Thanks to Steve Hope for the report…

The National Clarion Cycling Club held their Annual Conference at the Lady Anne’s Hotel in Stamford over the Easter Weekend. The club is made up of 25 sections across the country, with an Annual Conference and Easter Meet held at a different venue each year.

This year the club enjoyed the hospitality provided by Geoff Hastings at The Lady Anne’s Hotel, and important decisions were taken regarding the next 12 months in the club’s long history. The National Clarion Cycling Club was founded in 1895, and this year’s Meet, the 113th, was organised by the local Fenland Section who are based in Peterborough.

Over 70 delegates from across the country attended the weekend’s activities, with a large contingent from the local Fenland Section. The club enjoyed a Reception with the Mayor at the Town Hall, as well as both a Ghost Walk and a Town Walk around Stamford. The Clarion flag could be seen flying above the Town Hall on Friday night. Evening entertainment included local band “Out of the Blue” and The Annual Meal and Prize Presentation attended by the Mayor at The Lady Anne’. An array of Trophies were awarded to the prizewinners, including the Czechoslovakian Trophy for the Team Pursuit, which was originally awarded to the Clarion for their victory at the Workers Olympiad in Prague in 1921.

Unfortunately, the Cyclo-Sportive ride from Red Lion Square had to be postponed due to the 2 inches of snow that fell early on Sunday morning. The snow stopped at 9am but the 125 riders who had signed up for the ride will try again in early May.

The Time Trial where riders compete on their own against the clock, did however, take place from Essendine on Saturday. Here the Fenland section took a clean sweep, with Lyndon Leadbetter beating Dave Langlands by just 1 second, and Paul Asplin completing a good day for the locals.