Coming head-to-head with the country’s top 16-18 year old time trialists at the National Junior 25 Miles Championship, Wickham Market junior Lyster Romero rose to the occasion by improving his personal best by nearly four minutes to take the bronze medal in a time of 49 minutes 42 seconds.
If anecdotal figures from power meters are accurate Romero’s output was actually higher than that of winner Cavan Walker (48:52) but in modern time trialling much depends on delivering power from a very compact aerodynamic riding position.
That will have applied particularly on this Heads of the Valleys course in South Wales which is notable for starting with a 40 mph descent – which, incidentally, riders do not have to climb at the finish.
Conditions were by no means fast with a brisk crosswind wind blowing throughout the event. Romero, who rides for Kent sponsored team TBW Bottecchia Wigmore RT at first rode within himself before letting rip over the final miles.
In the men’s championship on a slightly different variant of the course Matthew Smith from Newmarket took sixth place in 46:48 while Ipswich rider Ollie Jones was 27th in 48:44.
Winner Was Daniel Bigham (Prologue RT, 45:40). Top East Anglian in the women’s championship was Sue Thriplow (Essex Roads CC) who was 27th in 57:30.
Martlesham rider Lloyd Chapman was the only one inside 20 minutes in the Stowmarket & District 10 on the Wickham Market bypass, winning with 19:55 ahead of Mark Arnold from Newmarket (20:26) and Simon Hance (Ipswich BC, 20:45).
It was wet and windy for the opening round of the new RAF Honington Circuit Race Series – and airfields are not the most hospitable places in such conditions.
However tough conditions often produce clear winners and such was the case in round one. Tommy Power of Strada Sport won the main men’s race, outsprinting teammate Morris Bacon and Mark Richards who was in his new colours as a member of the Great Yarmouth-based DAP CC team.
These three had built up nearly two minutes lead on a powerful chase group which was eventually led home by Lloyd Chapman (Catford/Banks) Frank Longstaff (Richardsons/Trek) and Jack Hardwicke (Strada Sport)
Ross Fawcett (Pedal Power Ipswich) won Strada Sports’s 61 mile Bob Whitear Memorial Race on a shortened Wicklewood – Kimberley circuit in south Norfolk
Fawcett, who won enough British Cycling ranking points to gain a First Category licence, built up a 50 second lead after joining Toby Parnell (Cambridge CC) in a two-rider break.
However the race commissaires were active in ensuring that competitors stayed on the correct side of the open public road and disqualified Parnell who was judged to have ridden on the wrong side during his initial lone attack.
Second spot thus went to RAF Marham uphill specialist Ian Lee who overhauled the survivors of the bunch on the final climb and crossed the line just ahead of Sam Toy (Velo Schils).
The final laps were enlivened by an all-out but ultimately doomed attempt to bridge to the leaders by east Suffolk rider Robin Hawes who is riding for the Chelmer CC while at Essex University. A shortened circuit resulted in more climbs of the finish hill away from Kimberley railway bridge – but unfortunately practise did not prevent a last lap crash at the foot of the climb.
VeloVelocity member Matthew Senter (53:40) was two seconds away from setting a new record for the Fincham to Mundford and back course in the King’s Lynn CC 25.
Early starters were soaked by the edge of a Breckland thunderstorm, later ones, including Senter, raced in sunshine – but had to take extreme care on the wet Mundford turn roundabout.
The event offers equal prizes in all the main categories and thus Wolsey RC’s Derek Cawston pocketed £35 as best on handicap, by improving to 1:08:48 – though not as fast as clubmate David Sawyer (1:05:53), while Denise Hurren was top lady.
RESULTS – STOWMARKET AND DISTRICT 10, Wickham Market: 1 Lloyd Chapman (Catford CC/Banks) 19:55, 2 Mark Arnold (CC Desiragear) 20:26, 3 Simon Hance (Ipswich BC) 20:45, 4 Ben Stancombe (Kings Lynn CC) 20:49, 5 Andy Proffitt (Ipswich BC) 20:56, 6 Matt O’Brien (Plomesgate CC) 21:00, 7 Stuart Fairweather (VeloVelocity) 21:15, 8 Stuart Weatherley (Colchester Rovers) 21:31, 9 Paul Jay (VeloVelocity) 21:36, 10 Martin Reynolds Cambridge CC 21:43. Women : 1 Denise Hurren (Sole Bay Sport) 23:44, 2 Kathryn Morris (Dulwich Paragon) 25:17.
RAF HONINGTON CLOSED CIRCUIT SERIES Round 1 E/1/23 : 1 Tommy Power (Strada Sport), 2 Mark Richards (DAP CC) +0:03 secs, 3 Morris Bacon (Strada Sport), 4 Lloyd Chapman (Catford CC/Banks) +1:52, 5 Frank Longstaff (Richardsons/Trek), 6 Jack Hardwicke (Strada Sport), 7 Liam Gentry (DAP CC), 8 Darren Rutterford, 9 Kieran Jarvis (CT OnForm), 10 Gareth Turner (Latchem Sunrise), 11 William Drury (PCH UK), 12 Nick Esser (DAP CC) +3:21 and bunch at same time. Fourth Cats: 1 Phillip Hatcher (Hadleigh CC), 2 Mike Padfield (North Norfolk Whs) +0:16, 3 Simon Light (King’s Lynn CC).
BOB WHITEAR MEMORIAL ROAD RACE, 61 miles, Wicklewood: 1 Ross Fawcett (Pedal Power Ipswich), 2 Ian Lee (RAF Marham), 3 Sam Toy (Velo Schils), 4 William Drury (PCH UK), 5 Jim Bradford (Cambridge CC), 6 Gary Freeman (Fast Test RT), 7 Morris Bacon (Strada-Sport), 8 Mark Smith (PCH UK), 9 Toby Miles (Finchley RT), 10 Mark Richards (DAP CC).
KING’S LYNN CC 25, Fincham: 1 Matthew Senter (VeloVelocity) 53.40, 2 Daniel Bloy (VeloVelocity) 54.04, 4 David Procter (VeloVelocity) 55.30, 4 Ben Stancombe (King’s Lynn CC) 55.41, 5 Michael Martin (CC Ashwell) 57.16, 6 Lucas He (VC Baracchi) 57.21, 7. Robert Golding (Ely & District) 57.28, 8 Damon Day (CC Sudbury) 57.54, 9 Ben Keeley (VeloVelocity) 58.25, 10 Martin Atkinson (Kings Cliffe Flyers) 58.40. Women: 1 Denise Hurren (Sole Bay Cycle Sport) 1:02.26.
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