Charles Taylor (Team Bottrill and Ruth Gamwell (Macclesfield Wheelers) were the fastest men and women at the Manchester and District TTA 50-mile TT based near Goostrey in Cheshire on Saturday.

34-year-old Taylor from near Derby – who punctured and didn’t finish the 2015 event – returned to take the win with 1:43.35, winning by a comfortable margin on nearly four minutes from Mark Turnbull (Torq Performance).

Gamwell clocked 2:12.00 and was fastest female by 1-34 from Alisa Healy (The Racing Chance Foundation).

The event included the Manchester and District TTA Championship, which Gamwell won too. The men’s title went to Ben Norbury (Congleton CC) whose time of 1:52.31 put him fourth fastest in the open event.

The event was run off in dry but mainly dull conditions on the J4/16 and took in almost three full laps of the anti-clockwise circuit from Cranage up to Chelford and Knutsford.

The 2015 winner Mark Nulty (Team Swift) returned for the 2016 event – a feat in itself after suffering serious injuries in a training crash over the Winter. He was still in a wheelchair at the Association awards night at the end of January, but has recovered well enough to place equal sixth in a time of 1:53.00.

The team prize was decided using the Bidlake system, and Leigh Premier RC took the win with their third fastest rider being Paul Blackburn with 1:57.17.

Second overall, Turnbull was the best veteran on standard with a plus of 29.28. And the handicap prize went to Tony Cullen with 1:32.56, whose actual time of 1:49.21 gave him third spot overall.

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Results:

1. Charles Taylor (Team Bottrill)        1:43.35

2. Mark Turnbull (Torq Performance) 1:47.31

3. Tony Cullen (Total Tri Training)     1:49.21

4. Ben Norbury (Congleton CC)        1:52.31

5. Adam Robinson (Vision Racing)    1:52.51

=6. Neil Skellern (Team Swift)           1:53.00

=6. Mark Nulty (Team Swift) 1:53.00

8. Peter Walker (Leigh Premier RC)   1:53.08

9. Andy Ashurst (Manchester Wheelers)        1:53.20

10. Adrian Hughes (Seamons CC)     1:54.16

Team (Bidlake): Leigh Premier RC (Paul Blackburn) 1:57.17

Women:

1. Ruth Gamwell (Macclesfield Wheelers)     2:12.00

2. Alisa Healy (The Racing Chance Foundation)       2:13.34

3. Melanie Bailey (Vision Racing)      2:14.43

Veterans on standard: Mark Turnbull +29.28

Handicap: Tony Cullen (Total Tri Training) (16.25)   1:32.56

MDTTA Champs: Men: Ben Nurbury. Women: Ruth Gamwell.