VC Revolution Cycling Club promoted the first edition of the Ken Wright Memorial Road Race on a circuit based around Abberton Reservoir, just south of Colchester.

Sixty riders from across the eastern region set off from Peldon in bright but windy conditions.

The 60 mile Regional A race, which covered five and a half laps of an 11 mile circuit, was fast from the start with a chilly north-easterly wind pushing the bunch along at impressive speeds from Layer-de-la-Haye to Great Wigborough, but Making life tough on the headwind section back towards Abberton.

Notable escapees in this 2/3/4/J event included Eastern Road Race League strongman Digby Symons (Cambridge CC), who was ahead of the main bunch for nearly two laps mid-way through the race and collected two primes for his efforts, and the pairing of Basil Moss (Cambridge CC) and Jonathan Tomlinson (East London Velo) who broke away together towards the end.

Tomlinson’s strength was evident as he dropped Moss and powered away to an impressive solo victory. He finished 30 seconds ahead of the main bunch, which was led in by noted sprinters Trevor Burke (Finchley Road Team) and VC Revolution’s very own Richard Norris.

Luckily British Cycling’s Photo Finish Camera Team was on hand to place the riders in the tail-wind assisted finish.

At the post-race presentation, where riders received generous cash and cycling based prizes donated by Birkett Long Solicitors and Thomas Cycles, race winner Tomlinson declared, “I’m absolutely thrilled as this is my first ever open road race victory.

"Having spent the first 10 weeks of the year on my turbo-trainer due to a comminuted fracture of my scaphoid, it was a relief to find my race legs were healthy.

"I'm becoming a dad in August so I'm riding with a deadline, which adds an urgency to my training and racing, so if all goes well this race should be a sign of things to come.”

He really was a fitting winner of this race held in memory of Ken Wright, a gent who was a true club cyclist.