Darlington Cycling Club 25

Alex Beldon powered to victory at the Darlington CC/VTTA North 25-mile time trial on Saturday morning, while Angela Hannon-Flaherty finished as the fastest female rider.

Competing for Team Bottrill, Beldon posted an impressive 49-58 in cold conditions to claim the title ahead of Matt Chipping (Leeds & Bradford Tri Club), who finished runner-up in 53-24, while Ellis Murray (Darlington CC) clocked 55-01 which was enough to see him into third.

A fine ride from 18-year-old Beldon rider saw him overcome tough conditions, including strong winds, to take a first CTT event win this season ahead of Spindata pre-race favourite Chipping.

On his win, Beldon said: “I’m really happy with the ride. The legs felt strong and I’m glad I was able to produce a fast time with relatively poor conditions.

“I’ve been putting a lot of work into my time trials recently in preparation for Chrono Des Nations next week, so to be going as well as I did today is a massive confidence boost for next week.”

In the women’s category, Hannon-Flaherty (Seacroft Wheelers) set 1:03.32 to seal the win and fight off competition from Deborah Jeffries (Manilla CC), who had to settle for second with 1:20.00.

It is a third win of the season for Hannon-Flaherty who last tasted victory at the Yorkshire Cycling Federation 25-mile time trial in August.

Neil Turner of Endurance Academy finished as the fastest ride bike competitor in 1:05.59, a time good enough for 15th overall, while 15-year-old junior rider Tom Bromiley (Harrogate Nova CC) recorded 1:03.20 to finish 12th position.

David Nichol of Ferryhill Wheelers was the first over-70s veteran to cross the line in 1:01.30, earning him tenth place in the overall standings.

This 25-mile event, run on the T254/1R course, begins on the A6055 before heading south. Running adjacent to the A1, it u-turns on Lime Lane roundabout before retracing its steps to finish just short of its start location outside of Leeming Bar.

* All reports are copyright of Cycling Time Trials/Snowdon Sports. Not to be used without permission.

Results:

Open:

1. Alex Beldon (Team Bottrill)           49.58

2. Matt Chipping (Leeds & Bradford Tri Club)         53.24

3. Ellis Murray (Darlington Cycling Club)    55.01

4. Stuart Henderson (ADDFORM Vive Le Velo)      55.24

5. Alex Hodgkinson (Ilkeston Cycle Club)    55.31

6. Aidan Adams (Yorkshire Road Club)        56.11

Women:

1. Angela Hannon-Flaherty (Seacroft Wheelers)       1:03.32

2. Deborah Jeffries (Manilla Cycling)            1:20.00