THIS weekend saw members of Lancashire Road Club competing in nationally recognised competitions around the country.

On Saturday afternoon, Lee McCarthy and Dene Fisher rode in round five of the season long RTTC time trial series sponsored by Rudy Project, this particular event was run over a testing 27 mile course near Boroughbridge in North Yorkshire.

The three lap course had attracted many of the countries top time-trialists against whom Lee and Dene acquitted themselves well with times of 1:4:21 and 1:5:30 respectively.

On Sunday morning, Frank Mackin and John Partington represented the club in the V.T.T.A national 25 mile championships on the T252 course on Teeside. This event had an early start time forcing Frank and John to leave home at an ungodly hour to compete in far from ideal conditions. Their times were: Frank 1:4:55 and John 1:11:42.

Closer to home, one of the clubs more infrequent time trialists, Neil Taylor, cycled from his home in Bolton to Tarleton near Southport to compete in another 25 mile event. Neil recorded a fine time of 1:5:37.

Next Sunday will see the running of the Lancashire Road Club 12 hour time trial promoted on behalf of the club by Jack Roughley. This event is nationally recognised as one of the best organised events of it's type and has again attracted a fine field of riders.

The competitors will be set off at one minute intervals starting at 6:00 and over the next 12 hours many of them will cover in excess of 250 miles.

The '12 hour' stretches the club's resources to the limit and as such all members not riding the event should offer their services to Jack as marshals or feeders.

LRC club runs will continue throughout the coming months with clubrunners normally meeting outside the Royal Oak pub on Tonge Moor Road at 09:00 on Sunday mornings.

The ride on August 19th will be an impromptu affair because of the '12 Hour' but a club run of some sort will still take place.

Our resident racers have had a busy mid-season.

Michael Bland and Derek Pritchard obtained a personal best in the NLTTA 100 mile time trial in 4:38.08 on the tandem, whilst Chris Smith completed the event in 4:49.59. A week later Chris Smith beat Michael Bland by almost three minutes in the Liverpool Century 25 mile time trial - in conditions that favoured Bland, 1:03.58 against Bland's 1:06.40.

Michael's form on the tandem was improving with Derek Pritchard on the rear recording 1:02.38 for their own club's twenty-five.

Phil Rowley steered son Jonathon to admirable 1:07.42 in the same event. One of their first races at this distance. Chris Smith covered the distance in 1:03.45. Michael and Derek completed the Yorkshire Federation 30 mile time trial in 1:13.29, racing through a torrential downpour at twenty miles.

The following day, Chris completed the VTTA 100 mile time trial in 4:48.45 taking time off his previous years best. Chris should be better qualified to enter this event, as he becomes a veteran in September.

Anyone wishing to join the run should turn up on the day with a roadbike (and spare inner tube - just in case!). You will be made very welcome