Cycling: Bradbury sees off Fairweather to win Sporting Courses title
John Bradbury was the 2019 SPOCO East champion. Picture: FERGUS MUIR - Credit: Archant
The postponement of the Revel Outdoors mountain bike racing, due to be held last Sunday, opens an opportunity to highlight the Sporting Courses (SPOCO) East Competition, writes Fergus Muir.
Andy Kennedy (Ipswich BC) winner of SPOCO East 50-59 age category, seen here at Woolpit in 2019. Picture: FERGUS MUIR - Credit: Archant
This season-long time-trial competition focuses on performances on relatively quiet country road courses, with position in the result rather than race time the deciding factor.
In 2019 the closest result came in the 40-49 age group where John Bradbury of CC Sudbury beat 2018 winner Stuart Fairweather (VeloVelocity) by just a single point. One step up the age categories, Andy Kennedy (Ipswich BC) was the V50-59 winner, with Nick Webber (Hadleigh CC) runner-up. Also from Ipswich BC was Alan McGuire Most Improved Rider.
Ben Stancombe (VeloVelocity) and Gillian Leech (Stowmarket & District CC) were the top overall scorers.
Stancombe scored 120 points for a win in each of his seven counting events. Leech tied up the Women's completion with good rides in just the CC Sudbury Hilly and the Orwell and Stowmarket 20 milers.
Dave Fenn (CC Sudbury) the winner of the 70 plus age category, who rode 22 SPOCO events in 2019. Picture: FERGUS MUIR - Credit: Archant
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Runaway winner of the 70-plus age-group was Dave Fenn of CC Sudbury who based his season around the competition and rode no less than 22 SPOCO events -from which his best seven scores counted.
CC Breckland's Chris Nudds took the 60-69 age category despite being near the top end of the age-category. CC Breckland also took the team award, Nudds being backed by Mark Fairhead and Nick Paravanni - another rider who made riding SPOCO East events a speciality in 2019.
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Now is the time to sign up for the 2020 competition - with the CC Breckland 10 at Hingham on March 7th the first possible counting event.
For details see the SPOCO East webpages.
Ben Stancombe (VeloVelocity) who was overall mens SPOCO EAST Champion. Picture: FERGUS MUIR - Credit: Archant
This coming Sunday, February 23rd, the Wolsey Road Club Reliability Trials are based at Bredfield Village Hall (IP13 6AX) near Woodbridge There are a choice of on-road routes of 55 km, 76 km or 105 km, leaving from 9 am. See the Wolsey RC website for details.
Also on Sunday is the Mille Maglia off-road sportive, based at the Maglia Rosso cycling cafe at Hawstead. See West Suffolk Wheelers Facebook page for details of on-the-day entry (£35).
Rendlesham rider Stuart Fairweather in action. Picture: FERGUS MUIR - Credit: Archant
Gillian Leech (Stowmarket & District CC) was the womens winner of the SPOCO East Competition. Picture: FERGUS MUIR - Credit: Archant
