Chris Womack’s new personal best 30

Chris Womack rode a personal best 30-mile time trial time of 1-10:48 in the Leo Road Club and VTTA open event on Saturday.

It was a warm day on the E2/30 course near Newmarket in Cambridgeshire and Velo Club Baracchi 68-year-old veteran Womack said there was “no wind, for a change.”

Many good times were ridden and new national competition records were set in the women’s, women’s team and men’s team categories, with the latter broken twice in short order by Team VeloVelocity in different combinations of three riders.

Rachael Elliott of Newbury RC now hold the 30-mile record of 1-03:29, while the men’s winner of the event, Matthew Smith of Team VeloVelocity rode the third-fastest 30 in history with 56:49.

Closer to home, on the A143 road in the Norwich ABC event based at Wortwell, Mark Richards of VCB took fifth place in a field of over fifty riders with 22:12. Club-mate James Moore was not a lot slower with 22:47.

Other VCB times were Ali Banks 24:58, John Swanbury 25:04 and Richard Allen 29:25. It was sunny and fairly warm, with a slight tail wind out and headwind back.

Scott Davidson of Team VeloVelocity won in 21:35, with Jonny Allen of Islington CC second in 21:39, James Trenchard of Team Pedal Revolution third in 21:50 and Steve Konrad of Gt Yarmouth CC fourth in 22:04.

Jenny Anderson of Gt Yarmouth CC pleased with 26:35, just outside the ladies’ prizes. Jennifer Smart of VC Norwich won with 25:13.

On Sunday in the Norwich ABC 25-mile event, also on the A143 Waveney Valley course, Richards and Moore achieved 58:41 and 59:16 respectively, though on this occasion Richards’ fifth was outside the prize list.

Andrew Leggett of Team VeloVelocity won with 56:09, followed by James Rush of CC Sudbury with 57:10 and Simon Daw of Veloschills Interbike RT third in 57:34. Jennifer Smart of VC Norwich was the ladies’ winner with 1-06:12.

In this last time trial of the year the veteran pair of Swanbury and Ali Banks pedalled the tandem to their best time for a single carriageway road (though not their absolute best) of 57:21 and were pleased with that. Theirs was the only tandem.

Local riders and runners are invited to take part in the informal Keith Stephens Memorial Duathlon on this Sunday, with entry on the line outside Carlton Colville Primary School in Gisleham Road starting at 9am.

There will be a 25km ride between two 5km runs and there is a trophy to win.

The Wrinklies continue to meet at Carlton Colville church at 9am on Tuesdays and Fridays for rides of 40 miles or so into Suffolk and Norfolk.

These rides are not club-based and new riders are welcome. Some of the riders are retired but others are younger and some are on shifts that allow them to take part in the week.

Womack rides with the Wrinklies

There go the Wrinklies