Some people say Chris Womack is rolling back the years

Velo Club Baracchi rider Chris Womack won his age category with a time of 53:14 in the Stowmarket & District CC 20-mile open time trial.

Womack at a junction

Womack, who was one of five riders in the 70-75 age group said, “The weather was fine with a strong south west wind. This course must be one of the hardest around this area.”

He added, “Although I have ridden this event for the last six out of seven years it doesn’t get any easier on this very undulating course in the Debenham Vale area.  It was just as well the organizers had been round the course as it was well marked with yellow paint to show up the vast amount of potholes.”

Womack was also 40^th of the sixty who rode and Southwold and Reydon rider Gary Matthews of Sole Bay Cycle Sport was 31^st with 51:35.

Ollie Jones of Team Onform set a new record time of 42:39 and Verity Smith of the home club updated the ladies’ record with 50:51.

Potholes were also a big feature in the Chelmer Regional A (cats 2/3/4) Road Race.  VCB’s Mark Richards was about 35 miles into the 75-mile race when he hit a pothole hard at about 26mph and crashed out, leaving a handful of riders including himself needing medical attention with arm and knee injuries.

Walking wounded, patched up) photo by Fergus Muir)

Pink socks and all that (photo by Fergus Muir)

The remaining two VCB riders in the race, Liam Gentry and Nick Esser continued to ride hard as all three had been doing.  Esser said, “The 75-mile race was ridden in under 2hrs 50minutes making it pretty hard to make any kind of a breakaway attempt with such a fast-moving pack.”

“From this point Gentry was chasing pretty much everything down and in the final throes of the race made an attempt for the win with 2km to go.  Unfortunately the bunch kept him close and with 500m to go they came past him leaving Liam with 18th place.”

Esser said he was “just happy to get round just outside the top-20 after an injury scare earlier in the week.”  In the official results he was placed 36^th.  There is indeed satisfaction to be had from finishing these hard races.

Martin Smith of London Phoenix won, from Paul Saunders of API-Metrow/Bodyby JR and Benedict Thompson of CC London.

In wonderful sunny weather a group of VCB riders headed out for a very enjoyable 8.30am club run from the Cotmer Road roundabout towards Fressingfield and another group rode nearly 60 miles with a stop at the Hedenham café.

Wrinklies rides (Tuesdays and Fridays at 9am from Carlton Colville church) have also been popular in the spring weather.

John Thonmpson has put in rides of 100 and 129 miles in connection with gps tracks for his forthcoming audax event, “The Norfolk Special” scheduled for 21st May.  Despite the greater distance he felt much better on the second ride to the North Norfolk coast at Stiffkey.