Perfect Series for brilliant Whitmore

Championship winner Whitmore completed a clean sweep in the Ladies' category to take the maximum 240 points from all 12 rounds she has ridden in this best 12 from 18 races event.

Whitmore triumphed in the first of three 10-mile SCCA events on the Waters Upton-Hodnet course which bring the racing season to a conclusion.

She put in a fine 25:26 ride to beat Pauline Hughes, making her first appearance in the Series, by 16 seconds.

A delighted Whitmore said: "My legs went better than I thought they would, so I was very pleased with the win. It was another time trial with perfect conditions."

With Whitmore unbeatable in this Series, there has been a great battle for ladies' silver, with that medal going to Nova Raider Jenny Newton, who gained 16 points on the day thanks to a 27:26 effort.

While Whitmore was toasting another success, Alex Leek celebrated his first Series win after coming home first overall.

But he had to work hard for it, taking victory by just two seconds in a field of 37 riders.

Leek pulled out all the stops to cross the finish line in 22 minutes 38 seconds, to just push SCCA private member Dan Watts into the runner-up spot.

Leek explained: "I'm glad to finally get a win after a few second places – a few small tweaks and changes seemed to work.."

Watts, meanwhile, secured a second consecutive second place with a fine effort of 22:40.

Taking third spot by a three-second margin from North Shropshire Wheelers' Mark Evans was up and coming junior Sam Morris.

The 16-year-old grabbed his highest placing of the Series with a fabulous time of 23:13 that additionally saw him gain the maximum Junior Series points available to seal the Junior Championship with three rounds to go.

"I was really pleased with my ride and wasn't expecting to be half as quick!" said a thrilled Morris.

"I'm really happy with third spot and winning the Junior Series overall."

In the Veterans' competition, it was newcomers to the fore with a surprise win for North Shropshire Wheelers' Rob Kidd on his first appearance in the Series.

Kidd put in a great effort of +3:44 to push out Hafren's Ian Coe by 16 seconds, with Pauline Hughes grabbing third place in +3:21.

Round 16 of the Series takes place on Sunday – and it's the longest event as Mid Shropshire Wheelers promote their 30-mile event over two laps of the Westbury circuit.

Headquarters is The Lion Inn at Westbury, and riders should note that the start time has been brought

forward to 9.30am to avoid the level crossing closure on the B4387 near the finish line.