A top 10 placing in the most important UK road race of the weekend was an outstanding result for Beccles roadman Morris Bacon.
Bacon, riding for the Great Yarmouth-based DAP team, finished ninth in the Jock Wadley Memorial race held on a seven-mile circuit crossing and re-crossing the Abberton reservoir and climbing into Layer and Birch – villages just outside Colchester.
The first break came after just 10 miles of racing and thereafter the field split and scattered and re-formed as riders sought to make their mark.
At one time there were five separate groups, not counting stragglers and after nearly 90 miles in intermittent drizzle and rain faces at the finish were mud-covered and staring.
Keeping near the front of the field, Bacon managed to bridge to one of the front groups, though there was no chance of matching winner Mikey Mottram (Morvello-Basso) and second-placed Joey Walker (Team Wiggins) who broke away with about 12 miles to go, Bacon seized ninth in a sprint with Tom Mazzone (Holdsworth Pro Racing) and James Rix (Richardsons/Trek) 2:23 behind Mottram.
There was a second place for VC Norwich's Jen Smart in CC Sudbury's Mad March Hilly 22 mile time trial. Jen's 1:00:51 knocked 49 seconds off her course personal best, but this was understandably in a different class to the time of women's winner pro Hayley Simmonds who revised her course record to 50:52 as part of her training for next month's Commonwealth Games. Men's winner was Leon West (CC Sudbury) in 50:23.
Middle and lower category roadmen contested the Ike Saul Memorial race in west Cambridgeshire where Jim Bradford of the promoting Cambridge CC won after a long lone break. Late chasers Jonny Allen and Jamie Wimborne took the next places.
Top local finisher was Kieran Jarvis (Team OnForm) who was 11th, one place ahead of Strada Sport team captain Ben Beynon who was awarded the Tusk prize for combativity.
The commissaires were active and there were disqualifications for riding on the wrong side of the road, and unfortunately a stack-up during the bunch sprint for fourth place.
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