Clinton rides to second in Nationals, beaten by that man Bottrill again

Clinton has been performing well all season, setting many course records, but his nemesis Matt Bottrill (Drag 2 Zero) was also targeting the event between Keswick and Cockermouth and it was he who again gained the upper hand.

With six-time winner Michael Hutchinson failing to show, Clinton was the penultimate seeded rider with Bottrill setting off two minutes behind him.

Clinton lost 20 seconds in the first half of the course but maintained the gap, finishing second, just 41 seconds down on Bottrill in a time of 48min 56sec (30.7mph).

Bottrill’s Drag 2 Zero team-mate Charles McCulloch was some way back in third in 49:58.

Fellow Mike Vaughan Cycles rider Jack O’Neill had to battle the toughest of the conditions, with rain and wind hampering his effort and seeing him come home in 54:30.

However, the 19-year-old can be pleased with 57th place out of 117 starters in his first national time trial, with the 19-year-old taking more than a minute off his personal best.

Liz Powell continued her rapid improvement by just missing out on a top-ten finish at the ladies National Time Trial Championships near Holmes Chapel in Cheshire.

In an event won by Dame Sarah Storey, Powell was lucky to avoid the torrential rain which dogged many of the riders, but did experience strong headwinds for significant portions of the course.

She finished 11th in a time of 1:00.26 and although slightly disappointed to have missed out on the top ten could afford to be phlegmatic having never intended to target the 25-mile distance at the beginning of the season.

Powell is now turning her attention to the National 10-mile championships which will take place at the end of the month.

Storey won the event in 56:08.