Partridge takes second, Hayward strong, Swanbury and Banks ride East Anglian age record

Open time trials in the Waveney valley were well supported by riders from Lowestoft’s Velo Club Baracchi.

In Sunday’s Godric CC 25-mile event VCB’s Nick Partridge set off one minute in front of the top-seeded rider, Ben Stancombe of Team VeloVelocity and succeeded in his aim of holding off Stancombe from catching him.

Stancombe won in 51:45, with Partridge second in 52:37, but Partridge took the veterans’ first prize for his performance against his age-related standard time.

Two VCB second-claim members, Mark Richards, riding for DAP CC (53:25) and Lucas He, riding for Cambridge University CC (53:30) came next took second and third prizes as a result of Partridge’s veteran win.

Other VCB times on this benign morning were Paul Hayward 58:50 and Alex He 1-02:42. Davina Greenwell of Plomesgate CC won for the ladies in 1-01:15.

On Saturday in the DAP CC 10, where persistent south-easterly wind made for harder going, Mark Saunders was the top VCB rider in 22:24.

Other VCB times were Chris Womack 25:00, Mark Womack 28:25, Richard Allen 29:15 and Jodie Lee 32:28.  Chris Womack’s performance equalled Saunders’ on age standard.

The event was won by Ross Fawcett of Pedal Power Cycles Ipswich in 19:59, Gavin Lewis of Velo Schils Interbike RT second in 21;16 and Bob Richardson of Bournemouth Jubilee Wheelers third in 21:18. Kerry Tate of Newmarket Cycling & Triathlon Club won the women’s in 24:02.

John Swanbury and Ali Banks of VCB headed for the VTTA (East Anglia) and Leo Road Club 30-mile tandem time trial on the A11 and A14 on Saturday where four teams rode.

In a crosswind they achieved 1-07:34 and came fourth on scratch but took second place on veteran standards and an East Anglian veteran age record.

The fastest tandem of Ian Greenstreet (Aerocoach) and Rachael Elliott (Newbury CC) whizzed round to set a new mixed tandem national competition record of 56:54, beating their own previous one.

Kate Churchill rode the 216km addax event that VCB’s John Thompson organised for CC Breckland, the “Suffolk Coast and Back,”

He said, “How pleasing when organising an event for another club for a member of my own club to be the fastest rider, which Kate was in 8 hours 10 minutes.”

“For those of us who still prefer English, 216 km is 135 miles! Also, the event includes two compulsory café stops and having to pause to answer info questions.”