Matthews rides a good 50 and Womack is baulked by tractor

Gary Matthews of Velo Club Baracchi recorded the fastest time of the club’s riders in the VCB 50-mile time trail along the Waveney Valley on Sunday.

His 2-13:10 time (not 2-3:10 as might appear in error in the Lowestoft Journal) was run very close by Chris Womack who achieved 2-13:16 and had been very unlucky, losing time when a slow moving tractor and trailer full of straw bales came down Dove Hill almost straight out into his path at about 10mph and turned into Homersfield to his right.

The VCB ladies’ times were Jenny Anderson 2-20:50 and Tracy Prewer 2-37:41.

Course records were set in the event by Ian Cammish (1-50:43), which beat the corrected 2004 record of 1-50:48 set by Jim Burgess of Anglia Velo by five seconds, and by Laura Gambling of CC Breckland, whose 2-09:43 was over a minute quicker than Sue Wigglesworth achieved in 2004.

John Thompson, who organised the event, said he that though he received mixed opinions as to whether it was a good or bad day, it clearly must have been pretty good.  At the start it was very calm and initially good in the easterly direction on the two-lap course but the wind did rise before the event finished.

The previous weekend, Liam Gentry and Nick Esser performed well in a two-day stage race run by East London Velo.  Against some very stiff opposition, Gentry took 19^th place in the opening time trial, was 17^th in the second stage, a 25-mile road race, and in Stage 3 on the second day finished 24^th, but in the same time as the fourth finisher, in a 70-mile road race near Saffron Walden.

Gentry’s final overall place was 15^th.  Esser was very pleased to finish the event, his first stage race of this kind, which was a big step up for him and he was placed 45^th of the 59 finishers.  The event winner was Wojciech Szlachta  of Pasta-Montegrappa/Zheroquadro from Oliver Rossi of PCA Cyclos Uno and Dean Shannon of Twenty3C-Orbea.

In the Tuesday evening Godric CC club time trial last week The VCB times were John Swanbury and Ali Banks (tandem) 23:25, Matthew Thwaites 24:30, Chris Womack 25:22, Jenny Anderson 26:45, John Thompson 27:43 and Mike King 27:46.

Jim Burgess of Anglia Velo won with 21:25 on a fixed gear from Simon Boyle of Stowmarket & District CC who achieved 22:57.  There was a significant headwind on the outward leg and a tailwind return.

Last week’s Gt Yarmouth CC time trial was washed out completely.

Womack had a spill near the start of Saturday’s Team Pedal Revolution 10-mile time trial and did not finish, but was fortunately able to ride the 50 the next day.  He was a bit winded when he fell, having caught the kerb at the first tight bend on wet roads but otherwise unhurt.  As always with cyclists, the second immediate concern is for the bike and luckily this was undamaged.

The event was won by Nino Piccoli of the home club with 20:05 from Dave Green of RAF CC with 20:50.