Great club run; Hayward rode well in Ely Hardriders TT

Velo Club Baracchi riders enjoyed a club run of 50-odd miles on Sunday and the weather was perfect for it.

At the start of the VCB club run

Last Sunday week, Paul Hayward of Velo Club Baracchi was half-way down the finishing order with a plucky ride in the Ely & District CC Hardriders 25-mile time trial.

The weather was dry and bright but a very strong wind strafed the Fens as the riders tackled the course, which is flat and open but incorporates some roads with less than perfect surfaces.

Hayward commented on these, saying, “Potholes, cracks, lumps the lot! The puddles covering the potholes were my personal favourite.”

Hayward was placed 31^st with his time of 1-08:54.  Fifty-eight of the riders finished, two failed to and another twenty-six entrants sent apologies, perhaps put off by some of the weather forecasts.

The headwinds and sidewinds were a particular issue and held the riders back in this truly hard event from achieving any exceptional times.

The winner was John Mulvey, riding for Cambridge University CC, with 57:13.  His fellow Cambridge club rider Felix Barker, who won last year, took second in 57:47, with Thanet RC rider Sebastian Dickson third in 57:50.

Lucy Charles (Hoddesdon Triathlon Club) was fastest female with 1-05:43, beating Cambridge University CC rider Jess Atkinson (1-07:56) into second place.

The best veteran performance against age standard was Mark Williams of RAF CA, whose actual time of 59:42 gave him a plus of 6:57 at age 43.

John Thompson took part in the “Brazier’s Run,” 106-km audax based at the Victoria CC club hut, near Ugley in Essex and passing through Wicken Bonhunt, Gt. Sampford, Ugley, High Easter, Aythorpe Roding and then to the HQ.

He completed it in 6 hours 5 minutes, slipping over the six hours by being delayed at a level crossing.  He said there were a few foggy patches in the morning and a cold start but it turned out to be a nice sunny day for riding nice Essex lanes.”

The Wrinklies rides on Tuesdays and Fridays at 9am from Carlton Colville church are reasonably well attended despite the cold mornings and the need to dodge icy puddles some days.