Winter riding resumed

After the excitements of the time trial of the previous week, Velo Club Baracchi riders reverted to more normal winter activities.

On a lovely morning two riders turned out for the usual club ride; Chris Womack and Paul Read.  They covered 50 miles to Halesworth, Wissett, Homersfield, Bungay, Ellingham Mill, Beccles, Ellough and home.

The faster training ride comprised Liam Gentry, Mark Richards, James Moore and Lucas He with Lee Cook of Rock Estate.

Training ride puncture

They rode 80 miles in a loop that took in Southwold, Leiston, Saxmundham, Framlingham, Walpole, Halesworth, Bungay & Beccles.

This ride was at an average of just over 19mph and included a coffee and cake stop in Framlingham at half-way.

This Sunday a 50-mile reliability ride is planned to take place with the usual staggered start to reflect the speed each rider intends to ride and therefore the duration of the ride (4 hours at 8.30am, 3.5 hours at 9am, 3 hours at 9.30am).

The start is at Oulton community Centre, Gorleston Road, Oulton but the finish is outside St Mark’s church, Bridge Road, Oulton Broad.

John Thompson, who has organised the, says that if there is ice the starting times may need to be adjusted, though if nobody chooses the earlier start it may not be a problem.  The worst risks in winter riding tend to be black ice, so caution is sensible.

Thompson rode last week’s East Anglian CC 50-mile reliability ride from Horsford village hall to Aylsham, Felbrigg, Holt, Melton Constable and Saxthorpe before returning to Horsford.

He said, “I got round in three hours and seventeen minutes.  Even though there was no wind to speak of considering it was a completely unassisted ride I don’t think that was at all bad.”

He added, “For Norfolk there are some tough hills on the route, particularly the long drag from Thornage at around 30 miles, almost to Norfolk’s highest point.”