Joe Skipper rides a quick time trial

 

Lowestoft triathlete and cyclist Joe Skipper George of Strada Sport rode a stunning time of 53:12 in Godric CC’s 25-mile club time trial in light side winds on Saturday.

It was not very far off the record time set by Zak Carr on a slightly different version of the course (the same route but with the start and finish in different places) which was 52:21, set in 1996.

The two-lap Bungay by-pass to Redenhall course has been slightly spoilt this year with new chippings on the middle section and it has made a difference to most riders’ times, so Skipper did very well indeed.

Skipper is a Velo Club Baracchi second-claim rider.  Other times by present, former or second-claim members of VCB were as follows: Mark Westrup (Strada Sport) 59:06, George Kerridge (VCB) 1-01:25, John Dupen (VCB) 1-03:58, Nicki Hawkes (Team VeloVelocity.co.uk)  1-06:26, Jenny Anderson (Gt Yarmouth CC) 1-06:50 and David Gilbert (Tri-Anglia) 1-08:25.

Kerridge was pleased with his result and hopes next year to devote more time to the sport and looks to improve further, looking in particular for a sub-hour 25.

Other sub-hour rides included Will Bamber (VC Norwich) 56:18 and Harley Matthews (Strada Sport) 56:52.  The fastest lady was Sally Withey of VC Norwich with a personal best 1-04:31.

VCB tandem pair John Swanbury and Ali Banks was keen to make a mark in a 25-mile event this season, having done their personal best of 59:00 in last year’s version of this event.  They were already outside this time when the chain came off with 250 or so yards remaining and after some necessary freewheeling to the line their time was 59:49.

Chris Womack entered the VTTA National 10-mile championship on the Newmarket A11/A14 course but shared everyone’s disappointment when the event had to be abandoned.

Though no road-works were scheduled, workmen started laying cones on the carriageway during the event and the organiser had no choice but to abandon for safety reasons. The event is likely to be rescheduled.

John Thompson rode the Stowmarket & District 10-mile open time trial on the A14 from Rougham to the “bridge” turn at the Elmswell slip road and return.

Thompson said, “As usual on the course I was feeling ‘you’re doing a flyer’ on the way out, but it all gets destroyed coming back with the amount of climbing. 

He was the only VCB member riding and did 28:42.  The winner was Peter Balls (now St Ives CC) in 20:01.

The previous Tuesday’s Diss CC club time trial was the last of their evening events from Billingford on the A143, in which, riding solo, Swanbury had a small mechanical problem just after the start, recording 26:50.

Jim Burgess of Anglia Velo won in 21:08 from Steve Gorbutt of Diss 21:14 and Tom Fitzpatrick of Kingsnorth International 22:23. Twenty-two rode.

The VCB 25-mile championship would have been in the Gt Yarmouth CC event that was scheduled for last Sunday but was cancelled because of road-works.  The VCB championship will almost certainly now be in the Godric CC open event on September 29.