Daniel Watts broke the 20-minute barrier for the first time on his way to victory in the Bedfordshire Roads CC 10-mile time trial near Tempsford, while Anna Muir (Chelmer CC) was fastest female.

A colder than expected morning led to several riders posting times that were slower than anticipated, but it seemed not to affect Watts, the 28-year-old RAF CA rider from Shropshire.

He clocked 19-52 to take the win by just four seconds from the promoting club’s Mick Hodson, while third went to Ross Clarke (TMG Horizon) who was another seven seconds back.

The women's race was won by 44-year-old Essex resident Anna Muir (Chelmer CC) with 23:55, while Emma Koppe (CC Ashwell) was second with 25:22 and third was Gill Reynolds (Willesden CC) with 26:07.

The F1b/10 course begins just south of Tempsford and heads down the A1 to Biggleswade, before returning and finishing just short of the start point.

St Neots CC won the team prize with their victorious trio being Simon Elkington, Mark Greenhow and Patrick Ellerbeck.

This was Watts’s first open victory of the season, but comes after a string of good top ten placings which have included third in the Ludlow CC 10. He will be aiming for another victory when he rides the Hemel Hempstead CC 10 next Saturday.

And for Muir, the win comes after she was part of the winning quartet in the CC London four-up last month, while she was also victorious in April in the Easterley RC 25.

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Results:

1          Daniel Watts   Royal Air Force Cycling Association 19:52

2          Mick Hodson  Bedfordshire Road RT           19:56

3          Ross Clarke     TMG Horizon Cycling Team  20:03

4          Jack Patmore   VeloElite RC  20:08

5          Andy Stuart    Velo Club St Raphael 21:09

6          Jon Surtees      NOPINZ         21:15

7          Adam Fisher   Cambridge CC            21:18

8          John Lacey      Hemel Hempstead CC            21:22

9          Matt Donovan Bedfordshire Road RT           21:23

10        Leigh Smith    JCA Equipe Velo        21:32

Women:

1          Anna Muir       Chelmer CC    23:55

2          Emma Koppe  CC Ashwell    25:22

3          Gillian Reynolds         Willesden CC  26:07

4          Ruth Freestone King   45 RC  26:28

5          Deborah Joy Newell   Icknield RC    30:27

Team: St Neots CC (Simon Elkington, Mark Greenhow, Patrick Ellerbeck)