Classic end to Iceni’s first race
The first road race promoted by new Norwich club Iceni Velo finished in a very tight sprint won by Steven Griffiths of Essex club PCH UK, a wheel's width ahead of Lee Rowe (Finchley RT).
'Active' and 'negative' were both words used to describe the action – there were many attacks, but all were soon chased down.
The longest break was by Matthew Thurston and Jan Strapek and lasted one lap of the 10-mile Wicklewood circuit near Wymondham.
Through Kimberley railway arch and up the final hill after 56 miles Paul Hindley (Iceni) and Steven Hurrell (Strada Sport) were among those to see the front, but down the slight drop to the finish line the sprinters took over and it was Griffiths from Rowe and Tim Allen with Dieter Rowe (VC Norwich) the first local rider in fifth place.
Paul Ashby of the Wisbech Wheelers made himself East District 50-mile champion with a 1:48:54 ride in the Godric CC 50 on the Snetterton to Wymondham section of the A11.
Overall win went to BBAR contender Barry Charlton of the Lyme RC who set a course record of 1:44:54 on a warm, overcast morning with only light wind and little traffic.
Top local riders included Mark Arnold (Pedal Revolution, 1:50:27), Dave Green (RAF, 1:51:04), and King's Lynn CC men Daniel Bloy 1:51:54, Gary Rushmore 1:53:49, Ken Roesner 1:54:38 and Martin Long 1:54:39 and Laurence Wright (North Norfolk Whs, 1:56:12) The roughness of the surface on parts of this course are causing comment – Rushmore had an awkward ride after an arm-rest came adrift.
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There were also rough surfaces in the national championship 24-hour time trial in which CC Breckland had two competitors.
Sixty-one year old Martin Badham had a job missing all the potholes on his tricycle, but covered 270 miles on the course in the Sussex Weald. Mark Fairhead is believed to have covered a greater distance, but did not quite make it to the finishing circuit and classification.
Josh Hannan (Glendene CC) was the best-placed Norfolk finisher in the third round of the Ipswich Criteriums, working hard in a six-man group of scratch riders set to make up one minute on the main field.
They did this in the first 26 minutes of the one-hour race, and then pressed ahead to the finish where Matt Toone (Stowmarket & District) was the winner and Hannan took fifth place.
VC Norwich pair Peter Hargreaves and Dieter Rowe were top club team in the VC Baracchi two-up 25 on the Somerleyton circuit. They went round in 10 seconds outside the hour. A composite team of Neil Vaughan (VC Norwich) and David Staff (Anglia Velo) were slightly quicker in 59:01, while fastest of all were Liam Gentry and late substitute Mark Drake, who is likely to have had a tough time hanging on to his VC Baracchi clubmate on the way to 58:42.
Results, Iceni Velo Road Race, Wicklewood: 1 Steven Griffiths (PCH UK racing team) 2 L Rowe (Finchley RT) 3 T Allen (Cyclesport), 4 J Steven (East London Velo) 5 D Rowe (VC Norwich) 6 T Ormes (Velo Schils) 7 R Ford (Glade CC) 8 S Hurrell (Strada Sport) 9 R Dunnett (Diss CC) 10 M Thurston.
