Tom Moore of Velo Club Baracchi shows solid MTB improvement
Tom Moore of Velo Club Baracchi has been working hard to develop his mountain biking prowess and was rewarded by a sound ride in round 3 of the Five by Three MTB series, at Taverham Hall School.
The series is a local grass roots MTB cross country winter race series, the aim of which is to encourage riders to have a go at racing and maybe progress onto regional and national level races.
Moore is not yet in a position to feature at the top of the results sheet but came a very respectable 38th out of 53 finishers, if including the women in the mix, or 34th out of 44 if not.
He said, “After all the recent rain, the course was very muddy and slippery, and hard going. After two racing laps, it became clear the expected distance of 12 laps was never going to be reaching within the one hour time frame, and the race was reduced to 9 laps.”
Moore added, “Although starting at the back, my decision to buy some mud tyres the day before paid off as better traction, also helped by my heavier weight and 29″ wheels, allowed me to start picking off places on the first muddy section.”
Moore’s progress through the field was undone by a fall, after he misjudged the mud in a corner of the first downhill section.
Thereafter he picked up a steady pace and did not flag as he worked past nine of the men before the finish.
He said, “With the tough conditions, it was to be a race of attrition, with four drop outs due to fatigue and one mechanical. Consistent, if unspectacular, lap times allowed me to catch and pick off other riders as they started to tire.
Moore completed six laps in the time, the last of which in 12:24 was his fastest. The winner was Liam Manser of EFH Racing, who covered nine laps, the fastest of which (also his last one) was 7:35.
Round 4 is on February 16 at the same venue and the last, round 5, is on March 9 at Shouldham Warren.
John Thompson reported that the rain on Sunday did not put him off his intended ride and he covered more than 80 miles. First he rode directly to Norwich and then through the city. Once onto the Reepham road he could remove waterproofs.
His ride took him to Felthorpe, Cawston, Aylsham, Buxton, Coltishall, Potter Heigham, Yarmouth and home via Bradwell and Lound.
Thompson said, “Once the rain stopped it wasn’t a bad day, although I had a head wind all the way from Cawston, which means for around 40 miles.”
Thompson has arranged 100-km reliability rides for VCB on February 2 at Oulton Community Centre, Gorleston Road; 4.5 hours at 8.30am, 4 hours 9am, 3.5 hours 9.30am.
