John Thompson rides Horsepower 200

The early rain on Sunday generally discouraged some of the VC Baracchi riders from gathering for a club run but it was fine later in the morning and riders were out.

VCB member John Thompson rode Saturday’s “Horsepower 200” audax event.

Basing himself at Barnston, just outside Great Dunmow, for the weekend, he managed a total mileage of about 129 miles.

The ride was from St Mary’s Church Centre, Gt Dunmow and visited Lavenham, Snetterton, Newmarket and returned to Gt. Dunmow.

Thompson, who took 13 hours 15 minutes said, “It was a tough event, taking in many hills in Essex and West Suffolk.  Indeed, even through Thetford forest there is a long drag to the race circuit for the control café.”

He was worried about being perilously close to the cut-off time but said, “I couldn’t believe how I was bashing myself on those hills with such a distance in my legs.  It’s the most I’ve pushed myself for a very long time!”

The sting in the tail, he said, was the hills of the last 6 miles on the B184 from Thaxted to Gt Dunmow.