SEVERAL East Lancs time trialists took advantage of better weather conditions over the weekend to produce a crop of personal best performances.

The fastest of these was Jonathan Boothman of Barnoldswick and the Pendle Forest Cycling Club who followed up his second place in the Horwich 50 mile event the previous weekend with an excellent 53min 21sec ride on the Catterick course in North Yorkshire on Saturday.

In the same race Peter Greenwood of Burnley and the Clayton Velo returned 54mins 21secs and team mate Dave Metcalf of Barnoldswick was just behind with 54.37. Fraser Snape of Simonstone and the North Lancs Road Club was a further three seconds down in 54.40 while Bob Jones of Accrington and the same club reduced his previous best time by over one minute to finish in 56.26.

On the following morning in the Lancashire Road Club 25 mile promotion on the Garstang course Tony Stott of Clayton le Moors rode his first solo race for three years and claimed a brilliant third place with a time of 57.14 over much slower roads than those enjoyed by the competitors in the previous evening's event.

In the same Sunday race Martin Tonge of the Pendle Forest club took fifth place in 58.11 while Fraser Snape was back in action only 12 hours after his previous outing and clocked 58.57.

Bill Rodgers of the Rossendale Road Club took the prize for third fastest veteran after beating the one hour barrier for the first time with 59.40 and Stuart Whitehead of Langho was another inside the hour with 59.43.

Just outside the hour but beating 23mph were Steve Wilkinson of Nelson Wheelers (1:1.24), Paul Warrener of the Rossendale Road Club (1:4.48) and Mal Gill of the North Lancs Road Club (1:4.57).

IN the Wednesday evening Kirkby Track League the Blackburn and District CTC squad again rode consistently well with Colin Pickering of Great Harwood winning the eight lap prep race for B group riders and Paul Smith of Langho taking third in the A group race.

Ian Stott was winner of the Course des Primes and Richard Hek was winner of the two lap youth race.

In handicap events 13-year-old Tara Stott was second and 17-year-old sister May was third in the one lap event, Chris Edmondson was third in the Sydney Handicap and Richard Hek won the two lap race.

The A group Devil Take the Hindmost was won by Manchester's Andy Orrell with Ian Yates of Blackburn second and Paul Smith third. In the evening's last race, the Deeside Decider, Andy Orrell was again the only rider to beat the CTC squad with Ian Yates taking second, Paul Smith third and Ian Stott fourth. Ian Stott went on to ride an excellent race on Sunday in the 80 mile road race at Oakenclough, taking eighth place in a class field behind winner, ex-national road champion Dave Cook of the North East.

Ian Stott, along with Dave Ebbrell and Carl Helliwell will compete on the Isle of Man TT course tomorrow on the famous Manx International Day.

THE North Lancashire Road Club ten mile time trial on the Edisford circuit on Thursday was again won by Fraser Snape of Simonstone in 23.21 against the second placed ride of Bill Rodgers of Blackburn who returned 24.10.

Dave Hargreaves of Blackburn claimed third in 24.51 and Paul Warrener of Rossendale was fourth in 25.08.

The event incorporated the Rossendale Road Club title race normally held between Clitheroe and Settle which was a victim of foot and mouth regulations. Bill Rodgers, the Blackburn based rider who is a policeman in Preston and a member of the Rossendale Road Club, was winner of this annual award. In the Rossendale Road Club Tuesday event over 9.4 miles between Accrington and Burnley, Blackburn and District CTC rider Dave Edwards was fastest in 23.18, beating second placed rider Paul Warrener (24.49) by one and a half minutes with Peter Agnew (24.50) third and Simon Bartram (25.32) fourth.

THE criterium races planned for this Sunday at the Shadsworth business park in Blackburn have been cancelled due to the low entry received by organiser Andrew Tabernacle.

However, over 80 entries were received for the League of Veteran Racing Cyclists road race at Elswick in the Fylde on Sunday which starts at 1pm and several East Lancs veterans are in the big field.

The big event of the weekend is the Mersey Road Club 24 hour which includes the national championship for 2001. Preston's Gethin Butler is expected to retain his title.