Harwood scorches home in course record time

Runner-up was Peterborough CC’s James Gelsthorpe in 40:13.

Other PCC times: Richard Lamb 46:08; Nick Hitchens 46:18; Paul Breeze 52:18.

Over in Old on Saturday, Francis Mulhern finished a creditable fifth for Peterborough CC in the Northants CRA road race with Mark Hill 13th and Steve Noel in the bunch.

Further south, Malcolm Smith finished 23rd in the CC Ashwell road race facing riders half his age.

On Sunday, the club’s reigning Northants & DCA short distance overall runner-up Paul Pardoe finished sixth in his first N&DCA event of the season with Adrian McHale 53rd from the 85 riders.

FENLAND CLARION

Clarion rider Alison Lilley started her season with an excellent third place in the Lovelo 50-mile road race on the Leighton Buzzard-based course.

The event was won with a solo breakaway, but Lilley initiated the bunch sprint only to be pipped on the line by a Sigma Sport rider to just miss out on a second-place finish.

In the first round of the Northants time trial series Fenland riders were out in force on the rolling 18.7 mile Middleton circuit near Corby.

Simon Pitchford led them home in 44:12 and was supported by Mark Ingram (45:02), Phil Ackerman (45:47), Malc Jacklin (47:18), Phil Merritt (54:00 )and James Piercy (57:26), who was second juvenile.

In the Lea Valley 25-mile event on the Newmarket based E2/25 course, Fenland’s second claim member Dave Langlands rode an impressive 47.50 to finish with an average speed slightly in excess of 31 mph.

In the same event Paul Lilley knocked 40 seconds off his PB set some eight years ago with a time of 53:23.

In the Spalding Hilly 18-mile time trial, Chris Shaw finished in 51:10 and John Royle in 53:52.