Course record beaten twice in Wiltshire 50
Arthur Franklin (Portishead CC) set a new course record in the 73 Degrees/Chippenham and District Wheelers 50 while Kate Mactear (Bristol South CC) won the women’s event.
Franklin had to settle for second in the Mid Shropshire Wheelers 25 last month, his last open event. This time, riding his first 50-mile event of the season, Franklin posted a winning time of 1-50-06.
Just ten minutes earlier in the day, Nick Livermore (Bristol South CC) had clocked a course record time of 1-52-14, only to see his time smashed by Franklin.
Despite the two-and-a-quarter lap race having some small climbs and corners Franklin clocked an average speed of over 27 miles per hour, helped by the warm and fast conditions the U86/50 course near Swindon in Wiltshire had to offer.
Livermore took second while Robert Glover (Bradford-on-Avon CC) finished third in 1-52-43.
“It felt quite fast and we got quite lucky with the weather and it was a really good day for it,” said Franklin. “I wasn’t expecting to get the course record as it was my first 50 this year. I was just seeing how my form was and concentrating on pacing and it worked really well.
“I was really happy with my time and it was a big improvement for me.”
Mactear, who finished third in the National Hill Climb Championships last season, took the women’s victory in a time of 2-13-28. Emily Kate Walton (Beeston CC) took second while veteran rider Nichola Rorke (Exeter Wheelers CC) finished third in 2-34-09.
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