West Suffolk Wheelers and Triathlon club reliability trial. Event in memory of Brian Phillips, who died whilst competing last year

A CYCLING event in memory of a talented rider has raised money to help send his former team to Italy for a time trial competition.

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Brian Phillips, 51, from Horringer, near Bury St Edmunds, had been competing in the team time trial event last March when he suddenly collapsed and died.

On Sunday, the West Suffolk Wheelers and Triathlon Club held its annual Suffolk Punch Reliability Trial in memory of Mr Phillips, who left a wife and three children.

The successful businessman was a life member of East Grinstead Cycling Club, in West Sussex – with whom he had been competing in Italy – and was also a member of the West Suffolk Wheelers.

Justin Wallace, organiser of the Suffolk Punch Reliability Trial, which is a training event for club cyclists, thought about £200 had been raised for the East Grinstead CC team.

He said: “Really we were just pleased to contribute towards the East Grinstead CC team that are going to this time trial in Italy so they can have accommodation where they can all stay together and prepare well for it. It’s the least we can do. Brian was a big part of that club.”

He said Mr Phillips’ widow Claire and daughter Louise had come along to the event, which started and ended at the West Suffolk Wheelers HQ off Shakers Lane, Bury.

There was a display of pictures of Mr Phillips and his racing jerseys. Mr Wallace said the whole event had been a “poignant occasion”.

Louise, 20, said: “For me it was the first event or anything that’s been organised in memory of him since he died just over a year ago. Mixed emotions, but it was lovely and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.

“Going, you get a kind of camaraderie that comes with the cycling community, and everyone misses him as much as I do.”

She said her mother had just returned from Saudi Arabia the morning of the event.

They brought along a book for people to write down their memories of Mr Phillips.

Louise said she was “lost” without her father.

She said the family had also been putting money aside to help send her father’s former team to Italy.

She said the same seven riders he competed with last year would be taking part, with a professional Italian cyclist to take her father’s place.

She added that the event was being named after him this year.

Mr Wallace said almost 70 riders had taken part in Sunday’s reliability event, which had a choice of three routes – 75 miles, 60 miles and 36 miles. Certificates were presented to those who achieved average speeds of 18, 15, 13 and 11mph (no 11mph category for 75 miles).

Mr Wallace said: “There were some brilliant performances. Several of them, probably about three or four, did 18mph for the 75-mile route.”

He added how there had been some really big climbs.

He said: “We had a good day. Everything went well.”

He added: “A lot of people from different clubs caught up who hadn’t seen each other for a while.”