Eastern Counties Cycling Association 10

Alice Connor was fastest female and Matt Rizzo-Naudi quickest in the open category at a disrupted Eastern Counties CA 10-mile event in Cambridgeshire on Saturday afternoon.

A three-vehicle crash not involving the event led to road closures and disruptions which caused 15 riders to be listed as non-finishers including Spindata’s pre-race favourite George Fox.

Nevertheless, the winners turned in strong performances, with Connor clocking 23-08 and being around a minute and a half quicker than her predicted time on Spindata and overhauling pre-race female favourite Claire Hall (Parenesis TougHuman Cycling) by just one second.

Third placed female was Deborah Coyle (Shaftesbury CC), again just one second further back in a very close female podium.

Connor, 31, set a new personal best time with 23-08, and will be hoping to secure another victory when she tackles the VC Sevale (Malvern) 10 next weekend. She is targeting the National 10-Mile Championship and the National Closed Circuit Championship in August.

22-year-old Rizzo-Naudi, riding for Cambridge University CC, placed second in the previous weekend’s prestigious Ely and District hardriders 25, and went one better this time to win in a time of 19-05, which like Connor was a personal best time.

He last rode this E2/10 course in September, and went over a minute quicker on this occasion after a hard winter of training.

That time gave him the win by 25 seconds over veteran Daniel Northover (Southborough and District Wheelers), with third being junior Thomas Mead (Lee Valley YCC) in 20-12.

Fastest on a road bike was Francis Schofield (Cambridge University CC) whose time of 21-23 was eighth quickest overall, while second in the road bike category was Shaftesbury CC’s Mark Thurlow in 25-46.

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