This page last updated
24 September 2009
© Copyright Wessex VTTA 2009
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VETERANS' TIME TRIALS ASSOCIATION
WESSEX GROUP
June - September 2009
by Ken Blowe
The Crabwood CC Open Events at 10 miles on Saturday afternoon 6th June incorporated our Group championship and, as usual, there were three separate events for Veteran riders (0ver 50 years of age) followed by Women & then those aged 40 – 49 years).
Each event had its own prize list for fastest times with one combined list covering Fastest on Standard rides.
A total of 232 riders in all entered of whom 170 were Veterans (some 30 of these being Wessex Group members).
Conditions at the start were not ideal as there was a strong easterly breeze in the rider’s faces on the longer (almost 5 ½ miles) outward leg and conditions got harder (and colder) as the afternoon progressed when the sun went in midway through the event.
Out of all those who finished only three managed to beat their Line 2 fastest time (and then only by a few seconds) just showing how hard conditions were generally.
Fastest time in the Over 50 s event was recorded by Wessex member Ray Hughes (Clarence Wheelers) with 21.00.
Reg Smith (DCB-Kent) 21.46 was 2nd closely followed by Bob Garlinge (Team Quest)) 21.52, David Johnson (High Wycombe CC) 21.58 and Graham Weeks (Hillingdon CC) 22.03.
The four fastest times for the women went to Susan Snook (Bush Healthcare) 24.37, Claire Day (Bournemouth Jubilee) a close second with 24.38, Claire Greenwood (Bush Healthcare) 25.15 & Joanna Wells (Hounslow & District Wheelers) 25.43.
First fastest in the 40-49 age Group event was Julian Jenkinson (Utag Yamaha.com) with 20.42 closely followed by his team mate Stephen Whitewick with 20.48, a tie for 3rd fastest between Matthew Burbridge (Severn RC) and Chris Long (TVS Sherborne) who both did 21.21 - one second faster than Rob Pears of Bath CC in fifth place (21.22).
Standard prizes were won by Dennis Milsom (Mid Shoropshire Whs) + 9.41, Dave Jones (Newbury RC) + 8.54, Terry Icke (Poole Whs) + 8.46, Reg Smith +8.44, Jack Brown (a3crg) + 8.27 & Dave England of the promoting club + 7.37.
Susan Snook was FOS Lady with + 4.57 and 2nd was Claire Greenwood + 4.06.
Newbury RC (Dave Jones, Ian Greenstreet & Ian Lakey) were FOS Team.
Wessex Group champion is Terry Icke with Jack Brown & Dave England in the minor places.
Sotonia CC (Alan Sharpen, Colin Crocker & Dave Kimber) won Wessex team award on standard (+ 10.53) and The Chalky White ‘Lanterne Rouge Trophy’ was won by John Stepney (Antelope RT).
The third of our Championship events was decided in the Bognor Regis CC 50 mile promotion on Sunday, 26th July with sixteen group members (of whom twelve finished the event) included in the start sheet of 69 riders.
Early starters had fairly warm conditions with no wind to speak of but a westerly breeze had stiffened by the time the first riders got to the far end of the second lap at the end of the Chichester bypass with some five miles to go to the finish ensuring they had quite a fast ending to their race.
Later starters had to contend with this breeze on the two long westbound legs but this did not appear to have hindered the three fastest men too much.
Last man off Phil Sykes (VC St Raphael) did 1.45.35 with Steve Walkling fastest Veteran in second place (1.46.11) and Aran Stanton (VC St Raphael) third (1.49.46).
Steve led the winning team from Velocity Bikes CC who achieved a combined time of 5.34.39 and his wife Lesley was fastest lady rider with 2.4.06 – this time included a rear wheel puncture & an estimated three minute loss of time getting a spare wheel.
David England (Crabwood CC) is 2009 Group champion + 41.05 (2.5.10) with Glenn Longland (Antelope RT) second + 39.01 (1.51.57) and Roy Fairchild third + 36.35 (2.22.32).
Roy, David Patten + 30.40 and Simon Coppard + 16.51 (all of Bognor Regis CC) were the only team to finish so are this years winners of the Championship Team on Standard Cup with + 84.06.
The mixed Tandem Pair of Norman Harvey & Mary Corbett travelled up to Middlesborough on 7th June and won another National VTTA Championship event at 50 miles with a plus of 11.49 but could not complete a hat trick of wins in the VTTA (Yorkshire) “25” a fortnight later being beaten into second place (+7.19) but they did have the satisfaction of beating the winners time by a few seconds.
Ben Fielden (a3crg) rode his first 24 Hour event in the RTTC National Championship in Lancashire at the end of July.
He had the assistance of David Shepherd (VTTA National champion back in 2002) and ended up with 414.11 miles which distance sets a new National record at age 67 years beating the distance achieved by J.
Pugh in 2005 by about 1/3 rd of a mile as well as beating the previous Wessex best times of A.A.Smith (387.480 miles) at age 65 in 1981 and Dave Palmer (348.160) also at age 67 in 1999.
Not to be outdone Glenn Longland became this year’s TLI Category C Road Race champion in a 40 mile event in early July.
There has been a spate of new Age record times recently.
Steve Walkling (49.08) was second to Mike Hutchinson (46.29) in the Ogmore Valley Whs 25 on 31st July and is, at age 40, the first Wessex rider to break 50 minutes for the distance.
Mick St Leger rode the Corinium / Bristol South CC “50” on 27th June and was also placed second with 1.43.11 which is almost 4 ½ minutes faster than his 2008 ride at that distance aged 44 years.
Two days later an Open evening 25 miles event ran by a3crg produced at least four more records.
Steve won the event with another 49 minute ride (49.24), Nik Bowdler (40 years of age) was 2nd with 50.17, Mick in 9th place recorded 51.12, Lesley Walkling, not to be outdone by her husband, did a personal best 54.59 at Age 44 and beat her own records set in 2006 & 2007 and John Woodburn (FOS + 27.18) did 56.26 for yet another record at age 72..
Since 40 of the 52 riders who beat the hour did personal bests there may have been others I have missed.
Since the last issue two new members have joined the Group and we welcome Nik Bowdler (Farnborough & Camberley CC) who was last year’s CTT BBAR and David Pattern (Bognor Regis CC) whose first ride helped his club to Championship Team Medals in his own club’s 50 miles event.
Finally please note that the Group’s Annual General Meeting is to be held at 10.30 am in Valley Park Community Centre, Chandlers Ford on SUNDAY, 1ST November – lets hope the date change from Armistice Sunday will enable more members to attend.
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