Reliability trial rounds off the Holmes Cup

VCB riders

Velo Club Baracchi riders took part in the last event of the Holmes Cup competition with Gt Yarmouth CC, a 50-mile reliability trial, but could do nothing to save the day.

The annual competition comprises three time trials and the reliability trial (each with 21 points available) and the score carried forward from those three were 38 to 26 in favour of GYCC.

The Yarmouth club always turns out a vast number for the last event of the year and it didn’t help that this year for the first time the available points were limited to a difference of 21 between the teams.  Yarmouth scored 29 to VCB’s 8 for their 8 riders.

GYCC riders

The event itself was very enjoyable.  A fast group took to the front and completed the course in two hours and twenty minutes.  They included VCB’s Paul Hayward, Paul Dennington, Alex He and Keith Wink in company with a VCB founder member Steve Ogley a

Everyone

nd several Yarmouth riders.

Other groups came in after that, with VCB’s Paul Read and John Swanbury under three hours, John Haigh finishing a little later and Richard Allen also finishing safely.

On the road

John Thompson of VCB organised a separate event, the “Silly Suffolk” 200km audax ride from Carlton Colville Community Centre. From a total of 35 entries, 25 started, including riders from Gloucestershire, Buckinghamshire, Northampton, Bristol and Newark,

A 160km version took in Metfield, Thornham Magna, Orford, Dunwich and Westleton. The 200km route also included Worlingworth and Bawdsey.

Thompson said, “I suspect some didn’t start because of the weather forecasts.  If so, it’s a pity because although the rain did eventually come (most finishing wet) the morning was lovely and wasn’t forecast.”

VCB rider Kate Churchill and local rider Ian Reid were the fastest in the 200 in 8 hours 22 minutes.

Lucas He, who made his name on the local time trial courses this year as VCB’s fastest junior ever, has ridden his first event, riding in VCB colours at Cambridge University.

Lucas took sixth place in a 34-rider Freshers “Come and Try it” time trial that was intended to find out who was interested and what they could achieve. On this test Lucas will have a future in university cycling.

A mixture of undergraduate and postgraduate student with ages up to 27 took part and were on road bikes. The fastest time was 13:51 and Lucas was on 14:59. Ahead of him by just one second were two riders placed fourth equal.