Mike Rabbetts, president of the Lewes Wanderers, has hit back at claims that his club are in crisis.

He rejected the suggestions which came after Wanderers lost members to the new In-Gear Racing Club in Uckfield. Rabbetts points out in the Wanderers' newsletter that the club still have more than a 100 members and plan a full racing programme in the coming months.

Club secretary Sandra Hill says the Wanderers have an excellent reputation for promoting their own open events and turning out to assist other local clubs. The Wanderers have one of the most promising young riders in Sussex in Mark Burgess.

He recently won the London League Junior Cyclo-Cross Championship, winning seven of eight events. Also, new member Anja Rees-Jones has won a sponsorship with a Canadian bike company following her successes in mountain bike

racing. But there will be some keen rivalry between the Lewes and Uckfield clubs this season.

The VC Bayeux team from Hastings just made it in time for the start of the 38-mile Meonstoke Road Race, even missing the pre-race warm-up. Their leading rider was Martin Markowski, who finished 15th, behind winner Paul Pickup (Liphook Cycles).

Bayeux are entered for this Sunday's 57-mile Peter Doyle Memorial Race which also starts in Meonstoke. Barrie Clarke (Raleigh), a former King of the Mountains in the Mile race, is the star name in the field.

Track racing at Preston Park track this season will have a new look. In addition to the traditional track races, some senior events will use conventional road racing bikes. The experiment follows the success of allowing juveniles to race using their road and BMX machines.

The cost of buying a special track bike is one of the reasons some road riders do not take part in track events. Now they will have the chance and promoters hope some of them may decide to take up traditional track racing. The local track season starts on May 3.

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