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Making it back from Newmarket with minutes to spare, PW completed the course in 24:48 to Phil's 24:34.  Sadly the wind-speed had not altered since the afternoon making it a very difficult ride.  Not difficult for Alex Dowsett who recorded 18:18, the next rider taking 20:21.  (Makes you sick, doesn't it!)

Due to a PW admin oversight he had failed to remember that the postponed end of April event had been scheduled for today.  This was not a major problem although it did cause a few technical difficulties for the rest of the weekend.  In some of the windiest conditions suffered on the E2 he recorded 1:04:25.  That included an outward journey of 38 mins!  Merv returned with 1:05:43.  PW then rushed back to Hertford for the next event.

Two HWCC members took part in this event.  Barry did the course in 22:56 whilst Peter took a long 25:02 - not helped by the fact that he forgot to change gear.  Don't ask!

Congratulations to Tony Marriott on winning this year's Garrett Cup with 1:01:50.  It would have been quicker had he stuck to the correct route.  Still he did better than Barry who just got lost.  Peter's time of 1:04:43 was affected by the previous afternoon's exertions.  Saturday's racing was all done with an average heart rate of 145+ whereas Sunday's was ridden at an average of 134 - he never got out of Zone 5.  Again Alex Dowsett made a mockery of the conditions with a course record of 47:53, beating 2nd place by 5 and a half minutes.  How come the course conditions never seem to affec

With the lousy weather affecting everyone's lives, most riders turned up for the easy pacer leaving only four to do the medium from Thaxted.  The fourteen who rode the easy endured an interesting journey with plenty of rest breaks.  Chris punctured, and then repunctured so this time he decided he would fix it and return home.  Then it was Jason's turn.

Didn't know we had so many members\prospectives!  With about 20 of us out we toured the lanes like a large lorry blindly following its satnav although with JF leading there was no chance of getting lost.  There were no punctures or mechanicals and a brisk ride was had by all on a warm summer evening.  Not often had a chance to write that this year!

Phil's time was 1:03:32, and Merv's was 1:11:17.

Over 20 out, with most on the medium paced ride.  The four on the easy pacer had a fairly trouble-free ride as for the most part was the medium.  VB snapped his chain, and then the group managed to split as they were incorrectly advised by a rider from another club!  However all came together at Hare St.

This was Brian's first open event of the year and despite the strong wind and sometimes iffy road surface he recorded 23:44.

The event was abandoned due to flooding and the coning-off of part of a section of the course.

In his second "25" Tony clocked up a PB of 1:06:08 on the tricky Guilden Morden circuit.  This will drop dramatically in better conditions on a faster course.

In the HWCC 30 on a good morning on the A1, Phil recorded an impressive 1:10:52 and Tony did an excellent 1:15:12 in his first ever attempt at 30.  Merv carried on his good form with a 1:18:14 whilst Peter crawled in sometime the next day - 1:19:06.

And such foul weather!  Six started out on the slowie from Ware and were eventually met by the two who had attempted the medium but called it off part-way.  It wasn't cold but it did get extremely wet, so the stop at Bps Stortford was very welcome.

A torrential downpour deterred many, but the eight who waited for the rain to stop enjoyed a good ride in good, but dampish, conditions.

After the rigours of the Club TT 30 on the A1, Alex led four from Tempsford to Grafham Water.  A twentyfive mile out, and fifteen mile return, was enjoyed at a good pace in blazing hot weather.

What seems to have been a fairly perfect evening, a few PBs.

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What seems to have been a fairly perfect evening, a few PBs.

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Barry, fresh from his French exploits and his victory in the club TT the previous night, led a large group around the lanes.  The evening was enlivened by MarkT's constant battle with his wheels, spokes and tyres.

France must have been good for Barry as he returned to a victory. There was some close racing between the non-TT specialists.
It was a warm evening with a north-east cross-wind.

On Sunday I raced in the Mud, Sweat & Gears event at Thetford.  I placed 33rd out of 62 in the veterans category.