FIVE of the top eight placings in the Sporting Courses (SPOCO) qualifying event in Cumbria on Sunday were filled by East Lancashire racing cyclists which again demonstrated the dominance they hold in this competition.

Forty plus veteran Billy Rodgers of Blackburn showed that age is no barrier by finishing third fastest across all age groups.

Rodgers returned a time of 55 min 13 seconds for the hilly 22 mile circuit followed closely in 55min 33s by an even older rider Peter Greenwood of Burnley, who is in the ranks of the 50 plus veterans.

Fifth was Dave Metcalfe of Barnoldswick in 56m 40s with Carl Helliwell of Great Harwood taking sixth slot in 56m 22s and Dave Ebbrell of Houghton eighth in 57m 46s.

Overall winner as expected was Preston's Gethin Butler with another storming ride of 52min 11sec.

Butler had in fact been beaten earlier on the same morning when he had clocked 52min 28sec in a 25 mile event near Kendal, with top Scottish rider Mark Atkinson getting the better of him with an outstanding 51min 36sec ride.

Dave Ebbrell had claimed fourth fastest in the 25 with an excellent 55m 05s before he, like Butler, motored further north to compete in the SPOCO event.

Fifth in the 25 was Stuart Whitehead of Langho with 56m 15sec, while another East Lancs rider Peter Haigh of the Nelson Wheelers also beat the hour barrier with 59m 30s.

In the veterans category, winner was Frank Kerry of Egerton with a riding time of 1h 1m 7s at the age of 68 and third was Dave Brown of Salesbury with 1h 0m 23s at age 65.

Dave Hargreaves of the North Lancs Road Club claimed a well-taken third place in the veterans road race for 50 to 60 year olds over 47 miles at Denbigh in North Wales on Sunday with event winner being Vinny Smith of the Horwich Cycling Club.

The Thursday evening Pendle Forest promotion at Thornton was over 11.5 mile hilly miles and rapidly improving junior Steven Burke of Colne was just the winner with 27m 43s which was eight seconds better than veteran Simon Phillips of Burnley in second place.

Carl Pawson of Nelson Wheelers took third in 28m 16s and Steve Singleton of the promoting club fourth in 28m 35s.

The first 10 mile event organised by the Rossendale Road Club at Accrington on Tuesday evenings this year was won by Blackburn and District CTC member Dave Edwards in 23m 25s followed home by newly recruited junior rider William Brown in 26m 41s.

At Edisford near Clitheroe on Thursday evening, last year's series winner Fraser Snape, who has become a father over the close season, proved he was still on form by covering the testing 10 miles in 24m 26s.

Second was Peter Briscoe in 24m 47s, third Dave Clough with 25m 54s and fourth Nigel Waddington in 25m 57s.