Womack rides cold, windy 21-mile TT

Womack setting off from the start

Chris Womack of Velo Club Baracchi rode the West Suffolk Wheelers & Triathlon Club open 21-mile time trial on an undulating “back roads” course at Risby on Saturday.

The event is an annual early season fixture but otherwise twenty-one miles is an irregular distance, so many riders would not have a personal benchmark.

On a day when the strong, very cold wind was a big feature Womack could be well satisfied with his 56:32 time, which was in veteran terms +4:56 (i.e. he beat his age-related standard time by nearly five minutes).

The two-lap circuit was from Risby, Flempton and Lackford back to Risby, including sections of the “old A45” and there were strong cross winds on parts of the course.

David McGaw of Cambridge CC was the scratch winner in 46:36, from Scott Davidson of Team Velo Velocity in 49:23 and Andy Leggett, also of TVV in 49:40.

The first veteran on standard was Chris Nudds of CC Breckland 54.16 (+6.30) from Steve Gorbutt of Diss & District CC 50:09 (+6:10) and Andrew Leggett (+5:57).

Team VeloVelocity riders Scott Davidson, Andy Leggett and Gavin Moore won the team prize in a total time of 2-29:15

The ladies’ winner was Sarah Wells of West Suffolk Wheelers &Tri Club in 57:38.

A week before, John Thompson rode the Horsepower 200 km audax, which started and finished at Gt Dunmow.

The first leg was via Sudbury to the control at Lavenham and then via Ixworth to the next control at the cafe at Snetterton Park, then a pleasant ride partly through Thetford Forest to the Newmarket control, then via Radwinter and Thaxted back to Gt. Dunmow.

He said, “The first 100km to Snetterton Park were with a roaring tailwind but in the knowledge that you were going to pay for it and we certainly did when we changed direction to Newmarket. The head wind was an absolute brute and that leg seemed to go on for ever.”

Tired legs in the relentless Essex hills and last 6 miles from Thaxted gave Thompson a hard time and he finished just outside his target time, in 12 hours 15 minutes in what he described as “one of the toughest rides I’ve ever done.”

The club run west of Loddon

Sunday’s VCB club run attracted five enthusiastic riders, though there were others out and about on other routes. It was windy and quite cold.

The riders headed through St Olaves, Haddiscoe and Loddon and further west to Shotesham and Stoke Holy Cross, before returning via Bungay to Lowestoft, around 55 miles door-to-door.

The Beccles Cycle for Life website www.becclescycleforlife.org contains full details to enter the May 10 event, hosted and arranged by the Rotary Club of Beccles.

Distances range from 7 miles to 50 miles and this event brings together seasoned riders and occasional cyclists.