Bettany enjoying new challenge (From News Shopper)

Bettany enjoying new challenge

4:50pm Thursday 7th June 2012 in Conference South

GRAVESEND Cycling Club’s national mountain bike competitor Richard Bettaney has turned his attention to road racing now Cyclopark is in operation.

His first win in the cat race came last Thursday when he broke clear of the main bunch after 50 minutes and then won the sprint at the end of the 90 minute race.

In previous races he had second, fifth and 11th placed finishes but also had a lot of bad luck with punctures.

He has now got enough points for his third cat licence and hoping for continued success in order to get his second cat licence this season as well.

In his mountain bike racing he is 11th placed in the national masters series from 90 competitors, while in the southern regional championships Bettaney also came but he had to start from the back of the grid, so this was a commendable performance.

Elsewhere, Neil Harrigan again won the Gravesend CC Joe Eldridge Memorial 25-mile time trial in awful weather conditions.

Harrigan was also fastest in the open 10m TT on the Grain course (23m29s), with Jason Tibbs on 24m36s.

He was also fastest Gravesend CC rider in the Kent cycles 25 in 1hr02m05s, (other club riders - Tibbs 1hr03m53s and A Gibson 1hr07m21s), and in the VC Elan Hilly 22 with 57m59s (other GCC riders Graham Terry 1hr00m15s and Tibbs 1hr00m59s).

Ten mile time trials are held on the Grain course each Tuesday, starting near Grain village and all are welcome.

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