Richards sets new club 10-mile record

Mark Richards of Velo Club Baracchi set a wonderful new club record at 10 miles in the Lea Valley CC open time trial on the “E2” course on the A11 from Six Mile Bottom.

His 19:34 time was a course best for Richards by 47 seconds.  He went to the event with Harley Matthews of Dap CC and Matthews achieved 19:15.

Richards’ average speed was around 30.7mph and that seems quick enough but he came ninth in a really strong field from far and wide from which all but the cream had been excluded.  The winner was Matt Smith of Team Bottrill/HSS Hire in 18:03.

Mark Richards (VCB) and harley Matthews (DAP CC) warm down

John Swanbury rode in the associated middlemarkers’ event and achieved 23:49, his best since 2013.  There was a tailwind on the first leg and most riders said that with some shelter in places the return was not so bad.

Earlier in the week  Richards, Liam Gentry & Nick Esser travelled to RAF Woodbridge to take part in Round 2 of the Eagle Crit series.

They had crashed the week before but had no such problems.  They started to feature in the second half of the race and in a stiff breeze Richards with two companions escaped and stayed away.  Joshua Andrews won with Richards second.  Gentry finished sixth and Esser tenth.

A great ride by VCB Junior Lucas He took him to sixth place with 22:39 in the Diss CC open 10 on their Billingford course; not the easiest of courses but one where he has practised in club events.  VCB’s Mark Saunders rode well to take 13^th place with 23:47 and Lucas’ father Alex He recorded 27:50.  Matthew Senter of Team VeloVelocity won.

Lucas He also shone in the Gt Yarmouth CC club 10 from Lound on a course acknowledged by all as “sporting” in view of its undulating twisty route. He took second place with 23:33, just pipped by three seconds to the win.  Jack Ibbotson of VC Norwich won in 23:30. Paul Hayward of VCB was fourth of the fifteen riders with 24:16.

The VCB team raced at the Lotus series in Hethel, with Charles Jones 12^th, Esser 21^st and Richards 32^nd, which was very promising for Jones.   Darren Rutterford of Iceni Velo won after chipping off the front un-noticed with another rider with just under 2 laps to go.

At the PCH Spring Classic road race at Bicknacre the VCB challenge was thwarted at every attempt and Richards came away empty-handed.   George Clark (Catford CC/Banks) won .