LWCC Crit, Evening 10 Rd 5 and racing round-up
The first of Lewes Wanderers highly popular Criterium Race series for 2024 took place on Thursday 13th. Despite the unseasonably cool, wet and blustery conditions the race went ahead thanks to a large team of volunteers from the host club and twenty-six budding racers lined up in the convoy for the 7:15pm rolling start.
Thankfully given the slippery roads there was but a single crash which came on the third of five laps when Alistair Farrow (Twickenham CC) was squeezed onto the grass following the second intermediate sprint, but he was tended to by the accompanying paramedics.
Two riders were dropped on the first of five 6.7-mile laps so 24 contested the opening Prime sprint on lap 2. This was taken by Ian Vagg (Project 51), from Tom Moss (Southborough & District Wheelers) and Jan Grosicki (Sussex Revolution VC).
Lap three featured a short-lived three-man breakaway and a puncture for Joshua Guest (Oxted CC) before Vagg again took the spoils, ahead of Grosicki’s team-mate Richard Moult and Alex Knight (Woolfox & Pedal Mafia).
Vagg’s club-mate Fred Edwards attempted a solo breakaway on lap 4. He took the Prime from Grosicki and Moss, but was swept up by the bunch in the rush to the finish line, where Knight won the sprint from Vagg, with Jake Roe taking third.
There was a trio of Lewes Wanderers among 19 taking part in the East Sussex Cycling Association 50-mile time-trial on the dry, but very windy morning of Sunday 16th June. To some extent they were able to keep each other company as they started within 3 minutes of each other, swapped positions on the road and finished within just over five minutes of one another.
Paul Fletcher (trainSharp) narrowly took Lewes bragging-rights as he stopped the watch after 2 hours 10 minutes and 18 seconds for 10th overall and 3rd of five in the road bike category. Peter Baker was one spot overall and 13 seconds adrift, while Neil Edwards was 4th road bike and 14th overall with 2:15:37.
Peter Baker by Sam Dix
Neil and Peter were among eight athletes to compete in the Round 5 of Lewes Wanderers’ 10-mile time-trial series the following evening. Victor by 13 seconds was guest rider Darren Parker (Crawley Wheelers) who sped round The Broyle course in 23 minutes and 20 seconds.
Dan Street was the man pipped for victory, while Neil Edwards was fastest of the quartet on road bikes and third overall in 24:52, eighteen seconds ahead of Peter Baker. Fifth placed Alex Steer (26:26) was runner-up on a road bike, 28 seconds ahead of Graham Faultless (6th).
On the warm and sunny evening of Thursday 20th June Peter Baker was among fifteen competitors for Eastbourne Rovers “Birling Gap” time-trial. A rare headwind on the ascent to Beachy Head made for slow times, but Peter covered the 7.2 mile loop in 23 minutes and 12 seconds for 10th overall and 5th from 8 in the road bike category.
