ROADWORKS forced a last-minute change of route in Ely and District Cycling Club s Kempton Cup ride last week but the 23 riders adapted well and recorded good times. Breckland CC s Alan Newark made mincemeat of the 10 miles and battled against strong winds

ROADWORKS forced a last-minute change of route in Ely and District Cycling Club's Kempton Cup ride last week but the 23 riders adapted well and recorded good times.

Breckland CC's Alan Newark made mincemeat of the 10 miles and battled against strong winds on the homeward leg to finish in 22:43.

In the battle for the club trophy Ely rider Tom Sykes edged out Geoff Brewster to take the trophy with only a second to spare.

In a dramatic finish, Brewster was closely followed by Steve Presland, who crossed the line in 24:25, just three seconds shy of his teammate.

Relative newcomer Mark Huggins recorded a strong 30:29 considering that he had completed a gruelling 50 miles from London to Cambridge 48 hours earlier.

John McAndrews (24:47) and Philip Peacock (24:52) were once again closely matched and Steve Lightfoot (25:26) produced a determined effort.

Again, new riders turned up to surprise the regulars with some impressive riding. Lee Dickerson and Steve Patten really put their machines to work over the course, Dickerson managing a sturdy 27:11 and Patten stopping the clock dead on 28:00. Derek Bailey rode again with growing confidence in his late season comeback, 28:37 being his reward for a hard fought ride.

More encouraging times were posted by stars of the future Katie Dunkley and Ben Stephen who really turned in some impressively dedicated efforts.

Katie crossed the line to halt the stopwatch at 35:11 while Ben threw every last ounce of energy into a 32:41.

Katie's mother Sharon took the honours of lantern rouge after a brave and spirited race against the clock for a well earned 36:50.

The next event for the club will be on August 14 for the 10-mile Cox Cup.

10-mile solo results: 1 Alan Newark 22:43, 2 Tom Sykes 24:21, 3 Geoff Brewster 24:22, 4 Steve Presland 24:25, 5 John McAndrews 24:47, 6 Philip Peacock 24:52, 7 Steve Lightfoot 25:26, 8 Andy Stephen 26:09, 9 Lee Dickerson 27:11, 10 Andrew Wills 27:12, 11 Steve Patten 28:00, 12 Derek Bailey 28:37, 13 John Jermy 28:46, 14 Ray Jolly 30:17, 15 Mark Huggins 30:29, 16 Ray Legg 30:40, 17 Danny Reynolds 30:43, 18 Ben Stephen 32:41, 19 Katie Dunkley 35:11, 20 Sharon Dunkley 36:50, Gage Lloyd DNS. 10-mile solo: 1 Celia/Colin Whitechurch 24:21.+