The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Taking a break after three individual time trial competitions, Spalding Cycling Club’s season continued with a new event for 2016 – the ‘Mix n Match’ two-up team time trial.
Drawing names from a hat, each team comprised a slower rider with a faster rider rather than the usual format of riders with similar times and ability.
The random draw proved a great success, with some close times clocked. It also allowed the younger members to race more competitively against the older and more experienced, with surprising results.
This sort of event does not always attract a lot of riders – and the cold and quite windy evening meant that numbers were down.
Only six teams formed up at the start, just in time for a short hail storm which only served to make some already damp corners even more slippery. Nevertheless, some great racing ensued.
Posting a time of 26.34mins, the untried combination of Sam Bentley and Frazer Wallis – riding his first two-up – were fastest overall.
Andy Bowser, partnered with Chris Bettinson in his first TT of the season, placed second and recorded a time of 27.08mins.
That was just 33 seconds ahead of Ben Moore and under-16 Will Gurney, who finished third with 27.41mins.
Their time was a surprise in that they were 1.00.02mins quicker than the 28.43mins recorded by the team of Simon Wright and Barry Drew.
Being perhaps more evenly matched as a team, they could have been expected to be faster.
Another surprise was in store as the battle for fourth place proved to be a thriller.
Opting to use road bikes rather than the TT bikes favoured by most of the competitors, Ross McGivern and Mark Hills paired with under-16 aces Tom Wright and Ed Gurney.
McGivern and Tom Wright rode incredibly well to chase down Simon Wright and Drew – finishing just 12 seconds slower in 28.55mins.
Meanwhile, Hills and Gurney took the “Lanterne Rouge” award for last place with a very respectable 31.25mins.
