NABC Open 10 win for Richards

On Saturday Velo Club Baracchi rider Mark Richards took third place in the Norwich Amateur Bicycle Club’s open 10-mile time trial on the Earsham course in 21:28.

Richards – all there is of him!

Paul Dennington rode well with 22:57 for 27^th place in a quick field, a time which also placed him eighteenth out of seventy-six veteran finishers on standard.

Denise Hurren of Sole Bay Cycle Sport was the fastest lady with 24:33 and she was also thirteenth-fastest veteran on standard.  She is rapidly making a name for herself in competition.

The scratch winner was James Trenchard of Godric CC in 21:15 and the top veteran was Chris Roberts of Anglia Velo, whose 23:39 produced a “plus” of 5:35 faster than his age standard.

In the Gt Yarmouth CC 10-mile club time trial VC Baracchi was represented by veteran Richard Allen and young rider Josh Womack, who recorded 30:14 and 32:49 respectively.

Josh, who is the grandson of top veteran Chris Womack, beat three other riders, so he is working up the field and well placed to progress.

The winner was Zak Coleman of Team Pedal Revolution in 22:12, from Andy Tyler of VC Cosmique, second in 23:58.  Eighteen rode.

Nick Esser of VC Baracchi travelled down to the Velo Park and raced in the third-cat only race, finishing in third place by winning the bunch sprint.

Esser gained seven more points on his British Cycling licence and does not have far to go to gain promotion the second-cat like his club-mates Liam Gentry and Mark Richards, with the advantage that the club will be able to have three riders together as a team in second-cat races.

Esser eagerly pins some hopes for extra points on the club’s own Ringsfield road race for 3^rd and 4ths, which will take place next Sunday, July 17. George Kerridge and David Loynes will be riding.

The course will be on a circuit from Ringsfield, west to the A144, turning left at Ilketshall St Lawrence and Stone Street by the school and returning through Redisham (five laps) making 47.5 miles in all.  There are 51 riders entered in advance, with a field limit of sixty.

John Thompson rode the Garboldisham Groveller 203km audax. It was based at Smallworth village hall, near Garboldisham and the route took him to Spooner Row information control (at 22km), Weston Longville info control (39km), Aylsham main control (60km), Burnham Deepdale info control (108km), Gt. Bircham main control (136km), Nacton info control (166km), Thompson (yes that’s right) info control (182km), then to Smallworth.

He said, “I completed it in 10 hours 52 minutes, a PB by literally 5 minutes, which was previously set in the same event last year.  A very nice day weather wise – particularly for being in north Norfolk – and what wind there was wasn’t particularly troublesome.”

There are a number of riders tackling the Lands End to John O’Groats ride.  Mike Rainton has just been away doing this yet again and Jenny Anderson, who rides for Gt Yarmouth CC but retains VCB membership, is shortly to go.  She is intending to take fourteen days on a 1,000-mile route and raise money for East Coast Hospice, all to celebrate her 60^th birthday this year. She has a fundraiser page on the BT site “mydonate.”