Richards and Gentry in the top ten at Ely Hardriders

Two of the Velo Club Baracchi riders in the Ely & District CC Hardriders 25-mile time trial in the Cambridgeshire Fens featured in the top ten on the results sheet.

Mark Richards took seventh place with 1-00:18, having taken special care on the first section where last year a number of riders came off their bikes.

Richards in the event

Liam Gentry was nearly a minute slower with 1-01:43 to take ninth place and their clubmate Paul Hayward too eighteenth place in 1-05:41.

Gentry

Nick Esser was to have been in the frame and had travelled to the event but he was unable to start, having damaged a muscle early on in his preparation to ride.

Hayward

It was no surprise that only forty-eight riders took part and twenty-two did not start, as the conditions were very cold, with a wind across the Fens and a temperature of just two degrees.

The course from Little Downham included a technical section of sweeping bends with a slick surface after overnight rain and sleet, a section of the A10 road and a very straight but poorly surfaced section beside the Hundred Foot Drain.

At times there was a cold drizzle as well and the first part of the course held some big puddles, so all-in-all the event did deserve its “hardriders” description.

The Lowestoft contingent did well not to be put off by snow that they encountered en route to the event, which was so thick for a time that only one lane of dual carriageway was in use.

It would have been easy to turn back for home in those conditions but, as so often happens, the roads at the event itself were at least free of snow.

The winner was Cambridge University CC rider Felix Barker in 56:27 and his team-mates Harold Bradbury (58.27) and Alistair Goldby (59.17) in third and fourth places ensured that their team won the team prize.

Second was Sebastian Dickson of Thanet RC in 57:41 and the top five was rounded off by Ben Beynon (Team PedalRevolution.co.uk)  in 59.40, the only other rider under the hour.

Chris Hopkinson (CC Desiragear) was the top veteran with +4.47 from his 1-03:03 and the women’s winner was Cindy Berry (BowlPhish Racing) in 1:09.14.

• John Thompson has cancelled his VCB reliability trial that had previously been postponed to February 26 as it would clash with the similar Godric CC 50-mile event on that day. Some VCB riders will be tackling that ride instead and the start times from Broome Village Hall are 8.30am, 9am and 9.30am, all rides returning there for refreshments.