Ali Banks stars again; duathlon win for guest Lee Cook

Ali Banks was once again the star of the Velo Club Baracchi weekend show, when he was the fastest from the club in the Norwich Amateur Bicycle Club 10-mile open time trial.

 

The event staged by on the A143 from the Redenhall end of the Waveney valley course was well supported for an end-of-season one and 48 riders finished.

 

Banks was fourteenth with 24:22, which was an excellent ride as there was a crosswind that made it even more a test of strength than on a still day.

 

He beat club-mates Chris Womack (24:44), John Dupen (24:47), John Swanbury (25;44) and John Thompson (28:52).  Womack had ridden very well, as Dupen might normally have been expected to be the faster of the two.

 

The event was won by Jason Turner of the home club with 22:11.  Martin Pyne of Anglia Velo showed he still has the speed, finishing sixth with a sub-23 time of 22:56 which won him the veteran first prize with a “plus” of 4:03 under the new age standards system.

 

Carlton Colville resident Brian Davis was second on vet standard and Womack’s ride earned him the third veteran prize.  Fastest lady was Sally Withey of VC Norwich with 26:09, edging out junior rider Isla Rush of Wyndy Miller/UK Youth by eighteen seconds.

 

The fastest machine on the course was the tandem of Sam Hayes and Steve Robinson of Teamsalesengines.co.uk with 21:07, which happened to be just outside the VCB club tandem record of 21:04 set in 2009 by Liam Gentry and Simon Asher.

 

Unfortunately the last event of the season, Sunday’s NABC 25-mile time trial, had to be cancelled because of fog along the valley.  A postponement of 30 minutes followed by another one failed to resolve the problem, as the fog resolutely refused to lift.

 

It was a disappointment to everyone, but could not be helped.  A plan by Ali Banks and John Swanbury to give the tandem a last spin at this distance was foiled and other disappointed riders included Womack and Thompson.

 

The Keith Stephens Memorial Duathlon on Sunday produced a small crop of entrants, who enjoyed the informal event; none more so than the winner Lee Cook of Rock Estate Runners and Riders.

 

The informal event organised by Velo Club Baracchi annually since 2002 is an annual tribute to former club treasurer Keith, who was well known in running and cycling in Lowestoft and died in an accident that year while riding for the club.

 

Cook was more than six minutes ahead of other finishers in the duathlon, held in the Carlton Colville and Gisleham area.

 

The times were Lee Cook (Rock Estate) 1-23:01, Chris Scott (Lowestoft Road Runners) 1-29:21, Patrick Harbord (Velo Club Baracchi) 1-29:59, Alex Pennington 1-30:27, Mark Womack (VCB) 1-36:11.

 

FURTHER PHOTOS ARE ON

Keith Stephens Memorial Duathlon 2012 – a set on Flickr