WHAT a season Darwen’s Ian Cox is enjoying! In April he had three wins on the run in 10 mile time trials and on Sunday he stepped up the distance to 50 miles and again came out on top.

The event was the Lancaster Cycling Club promotion on a course between Cockermouth and Keswick but despite the strong wind clocked a winning time of 1 hour 53 minutes 2 seconds.

Not content with that, Cox lead his North Lancashire Road Club to the team award thanks to the 2-04-41 ride of another Darwen-based rider Dean McGarry and Paul Taylor from nearby Hoddlesden with 2-05-33.

To top off the road club’s success, Sue Cheetham was fastest lady with 2-24-40.

Even without the support of the on-form Cox, the North Lancs Road Club claimed another team win in the West Pennine 10-mile promotion on the Garstang based course on the previous day.

Fastest road club rider was Fraser Snape of Blackburn with 22 minutes 14 seconds, assisted by Paul Taylor (22-26) and Mark Charnock-Bateman of Huncoat (23-15).

The overall winner was Wrexham based David Williams with 21 minutes 32 seconds.

The Pendle Forest 10 mile at Thornton-in-Craven was won, as would be expected, by world team pursuit record holder Steven Burke in 22 minutes 6 seconds, putting over four minutes into second-placed Steve Singleton of the PF club (26-30), Martin Welsh PF (26-46) and Carl Pawson of Cycle Sport Pendle (27-09).

Paul Warrener was best in his own Rossendale Road Club ‘10’ at Hapton in 25-10, followed by Carl Pawson (26-40), Andy Horner of Bury Clarion (26-50) and Rossendale’s Roy Flanagan (27-08).

At Edisford, Clitheroe, Richard Sagar was winner of the North Lancs Road Club 10 mile in 24 minutes 26 seconds with Paul Taylor second (24-30), Aidan Holgate third (24-42) and Simon Capstick fourth (25-38).

This evening at 7pm (Thursday) the Blackburn and District CTC promote their annual 2-up Team time trial and organiser Dave Collinge has 29 pairings on the start card.

The teams will be lead off from Barton on the A6 road by the Club’s newly married couple Sarah Helliwell (nee Hartley) and husband Carl. The HQ is at Bilsborrow village hall.

On Sunday the North Lancs club promote the Fylde Road Race under LVRC rules and organiser Dave Hargreaves has around 70 veterans entered. HQ is Out Rawcliffe village hall with a start time of 11am and helpers/marshals are still required.