Definitely my last race of the season, promised Gosport hard rider Paul Rogers (VC St Raphael Waite Contracts) after helping his club break a team record he helped to set in West Sussex ten years ago.
The 35-year-old all-rounder has now completed almost half his lifetime racing at senior level, ranging from international competition like the Tour of Britain Milk Races to the rough and tumble of cyclo-cross.
And this year has seen him excel in time trials, finishing fifth in the British Best All-Rounder Champion-ship at his first attempt and leading his club to victory in the team contest.
His latest event saw him share fifth place with clubmate Malcolm Cox of Hedge End, after the two took 1 hour 12 minutes 12 seconds to complete the annual Goodwood Classic time trial. Team leader in this 28-mile race was Sarisbury Green school teacher Rowan Horner, who finished fourth fastest in 1.11.30 to give the trio an aggregate time of 3.35.54 to beat the old figures by nearly ten minutes.
The race for individual honours, sharpened by an incentive of a £100 prize from FS Maestro Cycles to the fastest man to reach the seven- mile point on the site of the World Championships at Goodwood in 1982, was won by national 50-mile champion Richard Prebble (Team Clean Fresh Start) and he went on to break Chris Ball's four year-old race record of 1.9.15 by 11 seconds.
This brought him a winning margin of 17 seconds over the Staines professional, Gordon McCauley (ProCyc-ling RT) who stepped up his pace after trailing Prebble by 12 seconds at that seven-mile point.
Droxford's Graeme Stirzaker (Anglia Sport Condor) came within five seconds of denying Prebble that £100 bonus there before losing a little of his early speed to finish third in 1.10.25.
Unlike Rogers, he is showing no signs of tiredness from a full season, for he raced a second time in the afternoon, with a top ten placing in the 700 yard long Beo CC Hill Climb on the North Downs.
Converted for the new archive on 25 January 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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