ESCA 10 & 25 and racing round-up
The East Sussex Cycling Association autumn double-header took place in decidedly unseasonal conditions the weekend of 9th and 10th September. Saturday morning’s 10-mile time-trial up and back down the A22 was held in hot and humid conditions and the following day’s 25-mile event took place on a similarly sweltering morning. Five Lewes Wanderers took to the start for the shorter test. Sally Turner, racing for HUUB Wattshop, proved the fastest of that quintet and the four female entrants as she recorded a rapid time of 22 minutes and 30 seconds to also place 6th overall. 10th overall, and 9th male was Gavin Richards with a fine 22:53, while Neil Edwards ducked under 25 minutes with a 24:53 for 18 and 5th of 10 on road bikes. Peter Baker was one place and 17 seconds behind, while Mike Hannay’s 25:55 placed him 23rd of the 31 finishers.
Sally repeated her success and then some the following morning as she sliced 15 seconds off her personal best for 25-miles. Her new mark of 53 minutes and 13 seconds placed her third of the 18 female racers and 31st overall from 98 finishers, with six riders failing to finish. Such was the quality of the field at this event that the first 77 racers all went under the hour.
While Sally was away Kate Mankelow was a more than able replacement as she too stormed to a new PB for the same distance as she broke the magical hour mark for the first time in stopping the watch after 59 minutes and 24 seconds to prove fastest female and 9th overall in the ESCA 25 the same morning. Once again Gavin Richards had to settle for being second fastest Wanderer and missed out on beating the hour by just 11 seconds in claiming 10th overall. Sitting alongside them on the result sheet was Peter Baker in 11th with 1:00:38. Neil Edwards again rode his road bike, but it didn;t hold him back as he finished 13th overall, fastest in the road-bike category and smashed his personal best by almost four minutes with a superb 1:01:54.
Darren Haynes by Nicola Hale
The action switched to the parched playing fields of Sandwich Technology College that afternoon where Darren Haynes was competing in the Tim Mountfield Memorial which formed the opening round of the East Kent Cyclo-Cross League. Gridded on the second row in the race for men in their 50s Darren had an unintentional clash of shoulders on the opening lap that sent a rival off the track. Darren stayed upright and on course to complete lap 1 in a highly encouraging 8th place. He successfully negotiated riding through a tricky sandpit to post two more swift laps, although he dropped a couple of places in the process. He lost two places on lap 4, but recovered to claim his best ever placing at this level after passing the chequered flag in 11th place from 27 finishers at the culmination of half-a-dozen laps.
On Saturday 16th September Kate Mankelow and Sally Turner (HUUB Wattshop) travelled up to near Tring in Hertfordshire for an Icknield RC 10-mile time-trial up and down the A41 towards Aylesbury. It was well worth the journey as both recorded personal bests for the distance. Kate took a massive 1 minute and 27 seconds off her previous mark set last year in recording 21:18 for 5th place among the 26 female finishers. Sally improved her mark by 16 seconds to claim third spot on the podium, with 2 non-finishers.
