Friday 3rd February saw the club’s 93rd Annual Presentation Dinner at the Cliff Hotel.
It was a good night for Steve Konrad who took home the Somerleyton Cup, awarded to the fastest member to complete a 10 mile Time Trial on the Somerleyton course during the season: his time being 22:47, averaging 26.34mph. Steve also took home the Pendle Cup, awarded to the fastest member to complete a 30 mile Time Trial on the Somerleyton course during the season, completing in a time of 1:13:02 and averaging 24.64mph. Steve also took home the Road Race Trophy.
Jenny Anderson once again dominated the women’s field, amassing 5 trophies and increasing last year’s haul by one. She took home the Yvonne Westgate Ladies Shield which is awarded to the woman rider with the fastest average speed over any two 10 mile and 25 mile Time Trials. She won with an average of 22.763mph, this also being an increase on the average she recorded last year.
She also received the SLP Trophy, awarded to the club’s short distance best all-rounder time triallist with the fastest average over 25, 50 and 100 miles. She won with an average of 22.405 mph, again a higher average speed than last year. This year, Jenny recorded the fastest 50 mile time, securing the University Cup with a time of 2:19:36, averaging 21.49mph. She also secured the fastest 50 mile Time Trial on Handicap with a time of 1:43:52, thereby securing the Haddon Cup. The final trophy was the Ferrier Cup which is awarded on a points basis according to placing in the Hercules, Pendle, University and Premier Cups.
The Vice-President’s Cup this year resulted in a draw between Steve Brown and Bryan Averre. The cup is awarded to the best all-rounder, points being earned by competing across a number of disciplines. A busy season of cross-country racing also saw Bryan become the highest placed rider, earning him the Ladbrokes Cyclo-Cross Cup.
Tom Moore won the Henry Sutton Novices Cup. This is given for the fastest ride by someone who has never taken an award over the distance of 25 miles. His time was a blistering 1:10:01, averaging 21.42mph.
Mark Dixon won the Derek Evans Memorial Shield, which is awarded for the fastest on Handicap 25 miles Time Trial, with a time of 0:40:08.
The O’Neil/Dennington Bowl was awarded for the first time this year for outstanding efforts throughout the Summer Time Trial season, with the winner being Paul Hastings.
The Pettingill Hill Climb Shield, the shortest distance over which the Club awards a trophy, though not necessarily the easiest, was won by Louis Julian who completed the sprint up the 17% incline in 55.2 seconds.
The Tourist Trophy, which has not been awarded for several years due to the fact that not many cyclists go on organised touring holidays, was awarded this year to Jackie Manser who completed the epic Lands End to John O’Groats ride: a fantastic achievement.
Always a hotly contested trophy and the second to result in a draw this year was the Attendance Shield. The winners, attending 44 out of a possible 50 club runs, were Roger Farrow and Ray Eastick.
The TS Fitch Cup, another trophy that has not been awarded for over thirty years due to decline of interest within the Club for Grass Track Racing, was awarded this year to Alice Codling who had been competing in Grass Track Events in the district.
The Bullimore Trophy, first awarded in 1893 to the rider with the lowest aggregate handicap time over any two club 10-mile Time Trials and any 2 club 25-mile Time Trials during the season, was won, for the fourth time, by Ian Sandall with a time of 2:09:44.
Neil Goward was awarded the Memorial Shield. This is given for services to the club over the year or longer. Neil has been active throughout the club serving as a member of the committee and as the Time Trials time keeper. The club is most grateful to him for his work in these areas.
The hotly disputed Holmes Cup, which is competed for by Great Yarmouth Cycling Club and Lowestoft’s Velo Club Barrachi and awarded to the club who has amassed the most points over three events, was won this year by Great Yarmouth with 52 points. Tim Amplett accepted the trophy on behalf on the club.
The Ray Lawler Trophy, awarded for the fastest on Handicap on a club 25 was won by Julian Claxton with a time of 1:05:24.
The last trophy to be awarded on the night, one of the most impressive of all the trophies that GYCC has and the one that all the racing members hope to win one day, is the Hercules Cup. Lifetime member Terry Loveday, the first GYCC rider to break the hour, was there to award the cup to Julian Claxton with a time of 1:05:24.
Congratulations must be given to all those who attended meets this year. They are the heart of the club, and we hope to see old and new faces in the upcoming racing season.
