Womack treks to Oxfordshire for a 50: in 10 holds off Dupen (pictured)

Chris Womack of Velo Club Baracchi had to go far afield to ride a 50-mile time trial this year and has just had a good ride in Oxfordshire.

Unavailable for the local events, he entered the Oxonian CC event based on the A420 road from Kingston Bagpuize, about six miles west of Abingdon.  Part is dual carriageway.

Womack described the course as a hard one, with undulating terrain.  There was a head to side wind initially, with some help elsewhere on the course.

Womack’s time was 2-11:09 and he seemed a little disappointed (as he achieved 2-08:57 last year, but that was on a faster course) but his result was not at all shabby.

The winner was Tejvan Pettinger of the Sri Chinmoy Cycling Team in 1-48:51.  Thirty riders finished and Womack’s was seventeenth-fastest. 

John Swanbury of VCB rode in the Veterans Time Trials Association East Anglian Group 10-mile time trial on the A143 from near Alburgh, turning at Clays roundabout, in which he achieved 25:34.  The wind helped on the longer first leg but the return was hard. 

Jim Burgess of Anglia Velo was the fastest rider with 21:07 but in this event riders are graded on their performance against age-related veteran standard times, intended to allow veterans of different ages to race against each other on equal terms. 

Ron Back of West Suffolk Wheelers, with 24:53 at age 74, achieved a “plus” of five minutes (five minutes under his age standard) and won on standard, with 40-year-old Burgess second (+4:52) and 82-year old Peter Baumber of Cambridge CC third with +4:51 from his 27:32 ride. 

Local rider Brian Davies of Anglia Velo was fifth with +4:42 (actual time 24:20) behind fourth-placed Chris Roberts of Gt Yarmouth CC, +4:49 from 23:53. 

In last week’s Godric CC club 10 five teams rode two-up, though not including the VCB riders.  The fastest two-up was Steve Gorbutt of Diss CC and Simon Warren of Anglia Velo (21:47). 

Chris Womack was able to hold off a challenge from club-mate John Dupen by just eight seconds.  VCB times were Womack 24:20, John Dupen24:28, Steve Summons24:43, John Thompson 28:49 and, on the tandem, John Swanbury and Ali Banks 23:32.  The fastest solo rider was Will Bamber of VC Norwich (22:03). 

John Thompson rode the Bedfordshire Roads CC 25-mile open event on a course between the Baldock slip road and the Tempsford by-pass.  He said, “There were some severe hills at the southern end.” 

He found his result, 1-15:27, a bit disappointing but this was a tougher course than the version he rode the week before so it was possible to take a more positive view.  The winner was Matt Sinclair (Lutterworth cycle Centre RT) in 52:54. 

Richard Allen was VCB’s only rider in two recent Gt Yarmouth CC club events.  In the Thursday 10 he achieved 29:07 and on Sunday in the 25 he finished in 1-15:09. Andy Tyler of CC Breckland won the 10 in 22:29 and the 25 was won by Chris Thornton of GYCC in 1-07:31.