Professional cyclist Connor Swift smashed the course record to win the Spalding Open 25 mile TT which attracted a very strong field.
Swift, who competes for the Madison Genesis team and can be seen riding the Inner City Criterium which is televised by Channel Four, completed the course in 49mins 39 secs.
Clocking an average speed of 31mph, his time beat Mat Botteril’s course record by 12 seconds despite a stiff side head breeze
It ensured Swift took the title ahead of another professional and Commonwealth Games silver medallist in Harry Tanfield.
Tanfield, who also has a Tour De Yorkshire stage win to his name, took second in 50:30 but it included a two minute penalty for a technical infringement that denied him first spot and the course record.
The first veteran was Spalding’s own Mr Consistent, Neil Palmer who finished eighth in 55:20.
It says a lot for the Spalding Club that they were able to find sixteen volunteers to help run the event when many other clubs need to seek assistance.
This was on top of fielding eight riders who helped them land the team title.
Other Spalding riders were Tim Lister 10th 56:24, Keiran Buffham 14th 57:34, Frazer Wallis, 20th 1:00:01, Andrew Gurney, 28th 1:02:46, Mark Hills, 30th 1:04:03, James Brammah, 34th, 1:04:43, Simon Wright, 1:05:24 and Barry Drew, 39th 1:10:55.
Local rider Chris Ward riding for team Swift took eleventh spot in 57:10.
- Spalding’s current top TT rider Josh Wallis missed out on his chance to compare his time trialling against two professionals being away competing for his road racing team Active Edge in the OVB two-day stage race.
This consisted of a team time trial, a 40-mile road race on day one and 50-mile road race and on the same course but finishing on a big climb.
This event finished off with a 2.5 mile climb up to Belvoir Castle.
In the Team Time Trial they were placed seventh 10 seconds down on the leaders, but in the 40-mile race after some hard work managed to finish 4th clawing back five seconds on the GC.
In the Sunday 50-mile race after missing out on an early break, in the last lap caught the leaders to sprint out and finish fifth which him and two others covered by fifth seconds for the GC.
In the end it all came down to the Hill Climb where he struggled against the lighter riders finishing 14th.
This still gave him an excellent third place for the whole weekend.
- Tuesday evening’s 10-mile TT took place not on the regular Pode Hole course but on the alternative out and back course on the old Cowbit Road.
The course starts at Decoy Farm near Crowland and heads to the roundabout at the A16 and back.
Although the time trials on this course do not count towards the club championship the competitive edge was still there.
On the night there was a brisk wind from the north east that made it hard work for the first five miles in that because the course changes direction it did not always give assistance on the way back.
The results took on something of a familiar appearance with Josh Wallis picking up another win.
Several of the riders achieved personal bests, special mention goes to the two seniors in the event Brian Johnson, and Keith Seaton, who had his 79th birthday last Monday and was racing in the competition using tri bars for the first time.
