Adrian Pettitt of the Stowmarket and District CC won his own club’s 20 mile Debenham time trial by the smallest of margins, beating David Crisp of Colchester club 3T Racing by just one second.

East Anglian Daily Times: Colchester rider David Crisp (3T RACING) on his way to second place at Debenham. Picture: ROGER RUSHColchester rider David Crisp (3T RACING) on his way to second place at Debenham. Picture: ROGER RUSH (Image: Archant)

Pettitt went round the sporting Debenham-Pettaugh-Occold circuit in 46:19 well off Oli Jones’s course record of 42:39. Even so Petitt was one of the few competitors to improve on his time two weeks earlier in the Orwell Velo 20.

Crisp, for instance went back 12 seconds while Simon Daw, third in the Stowmarket event, went back 58 seconds and Becky Ridge, who was Women’s winner in both events was slower by over a minute.

The culprit was the wind, which was cold and not at all sporting, hindering competitors both on hilly Pettaugh- Ashfield leg and on the long exposed run north through the lanes to Occold while only offering modest help – through hedges - on the final dash back to Debenham.

Leon West took third overall in 46:29 and led CC Sudbury to the team prize, helped by John Bradbury (46:41) and James Rush (50:20).

Steve Cave (47:53) was fastest from the Plomesgate CC, Andy Kennedy (47:59) best from Ipswich BC and Peter Hurry (49:29) from Wolsey RC.

The Veteran’s TTA 25 on the single-carriageway triangle near Newmarket was won by Matt Smith (Drag2Zero) in 51:48.

A double-bill of 51 mile women’s and men’s road races near Chelmsford saw Polly Mason (DAP CC) and Vincent Christian (East London Velo) take the honours.

Spring blossom was bursting out all round the East Hanningfield- Howe Green–Pan Lane circuit, and with about 20 miles to go in the Women’s race a group of five burst out of the shelter of the bunch and dominated the rest of the race.

East Anglian Daily Times: The winning CC Sudbury team at Debenham. L-R: John Bradbury, James Rush and Leon West. Picture: ROGER RUSHThe winning CC Sudbury team at Debenham. L-R: John Bradbury, James Rush and Leon West. Picture: ROGER RUSH (Image: Archant)

The pace soon reduced the group to three, and then to one when Mason found no-one matching her pace. Eventually Mason took the flag alone 1:41 up on a big bunch sprint headed by Kerry Middleton ((Team LDN) and Louise Moriarty (Les Filles).

Tenth spot was gained by Cindy Berry who has just left Pedal Power Ipswich to join Mason in DAP CC – now becoming a women’s team to watch out for.

High category men raced over 77 miles on the long Great Saling circuit and here the major break was a three-man one by with Ross Fawcett (Pedal Power Ipswich) Barney Purbrook (Sigms-Sport) and Seb Garry (High Wycombe CC). With five miles to go Purbrook attacked to win.

Meanwhile Steven Parsonage, who has been snapped up by the Richardsons/Trek team since his win at Beccles two weeks ago, appeared from behind to seize second place, with Fawcett third.

Several Continental visitors took top placings the National Series MTB racing at Hadleigh Park where much of the 2012 Olympic course was used, with hair-raising drop-offs and some very rocky landings for those who got it wrong.

A puncture put Newmarket rider Jason Bouttell (Team Vision) down to 20th Elite Male, one place ahead of Holbrook student Paddy Atkinson. Dan Howe (Wolsey RC) held tenth in the 40-49s for much of his race but a moment of over-doing it had him down to13th at the end.

Riding in the Junior Tour of Mendip stage race for Under 18s Sam Asker of Bury St Edmunds recovered from a difficult prologue to finish 17th and 13th in the remaining two stages to finish 25th among the 60 classified finishers.

Fakenham town centre on Easter Sunday afternoon is the place to be for bike race spectating. With a short circuit passing through the Market place twice on each lap there should be plenty of excitement. First bike race 1.15 pm. For details see the Active Fakenham website.

East Anglian Daily Times: The sprint for second place in the Essex Roads Womens Road Race at East Hanningfield. Picture: FERGUS MUIRThe sprint for second place in the Essex Roads Womens Road Race at East Hanningfield. Picture: FERGUS MUIR (Image: Archant)

Just over two weeks later on Mayday Bank Holiday Monday there is similarly spectator-friendly racing at Ixworth – just off the A143 between Bury St Edmunds and Diss, promoted by West Suffolk Wheelers.

RESULTS:

Stowmarket & District CC 20 miles, Debenham: 1 Adrian Pettitt (Stowmarket & Dist) 46:19, 2 David Crisp (3T-RACING) 46:20, 3 Leon West (CC Sudbury) 46:29, 4 John Bradbury (CC Sudbury) 46:41, 5 Glenn Taylor (Shorter Rochford) 46:54, 6 Tim Phillips (St Ives CC) 47:10, 7 Simon Daw (Datalynx-Parenesis) 47:23, 8 Julian Bosley (Stowmarket & Dist) 47:36, 9 Steve Cave (Plomesgate CC) 47:53, 10 Andy Kennedy (Ipswich BC) 47:59, 11 Peter Hurry (Wolsey RC) 49:29, 12 Paul Moss (Stowmarket & Dist) 49:54.

Women: 1 Becky Ridge (TPH Racing) 52:53, 2 Gillian Leech (Stowmarket & Dist) 56:01, 3 Sally Withey (Team Swift) 1:00:37.

Essex Roads CC, East Hanningfield; Women, 51 miles: 1 Polly Mason (DAP CC), 2 Kerry Middleton (Team LDN) at 1:41 secs. 3 Louise Moriarty (Les Filles), 4 Isabel Darvill (Datalynx-Parenesis), 5 Emily Knight (Project 51), 6 Gem Atkinson (Scarpa Racing), 7 Katrina Murphy (Dulwich Paragon), 8 Maddie Wilson (Guernsey Velo), 9 Elizabeth Danckert (Army CU), 10 Cindy Berry (DAP CC).

Men, 51 miles: 1 Vincent Christian (East London Velo), 2 Chris Owen (Cambridge CC),3 David Veitch (Lea Valley CC), 4 Sean Dunlea (Bloodwise QSW), 5 Neil Coyte (6AM Cycling).

Simon Hook Memorial RR: 1 Barnabas Purbrook (Nuun-Sigma Sports), 2 Steven Parsonage (Richardsons/Trek), 3 Ross Fawcett (Pedal Power Ipswich), 4 Tom Fitzpatrick (Private Member), 5 Stephen Swindley (Royal Navy), 6 Andrew Taylor (DAP CC), 7 Timothy Torrie (Vitus Pro Cycling), 8 Aled Jones (VC Equipe), 9 Tom Hargreaves (Nuun-Sigma Sport),10 Lee Smith (Nuun-Sigma Sport)

East Anglian Daily Times: The bunch at Little Claydons in the Essex Roads Womens Road Race. Picture: FERGUS MUIRThe bunch at Little Claydons in the Essex Roads Womens Road Race. Picture: FERGUS MUIR (Image: Archant)

Women: 1 Becky Ridge (TPH Racing) 52:53, 2 Gillian Leech (Stowmarket & Dist) 56:01, 3 Sally Withey (Team Swift) 1:00:37.