Racing round-up
Lewes Wanderers held their annual 2-up Time-Trial Championship on Monday 24th July. Five pairs of riders teamed up aiming to cover the 10-mile course up and down the A22 from East Hoathly to The Boship Roundabout and back as quickly as possible.
The fastest duo represented the host club as Kate Mankelow and Gavin Richards worked together to post a rapid time of six seconds outside of 23 minutes. Runners-up were Tom Moss and Phil Vos (Southborough & District Wheelers) 26 seconds behind, while Graham Faultless and Alex Steer (25:24) made it two Lewes duos on the podium.
Roger Hutchins and Julian Scutter (East Grinstead CC) took fourth with 26:08 with Peter Baker and Dave Beale (27:51) completing the results.
They rode together on the Monday and were again inseparable on Thursday 27th July as Kate and Gavin recorded the identical time of 23 minutes and 40 seconds when riding solo and claiming joint fourth from ten finishers in an Eastbourne Rovers “Ten” on the same course.
They were back in action again early on Sunday 20th July, although this time the extra distance did put some time between them on the results sheet. The event was the East Sussex Cycling Association 100-mile Championship for which there twenty-eight entrants, but only twenty-three took to the start on a damp and blowy morning.
Gavin coped best, or perhaps suffered least, from the adverse conditions as he took 1 minute and 57 seconds off his personal best, set in the same event two years earlier, in posting a new mark of 4 hours 16 minutes and 23 seconds, good enough for 9th overall.
Kate took to her road bike for her debut at the distance and her time of 4:44:28 proved second fastest of the four female entrants and 18th overall. They were joined by Peter Baker whose time of 4:51:23 was 20th overall and helped contribute to the Club winning the Team Trophy.
On Thursday 3rd August Adrian Hills finished 16th in an Eastbourne Rovers “10” on the A22-course in a time of 34 minutes dead. This backed up his performance from a fortnight earlier on the 14.07-mile “Pevensey Course” when his time of 51:38 placed him 18th.
Kate Parrish by Emma Gearing
On Sunday 6th August Kate Parrish took part in the Bristol South “Hardriders 50” which was run over roughly three-and-a-half laps of a triangular course or lumpy road near Tetbury. Her time of 2 hours 26 minutes and 51 seconds placed her second of the four female competitors and fifth from nine overall in the road-bike category.
Slightly nearer to Sussex Neil Edwards was also on his road bike as he was one of twenty-one overall and nineteen men vying for success in the West Kent RC “25”. This was run over a vaguely “T-shaped” course on roads between Ashford and Canterbury. Neil’s time of 1:05:55 placed him 10th overall, 9th amongst the male contingent and fourth in the road-bike category.
Kate Mankelow continued her fine form over 10-miles as she was fastest female and 19th overall in a TMC-run event held on the A24 thanks to her time of 23 minutes and 5 seconds.
