The televised Halfords ‘Tour Series’ of city centre circuit races starts next week and the teams of four of our East Lancashire based professional cyclists will be in action throughout the eleven event series – and all will be shown on ITV4. Olympic hopeful Steven Burke will be riding for his IG Markets-Sigma Sport squad, Ian Wilkinson for Endura Racing, Simon Wilson for the Metaltek-Scott team and Paul Oldham for Team Hope Factory Racing.

On top of that, the Higher Walton based Team Wallis will be the guest team to ride the Aberystwyth counter. The 2012 version of this successful series begins in Kirkcaldy Scotland on Tuesday and finishes in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday, June 14.

Unfortunately there are no events in the north west this time around but each of the events will be screened 24 hours later as in previous years with the first on ITV4 at 10pm on Wednesday.

The Rossendale Road Club Tuesday evening 10-mile time trial on the tough Hapton-based course was won by their own Paul Warrener in 25 minutes 16 seconds, beating Mick Wood of Clitheroe Bike Club (26-53), Bury Clarion’s Andy Horner (26-59) and Derek Schofield of the Rossendale club (27-15).

There is a Pendle Forest ‘10’ tonight and then alternate weeks this season, while the Edisford-based North Lancs Road Club 10-mile events on Wednesdays have started and welcome new riders.

Nelson Wheelers and Rossendale Road Club combined together to make a weekend of sport on the Keswick-Cockermouth road.

The Wheelers’ ‘10’ on Saturday had Preston-based Mark Holton in first place with 20 minutes 19 seconds and closely followed by Pendle Forest’s Jason Bateman with 20-37.

Other East Lancashire riders in the top 10 were Simon Phillips in eighth position (22-32), Chris Smedley Nelson in ninth (22-40) and Paul Warrener Rossendale in 10th (22-47).

That result could not forecast the margin that Holton put between himself and the rest on Sunday morning when he returned an incredible 49 minute 53 seconds for the 25 miles.

Preston Wheelers’ John Morgan was nearly five minutes adrift for second in 54-23 with Bateman third (54-41) and Ian Cox, of the North Lancs Road Club, in fourth position with 54-52 to take the top veteran award.

On the newly used Palatine closed circuit in Blackpool, Richard Sagar of Burnley and the North Lancs Road Club was winner of the fourth category event with Adam Blakeley of Pendle Forest finishing fifth in the third category.