Regular Spalding Cycling Club record breaker Neil Palmer has been at it again.
Having already set a new personal best (PB) and course record for the club’s ten mile time trial event a few days earlier, Palmer has now smashed Spalding’s long-standing 25 mile TT record.
His impressive new benchmark of 53.07mins – which was clocked amid rainy conditions – betters a time set way back in 1997.
That rapid ride came at the VTTA Notts and East Midlands 25m TT on the super-fast dragstrip Allington-Ollerton-Long Bennington A1 course.
Palmer’s super time saw him finish joint third, with Spalding team-mate Chris Ward taking fifth overall with a fine 56.32mins.
- Round four of Spalding CC’s ten-mile time trial league proved to be slowest night of the 2015 season so far – with times often a minute or more slower for most of the 19 members and nine guests competing.
Cold and windy conditions – plus a low sun right in the riders’ faces on the long ride down the Delph – made for a tough night.
As ever the top places went to Neil Palmer and Chris Ward, who both posted their slowest times of the season in 22.40mins and 23.28mins respectively, while third place was taken by the ever improving Mark Hills (27.46mins).
Just one second back in fourth was Ross McGivern, whose 27.47mins was just 27 seconds slower than his fastest time of the year.
Second claim member Tom Neale, riding in his Catford CC team colours, recorded 24.36mins as fastest guest rider, with J Durrin, of Neon Velo, in second on 25.18mins and J Norman, of Fenland Clarion, next with 26.21mins.
New Spalding members did well too, as Kayleigh Adams (29.00mins) took the award for first lady in ninth overall, while Clare Wookey finished 14th in 33.14mins. With both now full members, the only guest lady was Louise Day.
Her 28.17mins would have put her in sixth place overall, if club and guest results were combined.
The under-16s category had a different outcome as neither Jake Norton nor Matt Ellis were riding, so top honours went to Will Gurney. His time of 31.53mins was good enough for 11th overall.
He finished 2.59mins ahead of fellow under-16 rider Tom Wright, who along with “super vet” Bill Woods, tied for 15th overall in 34.52mins.
Sophie Wright, having had several close races against her brother in the previous weeks, just narrowly missed beating his time by finishing in 34.55mins.
The under-16 guests finished in the same order as round three, albeit on slower times. They were Bryn Richards (30.15mins), Molly Peel (35.55mins) and Cam Neilson (31.11mins).
- Other times (all mins): Chris Peel 28.12, Andrew Gurney 28.19, Ben Richards, 28.31, B Heron, 28.33, Barry Drew 30.10, Geoff Hughes, 31.58, Brian Johnson 32.41, Adrian Thurston 35.33, Max
Bland 36.03, Tom Drew Spalding 27.37, Gareth Richards 27.56.
- Jake and Ben Norton made the trip to Hetton in Suffolk recently to ride in the first round of the National Road Race Series.
Representing his trade team Sherwood Pines Sram RT, Jake’s under-16s race was held on a one-mile circuit and was ridden off at an average of 22mph.
At the end of 21 fast and furious laps he finished 15th after mass sprint.
Ben, meanwhile, did not go so well after almost three months off the bike. He was out of contention in the ten mile under-12 race, but showed real determination to finish a solid 41st in a field of 65 competitors.
