Clinton left a little deflated despite smashing his PB

Competing for Mike Vaughan Cycles in the Hemel Hempstead CC 10-mile TT, Clinton smashed his personal best of 19min 21sec, set on the notoriously fast course last year.

However, it was only when he got back to headquarters that he realised he had been riding with a deflating rear tyre, which certainly robbed him of the course record.

Clinton took a trip down to Aylesbury and the Tring Bypass on the back of good form which had seen him clock 48min 26sec (31mph) for a club 25-mile time-trial in the week running up to the event.

Set on going under 19 minutes and possibly breaking the course record of 18:38, Clinton went out fast and was already averaging 32mph at the five-mile mark.

With a slight tailwind, his speed was increasing, but unbeknown to him, he had picked up a bit of flint in his rear tyre and it was losing a fair amount of pressure.

At eight miles, his average speed had hit 33.4mph, the average needed to join only three riders who have dipped under 18 minutes for the distance.

Turning back up the course, a nagging headwind started to lower the average speed, as did the deflating rear tyre.

Hitting the line at 18:40, Clinton eclipsed his PB by 41 seconds but finished just a second shy of the course record.

It proved enough to win the event by 24 seconds from Rob Pears (Procycling Magazine), but Clinton was left to reflect on how fast he would have been but for his tyre woes.

Richard Shephard claimed his fifth win of the series at Leamington C&AC’s 30-mile time trial on a modified course near Harbury.

Shephard recorded a time of 1hr 14min 23sec to finish more than two minutes clear of veteran Mark Thomas (1:16:31).

Pierre Guern was third in 1:19:08.

Meanwhile, Kineton’s Jonathan Wears produced an impressive performance at the Yorkshire Cycling Federation’s 15-mile Time Trial near Hull.

Wears, 20, who is studying at Hull University, finished third in 30:51, just 40 seconds behind the winner.

 Team Jewson-MI Racing are hosting the biggest road race to be held in the region for over on a decade on June 29, with the 90-mile Battle of Edge Hill having attracted the cream of the UK’s leading veteran riders.

The longest, toughest and richest veteran cycle race ever run in the UK, it includes two climbs of Sunrising Hill and Edge Hill and passes through the village of Kineton five times.

The race, which starts on the outskirts of Wellesbourne (10.30am) and should finish four hours later at Moreton Paddox, is free to watch.

MI Racing will be fielding a very strong team with Warwick’s John Stevenson, Kenilworth’s Phil Astphalck and Richard Shimmell from Balsall Common all entered alongside Leamington C&AC’s Anthony Griffiths.