned during the event.

The VTTA East Anglian group event near Newmarket was twinned with a British best all-rounder one, with a total of 100 riders but it all came to an early end when a car went off the road in an unrelated single vehicle accident (and with no cyclist involved).

The result of this mysterious dual carriageway crash, with a car in the ditch and emergency vehicles occupying the inside lane, was that traffic stacked up and it was not safe to continue.

The organiser arranged for marshals to intercept riders at suitable places, but not before the VCB riders had raced about 41 miles.  Womack was the more disappointed of the two as he had been going well and could fairly expect a good result.

The only other time trial in the area at last weekend was the King’s Lynn 10, but no local riders were entered, so the season will wind up this weekend with two events on the A143, where Norwich ABC have a 10 and a 25.  VCB’s Paul Hayward is entered in both events.

The “Wrinklies” informal rides have been hugely popular this year and normally attract two groups, with a difference in speed between them of a few miles per hour.

Riders don’t have to belong to a club, though quite a few VCB riders do take part.  Rides set off from Carlton Colville church at 9am on Tuesdays and Fridays.