Event Report

Result

Race Report by Tony Capon with contribution from Pete Lifford.

Five members turned up wanting to contest the race. Conditions were good, if a little cool. Unusually, for this course, there was precious little wind to complain of. Pairs were selected by allowing the Basildon CC timekeepers to insert us onto their start-sheet as a block, the last person listed would be the one with-out a partner. Pete Lifford fell foul of this rather ad-hock system of selection. Strangely enough, he was very stout-hearted about this. Not one word of complaint or objection was heard to pass his lips.

First off were Stuart Allen and Dave Rudkins who must have been thought the clear favourites, followed by the 2 Tonys (Cooling and Capon). Pete Lifford, still determined to ride, was 3rd away. Stuart and Dave were predictably fast. The 2 Tonys' heroic effort came to an end when Tony Cooling punctured on the slip road up to the Stifford round-a-bout. Tony Capon continued on to the end to get a time that would have been substantially bettered if fate hadn't, so cruelly, intervened. Stuart's Father was on hand to rescue the fallen Tony. Pete came home with-out mishap.

Congratulations to the glorious victors: Stuart and Dave. The times were:- 1st Stuart and Dave  58:42, 2nd (sort of) Tony and Tony,  59:47 3rd (sort of) Pete, 1:10:58.

After the event Dave Rudkins was heard to complain that Stuart half killed him. No-one sympathised! Stuart had been seen to be freewheeling behind Dave.