10 Mile T.T.4th March 2007

To date the excuses I have heard for not taking part in this first race of the season range from the genuine (Mick Higginson serious toothache) to the risible (Mike Mitch, not part of my plan).....the fact that he said he was going to do it the day before had obviously been forgotten or it’s a very flexible plan! For those who did take part full marks for turning out on what was a pretty atrocious morning. A strong south easterly made conditions very difficult, with riders being knocked one way and then the other by the wind, not helped by a wet road (it stopped raining just before the start). La Mare to La Rocque was hard with a nice run then to Gorey and the dead turn at the car park (shortened course due to traffic lights at the bottom of Gorey hill) and then a battle all the way back to La Rocque, followed by a sprint to the finish with a nice push up the rear (can I say things like that?) from the breeze.

Dave Jardine was only a few seconds behind Sam, which bodes well for his season. Bill Buist put in an impressive time to take first in the vets (hope he’s not peaked too soon), with Mike Keighrey not far behind. These two could have quite a tussle this year, but its early days and plenty more riders to make an appearance. Jim was just pipped for first place by Helen, but there wasn’t much in it and time trialling is Helens specialism. Great to see two juniors turn out when the majority stayed in bed; good results for Phil Vautier and Sam Carney, who was lucky not to get blown off.

The original plan was to have this as a two up but with low numbers and some riders looking for Island Games selection, in the end only 3 pairs took part plus one tandem. Andy Ilton and I triumphed (not sure if this is the right word) in this category but Adrian and John were only 20 seconds behind and Tony Pushman/Pete Mitchell a little further back.

Thanks to Toby for organising ably assisted by Andy Boxall, Pete Jolley, & Andy Munns. Shame on all of those who stayed in bed....wimps!!!

Peter