John Dupen’s medal was in the post

John Dupen of Velo Club Baracchi had a pleasant surprise when a medal from one of his time trial performances in the year dropped through his letterbox the other day.

John Dupen

The medal was a Veteran Time Trials Association one for his age category win in a 10-mile event on an A14 course this spring.

It turned out to be by no means the fastest of his rides in the year, but his veteran “plus” plus (i.e. the amount by which he beat his age standard time) of +3:56 from a 23:36 actual time was enough to win his medal.

It was just an early indication of form and Dupen went on in the year to achieve a stunning time of 21:18 later in the season.

John Thompson of VC Baracchi always enjoys the non-racing part of the year by getting in some exploratory rides.

The weekend before last he travelled by rail to Witham and then rode about 10 miles to Danbury for some rides in Essex countryside around Chelmsford avoiding the main roads.

On the Saturday he made his first visit to Mersea Island via Heybridge and Tolleshunt d’Arcy and then to West Mersea.

The quay area was very nice in Saturday’s sunshine.  After visiting the café on the quay he went on to East Mersea for the sea view before retracing toward Tolleshunt d’Arcy by a different route, a total of around 40 miles.  He said, “The ride ended perfectly because of a nice tea room just across the road from my B and B.”

Sunday morning started a bit foggy but once it lifted it was again a nice sunny day making for a lovely ride through narrow picturesque Essex lanes, where Thompson put his map reading skills to the test (with variable results).

His ride included Ingatestone, Chipping Ongar and then through villages with names like Blackmore, Leaden Roding, High Easter and Terling to Witham, again around 40 miles.

He said it was, “Hardly a high mileage trip but one that achieved its objective perfectly and was very pleasing because of the large number of lovely lanes I rode for the first time and in its way was something different.”

Last Sunday he set off at 7.30am to check out some intended audax routes riding via Yarmouth, Filby, Acle, Ranworth, Salhouse and Wroxham to Coltishall.

He wanted to measure a stretch from Coltishall to Aylsham and went via Little Haubois and Buxton, returning before dark, a ride of about 80 miles.

Other club riders have been out and about as usual. The club run was a little fragmented and not very well attended because of rain but four riders who were part of it went via Halesworth and Homersfield into the Norfolk roads leading to Woodton and Ditchingham before returning.