The two Johns keep popping up at VCB

Velo Club Baracchi’s next promotion is an open time trial on the A143 Waveney Valley course on May Day, for which there are 50 solo entries and a tandem.
Top-seeded rider is Mark Arnold of CC Desiragear who set a course record on April 19 in a recent 25-mile event that utilised these same roads. The record for this 10-mile course stands at 20:17 (Gary Empson of API in 2010).

John Swanbury and John Thompson of VC Baracchi rode Sunday’s VTTA East Anglian Group open 10-mile time trial on the A14 road between Rougham and the Woolpit turn and back, despite early rain and cold conditions that discouraged many riders from attending.

It was touch and go as to whether the event would take place but the rain stopped in time and there was no standing water or spray on the course itself so a late decision was made to go for it. Twenty of the forty-seven who were entered presented themselves on the start line.

Swanbury hopes to be getting back towards his previous seasons’ times and achieved 25:21, a veteran “plus” of 3:21 which was the seventh-best plus on the day. Thompson also improved on previous rides, to 29:01.

Veteran “plusses” are achieved by riding faster than the standard time set for the rider’s age. Ian McCluskey, riding for Diss CC had a good ride to record 23:07, a plus of 4:13.

The best veteran performance against his age standard was by Chris Roberts of Anglia Velo with + 5:48 from his actual time of 23:14 at age 70 and on this occasion Chris Nudds of CC Breckland had to be satisfied with second veteran place with +5:07 from his 23:16 finishing time. Nudds is 66.

Fastest overall was senior rider Paul Jay of Team VeloVelocity with 21:43 with 53-year-old David Proctor of Team VO2 Bikes second-fastest in 22:43.
Swanbury and Thompson also rode the Diss CC club 10 on Tuesday of last week on the A143 from Billingford to the Needham roundabout and back. It was a cool, sunny evening and the light wind helped on the return. Both of them had their best rides of the year (until Sunday’s ride). Swanbury’s time was 25:48 and Thompson’s 29:20.

Tom Fitzpatrick of Diss CC was the winner with 21:50. Other top times were Sean Taylor of RAF CA 22:11, Lee Shipp of Diss CC 22:42 and Simon Scott of Anglia Velo 22:42. Thirty-three rode.

On the following evening Thompson rode the CC Breckland club 10 that started and finished at North Tuddenham, on two laps of an undulating five mile circuit on the old A47 and a stretch of the actual A47. Thompson achieved 29:26 and winner was Steve Gorbutt (Diss CC) in 22:14.

There go the Wrinklies

The “Wrinklies” numbered a record 17 riders for last Friday’s 9am ride from Carlton Colville church in warm sunshine but just three, Nicki Hawkes, George Kerridge and Titch Richards, rode the VCB club run on Sunday. They had a cold but brisk 70-mile ride to Framlingham and back.

• Beccles Cycle for Life advance entries for the May 10 charity ride now number around 200 and more are invited (now only possible on the day) – see www.becclescycleforlife.org for event and entry details. This Beccles Rotary Club event is to raise funds for East Anglian Air Ambulance and the Rotary Club’s charitable fund. The choice of distances ranges from 7 to 50 miles.