Womack rides the VTTA National 10

Chris Womack of Velo Club Baracchi had a great ride in the VTTA national championship 10-mile time trial at Hull, with a time of 22:53, which placed him 101st on scratch, out of the 140 who rode.

A thumbnail of Womack in the VTTA National 10

At 68, his age-related standard time is 28:42, so his ride earned him a “plus” of 5:22, the minutes and seconds by which he beat his standard.

Fast veterans had descended on this event from the Highlands to the West Country and all places in between. The best “plus” was earned by 78-year-old Derek Stewart of Deeside Thistle, whose 22:35 earned him +8:23.

Fastest was 44-year-old Steve Irwin of North Lancs RC who achieved 18:40. Tandem riders Mark Arnold and Glen Taylor (CC Desiragear and Shorter Rochford RT respectively) knocked out a 17:36 ride.

Bungay rider Jim Burgess of Anglia Velo was in 41st place on scratch with 20:31 and ex-VCB rider John Dupen of Anglia Velo came 78th on scratch in with 21:51.
Womack had also started in the VTTA National 100 the week before, but pulled out at half-distance.

Other photos are here craigzadphotos | VTTA National Champs 10 2015

In the Godric CC club 10 on Tuesday there were 39 solo riders and a tandem. Joe Skipper of Rock Estate was certainly the fastest rider there but he had missed his official start time and had to time himself so it did not count.

Skipper had returned from his excellent performance in the North American Ironman Texas, in which, when coming a brilliant second, he had ridden to the third-fastest Ironman bike split in history and become the 6th fastest British Ironman athlete of all time.

In the Godric event Skipper’s error left the way clear for Burgess to win in 21:34. The VCB times were Mark Richards 22:46, George Kerridge 23:16, Nicki Hawkes 25:59 and Tim Revell 28:24. In many ways Revell’s ride was the ride of the night, as he lowered his personal best by over a minute and showed great potential.

Tim Revell pleased with his ride

On the tandem, VCB pair John Swanbury and Ali Banks were pleased with 22:55; not their fastest ride but encouragingly under 23 minutes on a single carriageway course at an early stage in the season.

John Thompson rode the “Stonehenge 200” audax on Sunday, from Elstead, near Godalming in Surrey. The route passed close to Stonehenge but not actually there, taking in Whitchurch (54km), Ludgershall (83km), Amesbury (100.5km), Pitton (116km) Houghton (136) km) and Arlesford (169km).

The combination of the strong gusty headwind and Surrey and Hampshire hills meant he completed it in 13 hours 6 minutes, with just 15 minutes to spare.

The Bike Events Norwich 100 ride was hit by Sunday’s rain, but Tim Revell was not deterred. As his lift-share companions cried off one-by-one, he rode up from Beccles to Norwich and may have ridden back afterwards. He suffered a wet first hour and a puncture after just 5 miles, plus another puncture on the coast road later on. He said there were puncture victims all along the route and more rain later.