Dennington wins VC Baracchi 25-mile championship

Dennington warming up for the last Diss CC 10

The Godric CC club 25-mile time trial was also billed as the Velo Club Baracchi championship at this distance, so some of the fastest riders in the club were there.

Titch

Paul Dennington won the club championship with 1-00:40 in a close tussle with Mark “Titch” Richards (1-00:57) and George Kerridge (1-01:06).

George Kerridge sets off to warm up

The club’s second-claim lady members, Nicki Hawkes and Jenny Anderson, fought out the ladies’ championship with a win for Hawkes (1-06:11) from Anderson (1-08:54).

A smile from Nicki Hawkes before her ride

The course was on the A143 on two laps between Bungay and the Redenhall roundabout, with quite a strong westerly headwind when riding towards Redenhall.
The fastest rider was Graham Sparkes of Mulbarton VC with 57:36, challenged by Philip Hargreaves of VC Norwich, with Dennington third.
John Swanbury and Ali Banks had no expectations of winning the championship so they rode the tandem instead, achieving 1-02:43.
Paul Dennington also won the last Diss CC club 10 of the year at Billingford outright with 22:44. He said that in the downhill dash with a tailwind to the finishing line he touched 40mph.
The strong winds of the day had abated slightly and as often happens, the wind fell away just after the event, but during the ride the headwind to the turn at the Needham roundabout was still hard.
Lee Shipp of Diss was second in 23:03. Carlton Colville rider Richard Hill of Gt Yarmouth CC achieved 24:50 for fifth place.
Swanbury and Banks had a mechanical problem riding the tandem in this event, when the two chains both came off during a gear change. They stopped and sorted it out, finishing in 25:43.
Dennington also rode the excellent time, 22:53, in the last evening Gt Yarmouth CC club 10 of the year, for first place.
The winner, Joe Skipper of Team Pedal Revolution NCA, set a new course record, 21:18. James Trenchard of Godric CC was third in 21:57.
Other times were Mark “Titch” Richards 23:41, Darren Newman 25:23, Ali Banks 26:02, Mike Bretton 27:14, Nathan Ayers 28:06, Joe Reynolds 28:42 and Richard Allen 29:14.
Chris Womack of VCB was the quickest of the VCB trio in the Stowmarket & District CC open 10 on the A14 between Rougham and Woolpit, with a 24:19 result.
Swanbury was down on his usual form, with 26:18 and John Thompson had a good ride with 27:53.
The winner was David McGaw of the Cambridge CC with 20:35.
This Sunday the VCB will stage the Baracchi Trophy two-up time trial within the Gt Yarmouth CC 25-mile club time trial at 9.30am on the Somerleyton Course.