Looke is looking for 22mph in the British BAR competition

Club social secretary Paul Looke has just a week until the biggest time trial of his year and the race that will decide his Best British All Rounder competition. The magical mark for an open rider making a BAR attempt is 22mph and 20mph for females (for context the BAR is is a national event aimed at finding the time-trialists who can claim to be the best over a range of distances, and is the combiined average speed a 50 mile, 100 mile and 12 hour time trial).

In true Paul Looke fashion, in his first attempt at this collosal task, last year Paul managed to hit an average speed of 21.9958.... In many ways it's actually more impressive that he got so close to the target mark and we are pretty sure nobody has ever got so agonisingly close to the mark. Fast forward to 2024 however and Paul has gone significantly faster in his 50 and 100 mile TTs, lopping nearly 13 minutes off of his 100 to give himself much more breathing room on the 12. 

Clubmate Richard Parrotte, our long standing mile eater champion and famous for his 300km traiining rides is also taking part having unfortunately DNF'd the National 24 hour race just a few weeks back. The event takes place in Thetford, Norfolk on Sunday 18th August and Paul will have a team of Shaftesbury helpers ready to support him by providing regular jam sandwiches and buckets of chamois cream! Everyone at Shaftesbury CC wishes both of them the best and we look forward to updating you that Paul has his the 22mph that ever so narrowly evaded him in 2023.