RACING cyclist Fraiser Snape of Read, was winner of two of the three midweek time trials held on roads in our area during the past week.

On Tuesday he was fastest in the Rossendale Road Club promotion on the Accrington to Burnley Road with 21 minutes, 43 seconds which was the fastest time recorded for the 9.4-mile course this year.

Second in this event was Dave Edwards of Blackburn, with 22:49 just beating another Blackburn rider, Bill Rodgers, who clocked 22:56, while Stuart Taylor of Rossendale, was fourth in 23.43.

On Thursday, Snape was winner of his own North Lancashire Road Club promotion over 7.7 miles at Edisford near Clitheroe, with 18:24, which was just one precious second faster than Guy Laycock of Wiswell, who had turned the tables on Snape the previous week.

Third fastest was Blackburn's Dave Hargreaves in 20:06 and fourth best finisher was Ken Holden of Accrington in 20:16.

Also on Thursdays the Pendle Forest are running their weekly series based on Thornton-in-Craven with a start time of 7pm and over an 11-mile circuit last week their own Jonathon Boothman of Barnoldswick, was winner in the fast time of 27:43.

Next best came Simon Phillips of Burnley, with 30:12, whilst Martin Welsh of Colne was third in 30:52 and relative newcomer to the sport schoolboy Phillip Burton of Colne, clocked 33:36 for fourth place.

FOR the first time in nine weeks this season the Kirkby Stadium Open-Air Track League was washed out by rain but at the halfway point of the season the Blackburn and District CTC squad are dominant in the latest league tables.

Overall leader is Ian Stott of Clayton-le-Moors, with 46.5 points followed by, 2 Paul Smith (40.5pts)l 3 Ian Yates (37.5pts); 6 Tony Stott (19pts); 8 Shaun Pearson (13.5pts); 13 Chris Edmondson (10.5pts); and equal 25 Dave Collinge and Colin Pickering (7pts).

The high standard of their riding is demonstrated when cyclist of the Cablibre of National Champion Jim Henderson and ex-international rider William Moore are presently placed fourth and fifth respectively.

In the Deeside Decider table the Blackburn club have three in the top four with Ian Stott again leading with 23 points; Paul Smith, second, 22pts; Jim Henderson of Southport, third, 14pts; and Ian Yates, fourth, 11pts.

In the youths table, Rishton's 15-year-old Richard Hek holds a well-deserved second place.

RIDERS from local clubs have produced some excellent performances across the North of England during the past weekend with Burnley's Peter Greenwood of the Clayton Velo Club, claiming second place in the Ottley Cycling Club 25-mile time trial at Dishforth in Yorkshire, with 59 minutes 03 seconds, and over the same distance at Tarleton in the Merseyside Wheelers event that attracted over 80 entries, Mick Ellerton also of the Clayton Velo, was fourth in 57:34 and Fraiser Snape of the North Lancs RC was sixth in 57:49 on a chilly Sunday morning.

Meanwhile back in Yorkshire near Harrogate, in a League Of Veteran Racing Cyclists Road Race over 47 miles John Leach of the Rossendale Road Club claimed a sixth place in the 55-59 year-old group in a big field and David Hargreaves of the North Lancs RC also scored a sixth place but in the 50-54 year category.

ONE of Britain's best ever time trialists Gethin Butler, who lives in Preston, is scheduled to attack the Road Record Association, Liverpool to Edinburgh record on Sunday next assuming reasonable weather conditions prevail.

The record stands at nine hours six minutes for the 200-plus miles and is one of the toughest on the RRA books having stood since the early 50s to the famous rider of the day Ken Joy and has withstood several attacks over the years.

Gethin will leave Liverpool at 6.30am and will enter Preston around 7.30 via Penwortham and exit via the A6 through Broughton and north to Lancaster. Butler warmed up for this ride with a dominant win in the North West Divisional Road Race Championships in Cheshire over 84 miles last Sunday.

On the same day members of the North Lancashire Road Club and Friends will be leaving Brownhill at 8.30am to ride the 100-mile plus to Silverdale and back on a charity ride for the British Epilepsy Society in member of Pat True, who worked for the Lancashire Evening Telegraph for around 10 years.

This Saturday the Pendle Forest Club promote their annual criterium series at the Scale Hall Circuit at Lancaster. First, second, third and fourth category riders, plus veterans and ladies will be sure of two events during the day and entries will be taken not he line with a start time of 10am.

Next Wednesday, June 13 the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists promote a series of criteriums on the new excellent Preston Arena circuit, starting at 1pm and all 40-plus riders are welcome to go along with entries being taken on the day.