Under-23 rider Josh Charlton (Saint Piran) showed his talent to take victory by 25 seconds in the RTTC National 10 Mile Championships.

The 20-year-old was the only rider to dip under the 18-minute mark as he posted a winning time of 17 minutes and 43 seconds.

The victory was Charlton’s first senior CTT national crown and he finished 25 seconds ahead of two-time 10-mile champion Richard Bussell (AeroCoach).

Starting outside Cramlington the M101 saw riders join the rolling A189 before heading out and back to the turn at North Seaton finishing just short of the start.

The championship event was organised by Sharon Dyson on behalf of the Northumberland and Durham Cycling Association (N&DCA) with volunteers coming from across the district.

Charlton finished sixth in the under-23 world time trial championships in Scotland last month but had not ridden an open CTT event for over two years.

However, the Saint Piran rider showed his talent to record an average speed of over 33.8 miles per hour on his way to victory.

Former national 10-mile champion Bussell was competing in his first open event over the distance this season.

The Aerocoach rider led a close battle for second stopping the clock in 18-08, which was just three seconds quicker than former World Tour professional Alex Dowsett (Nopinz).

After winning the National 50 and 100-mile events and finishing runner-up in last weekend’s National 25, Adam Duggleby (ADDFORM Vive Le Velo) had to settle for fourth on this occasion.

“It was good, I went pretty fast out there and didn’t expect it to be quite so quick,” said Charlton.

“The way out was really quick, I had a pacing plan to save a lot for the return leg and then just hit it all the way home and it went quite well.

“It was definitely a personal best by quite a long way. I’m chuffed to bits with it and surprised myself.  I’ve got a few more weeks until the end of the season now so I’ll see what’s knocking about but I’d definitely like to try a few more time trials.”

After being quickest team in last weekend’s National 25, GTR - Return To Life p/b Streamline also took the team title of 10 miles with Douglas Watson (19-04), Chris Smart (19-18) and Rob Graham (20-15) all contributing.

Pictures by Kimroy Photography. Link to full gallery here.

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