Three VCB personal bests on the E2 course

The remarkable weather encouraged VC Baracchi riders to personal bests in the Lea Valley CC 10 on the A11 dual carriageway at Six Mile Bottom on Saturday and it provided great conditions for the club’s own open event on Monday.

Lucas He achieved 20:01, Paul Hayward 21:26 and Alex He 22:58 in the Lea Valley event and Chris Womack launched his comeback from illness with 24:01.

This was a top event nationally and the winners were Team Bottrill rider James Rix with 18:08 and for the women, national 12-hour champion Alice Lethbridge with a course record 19:40 personal best.

The VC Baracchi open 10 on Monday on the A143 demonstrated the difference in speed between Saturday’s event on one of the best dual carriageway courses and what can be achieved on our local single carriageways.

Matthew Senter of Team VeloVelocity headed the top three with 19:41 but in the Lea Valley event he had achieved 18:54 for sixth place.

With team-mates Ben Stancombe (20:26) and Stuart Fairweather (20:40) they took the top three places and the team prize.

The women’s course record previously set last year by Verity Smith of Stowmarket & District CC in 23:24 fell to Rebecca Johnson of Fusion R T Veloperformance with a 22:16 ride.

VCB’s junior rider Lucas He took eighth place equal with 21:27 and local rider Mark Richards riding for Dap CC was fourth with 20:41.

Paul Hayward (photo by Dominic Austrin)

Other VCB times were Mark Saunders 23:13, Paul Hayward 23:25, Stuart Chase 23:45, Paul Wright 24:30, Alex He 24:35, Paul Reed 25:51 and Chris Womack 27:10.

Stuart Chase (photo by Dominic Austrin)

VCB tandem duo (Photo by Dominic Austrin)

The tandem event was contested by two machines, with the VCB pairing of John Swanbury and Ali Banks ahead with 23:29 from Mark and Anna Fraser of City Cycle Centre.com and CC Ashwell respectively, timed in at 24:19.

Keith Wink organised this VCB event, his first, with help on the day from club members and friends of the club and by all accounts it had gone well.

Mark Richards went on to win the race for second and third cats at Ixworth Crits.  Last week in the Lotus series he was fourth in the top race, with VCB’s Paul Wright in 21^st place in the bunch.

In last Tuesday’s Godric CC club 10 Swanbury and Banks, the only two VCB riders, finished on the tandem in 23:53.

In the Gt Yarmouth CC club 10 at Lound, Paul Hayward achieved 25:30 for third place.