Spalding Cycling Club were well-represented at the Cambridge UCI championships that were held at the East of England Showground Peterborough.
The events are the qualifiers for the UCI Amateur championships which take place in Italy in August.
The Saturday was the turn of the ‘chrono’, which is a 16.3-mile time trial over a course consisting of one sharp climb up to Morbon Radio Tower and a series of long drags.
The racing is divided into age groups, so riders are competing to qualify from their age group.
Sunday is then the turn of the ‘gran fondo’ race for riders holding a race licence (approximately 1,200 entrants) and the mass participation sportive, which had around 8,900 riders. Participants in the race and sportive rode the same 79-mile course – which after an initial 20 hilly miles meandered its way through the fens – and were split into age groups.
Top honours over the weekend went to Neil Palmer, who managed to qualify to go to Italy in both the chrono and race, riding in the 45-49 years group.
Spalding had a contingent of riders taking part in the chrono; Palmer 38.05mins, Bowser 40.11mins, Andy Gurney 42.56mins, Rob Mcalinden 50.48mins.
Sarah Bentley and Barry Drew set off in the later age groups and had to contend with stronger breeze than the earlier riders.
Bentley’s time was 50.01mins, while Drew – competing in the 70+ group – managed 50.05mins.
Chris Ward, who currently rides for Team Swift, finished in 38.45mins in the 50-54 age group and has a provisional qualification for Italy.
The Sunday race saw three riders taking part in the race and three in sportive.
Lister dubbed his 2.59.59hrs “the race of my life” as he secured a provisional qualification, while Chris Bettinson (3.26.37hrs), and Palmer (3.03.02hrs) were celebrating after the race.
In the sportive, Mark Hills rode an impressive 3.49.00hrs, while Drew was pleased with his 4.21.58hrs.
Credit also goes to Keith Seaton, who rode the 79 miles as a celebration for reaching 79 years old this year, finishing in 5.08.18hrs.
- Red-hot Josh Wallis once again stamped his authority on Spalding’s ten-mile time trial league as he eased to a fine victory on Tuesday night.
With regular rivals Neil Palmer and Matt Ellis not in action, Wallis refused to take his foot off the gas and clocked a rapid time of 21.25.mins on the Pode Hole course.
He was followed home by the ever-improving Tim Lister (22.42mins) in second, while Andy Bowser (23.37mins) completed the top three.
- Other times (all mins): Adam Ellis 23.41; Frazer Wallis 24.20; Mark Hills 25.31; Tom Wright 25.36 (PB), Simon Wright 25.46, James Bramma 26.04; Barry Drew 29.08; Sophie Wright 32.21; Brian Johnson DNF; Andrew Gurney DNS. Guests: Matt Elworthy (Velo One) 22.47; Aaron Vella 30.33.
Lister went one better as he topped the leaderboard at the Bourne Wheelers 11-mile TT on Wednesday.
- The midweek social riders took a 54-mile hilly ride to Grantham, while the Saturday riders took a 40-mile leisurely ride and stopped off in Bourne.
