Rainton guest of honour at Wolsey Road Club and CTC lunch

Despite prevalent mist and fog the Velo Club Baracchi enthusiasts were out riding their bikes at the weekend and some of those on the club run enjoyed refreshments at Dunwich.

John Thompson went for a separate ride 55-odd-mile ride that included via Uggeshall, Halesworth, Saxted, Worlingworth and Laxfield, during which he managed to find some lanes he had not ventured into before.

Mike Rainton and John Swanbury attended the Wolsey Road Club and CTC annual lunch at Ipswich, where Rainton was the guest of honour.  He gave a well-received illustrated talk about his six annual End-to-End rides that raised money for the Bishop Simeon Trust.

Sadly there is no such “Race for Life” event this year, as there has been insufficient interest, though Rainton was game for another ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats, if only others had been up for it.

Nearer home, the news from the Beccles Cycle for Life registrations is that no less than 45 riders have already entered for the charity ride on May 12, even though the publicity campaign has hardly started.

Riders can enter through the website www.becclescycleforlife.org by entering on-line or by downloading a form and sending it in by post.

Distances available range between seven miles and fifty miles and the East Anglian Air Ambulance will receive half of the proceeds, with the other half going to the charitable trust of the organisers, the Rotary Club of Beccles.

The rides on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9am from Carlton Colville Church are popular with local riders, including VCB members, though these rides are not club-based.  They are an informal group calling themselves the Over the Hill Gang, but otherwise known as the Wrinklies.

These rides are usually about 45 miles and always include at least one café stop, sometimes two!

The time trial season is also just around the corner.  At least three of the club’s riders should be taking part in the CC Breckland 10mile time trial on March 2, weather permitting.

There are also two Audax rides from Hellesdon on the same day – “The Old Squit” 200km ride and “The Norfolk Mardle” 100km ride.  VC Baracchi members will be in the mix.

The club is now encouraging members who have not yet renewed their subscriptions to do so.  Any other local cyclists who might like to join the club are also very welcome.

Belonging to a local club affiliated to the national body, Cycling Time Trials, is one of the ways of getting into competititive events against the clock and there is also information about this on the national website, www.cyclingtimetrials.org.uk