Ben Hardisty writes…
A trio of East Grinstead riders headed for North Hampshire to the H25/8 course based near Bentley with the intention of clocking a fast time. However the weather ensured a tough afternoon in the saddle, a strong and damp easterly wind leaving most of the field struggling.
Ted Boorman recorded 1:07:10 some nine minutes down on his previous ride on this course. Next off were first timers to the course, Ben Hardisty and Stefano Arcidiacono.
On his last ride Ben had a ‘wind shield’ riding a 2up with Mike Anton, but this time he really struggled to cope in the conditions especially on the windward leg which had to be done almost twice. Ben only managed a 1:08:26.
Stef, riding with a new ‘cyclefit’ position, a pair of shiny new ‘planet-x 101s’ and brand new pointy hat fared better and came home in 1:06:34.
Although there were a few ‘Did Not Starts’ this field attracted 115 riders which is a good advert for the course. As we left it looked as though the men’s event was won by Lawrence Harding (Agiskoviner) with a ’53 and the women’s event by Jenny Lloyd-Jones (London Dynamo) with a 1:02.
Results 1 Mr. L Harding www.agiskoviner.com 00:53:13 V +13'47" 2 Mr. R Simmonds London Dynamo 00:54:28 S 3 Mr. A Girling www.agiskoviner.com 00:54:43 S 4 Mr. R Hughes Clarence Wheelers 00:55:55 V +15'12" 5 Mr. P Callinan London Dynamo 00:55:58 S Ladies 1 Miss LEA Taylor Walsall Roads CC 01:02:44 S 2 Ms. J Lloyd-Jones London Dynamo 01:02:45 S
Despite the conditions the top 29 positions all came in under the hour, with London Dynamo making a very strong showing.
