“Carbon Chris” Womack has a bumpy ride in the 100!
“Carbon Chris” Womack of Velo Club Baracchi had a very bumpy ride in the North Norfolk Wheelers 100-mile open time trial on Saturday.
Not content with having dropped down a pot hole on the second lap when he damaged his front wheel (made of carbon fibre, of course), he then crashed 87 miles into the event on the last lap.
Womack had just been having a drink from his bottle. As he went to put it back into the bottle cage he hit another pothole with only one arm free to steer and came a cropper, suffering a cut knee and many bumps and grazes.
He was determined to complete the course, which was on three laps of a circuit near Fakenham. Despite his injuries he finished in 5-10:36, just 2:52 inside his age-related standard time under the newly-introduced harder standards.
Womack was glad to be able to finish but disappointed not to have beaten five hours, which he had been well on schedule to achieve.
A brisk north-west wind blew throughout the event, making for some tricky sections and others that were very fast.
Anthony Stapleton of Chelmer CC won with 3-59:38 from his club-mate Erron Field (4-12:25) and Will Bamber of VC Norwich 4-14:49.
Carbon Chris took himself off to hospita for treatment and X-rays and was pleased to find he had no fractures. The wheel needed repair he has found someone able to fix it.
Mark Newnham, John Thompson and Tracy Prewer of VCB rode the Wolsey Road Club 25-mile open time trial on the A143 on two laps between the Redenhall roundabout and Clays.
Mark Newnham’s time was 1-4:29 and this was quite good for the conditions. Thompson achieved 1-15:15 and Prewer 1-19:10.
Daniel Bloy (Kings Lynn CC) won with 55:25 and quite a number of riders did not finish, perhaps because of the demoralising wind and the opportunity a two-lap course gives to quit and climb off near the headquarters.
Mike Rainton rode the Lea Valley RC open 10 on the A11 from Six Mile Bottom and achieved 26:24. The winner was
The Beccles Cycle for Life charity ride received good support from Velo Club Baracchi riders and also, notably, from Gt Yarmouth CC who turned out more than thirty members including youngsters.
VCB riders included Will Garrod, Jenny Hill, Anthony Potts, Mark Womack, Paul Bedford, Amy Finch, Emma Hewitt and John Swanbury. The event was blessed by the best weather of the month and (allowing for no-shows) about 440 rode.
The Beccles Rotary organisers were delighted at the response and are hoping for another record in sponsorship donations, to better the £7660 (including Gift Aid) raised last year.
Mike Rainton and John Cooper, with John’s son, rode the 100-mile Suffolk Sunrise charity ride with around 2,000 others.
