Records fall as Ridge and Smith win Orwell Velo TT
Both the men’s and women’s course records were broken as Orwell Velo staged their 20-mile time trial in Suffolk on Saturday afternoon.
Matthew Smith (Drag2zero) showed good form to take the win, the 42-year-old from Newmarket clocking 41-20 to take more than a minute from the old course record of 42-39 set in 2017 by Ollie Jones.
And the women’s course record was also bettered, with last year’s event winner Becky Ridge (TPH Racing) covering the course near Debenham in 49.25, which was easily better tham the previous best set three years ago by Verity Smith.
Matthew Smith’s time in this year’s event gave him the win by 1-39 from Mark Richards, the DAP CC rider from Lowestoft, who was in turn 36 seconds better than third-fastest Tom Torrie (TBW23).
Fifth in the Shaftesbury CC 50-mile event a fortnight earlier, Smith’s victory was his first of the season in open events and marks a good start as he looks to better his 2019 tally of five wins.
Ridge’s time was 48 seconds better than her winning time in the same event last season, when she also left Gillian Leach (Stowmarket & Dist CC) second.
The triangular course was met with warm conditions with a slight breeze, but it wasn’t without problems for some. Expected challenger Lloyd Chapman was a non finisher thanks to a puncture, while David Langlands was disqualified for crossing the white line.
Bourne Wheelers’ junior Owen Lightfoot clocked 45-30 to win that category, while Isabella Johnson (Datalynx-Parenesis Cycling) was fastest female junior.
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